piecejoyquilting Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Does anyone have any great tips for easily squaring up large backings? I really dislike this task! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsigler Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Order Myrna Ficken's new Beginning Quilting DVD set. It's great and this is one of the tasks she demonstrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Lay the backer on the floor and carefully line up the selvedges--with the triangles hanging over, snip and tear across the grain from selvedge to selvedge on both edges to square up. Then steam-iron out the ripples. Those big backers seldom are wrapped straight on the bolt and thus are seldom cut straight. I ask for the LQS to tear it for me instead of cutting, but sometimes they don't want to do that. I tell them that I need 3 yards of usable fabric and let them do what they need to in order for that to happen. Usually they will add 6 inches or so without extra charge. I have had customers bring those deadly "parallelogram" backers and when they will not work, take them back to the LQS for replacement. It is a problem. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 The most critical thing is that the top and bottom are parallel and that you have a center line that you can line up on the center of the top and bottom. What I do is fold the top in half along the verticle line and make sure that it lies flat and the edges are lined up properly. This may take a little adjusting. Then once you have determined the fold along the vertical fold the top to the bottom and take it to the cutting table and lay that vertical line along a line on the cutting mat. Now lay your rulers so that you can cut the bottom and top together at the same time at a right angle to the fold along the verticle. I mark the center with pins and lay the quilt on top to be sure that there is enough fabric on the backing along the sides. On large quilts it might be shorter on one side as you work you way down the quilt because the sides are not parallel to that verticle line.........................I usualy do not cut that off because I line it up correctly on my frame and then always reference everything form that center line. I can square a back in about 5 min and do not charge for doing so as 90 percent of my quilts require me to square them even though the customer has already tried to do so.................unsucessfully. Once you get the hang of it then it is really fast and easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 I use the same method at Linda R...but not only with whole backs but with pieced ones as well....I ask for 8 inches wider on quilts which gives me enough room to square up the sides....If it is a three rowed back I fold it like Linda suggested to the salvege, but I don't clip the edge, I clip at the center of the middle row fold and tear it both directions from the center, it takes it to a perfect spot on the selvage of the top and bottom rows leaving me with a perfectly squared up backer and rarely do I have addtional problems. I only use this method on the rowed backs...on the whole back I start at the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piecejoyquilting Posted October 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 Thanks for the advice ladies! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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