I've been working with my first one recently, and this is what I did. I doubt anyone but me will ever notice it. Perfectionism is highly overrated.

I just finished a Nancy Halverson Advent Calendar panel that wasn't straight. To yours, I'd add a border or one of the stars - wide enough that when you square THAT border, it's not obvious.

If you can stand one more suggestion, here's mine. I'd not only cut off the dark blue, but I'd cut back the gold border back to the fleur-de-lis corners and the first decorative border - it looks like a beautiful old-fashioned ornate gold frame to me. THEN I'd cut out some wide(r) border strips, maybe 5" wide to accommodate the fleur-de-lis corners, from the center fabric that's on the bottom row of your complementary fabrics photo (dark blue with some stars); lay those underneath the trimmed-to-the-"frame" panel and use a very narrow satin stitch/extratight zigzag in gold metallic thread to affix the panel to this dark blue border; then trim the excess blue border fabric to 1/4 inch from the gold thread stitching. The very few stars that would show on this narrow border would keep my eye's interest, while drawing it outward from the center panel. Then you could easily audition each of the other fabrics for the final border(s) simply by laying the revised panel on top of it.

PART 2 - let me clarify something. I'd cut the gold border off to accommodate the fleur-de-lis corners and the OUTERMOST border - the one that has a white background with looks-like-dark-blue-dashes. If I'm still not making this clear, just let me know. Sorry for any confusion!

My suggestion is to cut the inside edge of the panel down to where it is correct. and then clip off that part that doesn't fit and sew it. Or cut the whole center out and trim it to the right size and then take one of your extra pieces and make a inside border to fit the border that is now on the outside. Maybe! :thumbup:

I think if I was you I would get some of the navy Blue that is there and even it out with that all of the way around. Cut off all of the blue and then block it to the right size you need to even it out.

I think I would cut it down to the gold once I measured the picture to the gold to make sure it would then square up. Then I would pick a color out of the picture likr yhr red or maroon on the horses face piece, not the reins (you can tell I'm a city girl).

[quote=joanelizbay]Where did you get that beautiful panel? I would love to find one like it!

An eBay seller has several of this same panel on Buy It Now for $3.50 each with free s/h. Her seller name is hauseraud. I bought two panels from her.

I learned a trick in home Economics that may help. This usually takes two people. Each of you gently grab the opposite corners with one hand (both use left hands) and gently pull against each other, then you grab next to your hand, with the other hand moving to the right. (each of you moves to your own right.) Gently pull again. Move hand over hand, until you reach the other person's starting point. Measure again. What you are doing is re-aligning the threads to make it square. You can repeat the process until you get a square measurement. Once you get a square, press with spray sizing to keep it square until the project is finished. I press and use the spray sizing a couple times to lock everything into it's new position, before I do any folding, trimming, or sewing. I have used it a couple times on pricier fabrics that were wonky, so my money wasn't wasted. I hope this fixes it for you. :thumbup:

I would pull it on the diagonal to try to get it straighter. If that doesn't do, pin it down and load it up with starch and manuipulate the fabric. If these don't completely work, they should help enough to adjust the next binding to even it up without showing. Trim your panel evenly all the way around