gable428 Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Is it normal for customer's quilts to not be quite square? A new customer dropped off 6 quilt tops this morning and I just started on the first one and noticed the top isn't quite square. Just wondering what other people experience. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 I almost never have a quilt that is perfect - square or pieced! But, they are almost always easy to make square or at least close to square......you just need to ease it in where ever it needs it! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerekes Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Yup--it happens all the time--and it sometimes happens on your own tops too! If you are a person that has always hand quilted or always used a DSM to quilt, you may have fudged out the unsquareness and not really cared. The 'unsquareness' is really apparent when you put the top on a roller system that is square. You make a choice on how to deal with it. Most of my customers really don't want to deal with anything once they pass the quilt on to me. You can try some creative tucking and some slick piano key maneuvers to help you out--but depending upon the issues, you may end up with dog eared quilts. Some people really don't care. Then again, some people really do--and some people don't get what you are talking about:). Good luck! Jill Kerekes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Yes...Gable...people don't seem to care..it's finished for them and then it's up to you to make it beautiful and a masterpiece. A couple of years ago, I had a customer who made 30 quilts all alike and she wanted them quilted each alike...yuck, I was so tired of them before I was done. BUT worst NOT one of them was square and not one had a backing piece that was big enough, they were short by 6 to 8 inches and her answer was to just cut the outside borders down to make them look good. They turned out okay considering what I had to work with. Not my best work by all means. You do what you can, there are just times when you just make lemonade and call it good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsigler Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 I found Myrna's new DVD to be helpful in addressing how to handle non-square quilts. Also Pam Clarke's Pin Basting DVD is good. I've been using Pam's method but plan to try Myrna's on my next quilt (when my wheel problem is resolved), a round robin quilt that is sooooo not square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 How appropriate that you should ask this question today when I was able to take Dawn's "But Nothing Matches!" class at Innovations. You might contact her and see if she would be willing to send you a copy of her handout, or with her permission, I can do it as well. One of my many epiphanies this week was to pin baste the side edges of the quilt, and not stitch them down as I had been doing. This is especially important if you are not doing an allover design. Let us know how things work out for you. Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Square quilts, I rejoice when I get one as they seem to be far and between. I am embarrassed to say that even my own pieced quilts are not square and I do know how to put on borders. I found that pin basting the sides, using the new centering long arm tape helps to keep the quilt square. Char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Char, I just heard about the centering long arm tape at the show. What's it's real name, and where did you get it? Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Not Char, but Quilters Rule and TK Quilting both have them on their websites. http://www.quiltersrule.com under sewing notions http://www.tkquilting.com on their front page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted September 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Thank you for the replies everyone. I'll just keep plugging away knowing this is the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmyhogan Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 More often than not I float quilts, instead of putting them on the roller, pin baste the sides as I go. Makes it easier to adjust for squareness problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted September 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Jim, I'm a floater, too, and I was wondering if that made a difference. The next one I will pin baste rather than machine baste and see if that makes a difference. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbi Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 could someone briefly explain "floating' to me? I think I know, but would like an explanation... -bobbi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted September 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 Hi Bobbi. I'll try to explain what I do. I pin the backing fabric to the take up roller and the front roller which I call the "backing roller." I roll the backing until it's in the position it's supposed to be in. I then get my piece of batting and lay it across the top and machine baste it down to secure it to the backing fabric. I leave the front portion loose and hanging over the front roller. I then take the quilt top and lay it on top of the batting with the top edge along my basting line to make sure it's all lined up and then I also leave that hanging over the front roller just like the batting. I baste this down to secure it. Then I begin. I'm sure there are others out there with a much better explanation, but I hope this give you a little bit of an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 Hi! This is my first post ever. I have had a Millenium for 2+ years and love it. I took a class from Myrna last Winter and she is just a fantastic teacher. I ordered her DVD and received it last Saturday and watched it twice already. She has so much good info on it. If you can not get to one of her classes soon, i suggest you order it. I hope to take more classes from her next May in Overland Park, Kansas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerri Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 I'm curious what difference pin basting does that is different from machine basting down the sides of the quilt. I pin it square, and then machine baste, because I feel like it pulls in less when you are working at the sides. I would love to know the advantage of pin basting, because it sure would save some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted September 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Kerri, I would love to know this, too. I can't quite figure out if it's better to pin baste or machine baste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Dawn was saying at Innovations that she pin bastes the sides when doing something other than an allover design. This allows her to quickly turn the quilt to do the borders. She says that she can turn a quilt in 15 min., but never had time to show us. Too much other vital info. in her classes! By pinning the sides with the fine flower hear pins the pins are already in the quilt to go to the leaders when you turn the quilt. By using the fine pins, they wrap around the bars, and unbend when the quilt is flat again. I just bought a couple of packages, they only seem to come in packs of 20 for the fine pins. I believe that mine are .45mm Dawn states that corsage pins and T pins are too heavy and will not bend. Even the other style of flower pins that I had often bent, and I can really tell a difference between the two. Can't wait to try pin basting the sides on the next quilt. Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QUILTERCAC Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 Holy Cow Batman!! I did not know you didn't have to pin to the rollers. That's why I love this site. You all are so knowledgable!! Thanks for the info. Off to try my first "float". Wish me luck. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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