It used to be that I wondered how anyone could get their iron base so dirty when working with fusible products! But... as I believe, when one wonders too much about such things - they have a way of showing up in one's life. I found out how easy it is to get fusible on the base of my iron.
It didn't really happen until I started this Quilt Challenge of mine in January. As you probably already know my favorite technique is working with fused applique designs. And up until now, I had traced out the designs onto the paper-backed fusible web. These shapes are pressed onto the fabric and then cut out, leaving no chance to get the fusible web on the iron. (I use lite Steam a Stem 2 fusible web.)
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Fusible Web
However, when I worked on the Simple Stained Glass Quilt there was a large piece of fusible web used and the fusible side of the grid interfacing I used on the Watercolor Landscape Quilt was on the reverse side of the design. So, in both cases, I had fusible on either the opposite side or larger then the fabric pieces. Here I started to see how easy it was to get the iron on these fusible surfaces.
To this end, my iron was covered so badly that it was impossible to glide it across the fabric. This resulted in the necessity to find out how to get it clean!!
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Iron base
Here is some great advice...
I looked up Laura's site "Artfabrik" for fusing tips and recommend you check it out for yourself. I love her designs and know she has the answers to making fusible web easy to play with.
Iron-off for cleaning your iron
I haven't tried some of the other fusible web products, she recommends, so I encourage you to give them a try and decide for yourself. I did buy a teflon pressing sheet and would recommend getting the biggest size you can afford. This really makes working with fusible web products fun and easy.
And... if you do need to clean your iron, here is a great place to start!! Now, I know that using the best products for each quilting project, will result in a perfect experience!!
SEVENTH PROJECT - APRIL 2010:
Thimbleberries:
New Collection of Classic Quilts/
Lynette Jensen
ISBN: 978-0-9770166-7-9
Enjoy your quilting adventure for... 2010!! And, looking ahead, I plan on trying a quilt project from Laura's book, "Fuse-and-Tell Journal Quilts" sometime in the fall.
4 comments:
cleaning your iron is a great way to make use of leftover strips of cotton batting like Warm and Natural. Cut yourself a strip about a foot long and as wide as your iron. Run a bead of your iron cleaner across the rolled strip and then your iron, changing the folds as the grunge comes off. Even if you thought your iron was clean to begin with it is pretty amazing what appears on the batting.
I use the iron off too and it works like a charm.
After reading your post and Sharyn's comment I think I should look for some of this stuff. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing. And, if you can't find this iron off locally, you can order it online on Laura's site.
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