quilt shrinking

[pieksdi]

Hello to all you experienced quilters,

I have a question that I didn't think about before. I never did bed quilts for myself and shrinking isn't an issue on wall quilts.

Is there an average amount of shrinking caused by quilting?

I have a customer who wants to know.

How much is a quilt supposed to shrink (low polyester batting, pantograph quilting)? 10 %? More, less? How much will it be with heirloom quilting? Hand quilting?

I am a quilter for more than 10 years but I can't remember any pattern or magazin instructions that said: calculate ...% of size for shrinking from quilting.

I am new to professional quilting. I just learn to measure quilts before and after quilting, yes Sir.

But for today please help, what would you tell a customer?

Regina in Germany

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by pieksdi

Hello to all you experienced quilters,

I have a question that I didn't think about before. I never did bed quilts for myself and shrinking isn't an issue on wall quilts.

Is there an average amount of shrinking caused by quilting?

I have a customer who wants to know.

How much is a quilt supposed to shrink (low polyester batting, pantograph quilting)? 10 %? More, less? How much will it be with heirloom quilting? Hand quilting?

I am a quilter for more than 10 years but I can't remember any pattern or magazin instructions that said: calculate ...% of size for shrinking from quilting.

I am new to professional quilting. I just learn to measure quilts before and after quilting, yes Sir.

But for today please help, what would you tell a customer?

Regina in Germany

All good questions.....but I'm sorry to say there isn't a sound and true answer.

If you have washed your fabrics you will get less shrinkage than if you didn't pre-wash, but from there its been a gamble for me.

I've have had quilts that were closely quilted on poly actually shrink more than the same quilting on a all cotton batting.

Water tempature also is a huge factor, if you wash in hot water and have a cotton batting and dry in a hot dryer you will get a huge amount of shrinkage, where someone who has the exact fabrics and uses cold water.

The packages give you an idea, but they aren't 100% correct...I had one quilt shrink 9" lengthwise and 7" widthwise on a batting that was only to shrink 3%....and no it wasn't densely quilted. Yes, it was a meander, but not small by any means.

My best suggestion is to make a sample piece with the same fabrics you wish to use and the batting... quilt it like you intend to do and wash it as you would in real life....then measure to see how much is shrinks. The make your bed quilt to that... The worst to get correct is if you have a sashing that is to be at the edge of a quilt and you miss calculate and its still below the edge so I try to avoid those even after this many years have only gotten 2 to come out right on.

[pieksdi]

Hi Bonnie,

you are getting up early!

Thank you for reporting.

I should break down my question to the pure shrinking by quilting.

My customer send a top and I send it back after quilting - no washing involved! She loved the quilting but she was upset that it shrinked about 10%. Now she wants to know how to calculate the next quilt and I thought: good question.

I should be able to give customers an estimate. No guaranties of course!

Regina

[NollR]

Hi All,

I'm fairly new to long arm quilting. I've been quilting quilts for customers and myself (occasionally) for over a year) and am surpised by how much quilts shrink due to quilting! I've never come across anything statistic wise because I think it depends on each individual quilt, how it's quilted, the batiing used etc.

I measure each quilt to give a price for quilting (by square inches) and then once it's quilted I remeasure it to figure out binding for it. Many of the quilts that I've done have shrunk up a good 2-3" or more on a full/queen quilt. Is it more for King or smaller for a throw? Don't know. So a quilt top that was 90 x 90 may end up being 87 x 87.

If someone has a certain kit/pattern you may not be able to adjust (for example make each border a few inches wider), some patterns you can. So you need to take each case separately.

Go with the flow!! 99% of people don't realize how much the quilt shrinks. They're just thrilled to have it quilted to be used!

Lesson here for everyone. We should make sure that people realize the quilt tops will shrink up due to quilting and also after washing if the fabrics/batting were not preshrunk!

