Blocking a quilt

[Robin G.]

As a mostly art quilter, I do not prewash my fabrics prior to construction. Now I have a quilt with lightly wavy edges and I have been told I need to block it. It is completely done, with binding and embellishments. Ricky's Convergence Quilts book has some brief instructions for blocking, but I am afraid that if I put the quilt in cold water, some of the colors may run. I don't want to ruin this quilt, just make it better. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks.

[Robin G.]

You may be able to steam the borders into submission; Test on your scraps first to be sure they won't bleed. I'd definitely try steam before resorting to a dunk. Let us know how it comes out!

Jorja

[Robin G.]

I, too, vote for steaming your top into submission before trying to soak it.

[Robin G.]

I think there was an episode of "simply quilts" that dealt with blocking. they lightly spritzed the quilt and pinned it onto a padded board, gently manipulating it flat with squared corners. I've done this on a small table topper with good results.

[Nancy A.]

Hi Robin:
I looked at your gallery of quilts...very nice! There is good information out there for blocking quilts...Ricky has a video, Karen McTavish covers it in her books & DVDs too. It seems that every quilter has his or her own technique. Some soak, some steam, some spritz. Some pin to carpet or insulation board...Ann Fahl pins into those cardboard cutting surfaces sold at fabric stores...she sometimes pushes four together. Some block before binding, some after. Sharon Schamber blocks each BLOCK and every step along the way!!!

YOUR difficulty will be blocking the FINISHED quilt...will the fabrics withstand steam or spritz? More importantly, will the embellishments allow you to manipulate the quilt enough to square it? You'll just have to do a little homework & give it your best shot. And for wall quilts or show quilts in the future, I recommend quilting, blocking, squaring, binding & embellishing in that order. Good luck to you!

[Betty J.]

Hi Robin,
When I have a quilt I don't want to wet down completely for one reason or another, I will use a well wrung out damp white cotton pressing cloth and a rather hot iron. Works better than just plain steaming, I think. Sometimes, it requires pinning onto a design board or sheet-covered floor.

[Karen W.]

I have been spritzing my quilts with water until they are damp, and they lay on my clean tile floor. I then stretch them or pull and flatten them with a 3 inch white PVC pipe that wipes over the surface and flattens the inner bulges. Since the tile on the floor is square, it makes a great place to get the quilt flat and square. I usually wait to block until I'm done with the quilting, because usually after I quilt, they are a bit out of shape. I always square my quilts and trim the tops and backs before quilting, to make sure they are the best I can do. Good luck. That was for the larger quilts; the smaller ones I just put on the cutting mat and flatten and square.

[Lynn K.]

I think one of the free offerings in Sharon Schamber's site is a freebie on blocking your quilt. Check it out!

[Hannelore N.]

I always add a colour catcher to the water when I submerge a quilt for the first time.

Lorchen

[Hannelore N.]

Ooops, forgotten to add: Someone I know never washes her fabrics before making a quilt, but she keeps a small piece of every fabric, staples them together and tosses the little bundle into hot water. Then she waits to see if anything runs. I have no idea what she'd do if the colour would run. She says that so far no fabric she has used has ever run. She says it's due to buying 'good quality fabrics'. I bet if I would use that method something would run in every test bundle.

Lorchen

[Terry K.]

Lorchen, I agree completely. Once, I almost didn't wash a fabric. . .it was a red print of Robert Kaufmann's. I relented at the last minute with a what if. . .So glad I gave it the prewash--it ran! I don't even think a color catcher could have saved it. So I keep washing . . .what a pain in the . . . Terry