Has anyone tried blocking a finished quilt? I seem to remember it involves dampening the quilt, pinning it square and letting it dry. Anyone tried it...?

Leslee,

Yes, I have. I had a wall hanging that just would not lay flat against the wall. First, take the longests measurement. I put mine in the washer, spun it out and took it to my table where in pinned it down, stretching it out to the measurement taken above. Pin the corners,and centers first and then work toward the corners. Tug and pin about every 1" making sure you are catching the batting as well as the binding. Work around the entire project. Surprisingly, it only took a day to dry. -- If you are doing a full-sized quilt, you may have to do this on the floor. Oooohhhhh, my aching back!!

I hope you are as pleased with the results as I was. I have another to do, but it will have to wait until after the holidays. I need my table for other projects.

Blessings, Suzanne

What did you pin it to? Would it have to something stiff? Or do you just tack it to the table? Help!

Norah,

I have a very large cutting table. In my former life I made draperies, bedspreads, etc., everything for the home when we lived in Washington, DC. It is 5' x 9' and is padded. My friends and I have basted many a quilt on this table since retiring. -- So to answer your question, it is stiff enough to hold the pins.

If the floor/rug is not an option for something large, perhaps you can consider using a mattress (one without a pillow top). Something you pin into and the pin holds without moving.

Hope this helps. Suzanne

Wow, Suz...thanks! I'm going to give it a try on a small (45") quilt and see what happens. :P

Me, too, Suzanne. Thanks. I do have a spare bed that I can use for that.

great idea.

I have blocked completed quilts, unbound quilts, quilt tops and quilt blocks, all with good results, using both the wet method and the dry method. Here is some useful information from Quilt University. http://www.quiltuniversity.com/blocking.htm You can also use the board search function to find several previous discussions on blocking.

If you have the floor space, you can get two 4x8 pieces of styrofoam insulation from a big box store, duct tape the center seam on one side, cover with an old sheet and pin your quilt to that. A fan blowing over the top, not on but over, will help it to dry faster and avoid mustiness. The board will fold in half and store easily for the next time you need it. This is Karen McTavish's method.

Also, you should know that blocking after the quilt is completed only holds the shape you set until the quilt gets wet. As soon as you wash it, it will go back the way it was pre-blocking. Blocking is highly recommended, if not essential, for show quilts.

You can use T-pins on a carpet.