Preparing Your Quilt Top For Machine Quilting
Please be sure to attach your borders properly. Make your quilt fit your borders, instead of your borders fitting the quilt. Measure for your borders through the center of your quilt and cut your borders that length. Then mark both the border strip and the quilt edge in eighths. Match the marks and ease the quilt into the borders.
Make sure all seams are pressed flat. Trim all trailing threads. They can get caught and show through on light fabrics.
Stay-stitch 1/4" in from the edge around the perimeter of your quilt top.
Make sure your backing is 4-6" larger on all sides than your top. Example: if your quilt is 60 x 60 your backing should be at least 68 x 68.
Customer supplied backing MUST be trimmed of selvages, prewashed, seamed if necessary (1/2 inch seams are a plus), and pressed. It must be at least 4 inches larger on all sides. 100% cotton is preferred and it is recommended you avoid bedsheets; the higher thread count can cause skipped stitches. Press well. I recommend the seam be pressed to one side, unless your backing is flannel, which should be pressed open.
Include your binding fabric if we are to attach binding; you are responsible to have measured it correctly (the perimeter of the quilt plus 15”). The binding is to be seamed, folded and pressed.
Mark the front, top center edge of the quilt with a note attached by safety pin; also mark the backing as to the top with paper safety pinned to the material.
Fullness or puckers pieced into the quilt top or wavy or ruffled borders cannot necessarily be quilted. out. We will do our best, but quilts with these problems may still have these problems after quilting.
If you have specific ideas how you would like your quilt done, please bring or send sketches or pictures.
Prepackaged batting need not be cut but be sure and purchase a generous size for your top and should be at least 4-6 inches larger than your quilt top.