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Quilt Backing

By: Penny Halgren

Q: How do you start sewing through the three layers and know they will all fit together in the end? I have done a quilt with no border, but trying to sew the lines over my squares and the backing is too big.

How do I make sure they are all the right size, as I have no really big surface to lay it all out. The lounge floor is the only place and not ideal as I cannot walk around it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Trisha

 

A: You should always begin with your backing and batting being 2-3 inches larger than your quilt top. It's just one of those mysteries of quilting. For some reason, the backing and batting kind of shrink during the quilting process.

Sounds like you are a dedicated quilter - perservering even though you don't have a place to lay out your completed quilt to baste it.

Here are a couple of options:

  • Some quilt shops let you use their tables for basting
  • A local library might have a room with a table you could use
  • If you can lay it out at all, lay it out, and smooth it out, then roll it up on one side - or from the center to the top or bottom. Then baste the portion that is open. For example, if you rolled up the part from the center to the top, then baste from the center to the bottom. Once you have completed that, roll it up and unroll the other half that wasn't basted. Do the same thing with the sides.
  • Once your quilt is quilted, trim off the excess batting and backing.

 

You may also want to check out these articles:

The backing on my quilt is too small
How do I keep my quilt flat?

Hope that helps.

Happy Quilting!


Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

 

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

 

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©2007, Penny Halgren

Penny Halgren
http://www.thequiltingcoach.com/