Well, as many of you are getting to know me, you know that I am a bargain hunter! So... No fabric at Goodwill yesterday, but this was taped up in a roll and placed in the tote that they put the "doggie" blankets in. I couldnt believe it. The reason.... it said it was stained. Well, there is a yellowed fold mark that I found, but it certainly was not very bad. I paid $4.00 for it.

It is machined stitched and I love the sunny color. It seems to be all stitched fairly well . There are diamonds that don't exactly match up, and not sure I want to do anything with those. The area that concerns me is the very middle, which tends to balloon out a little.
Do you think I should try to "fix" that? I can tell it was sewn in big sections, so I may be able to tackle it. I plant to have it machine quilted, so I am concerned it won't lay flat if I don't try to do something. I have not pressed it yet, or washed it. Maybe I should do that first. Sure would appreciate your wisdom and input! Thanks so much! Love all of you and the board!

What a great find.

Has the piecer pressed seams the way they shoul go? I looks like it from see the close up of the corner sewn in.

This is a real problem in star quilts. The only way I would know how to fix it once the top in put together is to rip our the seams back to the row of gold diamons and resew those, see if that help.

What a beautiful, sunny quilt!! I don't know much about machine quilting, but you might talk to the person who would do it for you and ask her opinion on if she can get it to lie flat in the middle. I would probably wash it first, press and then see if I could figure out to flatten out that middle a little.... :D

If you "unsew" it in the middle about half way up the diamonds you should be able to resew it by hand down to the 1/4 inch point. Sewing that last 1/4 inch is what keeps it from laying well. If you would like I could show you the center of my Giant Dahlia. It lays beautifully.

Mercy.. I need to hang out with you... You find the GOOD stuff!

i don't know, it looks like it be a lot of work and after all that work it may not come out right

I agree with KWhite.. often folks try to piece right to the edge of stars and you can't do that and have them lay flat.. also if you don't piece them in "sections" with the final seams being straight across you get an "outie bellybutton".
I too would take the stitching out of the center yellow diamonds and re-stitch. But I'd do it by hand so I'd have better control of the "poof" and where the seams end.. then if you stop short as K mentioned you can get a lovely swirl to the center of the star and get it to lie nice and flat.. you can also use a little wooden mallet to smack it into submission if necessary..lol <eg>. What a lovely find.

What a gorgeous top! I love the yellow too! I'm glad you've found some tips and tricks to get that beauty to lay flat. It's going to be stunning finished.

What a find!!! I want to come shop with you! It's so bright and cheery! I can't wait to see it when you get it all "fixed" up!!

That is beautiful. What a great find. I don't know if it would work, but using spray starch shrinks and tames wavy borders and helps distorted blocks. Maybe that would work here too.

I hope your pieces haven't been pulled on the bias as it was folded or wrestled around. I agree with the above statements, unstitching and redoing by hand is probably the way to go, and leave it on the table as you do so. Trying to sew with that much bulk on your lap might make it slip. Good Luck, it is a beautiful beginning.

My opinion - I wouldn't wash it until it has been quilted. Any pressing that was done during construction would be lost, and the seams would fray more. And if it started shrinking unevenly it would then be a nightmare to get it to flatten out again.

Has anyone had experience washing a top before quilting it?

Wow, good find. I bet you will be shopping more at Goodwill to find cool bargains! They will get to know you by name and say here comes that quilting lady! lol

Karen

Start with a good ironing, except where the stain is so you don't set it. If you have some poofiness still in the center, try some starch or Best Press and see if you can get it under control.

I would take the easy way of fixing it and sew little darts in the back side of the center star to flatten it. What a great find!

looks nice, but I would try to fix the center

Oh, they know me by name already. The store is close to my house, so I can pop in quite often... and thats how you find the good bargains.

That is a great find. I agree with the suggestions to restitch the center by hand. I would NOT wash it until it was quilted. To much stress on all those seams.

Lucky girl!!! You find all the good stuff at your Goodwill. I haven't found anything here yet.....maybe I need to go more often.

Very nice find. Well worth trying for a fix.

oldswimmer, the diamonds always have one side on the biase and the other straight grain. Therefore, they are easy to get out of shape. Once two sections are sewn together, that corner needs to be at 90 degrees, if it isn't sometimes you can square it up with a ruler and rotary cutter. After the four sections are square at the middle, you can resew as the others have suggested.
It will take some work, but should get a lot of the fullness out and maybe your quilter can do the rest when she stretches on the frame to quilt.

What a beautiful find :D:D:D
I wonder if you sprayed the center with water, if that would help the bias edges to shrink back as they are drying, if they were stretched during folding/handling? I wouldn't press it too much, as it could set the stains in it.

Others may not agree with me, but I would iron slightly and if it were still puffy, I would applique something on top of that spot like it was planned that way.

OK, here is a question from a complete noob. Is it necessary to remove the stitches from the middle and resew? Couldn't you just "squeeze" the puckers together and add another set of stitches?

WOW!!! What a great $4 find!