Lorchen wrote:
This is great advice, thank you Lorchen

My parents were only children, and I'm an only child, so my family has always been very small and I grew up without other children around. So, being a grandmother is quite out of my comfort zone, and came as a surprise after my son and daughter-in-law had been together for about seven years already. But fortunately I'm normally very relaxed, and all I do is give my family as much time as possible and lots of love, without demanding anything from them. It's amazing how much you get back. So far it's been working just fine.

Rita, Limbania, things will happen or won't. Just make the best of 'now'.

I agree with Rita, you were very lucky Lorchen. My maternal grandmother lived in another city and we didn't see her much. My paternal grandmother still lives in my hometown, she's 90 something, we think, she's never told her real age. She's never been a grandmotherly type, at least to my siblings and me. On the other hand, I have the greatest Great Aunt, she's always been like a mom to my mom and like a second mom to me. From her I learned crosstitch, sewing, cooking, etc. I keep praying she sticks around for a long time. Carmelita, that's her name, is in her late 80s and in good health for the most part. We have this awesome "connection". She's always known what's going on in my life through her dreams. She met my daughter in her dreams before I knew I was pregnant. When I told her the good news she said "oh yeah, you're having a girl. She has been coming to chat with me, in my dreams, for a couple of weeks." After DD was born she said "Yes, this the girl tha's been visiting in my dreams"

I'm sure you'll be an awesome grandmother Rita! I hope I can be one too if I'm still around. Got a late start having my kids so will be a long while, I hope, before grand kids show up. Trying to take good care of myself so I can be healthy and strong in my golden years

You were so lucky Lorchen. Both my grandmothers had passed away by the time I was 8 years old. I think I would have loved my mother's mother as she was a lace maker and a crocheter. I hope to be a grandmother like yours someday.

I'm sure that Rosemary will agree, that embroidery yarns are just like fabrics: Some are superb, colourfast and will take all kinds of abuse, and others react to water just like some fabrics do. I remember some embroidery yards in the 1960s that were made (and dyed) in Eastern Europe. You never knew what colour you got after each wash. My grandmother lived long enough to see the quality increase a lot, but the best gifts I could bring her when visiting were colourfast Anchor or DMC threads. I'm sure she only helped me unpack my suitcase because she knew there were skeins of thread hidden in corners and gaps. I also used to stuff my shoes with threads for her. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who misses a grandmother that was an absolute gift from heaven.

Thanks Rosemary, it's rayon, silk and cotton thread. I'll do a test piece first to test for bleeding. Won't be the end of the world might make it more interesting. However have been making it since 2008 so should get it finished.

There is no reason to worry about the embroidery not taking steam, as a generality embroidery is a lot more robust than most people take it for - unless there are very long floating threads. Your main concern would be for bleeding, some of the embroidery threads are not as colour fast as they used to be. You could probably be right about the stuck on beads - depending on what adhesive you used....

Ok I'll have a go tomorrow. I can always redo the embroidery.

There are some beads glued on which will no doubt drop off but that doesn't matter. Serves me right for being lazy

Wendy, I've done it both ways and with embroidery. It depends on your thread in the embroidery whether it will like the steam or not. I actually have not only done it both ways but both ways on the same quilt, when I had a bad wave.

I don't know Wendy. Perhaps it would be better to wet the quilt in cool water and let it air-dry whilst pinned in place. Maybe somebody else will have a better answer.

Thanks I have a steamer but do you think the embroidery stitches will survive Rita?

Wendy, you can either soak it, straighten it and pin it around all four sides and leave it to dry. Or you can pin it straight all around and then use a steam iron, which you hold just above the surface and allow the steam to be absorbed into the quilt. Then leave it to dry. Hope that helps.

Advice please, my wallhanging is appliqued, quilted, embroidered and embellished with buttons beads etc., is there any way I can block it now without ruining it? It has wavy lumps in places.

I've only just discovered you can block a quilt.

Thanks

Nancy, that must have been a relief to get it laid out with no problems! If I had not seen Ricky do this on his DVD, and then seen the actual quilt, I might not have had the courage to do this. Kathy