Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Don't do it!!!

Don't do what, you ask?

If you dye some bits of cheesecloth with your other fabric, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, put them in the machine when washing your fabric! Seriously.


Here's what it all looked like after the third wash cycle. It's about 40 fat quarters, 12 bits of cheesecloth and it's all attached! Just lovely...


After spending an hour, cutting all the knotty threads off of the pile, here's just the cheesecloth. It's really pretty, but there has to be a better way...


Here's the foot-square pile of crap, that I cut off. Of course, you know I can't throw this away...

8 comments:

---nan said...

THE BETTER WAY: Buy some little lingere mesh bags and put the cheesecloth in them when you wash it. The cheesecloth will get a few tangles, but not to the degree you experienced. I bought my lingerie bags at a Dollar Tree store in a package of 3 for $1 - they work great. If you are fearful of them coming unzipped, just run a safety pin thru the hole in the zipper pull and a bit of the mesh and they are secure. The bags work great for washing out dyed yarn in loose skeins, as well.

Sherryl said...

Funny that you should post this... I did the same thing the last batch of dyes I did! PIA to pull everything apart. Somewhere in my house is a lingerie washing bag (if I ever used it, I would know where it was)that I will try to dump the next batch of cheese cloth in. That will probably work.
Your fabrics came out lovely.

Anonymous said...

The Dyed fabric looks luscious! Better than 31 flavors of Ice Cream :)
I can imagine how horrid the tangled cheesecloth was to unravel, and thank you for the helpful warning.
Happy Wishes!
DianeL
http://lateadahboutique.com/blog1

Beverly said...

Yes, there is a better way- the lingerie mesh bags Nan and Sherryl mention. And, don't throw the cheesecloth in the dryer with the other fabric, hang it up to dry. I learned that one the hard way too.

alice said...

You have just created some wonderful embellishment fibers!

Jackie Kirner said...

I'm in love with the shredded remains as well as your dyed pieces!!

Mary Ann Littlejohn said...

My friend, Connie Fahrion, has an article in the current issue of Quilting Arts magazine about using "thread trash" (her term for what you pulled out of your machine.

Alison Schwabe said...

so if you aren't going to ditch the bits you cut away - what on earth would you be planning to do with them I wonder ... do tell us when you get round to doing whatever you do, won't you?