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Home / My Blog / collecting / ::Ella’s Sassy Quilt Back::

::Ella’s Sassy Quilt Back::

March 4, 2011 By Katie

Alexander Henry “stylish girls” 2003

I was excited to receive this fabric for my niece Ella’s quilt back.  The ladies are fun and stylish and it is a large print.  As I unwrapped the package and unfolded the fabric dryer sheets kept falling out, not a couple…not four, but about 10.

I wasn’t sure if the seller was trying to cover up a smell or if I just was overpowered by the smell of the sheets.  The seller told me that was how she was told to store fabric, in plastic totes none the less.  I washed it once, but the smell was overpowering still.

So this is where google and vinegar become my friend.

Four cups of white vinegar, washer 1/4 full with cold water and soak for a half hour or more.  I hung to dry incase it needed another run, but it seems good and would make a good shower curtain if I were a single girl.

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Filed Under: collecting, fabrics Tagged With: alexander henry, fabric, handcrafted, handmade, Improv, improvisational, modern quilting, quilting, Quilts, seattle

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Comments

  1. noelle says

    March 4, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    Very cute….I’ll be working my tree block tonite with my favorite adult beverage at my side 🙂

    • Sew Katie Did says

      March 4, 2011 at 11:07 pm

      Wanna come over?

  2. blair says

    March 4, 2011 at 11:57 pm

    The fabric is so great, but why on earth would someone do that? Ew. Too bad we don’t have an abundance of sun these days, that would have knocked that smell back too.

    So fun to see you today!

  3. Janice Berg says

    March 5, 2011 at 1:32 am

    Hi Katie,
    Haven’t seen you in awhile. Love that fabric, but the smell??? strange……
    moving to seattle in a month or so, can’t wait….probably downtown…..

    • Sew Katie Did says

      March 5, 2011 at 4:39 pm

      Awesome! Let me know and we’ll hook up. Guild?

  4. Cathy says

    March 5, 2011 at 2:06 am

    I love the fabric…but wonder if she was a smoker, and was trying to cover up the smell. Hummmm

    • Sew Katie Did says

      March 5, 2011 at 4:38 pm

      I thought that too…but it didn’t have that kind of smell.

  5. glen says

    March 5, 2011 at 2:28 am

    I have had that happen with a block exchange. Lots of fabric sheets. And I am allergic to and get migraines from those smells.

    For the back of my black and white quilt I wanted that Alexander Henry print with the tattooed girls. I searched everywhere and could not find it. This reminds me of it, though it was black and white with a bit of red. I love these girls.

    Great find!

    glen: even with the dryer sheets

    • Sew Katie Did says

      March 5, 2011 at 4:38 pm

      I saw that print recently on E-bay for a large sum. I had some and gave it away.

  6. dad says

    March 5, 2011 at 3:14 am

    I think it would be a great shower curtain!!

  7. Bette says

    March 5, 2011 at 4:39 am

    Stinky fabric happened to me once, too, w/and e-bay purchase. Always wary, I had specifically asked before I even bid on the fabric if it was odor-free, no storage or other smells, etc. and was assured it was. When I received it, it reeked of some strange, unidentifiable odor which I can still almost recall just thinking about it, awful. I was appalled and when I gave negative feedback, the seller was really miffed and totally denied that the fabric had anything other than “normal fabric smell.” I soaked it in detergents and vinegar, line dried it outside for days, and washed it repeatedly until several of the pieces looked worn out, all with little success. I salvaged one FQ but never did get rid of that “normal fabric smell” from the rest of it. I’ve since heard of a product called Back-out that gets rave reviews. Best wishes with your funky print and yes, it would make a great shower curtain!

  8. Natalie says

    March 5, 2011 at 11:23 pm

    Take some time to do a little ‘historical quilts restoration/renovation’ research.
    It has been recommended that quilts be spread out on green grass – the chlorophyll will take care of ‘freshening’ the quilts.
    Maybe this technique will work on your fabric – unless of course you’re living somewhere where the grass is 18″ below the snowy winter of 2011.

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