Friday, March 26, 2010

Disaster

I am working on a new fused piece. I had disaster strike two days ago. I can only now talk about it. Although it was a minor catastrophe in the world scheme of things, it totally ruined my day.

I have started satin stitching some of my larger pieces. After working on this piece for a full afternoon, I got up from the sewing machine to press out the rippling that is caused when doing satin stitch. I didn’t realize at the time that my iron had gotten fusible on the surface of it. This is something I tell my students ALL the TIME, to make sure that their iron surface is clean. I ironed my newly stitched Jack in the Pulpit and low and behold there was gunk on the surface of my iron that transferred to the surface of my silk Jack in the Pulpit. I was beside myself and tried desperately to remove the gunk. I know from experience that this is rarely something that can be done, removing gunk on the surface of the fabric.IMG_3679

Finally I realized that I must pick out all of the stitches and remove the piece and do it again. Surprisingly it only took me two hours to pick out the stitches and another hour to re cut the pieces and re insert them. Another hour to re stitch the section.

This is a lesson that I will never forget and I will ALWAYS check the surface of my iron and will try to get into the habit of using a pressing cloth in the future.

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7 comments:

Sewing Junkie said...

Live and learn. I had a wedding dress I was working on and I went to press the bodice seam and the iron puked rusty water onto the satin bodice. I was so horrified I sat and cried for an hour.I tried vineager and water solution and some came out, but not all of it. Bride was coming for a fitting in an hour. I called her and said what about some sequins on the bodice. She was thrilled. So the sequins covered the rest of the stain. Things happen and that is why we are so resourceful and can fix almost everything.Chris

Lisa Chin said...

I feel your pain!

Gerrie said...

I have had this happen and I commiserate!! I have also done my share of unsewing and unquilting.

Barbara Strobel Lardon said...

I feel your pain too.....when things like that happen I wait one day so it is not so painful starting over.

Diane J. Evans said...

I'm there with you, Frieda -- I've cried and said nasty words and then realized, as you did, that there was nothing else to do but rip the offending piece out and try again. It hurts, but you're right -- you get through it.

Diane

Candice Hope said...

Next time before ripping out try a clean sheet of unlined paper and put it between the fabric and the iron. Sometimes you can get the fusible to attach to the paper and pull it off the good side of your fabric. It doesn't always work, especially if you've ironed over it really well. But it is definitely worth a shot before you have to rip.

Julie Bagamary said...

I feel your pain too. I recently unquilted a section on a recently finished piece to cover over it with a fabric that is more pleasing to the whole piece. Lots of work but worth it.

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