Fabric Won't Lay Flat
 

Hello everyone,

I am working on my first quilt and am trying to lay my material flat so I can cut out the applique pieces. However, I can't seem to get the material to lay flat (please see attached photo). The "ripples" are worse on one side than the other, but covers pretty much the entire piece of fabric.

The fabric is not wrinkled, and I have washed and starched the material.

It is a Robert Kaufman Kona 100% cotton fabric and was purchased from an online quilt shop, so fabric quality shouldn't be an issue.

Any idea what caused this and how to correct it? I'm afraid if I use this material right now, the applique will not lay flat on the background.

Thanks for any and all help!

You said you washed and starched the fabric, so I assume you ironed. It appears you may have ironed and stretched the fabric. Even 100 percent cotton will stretch. If you pressed salvage to salvage it will ripple and stretch.

I would also say that you stretched it when you ironed it. Often the selvedge edge is a tighter weave. I would spray it with water & press using an up & down motion. You can also try re washing and finally, remove the selvedges. Don't know how large your applique pieces are, but normally they are pretty small so the ripples aren't really going to be an issue, especially if you are using a fusible interfacing.

Cut a piece of fabric off the big piece to break it down into more manageable pieces. Make it larger than the size of applique pattern. Re-starch and re-iron.

I would use a heavy hand with the starch.

Are you using fusible on the back of the applique?

Good luck with your project and fabric.

I would rewash it and dry it in a dryer until "almost" dry.

Then iron it with the grain (lengthwise) instead of edge to edge.

Also, if the selvages seem "tight" - I clip them at intervals instead of cutting them off to make the piece lay flat.

I do not use selvages in a "patch" - but I prefer to keep the selvages on the yardage as long as possible.

If the selvage was left on then it shrunk more then the fabric causing the wrinkles. Cut off the selvage and then re press to smooth. If it was skewed by ironing then wet it and let it dry then press to smooth. Honestly the little waves woudn't bother me if I was cutting the fabric. They would go away with the cutting.

I'm another one who wouldn't be bothered in the least by this.

It looks to me as if you were "wiping" the iron across the fabric as you were pressing it, instead of lifting the iron directly up off the fabric, then moving it. Spritz the fabric with water and re-press it. Oh, and yes, cut the selvedges off first.

A new one on me. I haven't seen this before now.

The only unwashed fabric I ever had shrink after it sewn into a block was a fabric from that company. I don't how know it snuck through w/o washing, but when I steamed the block, it shrunk. Wash, dry and repress. I think it wil flatten out.

Thanks, Lady Ag, for asking that question. I had that happen, too, with a different brand of quilt fabric. Now I know why! I was blaming the starch!!