Just finished a quilt and washed it. When to sew a name label on and saw several holes in the quilt. Just small ones but frayed around them. I don't know what happened,. I have made many quilts and I use good fabric, Any ideas what I did or happened. Joyce

can you post pictures? is it that the seam allowance let go, or are the holes in the middle of the fabric?

several small holes in various places. They are not in seams. I hand stitched them closed..

How frustrating. I hope you figure out what happened.

could the safety pins have caused it? That is how I put the layers together. I have never had it happen before.

I would almost want to wash it again to see if it continues. It would be a shame to have it happen down the road if you are giving the quilt away. They might not know how to repair them.

good idea So much time and money in it. I am scared to see.

Were you using basting pins ? But I wouldn't think even regular safety pins would cause that problem. So sorry you are having this problem :?

Are the holes in just one of the fabrics or different fabrics on the quilt ?

the holes are in two of the fabrics. They were top quality and new, I have used pins before and never this problem,.

I am so sorry :( Did any of the pins feel like they were snagging when going in or out of the fabric?

I don't think so, but I will be sure to check all of the pins before I use them again. Thanks everyone.

How sad! Could moths have done it?

I think it's your fabric. i bought some that had holes like that in it, but i saw them before i washed it. -well i think it was before. i kept the fabric because i liked it but had to be careful when i cut pieces out.
perhaps you can put some applique over those areas?

that is terrible, I hope you get it figured out

I got a fabric with holes once too. I noticed before the quilt was layered and quilted though. What I did was put a ring of wonder under bigger than the hole on the right side of a small scrap and fuse it to the back side of the hole. When I get ready to quilt that quilt I'll probably stitch around the repairs with invisible thread.

My bet it was a defect in the fabric that you didn't notice until it was too late. It's easy to miss small defects when the fabric is patterned.

I have found holes in Walmart material, I know its the cheaper fabric, so I have to check it out, especially when using it for backing, have to check carefully for the holes! Lace

OK: Suggestion sp? where ever- when ever you find a hole in sertant fabric appli a "different fabric and color" heart, then if anyone notice it could be a part of your sigature or disign on porpouse sp??

rotary cutter is usually to blame for mine, even if it brushes up to the fabric it slices the threads.

Thank you so much. My new netbook has a small key board or is it keyboard? Thank you for all of the suggestions:-)

It was black. The frays really show up.

If you remember where you bought it you might let them know what happened...in case others have had the same complaint. Doubt they'd give you any money back, but having them information might lead them to contact the manufacturer..speaking of which, you could always contact the manufacturer yourself, after you've ruled out any thing you might have done to create the holes. Could be a bad batch of fabric from the manufacturer.

Sorry it happened to you...might be a good opportunity to try turning it into an art quilt with applique and other embellishments!

I had holes in my lap quilt. I went to a scrap of the fabric-it was a fat quarter-and I could poke a hole right thru it with my finger! I'll never buy fabric without giving it the "poke" test first!

I had the same problem on a piece of fabric I purchased from my LQS at $10 a yard. I took it back and got a refund. They took the entire bolt off the shelf to examine it before sending it back. Think it possibly happened during the finishing process or perhaps during shipping. I used to live in Texas and once was plagued with tiny little brown bugs that loved to eat tiny holes in fabrics. Never knew what they were but had to have the house sprayed to get rid of them.

This just happened to me also, but think mine came from machine quilting, as when I would try and move the quilt around, sometimes the pins would catch on the machine and then probably pulled the fabric. I think the safety pins are what made the holes in mine. I tried to hand sew over the, hoping they will hold through washings

thank you I think that might be it.

Joyce, I don't know where you live, but here we have a moth that eats cotton. I think it was called a Miller. I had found tiny holes in t-shirts and found out that is what did it. Maybe where you stored your fabric could have allowed moths to get in. I put little pieces of cedar ( you can get cedar blocks) in all our drawers and the problem is solved. This may not be your problem, but if you find the holes in other things, it might give you a clue.

after reading some more of the replys, it could be that moths got to the fabric before you bought it.

Could you put some *Steam a Seam* over the hole and then add an applique?

Joyce, did you use all of your fabric? If you don't have anymore maybe you have some of the scraps. If you can, you might examine that. Did you prewash? If you have more of the materials and no holes can you wash them to see if they get holes?
I am so sorry this happened. I am glad that you knew it before it left home. Sorry.

Just rewashed the quilt and more holes actually they are like small slices. I guess the pins must have done it. I am taking it to the quilt/fabric store tomorrow. thanks everyone

i had thaqt with fabric i purchased at wallmart one time .i used a fuse fabric and put it under the tear .than hand stiched with a smill thin needle you can'tmtell the tear is there unless you know it

Let us know what they say at the quilt store . I would be interested in what they think might have happened

I can't imagine that pins would have caused small slices in brand new fabric. I just wonder "how long" your "new" fabric had been in storage... and what kind of storage???

you would have to have been severely abusive to the quilt sandwich for anything you used or did to have caused that much damage. you would have noticed a problem while quilting it - long before it got that bad.

i hope the shop management will is willing to admit they were sold defective fabric. otherwise they may not take the time to complain to their supplier. it could happen to them again. and whatever happens to them happens to their customers.

defective fabric is the only logical explanation. you couldn't have done it, and they would never have knowingly sold you anything defective.

unless the safety pins being used actually pierce and tear a thread in the fabric weave, the holes made by the pins should reheal itself in washing. all the pins do when they go through fabric is move the weaved threads aside. rarely the tips actually catches a thread but even when it does that a good quality fabric's weave would still move back together. all right all you mystery lovers. here is one for you to solve. wouldn't this be a good addition to a quilting mystery novel?

I have no clue, but I would take it to were you bought the fabric, and just say look what happened to your fabric when you washed it. maybe they will give you in store credit, and take the fabric off the shelf so no one else buys it. Good luck and God bless. Penny

I found this wonderful product at PIQF (Pacific International Quilt Festival) a year ago. It's called 007 Bonding Agent. You can repair holes or fraying, etc with it. It is a iron type thing. They are crystals in a bottle that you use to bind up holes.

Here is the link to their website and they have a video you can watch.
http://www.bonash.com/

A year ago I made a log cabin quilt for my DH. After I had constructed the entire top, I noticed that one fabric was fraying at the edges. I hadn't even washed it or anything and some seams were frayed almost 1/8" in! I was sick because the only solution I could think of was to start all over.

I saw the 007 at PIQF and bought it. I got a good quality fabric and cut strips of 1/2" and used the bonding agent to bond them to the seams on the back of the quilt. It saved the quilt and I've had no problems with it!

very cute ! I put some pins in a scrap and moved them around bingo a small run or tear started. the fabric stores does not think it is the fault of the fabric.

There are so many that use the safety pins that if this was a common problem I think we would know . I just don't think the pics would do it unless they are man handled. Sorry you didn't get any answers. Can you post a pic maybe ?