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Centering quilt top on backing with border


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Janice,

I would measure the length of both the top and bottom. Then just subtract the two and divide by two. That number will be the distance between the top edge of the bottom and the top edge of the top. I would channel lock the machine at that distance with the backing loaded. Then add your batting and stick across at the channel lock position. Then line up your top with the stitched line.

Hope that helps.

Donna

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Keep in mind that the quilt top will creep as it is quilted and it is impossible to calculate exactly how much it will move during the process. That is the reason we need the backings to be larger than the quilt top. It is a good idea to let your clients know up front that you can't guarantee that the back borders will be even. Let them know how difficult it is to line up both the top and bottom when using a longarm. If it comes out close to perfect then you are a hero. If not, you let them know in advance. Just a thought.

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Originally posted by Janice Jacobson

I need advice and my adviser is in Des Moines IA for meetings.

I have a quilt bottom with a 6 inch border all around and need to know how to center the quilt top properly before quilting. Hoping to avoid surprizes at the end of the quilt. Any Suggestions?

Hi Jan,

I'm ba-a-a-ck! ;) Here's a post I made to the MQP list a few months ago when someone else asked the same question. This is something I usually go over in the Beginner Class. Did I miss it in the one you were in? Anyway, here's my post.

"You can absolutley PROMISE your customer that the quilt top will be centered on the backing.

Here's what I teach my students. This technique also works when the backing is just barely bigger than the top.

Lay the backing on the floor, or a LARGE table. Next, lay the top on the backing, centering the way the customer wants it centered.

Now, using some kind of marker, anything from binding clips to safety pins to a chalk mark, mark down one side on both the backing and the top about every 10". If you have a short arm machine, you'd want to do this about every 6". You don't need to measure, just make sure the marks are at the same position on both top & back. The new Miracle Chalk crayon would work well for this unless the fabrics are light in color.

Mount the quilt, lining up the first registration mark before basting the top to the backing (assuming you're floating the top). Each time you advance the quilt, just make sure your regi marks line up. Another advantage to this is that you won't be stretching the top more than the backing, or vice versa."

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Here's how I do it and it seems pretty simple to me and works. It's pretty much what Donna & White Rooster have posted but I'll throw in some numbers for an example.

Measure the top and the backing. Say the top is 80 x 90 and the backing is 94 x 98.

Subtract the top from the backing and you find that you have (94 - 80) x (98 - 90). So you have 14" extra across the width and 8" extra across the length. Divide those numbers by 2 so you have half the extra on each side. (14/2 = 7 and 8/2 = 4)

That means I would start 4 inches down and have 4 inches left over at the bottom when I finish and I would have 7 inches on the sides of the quilt.

As WR said, because the top is pieced and sometimes it grows a bit when actually on the machine, if my calculations say I'll have 4" left over at the top and bottom, instead of starting 4" down, I usually start 3" down.

My suggestion would be to use this method a few times and measure when you're finished. If you're supposed to have 4" at each end and you're ending up with 2.5 or 3 at the bottom, then you'll know you need to leave an extra inch or so at the bottom.

You also should pay attention to where any seams are in the backing. Sometimes, the calcuations for centering cause the top to end up right at or near a seam line. It's amazing how people piece backing sometimes. I always try to end up with the edges of the top not being right on a seam.

I also ask clients if they want the top centered on the back. It's rare for my clients to care. If there's 8" left on the length, I don't usually center. By starting right at the top edge, the client can end up with 8" of fabric left over and if it they've piecied the backing using quilt shop quality fabric, 8 x 100 can be a lot of fabric left over to be used in another project. Dividing it up into 4" strips makes it less usable.

I always center on the width of the backing but if they send me a backing that is way, way wider than the quilt, I will trim it some before loading, after getting their permission.

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  • 1 month later...

All I do is Mark the center of the top and the center of the back on pin it on the machine. If it is suppose to meet at the top, you pin all three layers together at the top and it will line up. If if is 3" bigger than you would have to pin the backing to the front and the batting, 3 inches down.

So far this has worked fine for me.

Barb Wetzel

Ivy Corner Quilting

Altoona, Ia.

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