Hey, welcome to quilting and to the mistakes we all make at first. Ask us how we know the solutions!
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And washing does cover many problems. You might want to just go with what you have, wash it, and then see if you really think anything needs to be ripped out.
Sometimes you can rip out just the part that is pleated and resew. Resewing in a different direction can help with smooth things over a bit too. What is your machine? You can buy a walking foot for almost any machine.
Otherwise, what everyone else said.