There was no need for me to be apprehensive about gluing down the raw edges of my DWR quilt arcs. It is actually a pretty smooth process and goes along at a decent pace once you get the hang of it. Gail Kessler (from the Classic Double Wedding Ring Craftsy class) said that if you were new to the technique, once you've done a few arcs you'll be an old pro. She was right! When you have 194 arcs it doesn't take too long to perfect your gluing!
Quilter's Choice Basting Glue is the product Gail uses in the lesson and I ordered a bottle from her shop when I was gathering my supplies. It is easy to work with and adheres the scant fabric edge to the paper without much trouble. It goes on easily in a smooth line and stays wet with plenty of time to spare to get the edges folded over. I found you definitely need the heat of the iron to dry the glue and form a good bond. If you happen to hit a dot of glue with the tip of the iron it doesn't gum
up the sole plate so there is no mess. The glue washes out with water too so there is no worry of it being too sticky or damaging the fabric. The only challenge I encountered was when I had trimmed my seam allowance (which is done with a rotary cutter by the eyeball method!) too small. It was a bit tricky to fold over less than an 1/8th" seam, especially at the spots where I had the seams in the paper piecing. In these areas, the iron had a tendency to hit the glue and then get stuck to the raw edge of the fabric causing it to fray. No problem though, I was still able to glue it down. When both edges of the arc are done a simple final press of the iron results in a beautifully neat and tidy finished-edge arc.
I tried using my Thermal Thimbles to protect my fingertips from the heat of pressing since the seam is so narrow and you have to get really close with the nose of the iron, but they were a bit too clumsy for the delicate folding over process. Surprisingly though, I haven't burnt my fingers and it's not an issue at all. I did get a bit glue-covered but the Quilter's Choice washes right away.
One issue I did have was a glue bottle repetitive strain injury! After completing all my blue arcs, my thumb joint was really crampy from squeezing the bottle! I do get a sore thumb on occasion so I guess the glue bottle workout was too much for it. After several hours of squeezing and 94+ arcs, I needed a bit of icing, Tylenol, and rest for the poor old hand! My family laughed at this of course...as I now reference my gluing task as an athletic endeavour, complete with strain and injury therapy!
Also, I have finished all the blue arcs and about 1/4 of the plum arcs...and I'm almost out of glue! I was very surprised that I got through a bottle before the job was done. I am going on a Shop Hop today and hope to locate another bottle. The Quilter's Choice is a really great product I will definitely be using again so I don't have a problem spending the money on it. I did try to use my Fons & Porter glue pen, another product Gail refers to, but while it went on easily and saved my thumb joint from squeezing, it did not hold the fabric to the paper at all! If I can't find the Quilter's Choice locally, I will just order from Gail's store, Ladyfingers again - I don't want to wait another minute though to get this part of the job done so I can move on to the sewing!
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