So this is my blue and white block exchange quilt. I was having a problem with the sashing strips being too short. I got advice on here to "ease the bigger peice into the smaller" and it supposedly was to have just a tiny amount of puckering...

Well it was good in theory, but I'm afraid that it's a little more puckered than I imagined...

Opinions...does it look too puckered? SHould I pull it apart and try again? Do you think it will be okay once it's finished?

Thanks!

sorry for the blurry pictures...

I am not a professional, but if it were mine, I would be inclined to gently undo and try again. It would be heartbreaking to put it all together and find your seams stress or the quilt distort. Maybe someone could come up with an alternate plan....but I'd rather undo and rethink. Good luck and keep us posted.

from the pic it looks like too much puckering.

can you pull it apart and shrink the blocks that are too big with spray starch and then square them up again.

It almost looks like some of your bias cuts along the edges have stretched some.

I think I would redo it.

Sorry...but I would redo it...
I would take the main blocks and spray starch them and make sure they blocked to size...
Then I would correctly cut the sashing strips and before sewing together, heavily starch all items...
If this is something you don't want to do...at least take the blocks and gently wash them and starch them and start from the beginning...
My 02 stiches...
Kirsten

If I remember correctly, your blocks are exactly the size they are supposed to be.
You are correct, it is way too puckered. As one who strongly recommended you do what you did :? I guess I should have asked how short the sashing strips were. I don't like myself very well because I never/rarely think to ask questions .... facts???? What are those???
I am sorry you went to all that work and now have to do it over, which is exactly what I would do ...
Do you suppose the pattern was wrong when it told you how long to cut your sashing strips?
I mean ... if your block is twelve and a half inches square, then the sashing should fit if it is cut at twelve and a half inches long ... right???
A little puckering would be: if the measurement is within a quarter inch difference, according to Eleanor Burns ...
I am sorry that the technique didn't work for you. :cry:

It is a really pretty quilt, but I agree with everyone else, I would take it apart and redo it, using heavy starch like KLue and K04 recommend. Good luck!

It will look great when you take it apart and redo it. So sorry. I hate when this happens and it has happened to me :cry:

Yea, I agree....gotta take it out. Sucks.....

If it were mine, I'd take it apart (sorry). But I love the fabric you're using to accent the blocks with!

Yeah I decided to take it apart too...the only problem is that I don't have any more of that color for the sashing...so I'm back to square one...*ponders* thanks for the advice

I also gave you that advice - the pieced blocks look "good enough" to me - but the triangles on the edges definitely are not working

by the way - "good enough" to me is about plus or minus 1/8 inch

are the outside edges on the setting triangles on the bias?

a lot of books recommend having a straight grain on the outside edge for stability

if you have more of that green, I think I would just take those off and ponder what to do with them

I don't remember the math to get the right size for those, either.

I would unsew and do over. Sorry.

are you sure that the sashing pieces are cut on grain? from here, some of them look a little twisted. i would start again, too. sorry for the extra work.

they do look like they are on the bias and alittle too big??? Were they cut according to the pattern....

They were just cut a little too short...and I don't have any more of that material to re-cut. Sorry but I have no idea what "on the bias" or any of that means... :x :lol:

now that I look at it, the blocks don't look the same size. they need to be re-sized and thats really hard to do with star blocks cuz of the points. bias means across the grain....

are/were the blocks the same size?

if not, some people add "frames" or sashing to the blocks to make them the same size instead of cutting them down to the same size - that way you can keep the blocks intact - and then they put sashing between the framed blocks

the positive thing about this - after your hair grows back in from tearing it out now - is that you will have learned a LOT!

most woven fabric has threads that go two ways - the long way parallel to the selvage - which is called the warping threads - and this is called the lengthwise grain. This is usually the most stable grain of the fabric.

and the crosswise threads that are woven through the warp threads are called the weft - there is usually a little give in the fabric when it is pulled crosswise

true bias is cut at a 45 degree angle to these threads and this has the most stretch or give in a woven fabric.

if you google weaving, and grain lines in fabric, that might be helpful to you

by now, this may already be old information to you