Quilting Q. using 'Press'n Seal'

This isn't going to answer your question Bronnie, but I have seen press and Seal for sale in Coles Supermarkets.

It was about 12 months ago and we don't have one locally so I can't check if it is still available. They sold for about $3-$4 a box.

Dee in Oz

Oh thanks for that Dee. I tend to shop at Woolies, but I'll check out the local Coles. Bronnie

This topic was discussed a few years ago when the product first came out. I cut & pasted all of the tips I read & will email them to you Bronnie. Sadly, I recently tried it & my box must have been old, because my needle got terribly gummed up & I was frustrated with my having to stop frequently & clean off the needle. This didn't happen to me when I originally tried it, so the only thing I can think could be the problem is that the box was old. Since then, I have discovered washaway stabilizer. It works the same way as the Press N Seal - probably a little pricier, but it works great.

I thought one of the most important tips about Press N Seal is to use a slightly longer stitch. If you use a small stitch (as you might if you were paper piecing), it's really, really hard to pull the PNS away.

Hope you'll have a good experience with it & hope everyone's tips are helpful too!

Pauline Northern California

The first important thing is to let any ink dry completely or some 'dye' can come off on thread. That's not what you asked! Tearing off is partially very easy. I didn't mind, because I don't mind FPP paper removal either. There is a kind of 'grain' to it - it tears more easily one way that the other. What I do is to tear away large 'chunks' first. They will come the 'grain' way. They will also come cleanly off the stitching lines. There is only a slightly greater difficulty the other way. I pull towards the stitching. Also, I tear off the outer pieces, where there are enclosed areas - the insides then come off cleanly. For the little tiny pieces, I use tweezers. It takes a while, but is still easier (for me anyway) than marking the quilt. I hold the quilt up to the light to catch any final shiny pieces. I have never tried ironing it! Once my quilts are finished I tend not to do anything to them at all! I fear there might be some mess - on quilt top? and iron, but I don't know. You can always try that ahead of time - or you could use an ironing cloth between the iron and the possible plastic?

I would, most definitely do a practice piece for your first time, both to choose the drawing medium and all the removing skills! I see you plan to, anyway - I am just endorsing the plan! .

In message , Bronnie writes

Thanks Pauline, shall have a read of the notes. In my test today, I removed the PNS with tweezers as Pat suggested. I was doing free motion quilting rather than straight stitch grid lines.

Thanks for all those tips Pat, I think you have it pretty much worked out. Shall keep practising for a little while.

Bronnie

What Pat said. Plus, my favorite marking pen for P&S is a silver Pigma pen. Easy to see on just about anything. Do remember to let it dry well.

I see little reason to do any ironing after quilting. My quilts all go in the washing machine, then the dryer, to become crinkly. I have never noticed any bits of P&S that may have stuck under quilting threads -they would sink into the crinkles.

The >The first important thing is to let any ink dry completely or some 'dye'

Bronnie, everyone has had some great suggestions, and I agree with them. I have needed to press a finished project that I quilted with Press and Seal, so have some suggestions there. First, steam the area without touching the iron to the fabric. Just hold the iron about an inch above the quilt and use lots of hot steam. The whiskers of PnS will sort of evaporate. (This is after removing all you can first.) Then I tend to press from the wrong side. Works well. Tried this method after using a stabilizer that is a sort of plastic, and that is what is recommended for final removal. As to pen color.... do remember to let the ink dry completely. And I try to use a Sharpie or other permanent pen in a color close to the thread color. But haven't had problems yet. Love the technique.

Have fun, Pati, > When I visited Judy in Maine in October, she kindly gave me a box of

I've used it quite successfully, Bronnie. Yes, just tear away the plastic after the quilting is done. If the quilting is close, it's a bit fiddly to tear away, but some tweezers (pointy ones, especially) can be very helpful there. I wouldn't iron it -- plastic melts, with possibly disastrous results to both iron and quilt. ;S

I think you've been given the basics, Bronnie. Do start with the outside/larger pieces first. Sometimes a wee tug helps the little pieces to pop loose easier. Do practice on a "scrap" bit (make a test quilt piece) first. Tweezers with a sharp point work well on tight corners. Enjoy! Let us know how it works. ME-Judy

Thanks Judy! All the posts have been really helpful thank you all.

Hugs Bronnie

I used it on a white background and despite leaving it overnight got one or two tiny black spots on the thread/background resulting in more applique! I used the pens everyone recommended that I use for signing hug blocks (can't remember the name- fawn colour with the colour of the ink at the end)

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Patti wrote:

The first time I used PnS I wrote to RCTQ saying that I was in love.

To piggyback on the good advice already presented -- keep in mind that what you're doing when you sew over the PnS is pulverizing the plastic. Therefore, the more times the stitching lines cross, the more you're breaking the plastic into little bits which are hard (impossible) to remove. Yes, you can steam over the stitching and vaporize the remaining plastic.

I use Sharpies for marking. They come in a tremendous array of colors and I can find one to coordinate with most fabrics. (Exception: white. And I once used a turquoise Sharpie for marking PnS for a white border. Fortunately I could get all the bits out, and I quilted that border from the back.)

Nann ...did I say that I love PnS?....