Securing edges

[quiltermidwife]

Hi

This is a general question about securing the edges of a quilt after quilting is complete.  In my experience there are different practices in use.

One of my concerns is the quilt stitches becoming unravelled from the edges.  This is easy to eliminate when free-handing or doing a pants by doing some extra stitches at the beginning and end of a row but when using a computerised system, stitching can sometimes go off the edges of a quilt, especially if it is not quite square.

So how do you secure your stops and starts at the edges of a quilt, if at all?

[RitaR]

When my designs or patterns go off the edge, I leave them and a long tail if not too involved.

I've not seen stitching come out of a binding.. so think it's a simple fix.  just tie & tuck or leave in the binding.

I think that's right.

[lsequilter]

I do computerize stitching with an intelliquilter and my stitches never go off the end of the quilt. No problem with fraying stitches. 

Linda Esenbock

[quiltermidwife]

I have had stitches unravel from the edges before the binding is applied.  I use manual and computerised.  The problem mostly occurs if the quilt is not completely square so I may have set the side to finish stitching at a certain point ( the widest) but if the quilt goes in any stitching will extend onto the batting.  When the batting is cut away, it is impossible to leave a long tail to go in the binding?

 

 

[RitaR]

Oh,  I leave long tails all the time when I go off the quilt top edge and into the batting.

I trim it or end it, the same as I do when it's not in the batting.

I just frog a bit.

 

[Gator]

I have the IQ but still paranoid about stitches unraveling from the edge prior to binding too.  I sew around the edge of the quilt using small stitches either with my millie or DSM.  The seam will be under the binding.

[iquiltit]

I serge all the edges before I apply the binding. Carol