Prepare
PREPARE your quilt top for quilting service
Please prepare your quilt top for quilting to insure the highest quality and satisfaction in the finished product.
- Both the quilt top and back should be carefully pressed and lay flat.
- Mark the top of the quilt with a safety pin on bright colored paper if it is directional.
- Square the top as best you can. Ripples in the borders will not quilt out so be careful, try to keep the top as square as possible as you make it.
- Clip all loose threads on top and bottom and remove so they don't get quilted onto the top or cause snags or uneven stitching.
- Make sure there are no pins left in the top. Any charms, or novelty items should be attached after the quilting is done.
- If you have pieced borders or pieced blocks right to the edges of your quilt you must stabilize the edges with stay stitching 1/8" to 1/4" from the edge prior to quilting. This will ensure that the pieced seams do not pull apart during the quilting process.
Quilt Backing
Make sure your backing fabric is at least 6" bigger than the quilt top on ALL sides. Large quilts like King and Queen should be 8" bigger on ALL sides.
* The same goes for the batting if you are providing it.
Remove selvedge edges on backing and make sure it is square. If you would like me to square up the backing for you it will be an additional fee. If the backing requires seaming, remove selvedges first. Press seams open. Do not serge the seams.
When choosing the fabric for your backing think of the color thread that will be used in quilting the top. If you want the quilting on the backing to be subtle then choose a color or print that will blend with the color of the top thread. However, if you want the quilting to stand out on the back then choose a fabric that will contrast with the thread color.
Custom quilting can have many stops and starts and a busy backing fabric tends to hide these beginnings and endings.
Binding Material
Prepare your binding strips 2 1/2 " wide and at least 12" longer than the total linear inches of your quilt.
I can do this for you for an additional fee.
To calculate the amount of material needed for binding your quilt, take the:
- (length + width) x 2 = Total Linear Inches
- Add 12" for joining ends
- Divide the total by the width (in inches) of the material. Round up to the nearest whole number.
- Multiply your answer by 2.5 inches.
Your answer will be the number of inches of fabric you will need.
Example: 68 X 90 Twin quilt top
- (68 + 90) = 158 x 2 = 316 linear inches.
- 316 + 12" = 328
- Now divide 328 by 44" (the width of the fabric) = 7.45 (round up to nearest whole number)
- Multiply 8 x 2.5 inches = 17.5 inches of fabric required for binding.
- Round up to 18" and you need 1/2 yard.