I sent my first quilt top, an oversized king size log cabin, to a relative to quilt. She has a quilting machine and she said she would do it cheap. The problem is, I got what I paid for.
The quilt is ruined unless I rip out everything she did. The quilt is full of puckers.
Does anyone have any advice?
Should I just start ripping?
I don't want to hurt the relatives feelings but I won't be sending her anymore quilts to quilt.

Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Can you do pics??? There are many good LA'ers on the board and I'm sure someone could give you good advice.

that is awful.some times people do their learning on quilts for others.I did at least 30 quilts before I started for customers.even still I get very nervous when doing a customer quilt.so sorry this went sour on you.

How disappointing!!!!

It is a quilt that you are going to keep for yourself???

I would probably rip it all out. It may take a while but if you don't, every time you look at that quilt you will be unhappy about the quilting done on it.
I wouldn't send anything to her again. You may want to eventually mention the puckers to her so she knows why you are not going to have her quilt for you again!

So sorry-so much work!

I am so sorry this happened to your beautiful quilt .

I am so sorry that this happened.
I would probably rip it out and have it re-quilted :D:D:D

Since it was my very first quilt top, yes, I wanted to keep it. My hubby wanted me to make it extra big so we could use it as a bedspread.
I am going to try my hand at quilting as I go.

Oversized king size? Yikes!

I would rip it out because you aren't going to want to use it like it is. It's probably not something you even want to donate. Maybe set a goal to do one quarter a week and in a month you will be ready to quilt it again. Good thing she didn't charge you a big price for it. Just get it out and start to take out the stitching. It will probably make you feel better to start the recovery process. So sorry for you!!

Thanks guys, I will start ripping.
I agree with ya'll. I even too embarassed to0 show it off to anyone the way it is.

Ask your relative what type of batting she used. Some battings when washed will give the "puckered" antique look. You may be able to wash and dry your quilt and achieve that look. Good luck!

I am so sorry this happened. I would be ripping it out - do you have any friends that could come and help for a hour or two? I know I have at least one that I could call on to help me. That would make the time go a little faster and you could get caught up with your friend. I'm always trying to find time with a friend... Just a thought. If you lived closer, I'd come and help you :-)

Get the seam ripper out, settle into a good movie/show and start ripping. Sorry....

OMG, that is terrible! Did you point out the puckers or not notice them until you got it home? I really do feel bad for you especially since this was your first quilt and you made it special. I'm sorry, at this point I would not give a rat's arse about hurting your relatives feelings. I can't advise you what to do, but I might decide to donate it to a homeless shelter. Perhaps you could cut it down, roll the cut edges and make two quilts for them. I think that if I had to look at something that someone had ruined for me it would take all of the joy out of ownership. Shelters and other charitable organizations are grateful for what ever donations they receive.

I'd have to go have good cry then sit down with a cup of tea (or glass of wine) and a seam ripper.

We had to mail it to eachother since she doesn't live close.
My sister lives here in the same town and she will help me rip.

I feel so bad you had such a bad experience! Especially when you have seen on this board the potential in having a top , quilted professionally.
Do not let this hinder your future quilting, and so seek out a future trusted sourch for you professional needs, there are so many good ones out there.
If you lived close I would come and help you take out the stitches.

rip it out because you're never going to be happy the way it is - you'll look at it and be upset.

I would just plan on spending a lot of time in front of the tv evenings, ripping.

If you haven't hand quilted before, I would not start with an oversized king! Rip first. You will need to take the layers apart after ripping. Meanwhile, look for *good* longarm quilters in your area (or shop here on the board; lots of reliable LAers here!). IMO, that would be the best way to finish this quilt and move on.

Rip!! You'll never be happy if you don't. I'd help you,but we are too far from each other..

Oh, that is not good. Have you asked how many tops they have quilted? And how they turned out? I think I would have to see pics of anyone quilting before I sent a top of to be quilted. But you learn from your mistakes.

Be careful ripping out, or you will make little holes in your quilt top.

That is such a shame to have this happen. If at all possile FMQ it yourself.

Forget the seam ripper - invest in a pair of thread snips that you just squeeze. You want a pair w/ pointy thin blades. You snip threads every 3/4/5 stitches, and it'll come apart much easier....

I am so sorry you have to go thru this..

Google "how to skin a quilt" there are some videos out there with tips to make the ripping go much much faster. I am so sorry this happened to you! I know how horrible I would feel if it were me, I can't even think of a thing to say that could make you feel better... hugs...

This is how I do it, however clip from the BACK not the front/top. That way if you slip or happen to get a little piece of fabric in there you are not causing a hole in your top!

