Help with commissioned quilt, redo borders
 

I recently posted a picture of a quilt top that I was given to quilt. After laying out the quilt top on the floor it became apparent that this top has issues. The wavy borders were very noticable and the entire top is just plain wonky. Anyway...I've decided to take of the borders and fix that issue and just deal with the rest as they come along in the quilting process. So I take the three measurements top 76 1/2 middle 74 3/4 bottom 74 3/4, and going the other direction, top 75, middle 74 3/4, bottom 76. I've never had a quilt top off by this much. Theres no way that I can fix the issues in the rest of the top to make it more square due to the design so I just have to re-attach the borders, cutting them down to size. Can I still use the basic equation of averaging out the 3 numbers? and would it make a difference which side I put on first? Thank you so much for any input.

I have always heard that it works. Haven't personally tried it but will watch for a more experienced answer.

Sounds like an all over stippling is required... Good luck in whatever you do..

It's tuff when all four sides are different. I had that happen to me. Only there was a much greater difference so I had to give it back to the owner. She took tucks in the inner boarder and gave it back to me. I was not aware of it being the same quilt until I had it on the LAM and saw the tucks. I'm talking 1" tucks and several of them. I quilted it anyhow to the best of my ability. I was not pleased, but it was what she wanted. I was told many years ago that
"you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear"
Good luck, I hope it works for you.

what style design is the main section of the quilt? are there star points that can't be trimmed? that makes a big difference in what you do.
is this quilt to be a bed quilt? if so, a bit of wonkiness won't be so bad. discuss this with your client too and see what he or she says. that is a lot of difference in measurements.

The quilt body is varigated star blocks with pieced striped sashing and nine patch in each intersection of the sashing. I've put the borders back on, but since the body of the quilt is so wonky the borders are laying wonky. I'm wondering how this quilt would react to a good stetching on the frame. I think I'm gonna try pinning it on for a test to see just how bad it is. I dont know what else to do. All else fails I can lightly hand quilt instead of machine quilting. The owner is in no hurry, shes had it for over 20 years.

I would take the measurements from the center and re-cut the borders to those center measurements.

You can ease an inch or more of either border or quilt into three or four feet of quilt.

If the quilt side that you're sewing is longer than the border, put the quilt next to the feed dogs and keep a little tension on the edge as you sew it. If the border is longer than the side that you're sewing, put the border next to the feed dogs and keep a little tension on it.

When you get the top onto the frame, you're going to have some places where the top is blistered up. If you can mist those blisters with water, it might draw up some of the excess fabric. It's going to take some careful work in those bubbled-up areas, but they won't be as obvious once the quilt is washed and dried. If you can use an allover design that's open, (curls rather than closed loops) that will help you disguise the problem even more. A fusible batt can help you beat the top into submission, too.

I don't have a long-arm - I have to use these tricks in free-motion quilting. I've bought some really unbelieveably wonky vintage tops on eBay. One of them made me cry when I laid it out to sandwich it. Such a pretty top, but ohmigosh, it was awful. It was a Drunkard's Path that had been pieced by at least two people. One knew what she was doing and the other one didn't.

The blocks were trapezoids, not squares and the quilt was not square anywhere. That's probably why it was a UFO - she probably took it out every few years and remembered how awful it was and put it right back into the linen closet. ;)

I ended up putting two allover designs on it, quilting heavily in areas that needed taking up and leaving more room where the quilt was flat. Once I got it laundered, it was quite pretty, but mercy, it took a lot to get there!

Good luck to you!

I'm thinking that once you redo the borders and get it on your quilting frame you should be able to stretch it more even. The quilting should take up the rest of the wonkiness. Good luck.:)

I just meansure the centers. Don't think it matter which side goes on first. Sew with a relaxed bottom and it should work out.

Wow pollyparrot you really did make those imperfections disappear! Nice work. Thanks for everyones help. I'm just gonna jump in both feet and see what happens.