Please help...can I save this wallhanging?
#21
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Southern California & New Mexico
Posts: 153
This may sound crazy but you COULD accentuate the bow by curving that outer border. I wish I could draw what I'm thinking of: it would look like a "square" with the sides being slightly concave rather than straight.
Having the dark outer border next to the light border also seems to accentuate that lower left corner. I had a similar situation once and solved the situation "visually" by couching a couple of rows of a pretty cording around the piece -- it covered the "bowed" section and also added some texture to the hanging.
That said....it's lovely just the way it is.
Having the dark outer border next to the light border also seems to accentuate that lower left corner. I had a similar situation once and solved the situation "visually" by couching a couple of rows of a pretty cording around the piece -- it covered the "bowed" section and also added some texture to the hanging.
That said....it's lovely just the way it is.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 493
I think this is your answer. You can't stretch the center so more quilting might balance the borders. Perhaps quilt the flowers and cross hatch or stipple the blue fabric background.
#25
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 213
Quilting does shrink the fabric. Unequally dense quilting results in unequal shrinking. So increase the quilting.
As to blocking: First off-I do art quilts and they are small enough to fit on the tile floor in the spare bathroom. I do the blocking after the quilting is completed and before binding. It helps remove dirt, marking, threads & animal hair/lint as well as relaxing the fabric and quilting. I fill the bathtub and emmerse the quilt for about 1/2 hour. I lay old towels on the tile floor. The I take the quilt out and squeese (do not wring) out the water. Then roll it in a towel and walk all over it. Then lay it on the towels, patting it into place. I do not try to stretch or shrink, just let it be what it wants with some patting. I put a fan on it so it'll dry in a day and close the doors to keep the cats out-they always like fresh laundry. When it's dry I trim the edges to square it up.
As to blocking: First off-I do art quilts and they are small enough to fit on the tile floor in the spare bathroom. I do the blocking after the quilting is completed and before binding. It helps remove dirt, marking, threads & animal hair/lint as well as relaxing the fabric and quilting. I fill the bathtub and emmerse the quilt for about 1/2 hour. I lay old towels on the tile floor. The I take the quilt out and squeese (do not wring) out the water. Then roll it in a towel and walk all over it. Then lay it on the towels, patting it into place. I do not try to stretch or shrink, just let it be what it wants with some patting. I put a fan on it so it'll dry in a day and close the doors to keep the cats out-they always like fresh laundry. When it's dry I trim the edges to square it up.
#26
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 213
I have made several wall hangings and found that dense quilting does cause the problem you are experiencing.
I now do what I call, my anchor quilting around the sections before I do more dense quilting within the "anchored" blocks, squares, rectangles in the quilt. When you outline these sections ( I do start from the center out), then I can go back and quilt "as desired" as they say, within each framed section.This framing of the sections keeps the fabric from drawing up so much when I do the additional quilting. Afraid I'm not very good at explaining....
I now do what I call, my anchor quilting around the sections before I do more dense quilting within the "anchored" blocks, squares, rectangles in the quilt. When you outline these sections ( I do start from the center out), then I can go back and quilt "as desired" as they say, within each framed section.This framing of the sections keeps the fabric from drawing up so much when I do the additional quilting. Afraid I'm not very good at explaining....
#27
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 213
The finished piece, including the borders, was nice and flat before I started quilting. I know what you are saying though, I have forgotten to square off pieces before adding more panels and eventually lived to regret it. I think that I will try to at least try to quilt the blue in the border areas to see what happens there. Then I will try to block it. Then I'll bind it and hope for the best. Thanks all for your input...it has taught me a lot.
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 559
I think it was an Alex Anderson show once, she said for a quilt show everything has to be perfect and she has had to block one where she had it on a floor, (I presume it was waterproof) and it was almost sopping wet just trying to get it straightened up. I think the measuring tape is the device to use to help with squaring it. I have blocked needlework years ago and it worked for me. Just manipulate it while wet and fasten down to dry. My quilt teacher says sashes are also called coping strips....and one can sometimes manage to add/subtract dimensions there without undoing the center.
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