I did NOT put it in the dryer at first. I decided that is what I need to do( at least until barely damp) to hopefully fluff that batting back up???So I unpinned it from my bulletin board to fluff it a bit. Then I will re-pin. Hopefully it helps! I will update you on this. I also think since I used 100% cotton thread made my feathers shrink like crazy! This is something I didn't even consider! I Bet Isacord wouldn't have shrunk like that;) Leah:)))) what would you do in this situation?? It's not pretty! I got the wrinkles out everywhere but the feathers. There are just to many small feathers going in to many directions. If I have to start from scratch, I will have to get more supplies and I may pull my hair out!:(((((((((((((((((((
Did you prewash the fabric first?
ReplyDeleteIf not, then it is entirely at fault. Cotton shrinks, and sometimes really unpredictably as in this case. You have open areas (feathers) and densely quilted areas and they will pull against one another to create the wrinkles.
Sooo....I would say no to the dryer. Heat will only shrink this worse. I would instead keep this flat and pinned to the board and try to stretch it to the original size. This might seem really overboard and you might have to put a lot of force into it, but I think that is a good bet for getting the wrinkles out of the feathers.
Stretch it out, spray it with plain water, put a fan on it and walk away. Whatever you do, don't consign yourself to making this again. It will be okay!
Keep your chin up!
Leah
yes, i pre washed!
DeleteOhhhhhhhh, I used bamboo batting which i never used before too. All she had in her shop was that or silk!
DeleteBest of luck! I don't always prewash fabrics anymore - I used too. I think I just learned something from Leah! Hang in there - Jeanne
ReplyDeleteI did prewash the fabric. After I saw Pat's comment I realized I used bamboo batting which I never used before. Also, using the cotton thread. Hmmmm, that may have spelled disaster!
DeleteIt is still really pretty! If you used spray baste, you must of used cotton batting, which I would guess would shrink more. The fabric looks hand-dyed, which is usually pre-shrunk in the process. Probably things are shrinking at different rates. But really, I like it a lot and your FMQ is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI think you are on to something. I actually used bamboo batting. All she carries is bamboo or silk in her shop. I never have used the bamboo before. Probably not a good choice for a wall hanging........learning here:)........thanks!
DeleteI hope you can stretch this out. You have put a lot of work into this project and it is beautiful. I have no experience with bamboo batting so no help there.
ReplyDeleteMe too! :) It's such a feeling of panic when something like this happens!
DeleteHey Danielle - I've been thinking about this all morning. Get it soaking wet again, then pin it back to the board. Pin one side square, then super stretch the opposite side to get it back to the original width and pin super securely (pins along the edge every 1/2" or closer).
ReplyDeleteThen do the same thing for the vertical sides. Squirt it down with water and let it sit with fans all day.
Then spray it again tomorrow and let it set with fans again.
Basically what you will be doing is forcing the fibers to remember and lock into this certain position. Wet, they're all loose and flowy and as they dry, they will lock into place and hopefully lay flat and non-wrinkly.
I don't have any experience with bamboo batting on a wall hanging, but I hope it will react predictably. It's honestly hard to say...
But in the end, you've learned loads and that is a GOOD thing. Most especially you've gained the insight and experience of making a quilt not of your preferred materials and all the many things that can happen along the way. Consistency really is key with quilting and if that store owner can't understand that, just remember there are many more fish in the sea.
Cheers,
Leah
It.s looking better. Now off for round 2. I am beginning to think we need a chemistry degree to quilt with all the new quilting products out there! I am glad I learned this lesson on a small project! Thanks for your help!!
DeleteHi Danielle this is really pretty and I hope you manage to get it stretched back hopefully Leah's knowledge and plan will work :) fingers crossed for you x
ReplyDeletethanks! I'm not giving up yet, so,.....hopefully it will all be good!
DeleteI do not prewash anything. I pin it to a cardboard tailor's board laid out on the floor. I then spray it with water and slowly work around it, stretching and straightening it. The lines on the cardboard really help. I do this before basting the quilt to make sure I start out with a flat, square top. I do it again as after quilting. Then I square the edges and bind it. Then I wash it (but it has already been fairly wet twice). I haven't been quilting all that long, but I think I have done at least 15 quilts of all sizes this way (including wall quilts) and it has always worked. They all lay flat and I see no additional weird shrinkage after washing. I have not used bamboo batting, but have used cotton and soy. The quilting threads have been polyester, rayon and cotton. I imagine I'll have something go really wonky eventually...
ReplyDeleteI really feel like it's the thread in this case, but who knows. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a bed quilt. But being it's a wall quilt, I'm like,NOOOOOOOOOO! Live and learn:)
DeleteI think Leah and Moni have the right of it, when I did the constellation bear top with cotton thread I had some serious shrink and wrinkling, the central part of the quilt was trapunto stuffed and then I had some heavy duty quilting surrounding it. I had figured it was a total wash, the bottom right-hand corner was completely puckered and out of line with the rest of the quilt, but I did remember Leah and a couple of other quilters doing blogs on blocking quilts and I followed their suggestions to try and square up the quilt. It worked like a charm, I was able to pull the quilt into relative squareness, I didn't want to completely stretch it out since I liked the soft puffiness of the wrinkling but I am sure you could stretch out your piece to make it square following the steps outlined.
ReplyDeleteI'm still working one it. It's getting better. Thanks for your encouragement!
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