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How do you make a quilt top for machine quilting?

Nov. 27, 2024

How To Prepare Your Quilt Top

Preparing your quilt top is simple and will help make sure you get the best possible results, when it is returned to you all quilted, and one step closer to being &#;nished.

Let&#;s jump right in!

1. Square the Quilt Top:
This is the most important aspect of your quilt top in regards to quilting. When your top is square it will ensure that the quilting is square, there aren&#;t any puckers or tucks, no wavy borders and everything is uniform. Having a square top begins at the piecing level, if you square your blocks as you go, make sure your seam allowance is uniform and your borders are not longer than the sides, then you&#;re doing great!

Adding borders can be challenging, there are several YouTube videos and tutorials on how to add them so they don&#;t stretch and shift when they are attached. The easiest way is to cut your border fabric parallel to the selvage edge of your fabric. There is less &#;stretch&#; to the fabric this way as opposed to cutting the width of the fabric. Another bene&#;t is that you can get enough yardage to keep your borders one piece. Of course that is not always possible, so it is very important to measure, measure again and then maybe measure one more time before you cut. You want your quilt edge to match your border, not the other way around.

2. The Quilt Backing Fabric:
Backing size does matter! It is so important that the quilt backing you provide is at least 6-8 inches wider on all sides. This means if you have a top that is 60 inches wide, then the backing needs to be 72-76 inches wide. That extra area is used on all sides. First, when attaching the backing to the frame, then after the top is loaded we use clamps to keep the backing &#;at and secure. I know if I am doing ruler work, and there isn&#;t that extra on the sides, my machine will knock the clamps off. I will not con&#;rm nor deny that this has made me seam rip and redo sections due to the sudden bump into the clamp. We also use this area to test the tension of the stitches. We can&#;t have our tension all willy-nilly, it has to be perfect, and everyone&#;s quilt tension could be different.

    A. Quilt backing fabric also has to be square, which can be a little bit more challenging because it is larger than the quilt top, but it&#;s the same process as squaring the top. Just measure, measure and measure again. Then measure again after you cut and trim. Again, YouTube will have tutorials on this.

    B. Backing fabric is available in 108 inches wide, sometimes larger.

However, if you &#;nd a fabric that you just fall in love with and it absolutely matches the top you just made and you just have to have it (Not that I know what that is like, at all&#;.) but it&#;s only 42 or 60 inches wide, then you will have to piece your backing. This just means you have a HORIZONTAL seam attaching two pieces to make a large enough backing for your top.

For instance, if you have a 60 inch x 72 inch top, you will need two yards of wide, 108 inch, fabric OR four yards of regular bolt fabric. It will need to be in two yard sections and then sewn together on the long side (or the selvage side). The seam needs to be horizontal due to the way it is loaded on the quilting frame. Some frames are large enough that the quilt might be loaded sideways as opposed to up and down. Horizontal seam means that when the backing is loaded onto the quilting frame, it will remain straight and evenly taught as the top is quilted. If the seam is vertical it has a chance to be taught at the seam but not on either side, which can cause puckers and extra fabric as the top is quilted.

    C. Iron your quilt backing fabric, especially if there is a seam. This will keep it crisp and &#;at as it&#;s rolled to and fro on the frame.

3. Trim Quilt Top Threads:
This can be a very tedious task. The more pieces to your quilt, the more raw edges there are. The more you sew on your blocks and the more you handle them the frayed they get. Unruly threads can get caught up in the quilting, those rogue threads can also show through on lighter fabrics. If you have a great white, crisp, clean looking sashing, you could end up with a striped sashing but the stripes are from the rogue threads on the back of the quilt top. Trimming threads might be one of those sit-in-front-of-the-TV-while-you-clip-away tasks.

4. Press the Quilt Top and Backing Fabric:
I mentioned ironing the backing, but it is also important to iron the top. The &#;atter your seams are and the crisper your top is, the straighter and easier it will be to quilt. Some longarmers will iron the top and backing for you but usually at a cost. If we quilt wrinkly fabric, it will still be wrinkly when it&#;s done, just quilted.

