"Electric Stripes" is currently stretched out on our family room floor, drying.
I pinned into the flooring to secure the quilt's edges. We have industrial grade carpet, so a little moisture doesn't bother it, and neither do pins. (Pins are only a problem if I forget one on the floor...eek!)
As you can see, the quilt is not bound.
This is the first time I've tried washing and blocking before binding.
Variation in quilting density caused the quilt to shrink up more in some places than others.
It was no longer perfectly square, so binding it would have been less than successful.
Blocking has allowed me to coax the quilt back into shape. When it is dry, it should hold its shape and come out beautifully...or so the theory goes!
(here's hoping!)
This morning I found all this gorgeous, quilty texture!
The top layer is drying first, so the colour is looking more like it should. It looked almost red when it was wet.
Oh, and I decided to leave my first, "ugly" feather that I'd previously intended to rip out & re-do. I have learned many things on this quilt, and want to be able to look back and see how far I've come.
Honestly, there is so much texture that quilting imperfections visually "disappear".
Unless you are looking for flaws, of course.
But I think that is better left to the Quilt Police.
Stretching out is not always easy, but sometimes it's necessary.
Try, learn, grow!
Carole
I pinned into the flooring to secure the quilt's edges. We have industrial grade carpet, so a little moisture doesn't bother it, and neither do pins. (Pins are only a problem if I forget one on the floor...eek!)
 |
| Wet quilt, "blocked" and pinned in place to air dry |
As you can see, the quilt is not bound.
This is the first time I've tried washing and blocking before binding.
Variation in quilting density caused the quilt to shrink up more in some places than others.
It was no longer perfectly square, so binding it would have been less than successful.
Blocking has allowed me to coax the quilt back into shape. When it is dry, it should hold its shape and come out beautifully...or so the theory goes!
(here's hoping!)
 |
| Basting around outside edges prevented the quilt top from fraying in the wash |
This morning I found all this gorgeous, quilty texture!
The top layer is drying first, so the colour is looking more like it should. It looked almost red when it was wet.
 |
| I left the "ugly" feather intact - see its tips in the box on the extreme left? |
Oh, and I decided to leave my first, "ugly" feather that I'd previously intended to rip out & re-do. I have learned many things on this quilt, and want to be able to look back and see how far I've come.
Honestly, there is so much texture that quilting imperfections visually "disappear".
Unless you are looking for flaws, of course.
But I think that is better left to the Quilt Police.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
 |
| Log cabin progress |
Stretching out is not always easy, but sometimes it's necessary.
Try, learn, grow!
Carole
Never tried stretching but your photos explains how and why wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteBTW love your feathers!
Thank you, Alberta!
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