Stabilizing the Slippery

Making certain types of fabric behave can be tricky.  

Ask anyone who as tried to accurately cut and sew a fine silk gorgette on the bias.  

And some polyesters can be just as ornery.  

For the purposes of this project, the cream with blue and green foliage shirt shown applied to a base block in the bottom right needed help to behave appropriately.

This help came in the form of well applied stabilization.

Recognize the four shirts from the previous post?

(Yes, those are my toes at the bottom of the picture...)

I've sewn with just about any type of fabric you can imagine and I've learned a thing or two about how to make stuff do what you want it to do.  

The polyester shirt was not only slippery, but it wanted to fray... badly.  

My ultimate plan was to perform a fusible web applique technique which meant the raw edge of the fabric would be somewhat visable on the final product and I needed a sharp, clean edge to zig-zag stitch over.

This fabric did not want to stay folded and maintain the sharp creases that are needed for an accurate design.  

The intricate cutting that needed to take place for this Hawaiian applique block to come together would not have been possible for this shirt if I had not stabilized the fabric.

Stabilizers, also called interfacing,  are used in sewing to make collars and cuffs stiffer.  

Heavier weight stabilizers and interfacings are used to help provide the engineering structure of a tailored suit jacket.  

Some stabilizers are sewn in while others are applied directly to the fabric with a hot iron.  

Tiny dots of glue melt when a hot iron is applied.  

Make sure the correct side of the stabilizer is against  the wrong side of the fablic you wish to stabilize.  In the picture below, you can see the difference of the 'wrong side' of the stabilizer.

In the above picture, the dots of glue, while visible, appear less sharp and crisp.  Also, you should be able to feel a slight texture difference as the side with the glue dots will be slightly bumpy and the 'wrong side' will feel smoother.

Because it is easiest to work with, I chose a light weight fusible stabilizer.  

Using my iron and following the manufacture's directions, I applied a whole piece of stabilizer to the back of the 16" x 16" slippery polyester piece that I had cut from the shirt.  

The fabric went from disobedient to compliant as the glue bonded and cooled.  

Now, I was able smoothly fold, crease, and cut!!

Here is a picture of the stabilized, bonded, and zig-zag stitched polyester shirt secured to a foundation piece.  

This block is finished and ready to be included in the quilt top.

If you are going to make a quilt out of clothing, don't be afraid of including a fine, thin, worn or 

slippery fabric.  

It can be strengthened and made to behave with a stabilizer.

Pineapples and Polyester

Sometimes I have a difficulty finding inspiration.

However, lack of inspiration was not the case with this project.

I was given a handful of men's shirts by the wearer's widow. 

All the shirts were of the Hawaiian type except the tan one, second from the left, in the above picture.

100% percent cotton.  Circa 1968.

65%cotton, 35% poly.

Rayon cotton blend.

100% polyester.

Of course my intention was to construct a quilt that reflected the story of this man's life.  I spent some time with the widow who enthusiastically shared the significance of "Hawaii" in their lives.  

I will share details of that "Once upon a time" in a future post.

My challenge with this project was working with the different types of fabric.  Stabilizing would be absolutely necessary.

I wanted to do a traditional Hawaiian applique, but did not want to compromise the integrity of the delicate fabrics with excessive handling as is the practice with traditional needle turn applique.  I also encountered the challenge of best utilizing the rather small pieces of fabric that are left after disassembling a shirt.

I imagined a way to use fusible web applique on a small scale to create the desired effect and significance that I was looking for.  I will be sharing that technique as a tutorial.

Using a resource I had on  hand which is an excellent introduction to Hawaiian applique by Elizabeth Root, I was able to find a pre-designed template that best suited my small scale needs and offered a pattern that fit with the story:  Pineapple.





Traditionally, the pineapple is the symbol of friendship and hospitality.  The man for whom this quilt memorializes was best know as a hospitable friend.
Hence the name of the quilt:  "You've Got a Friend in Bob".