Top
Maximum top width is 102″.
Maximum top length can be greater than 102″.
- Prevent the possibility of puckers and pleats by:
- pressing all seams flat.
- making sure your quilt top lays flat.
Equal measurements along the sides and center of your quilts’ width and length respectively indicate a flat and squared top. - preventing wavy borders. See below.
- Protect your piecing by:
- repairing loose and missed seams.
- basting outer edges of pieced quilt edges. This prevents separation of piecing when light tension is applied on the quilt frame.
- making sure any appliqué is secure.
- Remove loose threads.
Backing
Maximum backing width is 110″.
Backing length can be greater than 110″.
Cotton or flannel backings only, please. No stretchy fabric or fleece backings.
Backings must be 8″ longer and wider than the quilt top.
A 4″ allowance on all sides provides ample room for the quilting machine to reach all quilt top edges.
A squared backing with straight edges on all four sides allows proper alignment and tensioning on the quilt frame.
No bias edges. Proper tensioning cannot be achieved with the stretchiness of a bias edge.
Batting
Batting must be at least 6″ longer and wider than the quilt top and not wider than the quilt backing.
A 3″ allowance on all sides ensures batting is evenly distributed.
General
Selvages are not recommended in a quilt top. They shrink at a different rate than fabric and can cause puckers when washed.
The top, batting, and backing must be separate for loading on the quilt frame.
Prevent Wavy Borders
You’ve spent so much time carefully measuring your quilt blocks. Now, it’s time to do the same for your borders.
If one long strip of fabric is created for the border, sewn from one end of the quilt to the other, and any extra fabric trimmed away, the border will most probably be wavy. This becomes even more pronounced with multiple borders.
Longarm quilters can ease in some of the waviness, but often puckering and even pleating can occur.
Here’s the best practice to maintain smooth borders:
- Measure the quilt across the left (A), middle (B) and right (C).
- Average the three measurements:
- (A+B+C) / 3
- Round to the nearest 1/4 inch.
- Cut two border pieces at the determined length.
- With a pin, mark the centers of the quilt and border.
- Align and pin the center of the border to the quilt’s center.
- Align and pin the ends of the border to the quilt’s ends.
- Ease in the remaining border to the quilt and pin.
- Sew the evenly distributed border to the quilt.
Repeat with remaining borders.
