Oh boy what a mistake by me!!
 

I was asked to make a quilt for a young boy, his love is Dinosaurs. I found some great fabric at JoAnn's and it was on sale so that was good. I bought all the fabric to go with the quilt at that time. I took it home and washed all the fabric for the quilt.

I decided to make Warm Wishes Quilt as after looking up here different ones said it was a good quilt to focus on a fabric. (the dinosaurs) After making all the blocks, I laid out the blocks on my bed, and really didn't like how it looked for some reason the green fabric didn't make the dinosaur fabric pop. So I laid out some brown fabric also from JoAnn's. it was country classic in a dark brown. I liked that much better so I ripped out all the green strips and sewed in the brown fabric, I really like how this look much better.

Ok here is my problem, after going to bed and laying there thinking about the quilt, I realized that the brown fabric WASN'T washed! Oh no! so seeing that the quilt is all sewed together already all but the boarders, I really didn't know what to do.. So I wash a piece of the brown fabric and I measured it before , it was only a strip of 3x7, I was safe as far as the bleeding goes, but the fabric shrunk about 1/4 inch all-around. So is this going to distort the quilt after it Is quilted and finish then washed.Is there anything I could do to stop this, I sure hate to rip it all out and then buy more brown fabric and wash it and resew the quilt, I'm ready to toss this top and start over, but I would have to buy more fabric and that would double my cost of the quilt, which I can't pass on to the lady that asked me to make the quilt. She is just paying for the fabric and not my time, which is fine with me.

So can anyone tell me a solution to this problem? What would you do? Help! Please!

Don't worry about it! That little bit of brown not being washed will not matter at all in the grand scheme of things. Just quilt it and finish it. Once the fabric is sewn into the quilt, all the other fabric, batting and quilting stitches will control shrinkage. It will be one unit then.

Honestly, it will not make a difference!

Don't you hate those "OH NO" thoughts you get lying in bed?!

Very pretty quilt, BTW...

The quilting and batting will control the shrinkage. I wouldn't stress over it

yes, just quilt those colors well and it will be fine. quilts are supposed to be cuddly and crinkled. nothing wrong with that.

1/4 inch shrinkage each way on a piece that small seems to be a lot to me.

Depending on which way it was shrinking - on a 42 x 36 inch piece of fabric

that uncut piece would end up being (36 x .916) x (42 x .964) = 32.976 x 40.488

or (36 x 0.964) x (42 x 0.916) = 34.704 x 38.472

I arrived at those decimals by this method:

(3 - 0.25)/3 = 0.9166...
(7 - 0.25)/7 = 0.9642....

The dark brown as compared to the green really does brighten up the quilt.

Oh boy mistake by me!! Help Help! second post!
 

I just post asking what to do with the quilt top that is done.. all fabric washed but forgot to wash the brown, this is what happened when I washed one of the extra blocks. You can see how much the brown fabric shrunk in comparison to the other fabric in the block..

sewbizgirl will this still be ok after it is quilted being it shrunk this much?? I am ready to do some serious ripping !!

You do have a nice quilt in the works.
And I agree, the brown really makes those blocks pop, far better than the green did.

Unfortunate that you have now realized the non-washing.

I saw your photo on the other thread.
While it may cause problems, I think if you heavy quilt it, you can get it stabilized.
I wouldn't go with SITD, as that would leave the open areas more apt to show the shrinkage.
Instead head towards some sort of an all over pattern, where the stitching will cross the seam lines as well as stabilize the fabric.

However, nothing is guaranteed ..... you could do up a small sample piece and see what happens.
I'm thinking placemat or table topper size would let you see what happens with washing/drying.

Another consideration ... choose your batting accordingly.

The smaller the piece the more shrinkage. The finished quilt the fabric will be fine.

A lot depends on how much quilting you plan to do. If you go with an overall design, I think it will still be OK. There will be more puckering in some areas after washing, but personally, I like that look.

I would take it out - and use washed fabric - but as others have said - it is your project.

But I actively dislike the snirped/unevenly puckered look - so - - - -

I saw your picture of the washed block in the other thread, but came here to see the whole quilt.

How are you planning on quilting it? If you do an all-over free motion pattern, I wouldn't worry about the shrinkage; the batting and quilting will stabilize it. It would likely cause problems if you want to just stitch in the ditch, though.

quiltlady, you need to realize that quilting binds the fabric to the batting, at which point the batting limits how much the fabric shrinks. The fabric in that one block you washed had not been stabilized by quilting to a batting. If you were to take another block, quilt it to batting and backing, and wash it, the brown fabric would not shrink like that. The batting would prevent it from shrinking so much.

You would not want to tie this quilt. Tying would not be enough to limit the brown fabric's shrinkage. When quilting, you also do not want to quilt lines 10" apart. That would give the shrinkable fabric too much space. As long as your quilting lines are a reasonable distance apart (say, 4" or closer) and you quilt through the sashings several times, your quilt will turn out fine.

The one thing I would suggest is probably not using a 100% polyester batting, as polyester does not shrink at all. Other battings shrink a little in the wash, which helps camouflage any uneven shrinkage of the fabric.

An all-over meander of quilting lines, with lines no farther apart than 4", would look nice and would ensure that all of the brown fabric is tied sufficiently to the batting.

Thanks everyone, this is making me sick! This is the first quilt that this has happened to me, Such a stupid mistake! I'm thinking of ripping, I thought if I ripped each row then just ripped out the brown and sew it back together, if it was for me I would say the heck with it and just quilt it, but seeing it is for someone else and they are paying for the fabric I feel bad if it is not perfect or as perfect as I can get it..

