what did I do that caused this?
 

I finished up this quilt for my nephew and I wanted to wash it before I gave it to him... and look what I found from the washer :(

I am just going to patch these spots and move on.. but for next time... what did I do wrong?[ATTACH=CONFIG]568193[/ATTACH]

Oh no! Thank goodness you washed it before gifting it. I am really surprised at how many seams gave way on you. I am thinking the fabric frayed a lot but I am also thinking that when you joined the squares to the sashing strips perhaps the piece that was on the bottom wasn't all the way to the edge so you weren't catching a full quarter inch on one side. Are your squares flannel? They are also notorious for fraying.

It also appears that the SID you did wasn't enough as most of the seam splits appear to be in places where there is no quilting so the fabric and the seams couldn't handle the weight of the wet quilt in the washer. Even though so many battings say you can quilt up to 10" apart, it has been my experience that is not sufficent. I am so sorry this happened to you. I hate to say this but I think once you patch this you should probably add some more quilting so when your nephew gets it he doesn't find more popped seams after his first wash.

I did my Grinch quilt stitch-in-the-ditch, and this happened in one spot where my seam was a little narrow. It was my first machined quilt, and since I didn't want to risk it again in the next wash, happening in a new spot, I went around all my stitches again but with a zigzag stitch (I probably could have done an echo stitch, but didn't think about that at the time.)

Don't know why yours happened, but mine has held up great since I went back over it with the zigzag stitch! I'm not sure I'm going to do stitch-in-the-ditch on another quilt that I know will get a lot of use. It might be fine, but I like to only make the same mistake twice, and I've made that one now.

yes it is flannel... I guess this is just my first experience with flannel fraying. Live and learn I guess....

If the fabric is flannel (that's what it looks like on my computer) your seams weren't deep enough. When I sew with flannel my seams are usually 1/3 to 1/2 inch deep and I use more stitches per inch. Loose weave fabric will do that. My first patchwork quilt I pieced by hand similar seam separation. They weren't flannel, it was a kit I bought at Woolworths that were pre-cut squares. Some fabric was nice and some not so great.

i have done many flannel quilts for my grands in recent years and several flannel backed quilts over the years ..i always use 5/8" seams with flannel. i also always prewash flannel ..regardless of quality, flannel seems to shrink, sometimes a lot! i saw when you posted this earler. i thought it was soooo attractive ..it still is but i'm sorry to see the results of washing.

You must have been sick when you pulled that out of the washer, I know I would have been. I'm sorry this happened but I learned something from it, use a wider SA when using flannel. Hope you are able to fix it easily, and I know it will still be loved.

BTW, I like the red you picked instead of the white.

Oh no! Your beautiful quilt for your nephew! Here you thought you were all done, and now you have to back up and fix it. My thoughts are certainly with you. Hang in there. You can do this, though, you might want to put it aside for a day or two...

I have no additional suggestions than what you have already been given....just wanted to sympathize.

Dina

thanks everyone .. I put 2 patches on and will patch more tomorrow. I too prewash my fabric.. but these were layer cakes and I skipped prewashing because they were layer cakes. I will be sure that I use deeper SA with flannel next time.

my nephew may even like the patches - you know how teenage boys are :) but its just sickening after all of the work

I had this happen when I first started quilting. I think it was my seams were not deep enough. After that, I end up always topstitching on top of the seams, just to be safe. I have never had that issue again.

Another big reason to wash the quilt before gifting, in my opinion.