Why has this happened, what can I do?
 

I sprayed with 505 and lightly pin basted, and then I reinforced with grid stitching lines of dissolving thread. It all looked smooth and neat before and during the quilting. Now, after fmq quilting is finished my back looks fine, but to my eye, the front is all bunchy. I usually do a fairly close fm meander on my tops, this is the first time I have done a more "open swirly" pattern. I've hand washed it in tepid water and dried it flat on my floor. I feel as though I want to unpick all the quilting and try to smooth it out but then I may end up having to redo the binding as well.:( I wanted to gift this one but am reluctant to do so. Any advice?

I would add a little more quilting. That way you can "work in" the extra fullness. I would do that before taking out the already quilted stitches.

It looks fine to me. I think the difference is you have just quilted a looser pattern than you usually do, so it looks different from what you are used to seeing. I'm with Eva---don't pick out anything. If it really bothers you, just add more quilting and you should like the result. I love the soft colors you used, btw. Pretty quilt!

i totally understand and relate to your distress, ruby.
i would feel the same way.
i like some "puff" after washing, but am happiest when it's more flat than not.

BUT ... and this is a hugely important "BUT" ...

9,99, out of 10,000 people would look at it and not think it had any extra "puff" at all.

the problem is not the quilt, or the results of your lovely work.

the problem is us. lol

cross my heart ...
it's lovely just the way it is.
but if you can't be happy with it, then follow the advice already given and add a bit more quilting here and there.

You did everything right, so don't blame yourself. I would add some outline quilting along the lines you already have to push down the empty spaces. Beautiful pastel colors!

It's lovely. If you feel like it, add a bit of "echo" quilting just to be on the safe with respect to quilting distance for your particular batting.

To me it looks lovely but if it doesn't to you that's what matters.
Maybe a little more quilting on what you already have?
Love those colors.

I agree with the others, it's not a problem you are just used to a tighter quilt. If it bugs you, quilt more. Think of it this way, it will be softer with less quilting.

It looks like ordinary quilt crinkle to me, and is quite lovely. I'm sorry you're dissatisfied.

I think it looks wonderful. You did a fine job. As Patrice said, most people would not see anything out of place.

What a beautiful quilt. I think all it needs is a little bit more quilting like others have suggested. I would not take anything out...just add a bit more quilting.

I wouldn't take anything out either. It's a great quilt!! Love the colors and pattern.

It is very pretty and soft-looking.

What batting did you use and what is the max distance stated for that batting?
I think because you have a large pattern with relatively close lines within the pattern, the quilting is not as well distributed as could be. The good news - you have LARGE areas to add more quilting. Nobody will ever notice. Just call it a creative opportunity on the learning curve. I would not take out a single stitch.

I looked at the pic after reading the heading but before reading the rest of your message and I thought....'I can't see anything that happened'.
Your quilt looks beautiful. I think you're just used to flatter quilts b/c you always did close meandering.
Personally, if the quilt is not for show, I like when they are NOT densely quilted. To me, they look like quilts of long ago.

I think it is a beautiful quilt just the way it is! It is us quilters who judge ourselves this way.

It looks great to me!

Thankyou everyone for your advice. I'll leave it for a day or two until my panic and disappointment has settled down and then with a calmer mindset will then have a look at doing some more quilting as everyone has suggested. Thankyou again....most appreciated.

I think it could stand a bit more quilting - It's pretty - and I think you can just "work in" more between what you've already done.

Looser quilting...a little more puff. That is exactly how I like my quilts. I like them more like a comforter with more loft. I agree with everyone else...there is nothing wrong here. It is lovely. You just aren't used to the look.

Beautiful quilt and colors. We are our worse critics.

I think it looks great.

It looks great to me. So pretty!

Thanks everyone. I tried adding a sprinkling of fmq daisies in some of the gaps but they looked very "out of place"...didn't make any sense at all. I'm a bit reluctant to do any echo-ing as I am hopeless at it unless I can use a walking foot...free hand I'm woeful. Or maybe I'll just add some more curls in the spaces.

