Today was a putter day, catching up on paper work to help clear more off the work table. And also the day to set up my test on a product touted to provide UV protection for fabrics. Since Quilt Guard is no longer available, I've not heard any quilter suggest a replacement. So I did some research myself and stumbled upon 303 High Tech Fabric Guard. It's main use seems to be to protect auto upholstery and convertible tops, but can be used on a variety of items and types of fabric. I figured, who besides quilters, are more obsessive about protecting their babies than male car owners! Yes, I'm stereotyping here. It does sound like a bit of magic though, containing no silicone to draw dirt yet protecting from water and stains as well as the sun. I ordered some up.
I think what has been holding me back is that it only comes in a pump spray, not an aerosol spray. I don't feel I have the same control, worry about uneven coverage, getting the fabric too saturated. Actually, the spray bottle has several adjustments and I was able to get a relatively fine even spray after several tries. The directions say to totally saturate the material, which I'm not keen to do. I worry about bleeding and spotting. But the samples got a good soaking just because I wasn't sure what I was doing.
The group on the bottom is untreated. The masking tape should block light so that each swatch will have an unexposed strip for comparison. The top group is thoroughly saturated with 303. The two sheets are now taped to my south facing studio window where they will get both direct sun and strong light most of the day. I'll leave them up for a month and report the result.
I think what has been holding me back is that it only comes in a pump spray, not an aerosol spray. I don't feel I have the same control, worry about uneven coverage, getting the fabric too saturated. Actually, the spray bottle has several adjustments and I was able to get a relatively fine even spray after several tries. The directions say to totally saturate the material, which I'm not keen to do. I worry about bleeding and spotting. But the samples got a good soaking just because I wasn't sure what I was doing.
The group on the bottom is untreated. The masking tape should block light so that each swatch will have an unexposed strip for comparison. The top group is thoroughly saturated with 303. The two sheets are now taped to my south facing studio window where they will get both direct sun and strong light most of the day. I'll leave them up for a month and report the result.
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