     ~ Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been" &#; Mark Twain

5. Secure Edge Seams:
I quilt a lot of Quilts of Valor and there is one group I get tops from that have serged the edges of their quilt tops. Holy cow! Do I love that or do I love that?! It is such a good idea to secure your edges. Just using a basting stitch, or a long stitch and sew around your top at 1/8 of an inch. We will use a 1/4 inch to secure the quilt to the batting and backing, so an 1/8 inch is perfect. Neither stitch line will be visible once the binding is added. This step will make sure your edge seams won&#;t come apart when the quilt is handled and secured to the backing.

I made a quilt for my husband, which had a lot of piecing. I didn&#;t secure the edges and didn&#;t notice that some of the seams had come undone until it was on the frame and I was in the middle of quilting it. I had to get creative. I know my husband wouldn&#;t care, and that&#;s even if he notices, which he won&#;t. But we can&#;t do that on a customer quilt. Again, some longarmers might offer to &#;x these, but that is additional cost to you.

6. Clean, Odor Free:
This day and age more people are highly sensitive to odors and fragrances. This step goes both ways, if you submit your quilt clean and odor free, you should receive it in the same state, only quilted. I have heard of longarmers refusing quilt tops for strong odors, so this is de&#;nitely something to be aware of.

7. Keep Quilt Top, Batting, and Backing Fabric Separated:
No need to put a million pins in your quilt sandwich before you send it in. Backing, batting and top should be folded separately as they are loaded independently of each other on the quilt frame.

8. Talk To Your Longarm Machine Quilter:
Be sure to talk to your quilter, before, during, after. Ask questions, explain what your expectations are, shop around if you want to. You put all that time and effort into your quilt top, you want to be happy with the end result. Your longarmer wants you to be happy too!

Quilting really is a labor of love, there are so many steps, decisions, thoughts and effort that are put into them to make them special. Even though you aren&#;t the one doing the actual quilting, you still do your part to make that step successful. Longarmers want you to love the result of what they do and because you take the time to prepare your top for quilting, you are very involved in that part of the process. There is always someone to quilt for &#; QUILT ON!!

