Have you finished your quilt top and you’re getting ready to quilt it on your home machine or send it to a long arm quilter? Do you know what you need to do to get your quilt ready? Let me help you with this critical step.
How to Get your Quilt Top Ready for Quilting
Machine Quilting
Getting your quilt top ready for machine quilting is straight forward. Ensure your quilt back and batting are bigger than the quilt top. At least 1 ½” larger all the way around. You need to do this to ensure that if the quilt top shifts during quilting, it has somewhere to shift too. You do not want your quilt top running off the edge of your backing or batting.
Press your quilt top the best you can. This will make the quilting easier since your quilt top won’t be lumpy.
Spread out the quilt back, batting and quilt top on a flat surface. I use a queen size bed for this. Either thread baste the layers together or use safety pins to secure the 3 layers together. There are curved safety pins for quilting that are bent in the middle which make this easier. Check them out here. Place the pins within a couple of inches of each other. This way, you are less likely to get bunching up or tucks as you quilt. You have now created a quilt sandwich and it’s time to quilt your quilt.
Long Arm Quilting
Getting your quilt top ready for a long arm quilter is quite different. First, you will provide the three quilt layers to your long arm quilter separately. There is no need for basting or pinning.
Before taking your quilt to the quilter, please remove as many threads as possible. Threads can be pulled through the quilt sandwich that are difficult to remove and quite visible under lighter coloured fabric.
Press your quilt top and back the best you can. The flatter it lays, the easier it will be to quilt.
Your quilter will probably require you to provide a backing and batting that are at least 4 inches larger than the quilt top all the way around. You might be thinking that your quilter is trying to rip you off. I can assure you that is not the case. Like I mentioned above, quilt tops can shift in quilting and you need somewhere for the top to migrate to, otherwise it will run off of the backing and batting. The additional fabric also makes it easier to load the quilt on the frame.
Gently fold all three layers and hand them off to your quilter. They will load the layers separately onto their long arm frame and quilt your quilt.
My Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed How to Get your Quilt Top Ready for Quilting. Although quilting on a domestic machine versus a long arm produces the same result, how you prepare your quilt for quilting is quite different.
Pushing a quilt through the throat on a domestic machine is hard on the body. Hiring a long arm quilter is a wonderful way to finish your quilt without the wear and tear on you.
For more helpful quilting tips and tricks, make sure you follow me on YouTube,and Pinterest.