sandpat

I've done a little larger top this way...hmmmm haven't seen it washed though so I don't know how well it held. The problem with it wasn't consistant. Thats why I chose to do it this way. There were areas where it needed to stretch and areas where it needed to shrink. It wasn't like 1/2" off all the way around. I think this is generally more the case than something consistently bigger or smaller all the way around.

I laid down a sheet on the carpet, then some freezer paper, then the top and used big long pins. I just shut the cats out of the room for awhile. It worked beautifully for me that way. Like I said though...don't know about after washing.

MarthaVA

I would imagine, that once your quilt is quilted, that would hold everything in place and it therefore wouldn't shift after washing.

Didn't doing it on the floor just kill you? I hate working on the floor. But I might just have to resort to that - if I ever want to get this done! Thanks for responding.

gaigai

She emphasizes that you do this with each BLOCK, and not the full quilt. The reason for doing it is so that the blocks go together square, so there is no pulling/stretching/wrinkling of seams and so the blocks stay "true". So it has to be done BEFORE the blocks are sewn together.

bearisgray

I've found that if I start out with "good/decent" WASHED fabric, if my cutting and sewing results in blocks/squares that are the expected size - or if not the expected size - all the same size -

I measure every single block that I complete to see if it's turning out the way I expect/hope it to.

Then I can go from there. I usually end up with some distortion on a 12.5 inch unfinished block - but it's usually only about 1/8 of an inch and I think that's from pressing.

I get major distortion when I try to use spray sizing or starch on finished blocks. Maybe I get them too wet or something. The blocks always stretch on me.

Yes, I do square up my blocks - but it's usually to just even up minor unevenness of the edges.

I think it's "cheating" to try to make a 12 inch square stretch into a 12.5 inch square.

Maybe it doesn't do this - but I would think that the next time that block is washed it will go back to the size it was.

MarthaVA

Actually, she does it with a small quilt on the video (i put the link up in my last post). This is not a block itself, but an entire lap size (or there abouts) quilt.

I'm really glad I've gotten so many responses. Thanks!

BellaBoo

I've seen several of Sharon Schamber's quilts up close and not one flaw, not one stitch out of place. They are made to perfection and she uses any method that gives her perfection. If she's entered in a show she wins.

sandpat

I have lots of confidence in her methods because she has "proven herself" so to speak. So we'll see...

The one I did was not just 1 square...there were several sewn together. I'll have to say that it was stiff as a board when I finished with it. Working on the floor wasn't too bad because you pin it...then spray it then walk away until that dries. So it wasn't an extended period of time that way. Let us know how yours works out :D

MarthaVA

Thank you Sandpat & BellaBoo! :)

Kitsie

I use it for each block and it works very well. Don't know about doing a whole quilt that way! I probably don't have enough pins! One thing I find - Don't just pull from the edges; use fingernails or some item to start pulling from the center. Found that out doing New York Beauty blocks to keep the circles round.