Well hello! It&#;s Keelyn from The Night Owl Quilts and today I am going to share with you a few secrets to help you be one of your longarm quilter&#;s favorite clients!Preparing your quilt top is simple and will help make sure you get the best possible results, when it is returned to you all quilted, and one step closer to being &#;nished.Let&#;s jump right in!This is the most important aspect of your quilt top in regards to quilting. When your top is square it will ensure that the quilting is square, there aren&#;t any puckers or tucks, no wavy borders and everything is uniform. Having a square top begins at the piecing level, if you square your blocks as you go, make sure your seam allowance is uniform and your borders are not longer than the sides, then you&#;re doing great!Adding borders can be challenging, there are several YouTube videos and tutorials on how to add them so they don&#;t stretch and shift when they are attached. The easiest way is to cut your border fabric parallel to the selvage edge of your fabric. There is less &#;stretch&#; to the fabric this way as opposed to cutting the width of the fabric. Another bene&#;t is that you can get enough yardage to keep your borders one piece. Of course that is not always possible, so it is very important to measure, measure again and then maybe measure one more time before you cut. You want your quilt edge to match your border, not the other way around.Backing size does matter! It is so important that the quilt backing you provide is at least 6-8 inches wider on all sides. This means if you have a top that is 60 inches wide, then the backing needs to be 72-76 inches wide. That extra area is used on all sides. First, when attaching the backing to the frame, then after the top is loaded we use clamps to keep the backing &#;at and secure. I know if I am doing ruler work, and there isn&#;t that extra on the sides, my machine will knock the clamps off. I will not con&#;rm nor deny that this has made me seam rip and redo sections due to the sudden bump into the clamp. We also use this area to test the tension of the stitches. We can&#;t have our tension all willy-nilly, it has to be perfect, and everyone&#;s quilt tension could be different., which can be a little bit more challenging because it is larger than the quilt top, but it&#;s the same process as squaring the top. Just measure, measure and measure again. Then measure again after you cut and trim. Again, YouTube will have tutorials on this., sometimes larger. Bear Creek Quilting Company has a HUGE selection of wide back fabrics . Wide fabric just means there is no seam on your backing and its one solid piece. You just purchase the yardage for however wide your quilt top is and BAM!However, if you &#;nd a fabric that you just fall in love with and it absolutely matches the top you just made and you just have to have it (Not that I know what that is like, at all&#;.) but it&#;s only 42 or 60 inches wide, then you will have to piece your backing. This just means you have a HORIZONTAL seam attaching two pieces to make a large enough backing for your top.For instance, if you have a 60 inch x 72 inch top, you will need two yards of wide, 108 inch, fabric OR four yards of regular bolt fabric. It will need to be in two yard sections and then sewn together on the long side (or the selvage side). The seam needs to be horizontal due to the way it is loaded on the quilting frame. Some frames are large enough that the quilt might be loaded sideways as opposed to up and down. Horizontal seam means that when the backing is loaded onto the quilting frame, it will remain straight and evenly taught as the top is quilted. If the seam is vertical it has a chance to be taught at the seam but not on either side, which can cause puckers and extra fabric as the top is quilted., especially if there is a seam. This will keep it crisp and &#;at as it&#;s rolled to and fro on the frame.This can be a very tedious task. The more pieces to your quilt, the more raw edges there are. The more you sew on your blocks and the more you handle them the frayed they get. Unruly threads can get caught up in the quilting, those rogue threads can also show through on lighter fabrics. If you have a great white, crisp, clean looking sashing, you could end up with a striped sashing but the stripes are from the rogue threads on the back of the quilt top. Trimming threads might be one of those sit-in-front-of-the-TV-while-you-clip-away tasks.I mentioned ironing the backing, but it is also important to iron the top. The &#;atter your seams are and the crisper your top is, the straighter and easier it will be to quilt. Some longarmers will iron the top and backing for you but usually at a cost. If we quilt wrinkly fabric, it will still be wrinkly when it&#;s done, just quilted.~ Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been" &#; Mark TwainI quilt a lot of Quilts of Valor and there is one group I get tops from that have serged the edges of their quilt tops. Holy cow! Do I love that or do I love that?! It is such a good idea to secure your edges. Just using a basting stitch, or a long stitch and sew around your top at 1/8 of an inch. We will use a 1/4 inch to secure the quilt to the batting and backing, so an 1/8 inch is perfect. Neither stitch line will be visible once the binding is added. This step will make sure your edge seams won&#;t come apart when the quilt is handled and secured to the backing.I made a quilt for my husband, which had a lot of piecing. I didn&#;t secure the edges and didn&#;t notice that some of the seams had come undone until it was on the frame and I was in the middle of quilting it. I had to get creative. I know my husband wouldn&#;t care, and that&#;s even if he notices, which he won&#;t. But we can&#;t do that on a customer quilt. Again, some longarmers might offer to &#;x these, but that is additional cost to you.This day and age more people are highly sensitive to odors and fragrances. This step goes both ways, if you submit your quilt clean and odor free, you should receive it in the same state, only quilted. I have heard of longarmers refusing quilt tops for strong odors, so this is de&#;nitely something to be aware of.No need to put a million pins in your quilt sandwich before you send it in. Backing, batting and top should be folded separately as they are loaded independently of each other on the quilt frame.Be sure to talk to your quilter, before, during, after. Ask questions, explain what your expectations are, shop around if you want to. You put all that time and effort into your quilt top, you want to be happy with the end result. Your longarmer wants you to be happy too!Quilting really is a labor of love, there are so many steps, decisions, thoughts and effort that are put into them to make them special. Even though you aren&#;t the one doing the actual quilting, you still do your part to make that step successful. Longarmers want you to love the result of what they do and because you take the time to prepare your top for quilting, you are very involved in that part of the process. There is always someone to quilt for &#; QUILT ON!!

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5 Ways to 'Quilt' a Quilt Top

When you&#;ve finally finished piecing a quilt top you may be ready to just have it done NOW, or perhaps you want to make sure the next step respects all the hours you spent piecing the top. It can be overwhelming to switch gears between the careful consideration of color and pattern and corner matching to considering what type of quilting pattern or finish will best complement your top and turn it into a completed quilt.