I had a quilt come back with puckers in the borders, but the quilter let me know beforehand it wasn't laying right. Your relative is obviously still learning. I bet she'll be a pro with some practice. Rip and redo and make it right. Sounds like you have a ripping partner. Make it fun. Pop some corn, put on a movie and rip away.

If she is truly learning she needs to know the quilting is not acceptable and others will not be happy to have their quilts quilted like that at all. I tend to think she knows it's not right but doesn't care because she is doing it fast and cheap so what do you expect? I would be more then upset, I'd be very angry at her for doing a horrible job and thinking I'd be okay with it.

She says she only does it for friends and family.
she told me over the phone that it might have a pucker or 2 in one corner but the puckers are all over it.
At least the backing is burgandy and she quilted it in white so at least I will be able to see the stitches good.
Thanks everyone for the input and condolences.

I guess having the white on burgandy stitches is a blessing of sorts. You're already looking on the bright side, so you'll do fine.

This happened to me a few years ago, with my DD's quilt. I had sent it to a friend that was a LAQ and she did about 2/3s of it, charged me over $350.00 and told me I did a poor job. She had mounted it crooked on the frame and stretched it slightly, leaving puckers all over it. It took many hours to rip it out, I replaced the borders and quilted it on my Janome 6600. I learned a valuable lesson though...you do get what you pay for! It was a frustrating lesson, but, when I was finished, I was proud to give it to my DD, especially because "I quilted it". Good luck and be patient...it takes time. This is a picture of her quilt after I finished it.

That's what I would do also....I feel awful for you but since you put so much work and love into your quilt it is well worth your time to rip it out and finish it yourself so you will be happy with the outcome.

so sorry that happened, maybe you can have an 'unsewing' party with some friends or fellow quilters?
My heart goes out to you as it is such a dissapointment

I agree with everyone. Rip it out. I had the same thing happen to me, my quilt looked like a 3 year old was playing with momma's machine! When I brought it home to show my husband, his first words were "Was she drunk?" his second words were "You are going to rip that out, aren't you?" this from a man who doesn't even know what I do in my sewing room.

Don't worry about saving her feelings, save the quilt. Don't mention it to her. If she ever visits and sees it she will think she did an amazing job quilting it.

This happened to me. Thankfully it was just a lap sized quilt but I had appliqued the whole thing. It was a pond pattern with turtles, fish etc. Someone on another board suggested I send it to one of her friends to quilt. It came back quilted in ripples, unfortunatly all the rows of stitching were evenly spaced but one and that ruined the whole quilt for me. it was so obvious. It was for my daughter because she had a pond so I gave it to her anyway but just hate the quilt everytime I see it. I'm having one quilted now for my grandaughter's graduation present and I'll be paying top dollar locally to have it quilted. It's worth it.

I know I would never be happy with the quilt and ripping (although tedious) would make me feel better as would the glass of wine. This is one reason I plan to handquilt all my work.

Hurt feelings are not an issue, was this the best they could do? If so, perhaps they should practice more on their own quilts. Cost also has nothing to do with it, they offered to quilt for a price they quoted, it still should have been their best effort. Or, as my mother would say "Maybe they did a bad job so you would not bring anymore projects to them."

I know I take time and pride in my work. But most of my relatives just work as fast as they can to get the work done, no pride in their work, just speed.

Since you start quilting in the middle of the quilt I would start ripping out there. That way when you baste an area, you can at least do the quilting. This way you will have most of the quilt stabilized with her terrible quilting and you can replace it with yours.

Unless they are every 6 inches or so, (which I, too, would rip out entirely) I'd look for the worst ones; place a safety pin at those; then look it all over and see where the quilting stitch design starts to "pucker". Sometimes you can rip out a small area and then re-quilt it yourself, slowly and carefully by adjusting the fabric, pulling here or there and easing in the stitches. Attack one or two a day until finished. Then if you still want, you can look at the least worse puckers and so the same. It can be done.

When I started FMQ, I was the 'queen of puckers' but learned slowly and surely.
Good luck.

I also had to remove stitching from an entire quilt. Takes less time then it took to piece. You're not happy and will never be happy. Starting removing.

Take out that stitching! Otherwise you'll be heart-sick every time you look at that quilt.

Might I suggest a quilting hoop? I had always done mine on a quilt-frame, and after a 15 yrs hiatus from quilting, the first quilt I did was a LARGE king size top. Since I have arthritis in my shoulder now, I thought I'd try a hoop. It worked fantastic. I could now sit in the family room in the evenings, watch TV and chat with my DH & DD's. I thought the hand quilting would take me the better part of the year, instead I had it finished in weeks!

Good luck with your project!

Are the puckers all over? Front and back? Or only on the back?