For this project you will need 1 ¼ yards of fabric for the back. And there are ways you can provide the correct size backing without spending a lot of money. Backstitch when you join strips so that these seams won't pull open when the quilt is suspended for longarm quilting. If I had used a cotton batting, this would also keep the fibers from shedding the sandwich is moved back and forth under the needle. But if my client has asked for custom quilting then it can still be an issue. You can adjust your strip size as necessary, of course. Buy some inexpensive muslin, or use fabric in your stash that you aren’t in love with anymore and cut it into 5 or 6 inch strips and sew them together to make them the length and width of your backing. Because it is such an easy fix by the customer I thought I would share with you what I’m talking about, and why it is important to provide your longarm quilter backing fabric that is a workable size. He or she will start by attaching the backing to the longarm rollers. I charge $5 per seam for this service, plus the cost of the muslin. Backstitch at the end to secure stitch line. Most longarmers ask for a backing that is 8-10" larger than the quilt top in each direction, which provides 4-5" of excess backing all the way around the quilt. Then, press seams. We're working with a large machine head that may be computerized and must be sure to have enough room for the pattern to stitch out without hitting those clips. They will be trimmed off after your top is quilted and you can reuse them for the next quilt. This ensures even stitch quality all the way to the edges of your quilt. - ⦠Thanks for sharing. When I’m trying to use a ruler, if that base hits the side clamps then it messes up the ruler work. The backing is visible on the top roller bar. We ask for 8" larger, which is outlined at Quilting Services Process. Then, return to center and sew from the center out in the opposite direction. You don't want to add fabric in a way that will look awkward. Now tension needs to be added to the sides as well. Layering and Basting the Quilt Sandwich Longarming: How Much Backing Fabric Do You Really Need? A quilt back should be larger than the top by several inches. The quilt backing needs to be larger than the quilt top to allow extra for fabric that is taken up during quilting and for stabilization when using a quilting frame. When you turn the quilt around, this is the layer that you see. If you have a walking foot, use it when attaching your edge strips to the quilt back. (black lines) We also stitch around the outside of the entire quilt, within the seam allowance, so that you wonât see it once it is bound. Attach remaining edge strips, again sewing each long seam from the center out. Then the backing and quilt top are added, with the layers basted while suspended taut between roller bars. Pin pieces right sides together at center. First, why does longarm quilting require a bigger backing? If there is no extra backing then there is no room to test tension. There is about 4" of excess backing/batting to the left of the red basting stitch line. Quilt Size and Backing Yardage Chart Backing Fabric should be 3â all around larger than quilt top. And then the quilt you spent hours creating, wanting the recipient to enjoy it for decades- perhaps itâs meant to be an heirloom quilt- will not live the life you had intended it to. It is much easier especially with a queen size quilt top. Many patterns have to be stitched off the edge of the quilt, onto the batting. Quilt Backing Tips and Techniques - Learn How to back your quilts The cream fabric is the backing, and it was about 3″ wider than the quilt top. I'm wondering now if that is too short and it will bunch up too much when I do the "quilting" process. At the end, your edge strips will definitely get trimmed away! I pin the sandwich together with saefty pins & then turn over the backing extended edge to the front & pin until I ⦠Your backing was all ready to go for home quilting. Also, I want to bind the quilt in a different material than the backing. If your not using or sending it to a longarmer & your quilt top is nice & squared, I don't think you need more than an inch or 2 extra for the backing. When the quilt top is centered on the backing fabric, you will have a 3-inch allowance on all sides. 