Please help...can I save this wallhanging?
 

I am making this wall hanging for my sister (my second attempt) and I keep running into the same problem. Because I quilted the center panel quite extensively around the flowers, etc. the wallhanging has pulled to the middle. So I have this funny shape to the panel. I didn't notice it until way later and I am so disappointed as this was quite a pricy investment and i already ruined one. Is there anything I can do to stretch the middle out? any other suggestions or is my only solution to pull out my seam ripper?

I don't know the answer, but I will be watching this thread.

My suggestion would be to quilt the borders as extensively as you quilted the center section. You might also try blocking the quilt, although I think additional quilting would be more effective.

i don't think you can stretch the center. personally, i don't think it looks that bad. but if you are unhappy, then yours is the important opinion. i would probably remove the binding, add a lot more quilting to the rest of the quilt, then rebind it. hth

Actually, I agree with QuiltnNan. I believe I would leave it alone. It is a beautiful wall hanging. It almost looks like you did it on purpose, and you could pretend you did. :)

Dina

Agree with this! I was always under the impression (can't remember from where) that a quilt had to be evenly quilted all over. If the middle is tightly quilted and the rest not I would think that would lead to issues.

Ok, thanks so much ladies for your responses. My picture is too small for you to see that I have not binded it yet and the brown border is quilted with an elongated scroll. I will try to do some quilting in the blue borders and see what happens. Would you let me know how to block a quilt. I have never done that.

Could you loosely attach a sleeve midway up on the back and put in a stabilizer of some sort---------not fabric stabilizer but maybe an old ruler or a very flat piece of metal?

I don't know how to block a quilt block or quilt either, but there was a bit of discussion on that somewhere here recently. I can't remember what was said though, something about water and stretching, I think. But, I just went and googled it and found three or more places that explained it. You might google a bit and see what you find.

Dina

I like it as is. It's unique and very pretty.

I think it is very pretty but if you are not happy I would go with QuiltnNans suggestion!

Quilting does shrink the fabric. Unequally dense quilting results in unequal shrinking. So increase the quilting.

As to blocking: First off-I do art quilts and they are small enough to fit on the tile floor in the spare bathroom. I do the blocking after the quilting is completed and before binding. It helps remove dirt, marking, threads & animal hair/lint as well as relaxing the fabric and quilting. I fill the bathtub and emmerse the quilt for about 1/2 hour. I lay old towels on the tile floor. The I take the quilt out and squeese (do not wring) out the water. Then roll it in a towel and walk all over it. Then lay it on the towels, patting it into place. I do not try to stretch or shrink, just let it be what it wants with some patting. I put a fan on it so it'll dry in a day and close the doors to keep the cats out-they always like fresh laundry. When it's dry I trim the edges to square it up.

i like it as is it looks quite balanced the the bowing looks like a frame

I really like the pattern. Sorry you are having trouble with the quilting.

I'd go ahead and finish it. It looks beautiful and the slight distortion might be related to whether the fabric was cut on grain or cross grain. Next one you make, confirm that any pieces on the edges are cut "on grain."

I have made several wall hangings and found that dense quilting does cause the problem you are experiencing.
I now do what I call, my anchor quilting around the sections before I do more dense quilting within the "anchored" blocks, squares, rectangles in the quilt. When you outline these sections ( I do start from the center out), then I can go back and quilt "as desired" as they say, within each framed section.This framing of the sections keeps the fabric from drawing up so much when I do the additional quilting. Afraid I'm not very good at explaining....

Two things come to mind: If the binding is already sewn on, does it need to come off if you are only going to quilt the borders? It does occur to me that the quilt might not be square and that might cause the wonkiness, but it also may be that, as others have suggested, the uneven quilting is causing the strange shape. Also, the advice to dampen the hanging and pin it securely to the carpet and let it dry might just stretch it into shape.

I recently had the same problem. I added quilting to the borders and it rectified the problem. I have since learned that scale is very important with fmqing..

It looks to me like the centr panel should have been squared before the borders were added. Don't know if there's anything you can do about it now. I agree with the others who say leave it alone, and just be aware on th next one.

This may sound crazy but you COULD accentuate the bow by curving that outer border. I wish I could draw what I'm thinking of: it would look like a "square" with the sides being slightly concave rather than straight.

Having the dark outer border next to the light border also seems to accentuate that lower left corner. I had a similar situation once and solved the situation "visually" by couching a couple of rows of a pretty cording around the piece -- it covered the "bowed" section and also added some texture to the hanging.

That said....it's lovely just the way it is.

I love it as it is....beautiful!!!

I think this is your answer. You can't stretch the center so more quilting might balance the borders. Perhaps quilt the flowers and cross hatch or stipple the blue fabric background.

All areas of a quilt need to be quilted the same amount or pulling will result, as in yours. The solution is to quilt the borders as heavily as the center.
SandyQuilter (not sandyquilts)

thank you for the blocking instructions. It seems very doable. but I have one question...If you do not try to manipulate the piece, won't it just dry in the same shape?

This sounds like an interesting step that I'd be willing to take in the future. What kind of stitching do you use to "frame" the block? Would a mere "stitch in the ditch" be adequate or should there be more substantial stitching to "set" the frame? Would love to see some of your technique.

The finished piece, including the borders, was nice and flat before I started quilting. I know what you are saying though, I have forgotten to square off pieces before adding more panels and eventually lived to regret it. I think that I will try to at least try to quilt the blue in the border areas to see what happens there. Then I will try to block it. Then I'll bind it and hope for the best. Thanks all for your input...it has taught me a lot.

I think it was an Alex Anderson show once, she said for a quilt show everything has to be perfect and she has had to block one where she had it on a floor, (I presume it was waterproof) and it was almost sopping wet just trying to get it straightened up. I think the measuring tape is the device to use to help with squaring it. I have blocked needlework years ago and it worked for me. Just manipulate it while wet and fasten down to dry. My quilt teacher says sashes are also called coping strips....and one can sometimes manage to add/subtract dimensions there without undoing the center.

I agree with Peckish, quilt the border heavily too.

Whatever you decide, I would block it first and not quilt in the wonky shape. After all it is supposed to be a square quilt.

How about making 4 squares of fabric. Fold in half so that raw edges are sewn into binding. One on each corner with fold facing the center of your back. Then you place two dowels cut to size and hang it up. I hope you get what I mean.
I use this technique for most of my hangings. It keeps the hanging somewhat blocked.
By the way, It's very beautiful.
Good Luck, Pegeth