To make your fabric ready for pounding, you will need to soak it for 5 minutes in Bubble Jet 2000 (See previous blog post for a link to the product.)
The directions on the bottle say to lay your fabric out flat but I didn’t do that. I’m thinking they say that in case you are doing yards of it. My pieces measure approximately 12.5 x 11 inches.
So I put the folded up pieces in an old cottage cheese container and soaked them for the 5 mins. (I made sure I kind of tapped them down so that all pieces/areas got wet from the solution. I also shook the bottle of Bubble Jet before using it.)
After the 5 minutes was up, I took the pieces out of the solution and squeezed them slightly to remove some of the solution and then I placed them on my cutting mat to dry. When dry, I’ll iron them and they will be ready for the next part —- the FUN, EXCITING PART! Don’t forget to pour the leftover Bubble Jet 2000 BACK INTO THE BOTTLE because it can be reused!!!
Ok, now for the recipe for the FAUX Bubble Jet 2000
2 Tablespoons of Alum (found in the spices section of your grocery store)
2.5 teaspoons of WASHING soda (NOT plain baking soda. An example is Arm & Hammer Soda WASH) If you cannot find it in the grocery store in the cleaning isle, you may find it at a hardware store such as ACE. If all else fails, here is a link to a site that shows how to make your own. I’ve not tried it, but……
1/2 teaspoon of liquid fabric softener
1 cup of HOT WATER
Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl larger than you think you’ll need because it foams up. After the foam dies down, you will be left with the liquid. Soak your 100% cotton fabric in the solution for 5 – 10 minutes. Lightly squeeze excess liquid from the fabric. Hang fabric to dry. When it is dry, iron it. Again, put the leftover FAUX Bubble Jet 2000 in a LABELED container for future use.
Next up…. gather your flowers, leaves and ferns!
Happy Quilting!
~PattyAnne
