Watson

I have a stained glass style wall hanging that is ready to be bound, (I hope to enter it in the county fair in the fall.), but I've just read that I should "block" it first.

Is this really necessary? The idea of dunking my wall hanging in the tub makes me shudder.

Comments, suggestions and helpful links appreciated.

Watson

dunster

If your wall hanging hangs as it should (straight, no ripples, etc.), then there is no need to block it. And if you do need to block it you can just spray it with water while it's flat on a surface rather than dunking in a tub.

Tartan

If it is flat, then no need to block it. If you do have a little ripple after adding the binding, I like to mist the back and pin it square and flat to my spare room carpet ( lay a clean sheet down first) until it dries. Make sure you use rust proof pins and put the pins in the seam line of the binding so no holes shows when it's dry. Don't forget your hanging sleeve or some method of hanging for wall hanging competition.

ManiacQuilter2

As both Dunster and Tartan have mention, as long as your quilt lays flat and it square, there is no need to block you quilt. Blocking is an attempt to square up your quilt.