Help needed

[quilter64]

Please look at my post under April Block...the 3rd post down. I hate to type in all that again!!! Anyway, my Stable Stuff is not softening as it should in my blocks. I wet a small scrap of it and it really softened almost as if it was a tissue. But my blocks have been drenched a couple of times and are stiff as boards!!! What can I do??? Ricky, can you help me? I used the Elmers washable glue stick as recommended by Sharon Shamber. Did I use too much? I'm so discouraged that I don't want to do any more blocks.

Nancy in NC :evil:

[jbtaz36]

Nancy, I have heard other people complain about using the Elmer's that it wouldn't wash out. Was it washable glue?. Sharon swears by it, but others would rather use Roxanne's glue. I guess it is a matter of personal preference.
Judy in AZ

[jbtaz36]

The stick says Washable School Glue Stick. I also have Fabric Glue Stick, non-toxic and acid free, water soluble, made by Prym. Also Liquid Stitch, fast drying, washable adhesive, also by Prym. I haven't seen Roxanne's locally, but also haven't looked very hard. I thought I was home free with Elmer's.

Nancy in NC

[jbtaz36]

From the Sharon video's that I have seen she uses Elmers School glue with the black label. It is washable. I am still learning and practicing different things too. The store that I went to didn't have the black label glue so I bought a gel Elmers that said washable, it seems to be working just fine. Next time I make it to a store I am going to get the black label Elmers glue.

[ladyquilter]

If I recall correctly, I think Sharon mentioned that she soaks her quilts for a while and then washes them. Perhaps just getting them wet isn't enough. It may need to go through a complete wash.

I'm doing her technique too but I am using her stablizer.

And she is not shy about using that glue stick so I don't think you could have used too much.

[ladyquilter]

In Sharon's Bluebird appliqué video on http://www.sharonschambernetwork.com (in the free area) she uses both the Elmer's washable school glue stick AND the Elmer's washable white school glue! She must love that stuff. I must say, though, that I bought her appliqué foundation fabric and used her method on my last block (not the project we have here, however, since I won't be starting that until later) and it worked better than any method I've tried so far. I did the block on the right with that method.
I appliquéd the flowers and leaves onto a paper-pieced Carol Doak basket block.

Carole