Wavy edges
 

I quilted this vintage "dresser scarf", and it doesn't lay flat. Will I have to block it? I've never blocked anything before. Will it need to be blocked every time it gets washed? I was going to give it to my MIL for Christmas, but if it won't lay flat, I think I'll keep if for myself. Is there anything else that can be done to get it to lay flat? I appreciate any suggestions.

But it is exquisitively beautiful

It is too gorgeous not to take the little extra time to block it!

What a gorgeous piece!!! That will be treasured for years to come!

That is gorgeous!!! Absolutely stunning!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can we see some close-ups of the quilting????

And yes, I agree with others, block it.

OMGsh! Gorgeous!!

That is amazingly beautiful quilting. Perhaps you could give it with a note on how to block it after washing?

I think this is extremely beautiful. I cannot help with the blocking however it is so awesome, you can send it my way and I would not care if it laid flat. I would put some crystal on the corners.

By all means give it to her - it is so beautiful. I personally wouldn't care if it didn't lay perfectly flat, I am thinking that it really won't show much.

stunning. breathlessly beautiful!

That's absolutely beautiful! I agree, I wouldn't mind blocking it at all. Bring it on!

What DogHouseMom said! Please show us more of this beauty and elaborate on how you quilted it.

What was it before you quilted it....was it two colors as shown or did you add the straight edge....looks like somewhere in the construction of it,it became wonky and the intense quilting just added to it....or .....what kind of fabric is it..linen.if so the weave is looser than cotton and that may have stretched it with the quilting....just some thoughts to try to figure out why......try blocking with a wet cloth steaming as it lay on top of the scarf

Beautiful! I would leave it be and it will probably settle down with time as the stitches even out. But that's just my thought.

Omigosh you are right, it is wavy, not good enough for the MIL, you'd better keep it for yourself. :thumbup: lol

I've had that happen and realized it was because I attached the binding a little too tight - I was pulling it taut as I was sewing it on. Dangit. Maybe try hovering over it with a steam iron and see if the steam can shrink those fibers?

Blocking isn't hard to do. I do it in the evenings so the project can sit undisturbed overnight. Spritz it damp with water, massage and finesse it into shape. If you need to use pins to keep the shape, make sure they are rust-proof! Found out the hard way that my yellow flower-head pins are not rust-proof. My tiny applique pins are, though.

p.s. I ended up removing the binding and replacing it, which did fix the problem.

It was a white cotton dresser scarf with a small amount of embroidery and open work. I layered that on top of a piece of pale green fabric, then batting and backing. I've done others without problem, but with this one I decided to quilt the border by following the fancy edge of the scarf to emphasize it, and maybe that caused the waves.
I guess the good thing about it is that I learned what not to do in the future! Thank you for helping me to figure out how I can do better on the next one.
Steaming it with a wet cloth is a good idea too. Thank you...

I never thought about the binding being too tight. I'll keep that in mind when attaching bindings from now on. I attached the binding by machine (practicing for big quilts!), so taking it off would be a lot of work.

Thank you Peckish, for taking the time to help me.

Exquisite. She will surely appreciate it, wavy or not. But blocking will definitely help.

You could lightly spray the back with sizing or starch then press. Beautiful quilting. I have also only washed in could water and laid flat to dry. As we know often the quilting draws up the piece.

Well it's still beautiful!

Fantastic job...block it""It will probably not have to be washed that often......your mil probably knows how to block...we used to have to hand wash our wool sweaters in the 50's & 60's so I know blocking!!!

I tried to get some close up shots of the quilting. This was my first try at trapunto, and it wasn't as hard as I thought, just time consuming. But I think I need to use a different batting next time as it didn't turn out as puffy as I was hoping.
My quilting inspiration is from Cindy Needham, Angela Walters and Karen McTavish. High asperations, I know, but practice, practice, practice, right?

This is truly a beautiful piece! I totally understand your concerns about the waviness. I made a Christmas wallhanging after being inspired by Cindy Needham and had the same problem in the border but my border wasn't quilted. I did some quilting in the border and that helped some, but it's still wavy. Your work is just so awesome!

If you gift it to me, I will certainly use it either on my dining room table or my dresser. I don't think the waviness is that bad and also, not very noticeable. If you say so, I'll PM you my address.

It is so very beautiful and I don't even notice the wavy edges. You did a gorgeous job quilting this. I would love to have it if no one else wants it!

I take back everything bad I ever thought about machine quilting. That is absolutely beautiful. Your design and detail is incredible. You should be very proud.

Something that just came to mind about the waviness of the border. Years ago, crocheted table top pieces used to be starched and blocked around bottles to produce a wavy border. Perhaps you can leave it as it is and appreciate the 'natural' waviness. I wouldn't mind displaying it in my house.

Oh my goodness that is just stupendous! It's better than I can ever hope to do myself. I also think if the little bit of waviness bothers you then by all means block it. You probably will really only need to work on the inside portion and who knows maybe just by blocking it once that might be all it will need. Again, great job! I hope you let us know how it comes out after you try that.

It is spectacular.

Maybe the waviness is caused by the difference in quilting. The trapunto would pull up the inner part of the piece some.

Awesome. Well worth blocking. BrendaK

That is drop dead gorgeous! I love the idea of quilting a dresser scarf, I have a old one that I might try. I think if it is blocked it would help some of the wavy stuff going on. The more you quilt it the harder it seems to get it to lay flat. But it is gorgeous and I bet that you MIL will love it. I know I would

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone, for all the very kind words. They have really given me a boost that I needed. I think I'll try getting it damp and letting it air dry to see if that helps, and then go from there. Again, thank you!