World Wide Quilting Page
Question of the Week
Question for the week of February 14, 2000:
Our question this week comes from Brenda A
I am making my 3rd attempt at a Giant Dahlia Quilt and cannot make it lay flat when finished. The first two ended up as round tablecloths!!! What am I doing wrong?
Marguerite Newell :
It sounds to me as if you are having trouble with the edges rippling, instead of the centre cupping as a lot of quilters do.If this is the case then it could be because the edges of your pieces are stretching due to handling them, as they are cut on the bias and it doesn't take much to do this. Try stay-stitching your bias edges on your sewing machine,just inside of your quarter-inch seam allowance, using a medium length stitch. I hope this works for uou as that is a beautiful pattern and I hope one day to make one myself.After over fifty years of quilting it's time I did, don't you think? Good luck!!!
lois :
First of all, cut out the templates without seam allowances on them. Then arrange the pieces into the Dahlia pattern to make sure they fit together without any spaces among the edges. When you lay the templates on the fabric, cut out an exact 1/4" seam around the template. Will you have some of the pieces with the straight grain all going in a definite direction, or will you place the templates to use up the fabric without any waste? your decision, I believe. Whichevever the way the straight grain goes, your edges will be on the bias. Sew the seams carefully , not stretching and don't lift the quilt, as you proceed, too often. Sometimes, I think, that if you go back to the first time you matched up the templates, before moving them, you could mark the straight grain, so that after sewing, it will lie in the same direction.
When I knit or crochet a circle, I know at the beginning, not the end of the article when it is going to cup. That should be when you correct it, at the beginning. Sometimes close quilting might help, although I haven't actually tried this. I hope this helps you and after writing this, I feel like I would like to make a Giant Dahlia Quilt! Good Luck!
rquilt :
First thing to check is how accurately the seam allowances are reproduced. They should be 1/4". If they are not, then whatever incorrect allowance is used should be checked for consistency--they should be the same.
Lesa :
Because everything is cut and sewn on the bias either you need to be very carefull about stretching as you sew and iron, or you can also use spray starch or sizing as you iron and go.
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