help: stiff quilt
 

after winning a second place ribbon at the show, and $500 of custom quilting, my dh says the quilt is too rough. i know machine quiting can be that way, but what do i do? will washing it soften it up a bit? it's 60 degree 2" stars that were English Paper Pieced, queen sized. how do i get the stiffness out of it? what do you do? he says he can feel it thru the top sheet. thanks everyone.

Hi Lynnie I haven't a quilt that has been heavily quilted but all of my quilts become softer the more I wash them.

Congratulations on the prize! Keep that uppermost in your mind. And I agree with cannyquilter, your quilt will become softer after each wash.

Yes, washing and using a liquid fabric softener will soften the quilt. I do this to all of my quilts.

Use it as a decorative bed covering but fold it back at night and sleep under a blanket. It probably won't feel softer for a while.

Congrats on your award!
The batting, backing and thread can also contribute to stiffness in a quilt. It will soften with laundering and use, but it may take some time. I would take it to a laundromat and use a large capacity machine. Just one question: you did remove the papers, right? There are some EPP products that you leave in.

I don't have any suggestions for you....I just want to say CONGRATS on the ribbon! Hope you can post a photo of the quilt soon.

Lynnie, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you!
I also would think washing will eventually soften it. Darn!

it was EPP, but I took out all my papers.
I'll try the washing the thing a few times with a lot of Downey.
thank you everyone for your advice.
when it's heavily quilted, it seems to slide around.
I always hand quilt my quilts, and this one wasn't
I'm doing Storm at Sea now. I figure it will take me
about 3 yrs to do. It too, is English Paper Pieced. I'll
quilt it by hand

I would do this as well!!!

I swear, I don't know what that man is thinking! I think he means that it doesn't flow like a hand quilted one. it's back to hand quilting for me from now on. off to the laundromat this weekend with a bottle of Downey.

You have spoiled him with drape of hand Quilting! Storm at sea - epp? Why not piece by sewing machine- just wondering....

Lynnie, do you know what kind of batting was used in the quilt? While I love the definition Hobbs Polydown gives the quilting I do know that particular batting tends to not have the soft drape you are most likely accustomed to with hand quilted quilts. Be careful with too much Downey, it is loaded with chemicals. As a LA quilter who does use quite a bit of Polydown (as well as many other battings) it has been my experience that use will soften up the quilt and make it more drapey. I have also found 80/20 blends and even all cotton tend to be a bit stiff until they are used a while with lots of scrunching up and wrapping yourself up in them. It is like when you buy a brand new pair of jeans. It usually takes a few wears and washes before they are soft. Also, think how much you handle a quilt when hand quilting. All that handling is making not only the batting more drapey and pliable but also your cotton fabric. I think JenniePenny is spot on in her comment. Taking it to the laundromat and doing several back to back washes with Downy may not give you the desired drape and may change the look of your custom quilting job drastically. You may want to make this particular quilt a show piece rather than a functional piece.

Edited to add, congratulations on your ribbon! I too would love to see pics of this quilt.

If DH is used to the feel of a hand-quilted quilt, I can see where he would be aware of the difference. Maybe he will get used to it after a while. Congratulations on the award!

I'm sure washing will help. It has worked for me in the past.

so now on my Storm at Sea, I WILL be hand quilting it. i'm doing epp because it's accurate, I bought the papers, about $125.00 worth of papers, and it will take me long to do. I have NO where to put anymore quilts, so if they take long, I get to quilt as long as I want to. thanks everyone.

Congratulations on your win! I'm still inspired by you, but still haven't started EPP yet. Just need to finish up 2 more projects and then maybe.

Congratulations on your win. I think your new project sounds great and I know you will enjoy it. Doing handwork, whether it is embroidering, quilting, etc. is a good complement to machine work. Like others, I am sure washing will soften your quilt.

Lynnie, congrats to you. I also love the softness of hand quilted quilts, and agree with your comment about no room for any more quilts so make quilts that take longer to finish. Keep up the good work.

My granddaughter and I made a quilt for her parents more than 10 years ago. I was asked to repair it a few years ago, but now they wanted me to repair it again. I said it was too far gone; at least the top was, so I gave them a new quilt. They said the new one was too "hard", and wanted their old soft quilt back. So I made a new top and will use the old back and batt to redo it. The back is partly poly, so that lasts forever.

Congratulations! I too, would rather hand quilt. Who cares how long it takes to get done.

I wouldn't use the Downey, just washing should help, but be sure to use several Shout color catcher sheets

congrats on the ribbon (we need a pic). Can you put it on a guest bed or hang it on the wall.