Quilt top finished &#; now what?

Why quilts need quilting

The functional purpose of quilting is to hold the batting evenly in place between the quilt top and the backing without lumps and gaps. In the early days of quilting the batting was often loose pieces of wool, so the stitching needed to be closer together to hold all those little pieces in place. Modern battings are more stable and do not need quite as close quilting to not shift or break apart However, there still needs to be some stitching or tacking through all three layers of your quilt. Your batting package will actually tell you how close you need to make your stitching in order to not have bunch or shift between the top and the bottom.

Check your batting package or manufacturer website for maximum distance between quilting lines

Over time, quilters took this functional piece of stitching and turned it into a work of art. The pattern of stitches the quilting makes on the top is now an integral part of the overall design and beauty of the quilt.

I added swags to this quilt for my niece just with quilting

Does a quilt have to be quilted?

Many new quilters get discouraged when they see heavily quilted quilts. If you&#;ve spent a lot of time and effort in piecing your top and suddenly now you believe you have to spend even more time quilting every square inch, you may feel like giving up.

It&#;s not necessary to quilt every square inch of a quilt. In fact many quilters dislike how stiff heavily quilted quilts can become. However, you do need something to hold the batting securely between the layers.

Tying or tacking a quilt

One of the fastest ways to secure the layers of a quilt together is by tying or tacking. This is securing the the layers in single points all across the quilt in a grid pattern instead of sewing lines. At each point you tie or tack the three layers together.

Tying is using yarn or embroidery floss to make a stitch through all the layers at each point and then tying the ends of the threads together into a knot. Tacking is just using the sewing machine to sew a few securing stitches, as if you were sewing a button on, at each point.

This quilt made by my daughter is tied with crochet cotton

It&#;s important to read your batting package to know how close these points need to be in order to hold the batting securely.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Glory Tang Machinery sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Tying and tacking is fast, but if your quilt will get heavy use and lots of washing, you will get better wear if you either make the points very close, or quilt the quilt.

Machine Quilting

The next fastest way to get to your finished quilt is machine quilting. There are a few options to machine quilting

Machine quilting with your sewing machine

Straight line with walking foot

The easiest way to do you own machine quilting is to decide on a pattern of quilting lines across your quilt that are straight or gently curving. With these straight lines you can use a walking foot to sew your quilting lines across the quilt. The walking foot is necessary to prevent gathering and tucks when you machine is sewing lots of layers. You can also use some of your machine&#;s decorative stitches to quilt your quilt.

I quilted this border on a quilt for my daughter with my Bernina at the beginning of my quilting journey

Free motion

If you want to have a more squiggly pattern, you can use a free motion, darning or hopping foot. By using this foot and dropping the feed dogs that control the movement of the fabric under the needle, you will be able to move your quilt under the needle and create your own pattern of quilting lines. It can take quite a lot of practice to make smooth lines and even stitches with free motion quilting, but with practice very intricate and beautiful designs are possible.

Longarm machine quilting

Machine quilting a large quilt with your sewing machine can be quite an endeavor. Large quilts can be not only heavy, but hard to fit in the space to the the right of your needle. Longarm machines are designed to make quilting large quilts easier. On these expensive and large machines, the quilt layers are rolled up on long bars on the edge of an industrial table. The machine then is moved across the quilt layers as it sews.

Longarm machine before loading a quilt Quilt ready to be quilted

Typically to get a quilt finished by a longarm machine, you bring or send it to a longarmer. Longarm quilters have invested in this large machine and charge a fee for doing the quilting on your quilt. Some quilt shops have longarm machines that you can rent time on after you&#;ve taken their course to learn how to use it properly.

Hand quilting

If you have time and you love to do handsewing, a hand quilted quilt is a treasure. You simply use a needle and thread (and thimble) to sew a running stitch through all the layers of the quilt. Although you may know how to do a running stitch, watching a YouTube video by a professional hand quilter will make the process a whole lot easier and less painful!