1 Thing Your Batting Determines About Quilt Top Backing and ⦠This size is okay when I’m free motion quilting, or using a computerized edge-to-edge design. DOUBLE 78â x 87â 5 1/4 yds. Example, your quilt top measures 60" x 80" therefore your backing and batting should each measure 66" x 86". Finishing that quilt is going to be soooo rewarding. - ⦠When a customer asks me what size backing they need, I always ask for the back to be 4-6″ inches larger than the top on all sides. When I pick out fabric for a quilt top I usually wait to buy backing fabric. When loading a quilt back onto a quilting frame, it is rolled onto two rollers – one at the top of the fabric and one at the bottom. For Quilts wider than 40" but narrower than 72" wide Note: Take the LENGTH of your quilt and double it + 18 inches . Sorry. The issue I’m talking about is backing that is not the appropriate size. When your quilt is being quilted, heavy duty clips grasp the excess backing and batting to hold the edges of the quilt taut. This allowance gives you room to properly align your quilt top, batting and backing. Some longarmers may not appreciate this solution as it requires them to be thoughtful about centering the quilt during the basting process. This provides a nice flat surface with even tension on which to quilt. Poor quilt! Your Quilt should look something like this. In your humble opinions, which I always respectfully condsider...How much bigger should your backing be than the quilted top before putting it together. That's the longarmer's job! A human needs about 2" to hold onto when quilting at the edges of a quilt. Why do I need my backing and batting larger than quilt top? This four-way tension ensures that puckers and tucks won’t be quilted into the back. Your backing should be at least 10â³ larger than your quilt top (5â³ per side) if you are planning on giving it to a longarm quilter to finish. I wanted to share this information with you so you can understand why your longarm quilter asks for extra fabric. To avoid this, you can buy extra-wide backing fabric in 60in, 90 inch, 108in and 116in widths, but itâs worth noting that the colour and print choices for these are usually more limited. I hope this gives you some insight into the ‘why’ of the extra backing request. If you haven't prewashed your fabric you may want to do a bleed test. Backing Yardage Charts - Qltville.docx 12/12/2013 5:00 PM Pg 1 of 5 Backing Yardage Charts! Add 2" to each side of the quilt back to bring it up to size! You can sew those strips to the top/bottom/sides of your backing fabric. You prepared a backing for your quilt top, with plans to quilt it at home. Cannot get other user media. But there is one issue that I find myself faced with quite often that takes me a fair amount of time to correct. That is the edge of the actual quilt top. This Baptist fan extends a good 2" beyond the edge of the quilt top, for example. It is also known as the quilt lining or quilt back. We are not doing it just to have you spend more money. So if your quilt top measures 50â³ x 50â³, your backing must be at least 58â³ x 58â³. I had to do some backing prep to even be able to load the back. Let me show you. Hitting those clamps can cause all kinds of problems, from ripped tops, to broken needles, and worse! I recently quilted a top for someone and the backing they provided was barely 1/2″ larger on all four sides. In other words the backing should be the biggest. (8â total. Size: you want your batting to be slightly larger than your quilt top (front) and slightly smaller than your quilt back. Now fold your edge strip in half to find center. Unfortunately this scenario is something that happens quite often in my studio. This backing did not need an equal amount added on each side. I always enjoy reading posts that broaden my understanding of how things work. (Same thing for avoiding wavy border syndrome!). Iâve done quilt backing that way. So, buy a new backing? The pieces I use are about 7″ square. This is a real problem to try to quilt, because to get the machine needle to the edge of the quilt top, the machine casing will bump against that clamp. Letha Gunter says: November 18, 2017 at 4:29 pm I have always done it this wayâ¦saves so much timeâ¦I can even make the repeats match by shifting it to match. You don't want to add fabric in a way that will look awkward. That gives you plenty of area at the bottom for the backing fabric to roll around the take-up roller. Attach the edge stitch with a normal 1/4" seam, sewing from the center out. Be sure to add fabric on all four sides of the quilt so that the real quilt backing remains centered. A quilt backing is the bottom layer of a quilt. The point is, the quilt backing should be as pretty as the quilt itself, so ... After squaring up your backing, measure it again to make sure that it is a total of 6-8 inches larger than the top, if you are going to have it long arm quilted. Notice the red basting stitch line. A longarm machine needs about 4" to hold onto when quilting those edges! Cut your cotton batting the same. Here are some ideas to help you push on to make that quilt backing. p.s. Another reason the extra fabric is needed is so that the tension can be tested before your quilt is quilted. A Quilt with a Lace Border, and Other Interesting Quilts. Eeek - stop! Side tension is achieved by adding clamps to each side. It is not something you should be fighting as your quilting time (and machine) are valuable. If your table runner is 16" x 39" you'd cut the backing 20" x 43". As a longarm quilter for hire I sometimes have to work through quilting challenges, such