quilt panel not square
 

Help, I am working on a quilt using a panel. There is a design and then 2 borders already on the panel. I folded the panel 1/2 and used pins to match up the first border to see if it was going to be square... It's not!! I took it to the ironing board and tried to steam it enough to pull and stretch it into shape... it didn't work. I sure would appreciate any and all suggestions on what to do. Thank y'all!!!

I buy very few panels. Let them keep them.

some quilters cut their panels into sections. different widths and add "sashing" to put them together again. changes the look but not bad! find some of them online and see if you like the look.

take hold of it, dry, and pull it by the opposite diagonal corners into straight of grain like I learned in 7th grade Home Ec. Hopefully it's not printed so off grain that it just doesn't work. But should help.

If it is printed off- grain, it is off- grain.

I wouls go with tartans suggestions.

I love making quilts with panels, but the drawback is you always lose some of the edges, because you always need to square up. I really hated cutting away a border more than once, but it couldn’t be avoided. I have made a lot of QOV panels and also deer hunting panels. Look in my albums if you’d like to see. Some of my pictures in my albums look blank ( I don’t know why) but if you click on the blank ‘photo’ in the albums it will show up. All my baby clothing photos in that album look blank but I just clicked on the picture square and it shows up.

This works. Ask me how I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGE2B5jcsms

Thank you for the link to youtube, that was a really good video, very helpful

Grey Lady...thanks for the link. Like quiltingshorttimer, I learned to "tenter" fabric when I was in 7th grade Home Ec. From my experience with cutting panels at the LQS, the off grain is most often not a printing issue, but a rolling onto the bolt issue.

If your wide backing is off. Tear the cut end selvage to selvage if your shop hasn't already done so. Pin to your long arm at the top and bottom. As it gets rolled onto the rolls it will gradually tenter itself. A sprtiz of water on the fabric will help as well.

I tape one side to my cutting table. Then I dampen the panel and gently 'persuade' a second side to conform to the 90 degree angle of the table. That side gets taped down. I continue doing this until all 4 sides are taped down. Then I spray it to make it quite wet and leave it to dry. It's my go-to method and, while time consuming, it has worked well for me.

What a great method!

Donna Jordan at Jordans Fabrics has a good you tube on panels and straightening. Do a search. I will see if i have it saved.

Thank you so much for posting this site. I learned so much from the video. I will book mark it for later reference. I use panels to make wall hangings for each month of the year.

I have only used a very few panels in my quilting career. One I cut around the design and appliqued that main piece to a baby quilt. Another I bought to use as you are trying to do and had limited success. I tell myself I need to try again. I know I will be successful and am confident. I keep looking but haven't found the perfect panel. I would think sashing might even out the borders even if the sashing has to be a bit awkward as long as it is not noticeably off. I like some of the suggestions here and will put them to use possibly when I do another panel.