I love how much I've learned on this forum! :cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

Roseann M. Noll

Phoenix Rose Quilts

Elysburg, PA

http://www.phoenixrosequilts.com

[Belbelle]

I saw an article a couple of years ago that suggested you allow about 5% for shrinkage from quilting. I've started pre-washing my fabrics, and then add the 5% to the pre-quilted quilt dimensions if I want to insure the final size. Naturally the density of the quilting will cause some variation too - - but at least this approach seems to eliminate any BIG surprises!

Julie

[Quilting Heidi]

I would say that Julie's estimate of 5% shrinkage is pretty good. On my last two heirloom quilted quilts I've averaged probably 3 - 4% shrinkage and I always pre-wash fabrics. I also always wash these quilts after quilting to get marks out and block. Some of my pantograph quilts hardly shrink at all. Just really depends on fabric and batting.

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by pieksdi

Hi Bonnie,

you are getting up early!

Thank you for reporting.

I should break down my question to the pure shrinking by quilting.

My customer send a top and I send it back after quilting - no washing involved! She loved the quilting but she was upset that it shrinked about 10%. Now she wants to know how to calculate the next quilt and I thought: good question.

I should be able to give customers an estimate. No guaranties of course!

Regina

I've had little or no noticable shrinkage with quilting, but do know of those who do. I measure each row to make sure I don't have it pull in and I use my clamps....where some never clamp or don't pin or machine baste the edges as you come down the quilt, those are ones which pull in more. The amount of quilting will also determine shrinkage. The tighter you quilt it only comes to reason it will pull in. I think this will be a trial and error thing that we each learn as we quilt. We each load or quilt so differently it's hard to make a manual of right and wrong. It's much easier to have a guide line manual of what works for me. Make notes and take pictures and make your own, so you van remember but also a reference to show your customers of what will happen if they do_______.

[pieksdi]

As I quilt on a George machine I can't use clamps. Only my hands act as a frame. And it seems impossible to pull the sandwich taut all the time like a frame does. Especially when doing very open meandering patterns I need to form a large frame with my hands to allow for a smooth flowing motion.

Maybe this causes more shrinking?

In future I will measure everything before and after, that's for sure!

Regina

[Bonnie]

Regina, before I got my longarm I did all my quilts on a Brother 1300 and then a 1500. I spray basted all my quilts with Sullivans spray baste glue. I would think you should be able to get something like it in Germany. The basting spray keeps the quilt tight and I didn't need to use pins. Maybe this is the answer for you. Yes I can see where you will loose more with the quilting because of a tighten issue.

We have several sprays here in the States, but I likes Sullivan's best because you had time to finish a quilt before it came out of the fibers. Some will only last a few hours and you need to spray again to renew the hold.

[pieksdi]

Yes, I spray baste the quilts too - it's so nice to have no pins in the way! We have several brands in Germany that work fine.

Are there any more opinions on shrinking?

[Ferret]

Some times quilts shrink while you quilt them. Sometimes a lot sometimes a little. I think loftier wadding makes for more shrinking, but that's the only almost rule I would commit to. It's just too variable in my experience.

If a quilt MUST be a certain size, I make it oversize with a large border or background I can trim after quilting.

Ferret

[Chocoholic]

I agree with Ferret. There is no hard and fast rule. It does seem that the loftier the batting, the more the quilt seems to shrink as I am quilting it. Also, the density of the design affects how much it will shrink. I use a computer for the overall designs and sometimes, I am spot on in estimating how much the quilt will shrink and sometimes I run off the right edge by an inch or more. So, there doesn't seem to be any way to be sure.

Not to say that your customer is lying, but 10% seems like a huge amount. I mean if you have a 100" square quilt, you would end up with a 90" square quilt for a loss of 10 inches. I can't imagine any batting you could use or any density of quilting that would cause that much shrinkage.

Sorry, wish there was a percentage that worked all the time, but no such luck.

[pieksdi]

Thank you all - now I know a lot more about shrinking. And I learned that I need to talk to customers about that topic before we make a contract.

This morning I got new lenses for my eyes and I can tell you: this is a wonderful day!

Hope your day will be fine too.

Regina