How to Get Out Puckers?
 

Hi Friends,
I am almost finished with a queen size quilt. The top is 100% cotton, with a thin batting, and the back is fleece. This is for my son who will use it in a camper. This is how he wants it.

My problem now is that I turned it over and have a couple of bad puckers in the fleece. I need help on how to get them out. I know doing all this on my small throat machine was against better advice, but I had no choice.( It has actually turned out well except for the couple of puckers.) I had struggles when having a real bulk of it all inside the small throat. I did the best I could. I don't know what to do. It is for a new camper he has built himself, and he did a great job on his end. Now he is waiting on my quilt.

I sure do welcome any advice you folks may share.

Thank you,
Susan

Of course, you can take out the stitches and re-quilt those areas, redistributing the fullness on the back evenly. Alternately, since you said they are bad tucks, you can press them down flat and applique the sides down. This would be less noticeable on a solid color instead of a geometric print. Fleece is thick, though, and if you choose to do that you may need to mostly cut the flaps down the crease so you can split them open before appliqueing them down to reduce the thickness. Good luck.

JustAbitCrazy, thank you so much for your suggestions. That already gives me more to think about. I am encouraged!
I have went through a lot on this big quilt. I want it to look as nice for him as it can be. :)
Susan

Tartan, I thank you for adding more suggestions for me to have to figure all this out. I will look up a picture of the invisible ladder stitch, but I think I know what it is.

My son and daughter in law have a beautiful queen size pieced quilt that my mother made them when she was still with us. It is pieced in yellows and blues. So this quilt will be the one I will have made them from me. Since it is for their camper I am putting on the back a Tennessee License Plate Piece of fabric that many used in the row by row quilts. He loves that idea. Then of course a name/info tag sewn on. They are big time campers.

I will let you all know how it turns out. He knows I always speak of the quilting board.
Susan:)

Can you put the license plate fabric over the pleats in the back? Or a label? In other words, hide the pleats rather than fix them?

Greetings!

I'm sorry, I can't really add to ideas to fix the puckers, as it looks like some good advice has been given.

I'm wondering, though, how you sandwiched it. I have taken to using basting spray which seems to hold the layers together very well, and I have little to no puckering problems.

I know your son will love the quilt!

Oh, Dunster has a great idea!!

Yes, I will have to see with it spread out again if it could be covered up. I still would try to do some of the ideas first and then if they didn't take care of it all then I could cover it up. I also want to write down for myself some notes of all the things I learned making this quilt.

He would tell me he loved it no matter what, but I do want to do the best I can. He is my only child. :)

I had a top I had all sorts of problems with the tucks and such in the back. I was using my vintage small throat machine and even though I did pick out some of my quilting and re-quilted I still had some huge "pookies". It's one of the reasons to pick a print back as opposed to a solid, but after I had taken the stitches out once, the next time I just sewed the bad tucks down and ignored the small ones. With the print you couldn't even tell.

With fleece, maybe a bit more problematic but again, you are making it with love for someone who loves you and will love it in return. And keep in mind, unless they share the hobby they don't know what perfect is. Even if he did, as you said he will love it anyway.