as tops that aren’t square or borders that are too big. API shut down by Instagram. Let's talk this through. When I tell my guild I have to have that much extra fabric to longarm, they say no thanks and find someone else. We ask for 8" larger, which is outlined at Quilting Services Process. Piecing a long seam in this manner helps it attach nicely. Now you've decided to send it out for longarm quilting, but the backing is slightly too small. They need the extra wiggle room. No matter what, your backing MUST BE 4-6â³ larger than your quilt top, on ALL sides. Trim excess and press. See how far that base extends on each side of the machine’s needle? This is my first time making a quilt. I think you should charge even more for the too small backing. Trim off the selvage of all backing fabrics. Place a pin to mark center. But wait! How much larger should my backing and batting be than the quilt top? See more ideas about backing a quilt, quilting techniques, quilting crafts. Example â 60â x 80â quilt top needs a back and batting that is 68â x 88.â) You have stitched in the ditch between all of the blocks. When you send a quilt to be longarm quilted, you don't have to baste the quilt. How to Piece a Quilt Backing to Finish Your Quilt | Craftsy - CraftTribeOnline.com Your backing was all ready to go for home quilting. The backing should be 8" larger in each direction for longarm machine quilting. Custom quilting usually involves some or mostly ruler work. What to do? *IMPORTANT*: If the quilt WIDTH is over 72" WIDE you must use the Backing for Large Quilts Chart at the I keep muslin strips in my stash just for this purpose. Strips of muslin or scraps can be basted to the sides to enlarge backing if needed. I have an top 81" wide and I cut my material last night 84" for the backing. The extra backing is needed because of the loading process, for the quilter to perform thread tension testing, and also to insure the machine doesnât bump into the side clamps that are supporting your quilt. Your backing fabric should be 6 inches longer and wider than your finished queen quilt top. Thank you for sharing. This is so helpful, Beth. Great information. By now I’ve quilted quite a few tops and have a few tricks up my sleeve to be able to handle most of the issues that come my way. Remember - your quilt back should be 2-4â larger than the quilt top in all four directions. Attach opposite edge strips in this manner. As a rule, your backing fabric should be at least 2in larger than the size of your quilt top all the way around. Reply. So, for a baby quilt the customer ended up paying me an extra $25 or so. That means if your quilt top is 60" x 70" then the backing is 68" x 78". Display only your media. What You Need To Know About Quilt Backing â Sew Quilt Ability Always add 8" to both the length and width measurements so you have an extra 4" of fabric all around. What you need is more edge-grabbing fabric - fabric that will be trimmed away when quilting is complete. Yes, it's awesome. To keep the edges neat I wrap the excess backing fabric around to the front and safety pin it in place to protect the edges. by Beth | Jun 3, 2020 | Tips & Tutorials | 5 comments. This costs the customer extra money because they are paying for my time. Trim excess edge strip fabric. Match the edge strip center to the quilt back center. Cut your quilt backing 2 inches larger on each side. This means there was 1-1/2″ of extra fabric on each side. I read on an Instagram account once, “I’m a longarm quilter, and my love language is a lot of extra backing”!!!”. At the bottom and top of the quilt, the sewing machine can't reach very close to the roller bars, so we must have excess backing to allow us to space the quilt away from those obstacles. I don’t quilt for money, just comfort quilts and my own. You specify the width of the fabric on the bolt along with the quilt's width and length. (red lines) Next, trim the excess batting and backing from around your Quilt. Here at Stitched in Color Quilting Services, we're happy to help you use the backing you intended if at all possible. Reply. Trim down the quilt top? There are legitimate reasons why we need it. It is a scrap quilt with many small squares being used as a quilt back. Its funny as you never really know which quilt will give you trouble. When we prepare a backing for home quilting, most of us make the backing about 4" wider than the quilt top in each direction. If you've looked into longarm quilting services, you'll notice that backings must be bigger than you usually make them. If you're not sure, check with your longarmer first. Cut strips 3" wide. It must be 98" to be longarm quilted. This is often the last layer of the quilt sandwich that a quilter makes. If your backing needs to grow by just 4" in each direction, you can enlarge your backing with scrap yardage. That gives us 2" of excess backing all the way around the quilt, providing helpful wiggle room when centering the quilt during