I have been hand quilting a king sized quilt for almost 6 months. We recently got a new kitten, and as I was putting the last stitches in it, I smelled an odor...yes, that odor...cat urine.

I finished quilting it, but I haven't binded it yet. I had to wash it to get the smell out...I did it on the delicate cycle, and I have it on the line to dry as I type....

Will this affect the quilt when I get ready to bind it...it doesn't appear that any of the material shredded or that any of the batting stetched that much.

Is there any other step I should do before I bind it to make sure it still looks right when it's finished?

If your fabric was prewashed it shouldn't be a problem. If it wasn't prewashed, I would prewash my binding.

Whooops! I think you'll still be okay to just put the binding on. If it has a wide enough border, you could attempt to square it up again and make the edges knife-straight if you'd like. Otherwise, just put the binding on. If it's a little off-square and that bothers you, you can block it after it's completed. There are lots of instructions on this site on how to block a quilt so it's square. (I've never done it, but know it's an option.)

Congrats on getting a new kitty! :)

Thank you, I didn't even think about washing the binding...I will have to get the washer going again..lol

This is the little bugger that did the deed...bad kitty.

That sweet kitty??????It must have been that bad kitty that sneaks in at night!!:)

ooooopppppssss thats the problem with having pets in the house, I am forever cleaning up after mine. I now have a well trained nose to sniff out eny offending smells

I've washed quilts before binding and it hasn't been a problem.

Yes...that sweet sweet lap kitty...who has taken over my chair and pillow-cushion....

I smelled it as soon as I started taking the quilt from the frame...there was so much fabric laying ontop of the surprise he left me that you couldn't smell it untill it was unearthed....

It's great to know that the quilt isn't ruined.

My first quilt was in the process of me hand quilting it, and as my daughter was admiring it, she spilled cereal all over it. I had to wash it and it pretty much fell apart...I was so scared when this little disaster happened.

I think Diamond must have scared the p.. of Stripe,lol!! Look at the size of him. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!
My DD has problems with her male cat doing this and she just washes her quilt and it's as good as new. I guess he wants me to make a quilt just for him!!!

You may want to keep this quilt away from kitty - their keen sense of smell can detect the urine no matter how many times you wash and he may do this again. We have to keep our bath mats up because my cat will pee on them if they are accessible.

I'm glad it cleaned out. I think redpurselady has a good thought. I know there are products that can get that out. . .

Diamond is gorgeous! What breed is she?

Stripe is cute. The little PITA!

Diamond looks like a pit bull - she is a beauty!

Yeah...she's one of my pittys...and she is afaid of the kitty..lol...she is 4 yrs old and 76lbs and the cat chases her around the house...so I seriously doubt that she scared the pee out of stripe.

I sprayed it with a urine eliminator...so I'm hoping that there isn't a reoccurence of this issue.

Vinegar will also neutralize the odor. Is Stripe male? If so, I would get him neutered RIGHT AWAY! And a check from the vet to make sure he doesn't have an urinary tract infection. Kittens should use their litter box unless they have something wrong (or are unaltered males). An extra litter box might help, too.

Stripe is such a cutie-pie! :mrgreen: That picture is so adorable!

me too. I got a little shredding on the 80/20 binding, but if I hadn't trimmed it first that would have been fine, too.

Try to never "Hang the quilt" to dry....whenever possible, try to lay the quilt on top of a clean sheet with indirect sunlight, this is one way since it is not bound yet, to avoid uneven borders. I do not like to use the washer, I use the bathtub or deep sink and let it sit, and gently roll the top or quilt in large beach towels to remove the water. Guess I am "'ol school" and after all the work to complete a quilt, I do not want to have a washer ruin my hard work. Good luck.

I think that cute little kitty was claiming the quilt. What better way for an animal to say this one is going to be mine. LOL He even has that look in his eyes.

We have an apt for him to get "the snip" done a week from today =)...and he doesn't have any other health issues..he's just a little devil...that look on his face in the picture says it all.

Having been a purebred cat breeder and 'show exhibitor' for over 15 years, I can tell you that if a cat doesn't like the smell of something (i.e.: fabric, vinyl, carpet, furniture) they will pee on it over and over and over again. You never successfully get rid of the smell of their urnine on the item to them, even if you can't smell it, they can; you have to careful to keep the item out of their reach. Good luck and he is a real cutie.