How frustrating for you. I have a couple of quilt kits I have bought and haven't made yet. Just spend time thinking about those great new grand babies you have coming. That should bring a smile to your face.

Henry, in my avatar, who is now 18 months, will have 2 brothers in 2 weeks! The bin idea is great! Part of my nervousness is I live in Illinois and my daughter lives in Seattle. I will be going there 8/2 for the C-section scheduled for 8/4. Her sis will be coming down from Alaska, too. Her brother already lives there. I am a wreck!!

Pam, have you tried starching the fabric for the fussy cuts? I'm working on a panel piece right now, and the panel isn't printed with the grain line of the fabric (it happens) - that can make the pieces a bugger to work with because they can be off grain enough to stretch pretty easily. Stretched fussy cuts will definitely lead to trouble.

A quilty friend of mine told me to try Mary Ellen's Best Press (because those cans of spray starch or sizing like to spit at me!) and I just love the stuff. Any of those three will work, since the baby quilts will be washed before being given to the babies. I starch the pieces twice on both sides; that seems to help a lot. If it gets a bit loose after handling it, starch that puppy again! :lol:

The other thing I'd suggest is to resist the temptation to press with steam - if a piece is cut off grain, stream tends to increase the distortion not tame it. Just a bit of distortion in each piece sure adds up when you put them together.

You're not a lousy quilter, don't even think that. These are things that we usually learn through terrible experience or by word of mouth from someone else - who has had a terrible experience :wink: Off-grain printing is just something we run into, that's all.

I made a quilt for my grandson once and it would not lay flat either. His response was "gramma, it does'nt matter as long as it keeps me warm" I love that boy.
Remember you are doing it with much love and it really doesnt matter if its a little off. They will love them. Relax and enjoy.

I do remember you talking about this now that you mention Henry. Do they have names picked out? My son and his wife had one name picked out and when they learned they had twins they had to scramble to pick out another name.

Yes they do! Wesley, which is a family name on Gabby's dad's side, and Trey, meaning 3. If they have middle names picked out, they aren't telling us. Steven, Gabby's husband has no middle name. He said English aren't as into middle names. Henry's middle name is Wolf.

Wesley is a family name in my husband's family too. My grandfather didn't have a middle name either. Trey is a cute name. They didn't go in for names that sound alike I see. Ours are Daymon and Devon. When they were first learning to talk they called each other Dayvon. Didn't have seperate identities yet in their minds.

How cute that they called each other Dayvon! There have been no twins in any of our families until now, and I have heard they have some special abilities between each other. Gabby wasn't even going to dress them alike but now she's changing her mind, at least while they are little. She is going to keep them in the same bassinet by the bed for a while. Poor Steven is relegated to a twin bed in Henry's room so he can get some sleep! Steven also said English (his parents are from there and now live in Vancouver) name children after parents a lot. His father Gerry was named for his father and his mother, Mary, was named for her mother. I told him that has to make family reunions pretty interesting!

Twins run every 3rd generation in my family. My aunt and uncle have twins and Jarren(one of the twins) and his wife had twin boys 5 mos before our twins were born. What is more interesting is both sets are fraternal but both sets strongly resemble the other set. They would be third cousins I believe.
Daymon and Devon are as differant as chalk and cheese. They were inseperable as infants. I took one outside and sat on the swing and the other one did not see us go outside as he was in another room but my DH said he bawled and bawled until I brought his brother back in the house. I forgot and stepped outside another time with the one that cried and the other one did the same thing even tho he didn't see me go outside.
Now they are 5 and they fight alot!! But they still think of themselves as one most times. Devon especially will always say we instead of I.
My DH named their dad when he was born after himself. So we have always called our son Little Glen. Well he is 6"3" and when Devon was 3 he heard me call him Little Glen and 3 yr old short! Devon looked up to his dad's face and said he doesn't look little to me!!! Yes it can be ve ry difficult having someone named after his dad. We have had problems with banking accounts and bills going to the wrong one and When people would call I would always ask which one do you want and people would be dumbfounded and not know what to say.

MP, I am so sorry about the quilts. I think it is probably because you prewashed the fabrics. I know that most people on the board do, but I was taught not to, and have never had any problems, and I always wash the finished quilt. I think with a kit, the best thing to do would be not to prewash, but wash the finished product. I am sooo sorry, I know how frustrated you must be. Here's a hug!