I agree with the above comments. There's nothing wrong with it. I bet it has a softer feel with the quilting as is. I think we've become used to heavier quilting since longarm quilting has become popular. Add more stitching or leave as is, whatever you prefer.

I like it. It looks cuddly to me. My quilts that are densely quilted tend to be stiff. The ones that I love to use are not heavily quilted.

I'm sorry you aren't happy with it, after all that work, I know it's frustrating.

I wonder if maybe stitch-in-the-ditch would be the way to go? It will just follow the existing pattern of the fabrics, rather than adding a new FMQ pattern to the quilt.

Your quilt is beautiful!

Maybe the batting shrunk more than the top?

I'm agree standard batting shrinkage you are just used to the look of denser quilting. For me it looks fine

I like the slightly more cuddly factor too. It is beautiful. Love the softness of the colors you used.

No quilting expert but it looks great. Always thought they were supposed to do that after washing.

Stick that thing in a washer with hot water and then in a dryer. That should do it.

This is being said in jest from a wise acre but that's really what I'd do. I really do like your quilt.

I love your quilt. I wouldn't try adding to the quilting; it would be hard to add without changing the look.

I think the slight crinkle is beautiful, but if you really don't like it, you could try ironing it. You should be able to get it very flat. You said you like the back; could you show us a picture of it for reference?

Since you wanted to gift it, I would definitely go ahead and do that. Trust us all - it's gorgeous! The recipient will love it, and not think twice about the crinkling. Another option that has worked for me in the past is to put it in the closet for a couple years. Things that are horribly disappointing sometimes become much better after some time, when your original vision isn't as firm in your memory. Then you can appreciate it for the beauty it has, rather than comparing it to some image of what I wanted. I think it's truly lovely just as it is.

I, too, think it is beautiful just the way it is. If you decide to gift it, don't say a word about your concern with the puffy look. No one would think anything about it, and there is no need for the "giftee" to know you aren't happy with it.
We should never point out mistakes in our work. It's hand made, and it's perfect.

Thankyou again everyone. All opinions most appreciated and mulled over!

I agree it sounds like you did everything you should have. I don't know if this is a factor or not, but you didn't mention whether or not you wore quilting gloves or if you held your hands in a "hoop" shape to flatten the fabric. I think I would give it a good pressing and call it a day.

Yes Claire, quilting gloves and hand hoops too! It all looked quite flat whilst I was quilting it was just after it was all done. My batting 60/40 poly/cotton pre-shrunk so no culprit there. It probly is just that I am not used to this sort of open pattern. I will do some more quilting if i can just figure out a little motif or sorts that I can do. Thanks.

I think it is fine. However, I took a similar problem to a very accomplished quilter friend and this was her advice. Pin a thin blanket to the floor very tightly. Pin your quilt as tightly as you can over that. Make sure it is square. And then just iron it with steam. Some of the extra fabric will disappear if you have prewashed. I have done this successfully. Let your quilt stay pinned for a day. Then if you need to add more quilting, etc., it will be at least easier to do. Hope this helps.

I don't like flat as a board quilts. They are great for show quilts but not for real use quilts. The quilts I've had professionally LA they are so flat and smooth the corners don't fall over unless manually pushed. No one in the family like those stiff quilt at all. A nice cozy quilt with a little crinkle and lots of soft is what my family thinks a quilt should be.

Ruby2shoes, Don’t remove the quilting you have already done. The only thing this quilt needs is more quilting. You can still do this with the binding on. No need to take out stitches or re-do the binding! Just add a smaller meander (or a bigger stipple) in the open areas. The closeness of the quilting is what is going to hold a quilt together for many many years. It does not have to be stiff as a board, but it must be a little more dense. Give it some more quilting and you will see the “bumpyness” disappear. Hope you post a photo again after you have added more quilting.
Ellen