TerriVB Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hey all you seasoned quilters--any tips for a newbie on how to turn a quilt and not get puckers on the back??!!! I knew I will have to quilt the TB club quilt for my friend so last week I stitched mine up and am quilting it custom for me--and when I repinned it and turned it sideways--it was hard to get my backing tension tight enough to get no puckers. I finally ended up sitting underneath the frame, pulled the backing "south" and pinned it from underneath. I know there is a better way---please help. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hi Terri, I will jump in here since nobody else has posted. Edge to edge or all over quilting do not require turning. I do turn quilts where I want a smooth continuous border. For me, the number one rule is to stabilize the quilt. Top SID, top border, blockwork, background, and bottom border is the sequence that works for me. So the qulit is pretty much done except for side borders when I turn it. If the border is wide, I will stabilize it (before I turn it) with a open stitch baste perpendicular to the border running from the border out to the edge, clip and baste-stitch the next line. I never baste from the edge toward the border - that\'s how you get puckers. :mad: I tried pin-stabilizing once but pins are not easy to work around when you are manhandling a quilt that your are trying to turn. If I have to stitch-baste every 6 - 80 inches down the border, I\'m OK with that. I hate puckers. Then I unpin, turn and re-pin so what was the side border is now the top border. If the stitch-basting is going to get in the way of the border quilting (which is often), then I pin-baste the top border and remove the stitch-basting. Some border treatments I can leave the stitch-basting in but it can be stubborn to remove after it has been stitched over. That is my method. Turning a quilt certainly adds more work to the project but a nice border is always worth the more work. I\'m certain that there are other methods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriVB Posted November 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Linda--when you say an open stitch baste--do you mean like a long basting stitch?? My machine is not stitch regulated--so maybe turn the dial to 1 and just make long stitches? That really sounds like it might have helped me as I did all the stabilizing in the middle first--but this quilt really had a lot of borders that I wanted to do in a continuous line--about 20-24 inches of them. Well thanks for the input--and will try that on the next one in line tomorrow. Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Terri, My machine isn\'t stitch regulated either....I do turn down the dial and run a stitch down the side, but I also just pin and leave them in... Dawn C has a special pin that she uses that she pins down and then they roll up into the quilt, and when she turns the quilt the fabric is ready to be repinned to the leaders....HOWEVER, I haven\'t found those pins yet so I pin sideways and after I repin I need to turn the pins so I don\'t hit them.... Hey....Dawn if you are out there....would it be possible to say it one more time the brand name of your special pins and maybe a picture so I can see what they look like. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Bonnie, I went to a class that Dawn explained turning a quilt and how she pin-basted using the pins all going in the correct direction (clockwise if I remember correctly) so when you turn the quilt, the pin is already pointed in the correct direction. The pins were very flexible and could be rolled on a roller while still in the quilt. Dawn actually passed around a pack of those pins. They\'re made by Clover and are extra fine. The ones she had were packaged in Japan and had no English printing. I found some extra fine Clover pins but it says Piecing. So I\'m not sure that they are the same. It seems to be that there were only about 25 pins stuck in the card, not a plastic bin of them, there were very few. This might be them. Pretty pricey, though. Normal Flower Head pins are 70mm diameter, these are 45mm so really skinny. Clover Fine Pins carded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I too took this class, but she didn\'t pass out any pins, so I didn\'t know if they were a flower head or a round head, and I could never find in my notes where I wrote down the brand name so could never remember which pins she used...I did remember correctly that she did said there were only a few pins on a card so were pretty costly. I have some very fine pins that have a glass head, but they are really long, and don\'t bend very well...They seem to poke out of the quilt just right and keep catching me. They just don\'t roll like the ones that Dawn uses...and personally I am getting tired of all the blood spots...and the scratches on my wrists are staring to look like I have become EMO.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernview Cottage Aust Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I sew baste down the sides of the quilt as I work (I know some people don\'t like to do this, but it works for me with no puckers etc) Then after I have finished quilting all I can do, I remove from leaders, then trim the quilt. Again some don\'t trim, but I always trim the quilt back to the edge of the quilt trop (unless requested not to, and this has only been twice) that way the quilt is ready to bind. But when turning the quilt. I trim the sides that have borders that need to be quilted 2" out from the quilt top. Then it is easy to handle and I have the 2" wide strip to pin baste to the leaders. No extra batting or quilt backing to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 About the pins that Dawn recommends. Get the ones that are pastel colored. Pale pinky/orange, white and I think yellow. I had seen those, but then found ones that are pale blue on one side of the flower head, and a darker blue on the other. They were a finer diameter, and felt like they would bounce back after going around the roller. I bought several packages of those, and then spent a great deal of time getting bandaids for my hands after stabbing myself smoothing my fabric on the roller. Also, the blue ones won\'t stay in the leader when you are trying to turn the quilt. So, stick with the pale pastel ones. I found them in a box of like 50-75 at a local store here, as well as on a card. Good luck with that. Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I do mind just like Fernview. I always baste along the sides as I work my way down the quilt. when I do have to turn I just trim a bit from that line of basteing and turn.........this usuall takes me under 45 min start to finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriVB Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Linda---THANK YOU so much for your advice--I used it today--and not a pucker in site on the back!!! I don\'t know why I didn\'t think of that!!! See the pics of Raggedy Rose--that\'s where I used it. Thanks again to all the great advice given on this site--I love it!!! Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hi gang, Sorry I\'ve been away from the computer all weekend--glad to hear you\'ve got the "turning" figured out. The pins I use are from Clover, and are the pale pink, green and white heads, sold in packages of 20. They retail for around $3.25 a card. Pricey, yes, but you only have to buy them once. Let me know if you need a more detailed explanation of how you might turn the quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlittle1 Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Are these pins long like the flower head pins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Ok Dawn.....................I would like the long story of how you turn a quilt. I have my way now but sounds like you have a really good techinque and I want to try it:P I turn quilts pretty often so this could really help me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltjunkie Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 I have found another way to avoid puckers in the backing in not to have too much excess fabric, I generally trim my sides to no more than 3" excess and when I turn I trim the excess at the bottom, but I do baste or pin as I go. If I think there is a little too much fullness, I pin, saves ripping later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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