Quilt Preparation

The time you take to prepare your quilt for quilting is well spent to achieve the best result:

Prepare your Quilt Top

• Press all of your seams well during the piecing process, ensuring that they do not twist
• Clip all loose threads from the back, especially dark threads on light fabrics
• Ensure your borders lay flat.
• Fullness that is pieced into the quilt may not necessarily be quilted out.
• Stay stitch 1/4 " from the edge of the quilt if the outer edges are on the bias or have lots of seams in them

Your Backing

Your choice of backing is very important. Please use a quality 100 cotton backing fabric for your quilt. A weight similar to your top produces the best results.

• Size - The backing should be a minimum of 6 inches wider and 6 inches longer than the top. This is to allow for the backing to be pinned onto the rollers, to allow supporting at the sides and for some taking up of fabric into the quilt.
• Colour - Keep in mind that the thread choice for the quilt top will be the same for the bottom thread.
• Pattern - small busy prints will `hide' the quilting on the back of the quilt. All over patterns can look great on a plainer fabric making a `reversible' effect on the quilt.
• Joins - please remove all selvedge's before you join your backing fabrics. A generous 1/2 ” (1.5 cm) seam allowance is fine. Press seam allowance open on backing.
• Square - the backing piece needs to be squared off at the top and bottom as it will be attached to roller bars. If the edges are not square, the quilt will be distorted due to the backing fabric being pulled irregularly.

Wadding/Batting

• If you supply your own wadding/batting it should be a minimum of 6 inched wider and longer than your quilt top.
• I also have 2.4m wide wadding/batting in stock, usually Matildas. Own 100% cotton and Matildas Own 60/40 Wool Poly blend.