The quilt is laying on my bed and every time I go by it I cringe at my big mistake, and think next time you will know better oh well live and learn..Thank again for all of your support.......Carol..

PS

Now after reading some more post maybe I will try and quilt it really close. I'm doing FMQ.or like one of the ladies said I may try quilting a few books together and then wash and dry it and see what happens, I hate ripping!

I would quilt it as is & not rip anything out. My most recent baby quilt was like that....some fabric washed & some not & it looked just as good as a quilt that had all pre washed fabrics/and/or all non pre washed fabrics. I say finish it & be happy!

quiltlady, if you want to reassure yourself, quilt a single block and wash it. Just be sure to quilt all around the edges before washing. Compare to the unquilted washed block, and I think you will feel better moving forward without ripping.

I would do like the others said, go ahead and quilt it, it will be fine. I have done the same thing before with no problems. This is a child's quilt and will be washed many, many times and after a while the crinkles will all blend together.

Just take a deep breath and go for it. Seriously it will be all right. (())

OK, so my two cents worth on this....

One, it's going to a little boy, who will cuddle it, make forts with it, drag it around, pretend it's his Army tent, pretend the Dino's are going with him somewhere, and on and on. I can tell you, it's going to be seriously loved and used. He is NOT going to notice any minor shrinkage.

Two, as others have said, quilt it pretty densely, not just stitch-in-the-ditch. If you do pantos, I'm CERTAIN I've seen some dino pantos online somewhere. Those should give you the quilting you need, as well as giving the little guy even MORE dinos to look at. Between the slight shrink of the batting, and the panto quilting, the brown shrink should not be noticeable.

Three, this is one of those "live and learn" lessons. Me personally - I NEVER prewash, simply because I don't want to have to stress over something like just like this situation. (I can HEAR some of you gasping! :D ) I've never had any issues by doing this. Will this policy "bite" me someday? Probably, but I've been quilting since I was pregnant with my daughter (and she's 33 in July), and just never really had any problems with not prewashing.

Like I said, this is just my two cents worth... and that won't even buy a piece of bubblegum anymore. :p

I wouldn't worry about it. I don't prewash, unless the fabric is red. So, when I make quilts that have red in them, that fabric has already been washed. The rest hasn't. And I have never been able to tell when it is all quilted and bound.

It just all comes out even enough by the time the quilt is sandwiched and quilted. Or at least it always has for me.

I'd suggest that you just "carry on" and try to stop worrying about it. Your quilt is just beautiful, and the boy who gets it will love and treasure it. Good choice of pattern and fabric!!

Dina

Use color catchers when you wash it. Keep washing it with new color catchers are clean when washed. I think it will be just fine. I don't prewash any more.

Yes, finish your quilt! The sample you washed and shrunk wasn't attached to batting and backing and quilted, so you are comparing apples and oranges.

You don't need to stress about this anymore. Just quilt it and be done. It will be fine. I use mixtures of prewashed and not prewashed fabrics all the time and you would never know which was which after the first wash.

I do like the brown instead of green.

A lot of people on here have said they never pre-wash fabrics unless it is a color known to bleed. So my point is - how would they know if a fabric in their finished quilt will shrink or not? A child's quilt I certainly would not spend all the time needed to rip it out. Just me.

Me, too! I don't prewash unless I suspect possible bleeding--use a color catcher. Proceed as usual without regard to what you think is shrinkage. I'm a hand quilter and I'd stitch 1/4" inside the seam to stabilize the brown. Don't fret on the "dense quilting". Also I almost always use poly batting. I like the puff and I have had no problems with any issues suggested here. This is a cute quilt. Finish it and find something else to worry about! Love it, dear.

No wonder we can't sleep at night.

I'm not usually a fan of brown, but I really like the way this sets off the dinosaur blocks. Very pretty.

You are going to be the only one who ever notices. They will be thrilled with such a wonderful quilt. And your choice of the browns are perfect.

I agree with QuiltE. Loose quilting will not keep everything in place. I would not rip this again. I would quilt it (semi heavily) and call it done. Tell the lady to only wash it in cold water. That will help with the shrinkage. Hope to hear how she loves this quilt. Ellen

I use washed and unwashed fabric all the time in quilts and never have a problem. Once they are sewn together and quilted everything is fine.

The crinkled look after washing comes from the cotton batting shrinking and not the fabric. If you don't like that look use a different batting.

no panic! I'm not a prewasher and I've been known to mix older washed scraps that I've salvaged with brand new fabric, never had an issue. That little man will adore his quilt :)

I say quilt and go for it. I use washed and unwashed together all the time. And thankfully, no major problems. And, I don't quilt heavily. I like my quilts soft and squishy.

And, Love the switch to dark brown. It really does POP the dinosaurs.

I hope it comes out great!!

I like the brown around the dinosaurs it looks nice and what a neat idea.

I believe you have gotten good advice. Quilt it a little densely and the batting and backing will stabilize the top. Cute quilt, by the way.

Everyone else has given the words of wisdom above that I totally agree with. I mix prewashed with un-prewashed all the time and I use poly batting. I've never noticed any shrinkage, even in my Trip Around the World quilt made up of 2" squares. I always quilt medium densely. You have made a lovely quilt and the little guy is going to love it! :)

I used to prewash my fabric but not anymore. So my stash is a mixed bag of washed and non washed. I use them together with no problems. As others have said the quilting stabilizes it all. If you're nervous because someone else is paying for the materials do the suggested test. It sure beats taking everything apart. The quilt looks really great. Good Luck.

I like this pattern and I love this quilt.

Don't worry. I have misxed washed and non washed with no problem. cute quilt.