quilterkp Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 I quilted my third longarm quilt yesterday. (Yay!) I am working through a pile of tops my friend graciously has let me use. I am trimming them for her when done. The first two were very straight. The third has a bit of personality, as Sheridan would say. When you are trimming do you add 1/4" following the quilt or do you cut it straight? This one bows out lightly in several places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttyboopette Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 Well.... that depends. Does she want you to trim it? I had someone do one for me when I was between machines and I wish I had told her not to trim. She cut it too close for my liking. I return the quilt to the customer untrimmed all around. It's their fabric and batting...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnieland Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 I trim most of the quilts I do for customers, but I trim an inch away from the edge of the top, not next to it. It makes the quilt easier for them to handle, but it gives them plenty of extra around the edge. I return the trimmed batting and backing to them, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie0722 Posted August 28, 2017 Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 I ask everyone if they want me to trim or not. Most people are grateful because they don't like doing it themselves but there are quite a few who prefer doing it themselves or ask me to leave 1" on all sides. When a quilt has borders that are not pieced I try to use the border seam as a guide, and if that isn't completely straight, then I try to even it out as much as I can as I go along. Let's say the border has a finished size of 4". Then I try to trim 4 1/4" away from the seam but nobody will ever see if I cut off a little more or less in some places, if it is just a little sliver, and this way the edge will be straight. If a quilt has pieced borders then people are on their own... the piecing is rarely perfect, and I don't want to be responsible for cutting off triangle corners etc. In these cases I make sure that I stay 1/4" away from their piecing, and if the edges are not straight, then they have to decide if they prefer to have uneven edges or rather cut off a triangle tip here and there with the binding to make it straight. Does this make sense? I hope you can figure out what I am trying to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilterkp Posted August 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 Marie, you made perfect sense. Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted September 4, 2017 Report Share Posted September 4, 2017 I used to trim down to 1/2" for my customers but I don't do that anymore. The only time I trim is when I need to ship a quilt back in a box. Trimming reduces the bulk in the packaging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWall Posted September 4, 2017 Report Share Posted September 4, 2017 It's so great to hear different points of view. I have mainly quilted for myself, my daughter and my sister and only starting to quilt for others. The last one I did for my neighbor I let her trim the quilt herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loraquilts Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Okay, I'm confused. When you trim a quilt, why would you trim it 1/4" or 1/2" larger than the edge of the quilt top? Why not trim even with the edge of the top? If you roll over the backing to use as the binding, I can see trimming 1" away from the quilt top, but you'd still have to trim the batting away right up to the edge of the top. What am I missing? I'm always interested in how and why others do things differently, so please help me understand. Could it be that I've been trimming my quilts wrong all these years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkazee Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 I don't trim quilts for customers but on my own quilts I trim 1/4" from the edge of the quilt so the extra will make the binding a little fuller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyonut2run Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 I trim mine at the edge of the quilt. I use a long ruler and rotary cutter so I can get the edge straight, even trim a bit the quilt edge off if i need to. Diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingpup Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 HI, I only quilt for myself....and I am a right to the edge trimmer.....I place my longest ruler at the corner.....check to see that the lines on the ruler run even with the border seam if there is one.....and that the corner is a true right angle.....I have one of those six foot folding tables set up with two of the large cutting matts and the table is up on bed risers to make the height good for me to rotary cut....sometimes I end up cutting a little of the border off to make the edge straight and sometimes I leave a little of the batting showing for the same reason...just want the sides to be as straight as they can be and the corners a 90 degree angle....works for me....I am not a show quilt maker ...just a bed quilt maker.....Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie0722 Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Lora, I don't think there is right and wrong in this case, it's more a matter of personal preference. For my personal quilts I trim to the edge. But there are lots of people out there who want extra fullness in the binding, that's why I always ask when they bring me the quilt how they want this handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 I never trim a customer quilt, even if there is a massive amount of backer or batting left when finished. I do trim the bottom edge of batting if I need to roll back to do more quilting, since otherwise that extra can bunch up when reversed and cause problems---but I trim so two inches of batting extends beyond the edge. You never know what the customers plan is. She may want to fold the backer to the front for binding. She may want a binding wider than 1/4". If you've used double batting or