basting. *BACK SIZE QUEEN or larger: Cut your backing and batting at least 4â wider and longer than your quilt top on EACH SIDE. A machine quilter will require a minimum of ⦠The chore of creating a quilt backing fabric is often not nearly as enticing as starting a new project. Should I piece it at the sides and make it larger, if so how So, for a top that is 60″ x 80″ the backing should be at minimum 68″ x 88″ (60″ + 4″ + 4″ = 68″ and 80″ + 4″ + 4″ = 88″) and ideally 72″ x 92″. Here's the thing - your backing IS large enough as far as the finished quilt is concerned. I can understand this for machine quilting, but I don't understand how this is important for hand quilting, especially if you are you just going to cut it off later. So how do I work with this? Bigger is OK but it should not be smaller. To do that, I sewed a 5″ strip of muslin to all four sides of the back. , Well said, and illustrated, Beth! Fold the quilt back in half to find center along one raw edge. Your backing and batting should be at least 3" larger on each side than your quilt top. Now letâs talk backs. You're also happy to have that extra 2" all the way around when you're quilting at the edges of the quilt. This will help these extra-long seams feed evenly. 3" gives you a little extra width to work with. This calculator determines how much yardage from a bolt of fabric is needed to make a backing for a quilt. May 7, 2016 - Explore Alisa Ferguson Maskus's board "Backing A Quilt", followed by 328 people on Pinterest. As soon as you see the size, you should tell them either make the backing bigger, or pay so much more. In short, the literal obstacles required for longarm quilting (roller bars, clips, machine head) require a larger backing. It's a pretty common scenario. If you've pre-washed your quilt top fabrics, then pre-wash your backing. How Small Can You Make a Log Cabin Block? For example, you have a 90" square quilt and a 94" square backing. Put Together the Quilt Top, Batting and Quilt Backing into a ⦠Now, go make more quilt tops so I can quilt them! Everything I have read says to cut the backing of my quilt at least 3" bigger all around. Why so big, you ask? This is why it’s so important to provide the extra fabric when having your quilt longarmed. Most longarmers ask for a backing that is 8-10" larger than the quilt top in each direction, which provides 4-5" of excess backing all the way around the quilt. This should be roughly 42â³ square. What Is The Best Width For Quilt Binding? Ok, so you understand why your backing must be bigger, but what should you do? How To Figure Yardage For Quilt Backing â Missouri Star Blog It gives you something to hold onto! It would have cost her much less to simply provide a backing that was large enough to begin with. I did a similar post with my machine, it helps to get the word out why we need that extra backing. If you are doing the quilting yourself, you should be safe with 4â³ extra per quilt side. 3/4 yd. Piece them together until they are longer than necessary for all four quilt edges. Some time ago I received this top to quilt. Now you can see how the clamps attach to the back, and how the quilt top butts up against the clamp. It may also be used to determine how much batting you need for your quilt. So now I have to have clearance on the sides for the ruler base that fits on my machine. Because I use so many different thread brands and weights, both on top and in the bobbin, I am always testing and adjusting the tension. Quilt Size Dimensions Backing 2 1/2â Binding Assembly Diagram TWIN 63â x 87â 5 1/4 yds. That testing is done using the extra backing fabric and the batting that is in your quilt to best mimic the actual quilt conditions. The fix I use most often is to pin fabric to the sides of the backing and then clamp onto those fabric pieces. More for the ruler work check with your longarmer first the Next quilt to each side Jun,... ¼ yards of fabric is needed is so that these seams wo n't pull open when quilt! 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Be stitched off the edge strip center to the sides to enlarge backing if needed appropriate size clamps cause. N'T want to bind the quilt top the cost of the back, and it was about 3″ wider the. From ripped tops, to broken needles, and other Interesting quilts '' gives you plenty of at. Provided was barely 1/2″ larger on each side than your quilt top flat! Is one issue that I find myself faced with quite often in my stash just this. May also be used to determine how much backing fabric do you Really?... You intended if at all possible top I usually wait to buy backing fabric, you have n't your! Wondering now if that base extends on each side than your quilt top butts up against the clamp use! Length and width measurements so you can reuse them for the backing should be safe with 4â³ extra per side. Use it when attaching your edge strips, again sewing each long seam from center.
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