Help

[try2hard]

Hello everyone. I have my first quilt on my machine. Have had the machine about 3 weeks now and done PPP on muslin, scrap fabric, etc. Quilting a quilt is very different! LOL The quilt I have on here now is a 65 x 65 pieced flannel quilt. I am practicing custom work on it (which is not comming out very well but I will PPP). The quilt doesn't have borders so before I loaded it on, I stay-stitched all around the edge with my domestic machine so that no seams would pop open. The top is on via full-float method which is what my teacher from the first class I took recommended. I am almost done with the whole thing now but....throughout the whole quilt, as I would roll, I would baste down the edges about 1/8 inch in from the edge. I tried to push down in front and back of where you are stitching as I was shown, but it seems I have several tucks and puckers along the edge and it is stretched out, far from straight like it was before I put it on there. In other words, the outside edges are a little like this ( )....not like this | | like they should be. I am so excited to be learning how to longarm but some times I just get so upset by silly little things like this. I wouldn't think of taking in a customer quilt yet because I need a lot more PPP but I do have a lady bringing me a quilt to baste for her on Tuesday and I don't want to have problems. Also, why are both the outside edges of the backing much looser than the middle? I have about an extra 6 inches on all sides of the quilt, like I should but it is nice and evenly taught throught where the quilt is but the outside edges are saggy. Please help! Thanks, Nick.

[Bonnie]

Lets see if I can help a little...without pictures I'm not sure I'm on the same page as you.....here goes.

1) you mentioned the sides of the backing not being as taught as the middle. (A) How are you clamping the backing and batting...in one place or two...are you using a curtain rods to help with the taughtness....(B)also the sides will become a little loose once you release the clamps and move to the next spot....leaving the middle flat, but the outside edges floppy.

2) Because you are just starting out maybe you can use a method that I used when I first started to float quilts.....I would hand iron the sides flat, give the quilt a little tug and make sure the middle is flat and tight, and then pin well within the sides (one side only) where I wouldn't hit them with the basting threads or the sewing needle... Then I would tug again hand flatten the middle and pin the other side and sew that side. Be sure to remove the pins before you start to actually quilt. I didn't get the () that you are getting or what I would get more often )( as badly because my pins were holding it straight.....it all depended how straight the edges were but after awhile I got more of the || that we all want.

I finally learned to baste with both hands and can hold the fabric in one hand and sew with the other.

Hope this helps a little...and I'm sure that there are tons of other ways to do this....this is just what worked for me...