quilterbee1 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Errrr...silly me,lol. But I don't know exactly what this is. Thankyou, Amie ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 hi amie - i have never done it, but i believe it is a process where you take the quilt off the frame, wet it and stabilize it so it dries into perfect (or near perfect) square. i think it is done to show quilts so they hang nice and get good marks for being square. i could be wrong, but this is what i have deduced from reading and listening to the 'pros'. i'm kinda glad you asked so now i will know for sure, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 It's typically used in knitting / crochet work, but meg is right. You wet the material (sometimes with liquid starch), and then typically pin it to a marked board to make VERY SURE it remains square, and then either iron it or let it air-dry. It's an effective technique if you have, say, a sweater that's gotten all stretched out, to make it more even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Meg is right. It's the same concept - like blocking a sweater so that it dries flat. Most times when you take a quilt off the frame, it doesn't lay flat. If you have a wallhanging it might have a slight wave or ripple to it. Blocking it (wetting it damp and letting it air dry flat on a towel or sheet) will help the wallhanging hang straight on the wall. For those putting quilts in shows, manipulating the damp quilt also helps you to "slightly nudge or gently force" your blocks or borders to go straight. You can do a lot of manipulating with a damp quilt. Amazing how much it can stretch back to the shape you want. When I block a quilt, I lay out a large sheet on some insulation board and measure the quilt first (before wetting it) so I know the correct/approximate size I need to stretch it back to. Here's a link that explains more. http://www.dreamweavers-quilts.com/quilt-epiphany/2008/11/16/quilt-blocking-a-short-tutorial/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhdesigns Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Amie if you go to my blog I show how to block a quilt ...... it is posted Feb 28, 2011 under Quilt Blocking for Show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I recently blocked a quilt and have always concentrated on getting everything straight, but it occurred to me that maybe part of the reason is to stretch the quilt out, since it is bunched up from being quilted. What do you think? How much to stretch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Originally posted by LadyLake I recently blocked a quilt and have always concentrated on getting everything straight, but it occurred to me that maybe part of the reason is to stretch the quilt out, since it is bunched up from being quilted. What do you think? How much to stretch? I always measure my quilt BEFORE I wet it so I have the approximate dimensions to stretch it back to its same size when I took it off the quilt frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilterbee1 Posted August 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Wow!! Thankyou girls for explaining this to me. A couple of things...Rebecca-YOUR QUILTING IS AMAZING!! And Shana, do you REALLY live in the North Pole??? Thanks again ) Amie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Yep right down the street from Santa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhdesigns Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Yep right down the street from Santa. Love it Shana!!:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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