Central Ohio Quilter

I have this beautiful panel to use to make my daughter a quilt.
But it is printed way off the grain of the fabric. It is printed so poorly that I can see both sides are bowed.
What should I do so that this will lie right and not look wonky when I am finished?
I just now pressed it and I think pressing it made it even worse.

Any ideas to make this work?

SallyS

I would let the design dominate my decision. Quilting will stabilize the off grain problem. Hope you will post a photo when you finish!

tallchick

Have you tried this first?

https://youtu.be/ZGE2B5jcsms

bearisgray

What I would do - and I can see many of you cringing -

Soak it for several hours in hot water-
Wash it gently in warm water -
Dry in a dryer - gently - until "just done"

See what it looks like. For me, it's easier to try to work with what the fabric "wants" to do, than trying to beat it into submission.

If necessary, trim the panel so it is "square enough" to work with.

Onebyone

Stretch it to square it up.

Quiltwoman44

Pressing and ironing are two different things, meaning pressing is lifting the iron and pressing, then lifting again and so on. Ironing is sliding the iron along as you go. this tends to move the fabric some each time.
yep, start over. then spray with starch and press, ... Good luck! hope you get control of it enough to use it!

sewingpup

I like the washing first and throwing into the dryer to see what it looks like after that. I am leary about the stretching to fit process if it is going to be washed again after using it as most likely the fabric will somewhat go back to how it wants to be. However, sometimes quilting it does help it stay put. Anyway, it will be a challenge. Good Luck. I really have trimmed a panel so that it lays square if I can add other borders to make it look OK.

QuiltE

Not cringing at all, BearIsGray ... Totally agree!!

Pre-washing (not just for panels, but all fabrics), lets you put the fabric into the worse conditions (hot water/dryer) and you know what you really have and the shrinkage is alrady dealt with!

Then I'd give it a good pressing. QuiltWoman44 has explained the press/iron difference well. I'd do that with Best Press to help you stiffen it up a bit. Then I'd trim it square, in all its off-grain glory! As SallyS explained, your quilting will stabilize the off grain concerns.

Most panels have borders on them already ... but I always cut them off as they are the true problem child if trying to use them in off grain times. After all, we can all make prettier and nicer borders than what come with printed panels.

Good Luck!

quiltedsunshine

If you need to, you can add a "coping border" that's the same color as the border. Then square-up after the border is sewn on.

I also like to wash a panel to get it to relax after it's been wound onto the bolt crooked.

Good Luck!

bearisgray

Washing and machine drying a piece of fabric will only relax the fibers .

If the print is off- grain, the print is off- grain and no amount of stretching, tugging, pressing is going to get it on- grain. One can manipulate the fabric a bit to compensate for the off-grainness - but you know what you are willing to live with.