something puffy like wool, enclosing the edge may take a wider binding to get a consistent width. I've never had anyone ask for trimming and never offered the service. Too many ways it can go wrong, especially if the quilt isn't square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 I always ask if they want it trimmed... some want it trimmed flush with the edge, others an inch away and others don't want it trimmed. Usually I know who wants what and those that want it trimmed are very thankful because they can get right to the binding without trimming first and many do not have a large area to trim. It is a perk I offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 I have a question which is slightly off topic, but pertains the this matter. I have been quilting a sandwich on my George, and I am to the border. I normally just quilt it and remove the basting pins as I go along. I am considering machine sewing around the entire outer edge, and then marking in from that line a 1/2 inch so when I quilt my feathers up to a 1/4 inch from the outer line, none of my feathers tips are cut off. Do you see any issue with doing it this way? I figure since the border is only 6 inches wide from my SID and outer edge, I should fairly easily be able to hold the fabric nice a flat. Hopefully, it will also be a fairly straight line to cut the edge square when I am done with the quilting. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnP Posted October 24, 2017 Report Share Posted October 24, 2017 When I quilt for Quilts of Valor, I trim about 1 inch out, because mailing it back without the extra batting costs less. When I quilt for customers I just leave it on. Its theirs to trim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loraquilts Posted October 24, 2017 Report Share Posted October 24, 2017 On 10/22/2017 at 7:25 AM, Marie0722 said: Lora, I don't think there is right and wrong in this case, it's more a matter of personal preference. For my personal quilts I trim to the edge. But there are lots of people out there who want extra fullness in the binding, that's why I always ask when they bring me the quilt how they want this handled. Okay, thanks. That helps. I've never actually even thought of having a fuller binding. Hmmmm Something to consider for a future quilt - probably a lap quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted October 24, 2017 Report Share Posted October 24, 2017 Cagey, yes, I think your plan for the edges and border on George will work well. In fact, I think it will help you keep your border the full size and stop some of the pulling away from the sides of the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted October 24, 2017 Report Share Posted October 24, 2017 Cagey: I've both sewn down the outer edge, and left it unsewn. I pretty much leave it unsewn now. The problem I've encountered sewing it down is that as I quilt, the top seems to get bigger. I've speculated that this is because the piecing is not pressed tight to the seams, and as you quilt that extra fabric migrates to the pieces and makes them bigger than they first appeared to be. At any rate as I approach the sewn line at the edge I end up with a "wave" of extra fabric. In order to avoid the puckers associated with this technique, I have to cut out the edge stitching anyway. So now I avoid this by just not bothering to sew the edge down until the quilting is done. Since you're only dealing with a six inch border, that I assume isn't pieced, theoretically there isn't any extra fabric hiding in the seams to move out, so you'd be OK doing this. Now my entire experience is limited to frame mounted machines, so I don't have any experienced with cabinet mounted ones, and that sewing down the edge might not result in the same problem. Just my thoughts. My experience with trimming is that many quilt judges will knock off for not filling the binding with batting. They look down their noses at unfilled or quilt top filled, binding. BTW, I like Linda, never trim a quilt for a customer. I'll cut excess batting away, leaving a generous allowance for finishing. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHonour Posted October 25, 2017 Report Share Posted October 25, 2017 I very much appreciate this discussion; I've been learning from your points of view. For our own quilts (wife Beth and me), I have never thought of doing anything other than trimming to the edge of the quilt while also doing what I can to straighten that edge for good binding. You have given me new thoughts about what friends and clients might want, and changed my thinking about what might be appropriate. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted October 25, 2017 Report Share Posted October 25, 2017 Madelyn and Jim; Thank you for the words of wisdom. I will see how things work out with the quilt. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted October 25, 2017 Report Share Posted October 25, 2017 On 10/23/2017 at 10:20 PM, loraquilts said: Okay, thanks. That helps. I've never actually even thought of having a fuller binding. Hmmmm Something to consider for a future quilt - probably a lap quilt. For clarification, Lora, I trim down to 1/2 inch and sew my binding on and THEN I trim off the excess batting and backing before folding binding over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryQuiltsTx Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 This discussion has provided a lot of useful information. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbaumbusch Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Hi, I just posted a similar question before seeing this, but will I sound too dumb if I admit I don’t know what everyone means when they say they trim down to 1/4 or 1/2 inch? Does it mean to leave 1/4 or 1/2 inch of batting sticking out? Confusedly. Kathy B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilterkp Posted January 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 No, of course your question is not dumb! Most quilters I know, when trimming their quilts, add 1/4 inch of the batting and backing around the quilt. This makes the binding nice and full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.