Quilting Heidi Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I posted this past weekend but still am having trouble and I hate unsewing! I'm working on my first customer quilt...a good friend thank goodness. It is a large star, measures 84" and is actually a star in a star, in a star. I'll post this picture again but this will just give you an idea of what the quilt looks like. It also has three borders. I decided to do all the sid first to stabalize it. I had my back on straight, rolled, checked the back etc. I decided to start with the outside border and pin one side as I went and then around the border back to the starting point. I was super careful this time to make sure the back was completely smooth! Well first round went well and so did the 2nd round. Then I started to notice that the center of the backing was now not laying completely smooth and as I made my way around I started getting puckers. Should I be starting in the center and working my way out? I have to now unsew everything I've done because I can't deal with pleats on the back. My guess is that it is from rolling the quilt back and forth as the underside doesn't at the same pressure as the front...don't know just a guess. How do I avoid this problem? So frustrated. I have done many quilts where I do all the stitch and SID as I go with no puckers but I would love to do it the way some of you say you do and do one continuous line of quilting. Help please. Here is a picture that is similar to the one I'm working on but I doubt that it is 84" sq. Mine also has 3 stars and 3 borders. Thanks for any advise you can give. I'm going for the chocolate! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I am curious how you loaded your quilt. Are you useing clamps on the sides. Did you float the top? Without knowing how you loaded it all and the steps you take when you advance etc not sure where the puckering is comming from. I rarely float a top and only if there is a really good reason. I baste the sides as I advance my quilt and I always take the time to check everything each time I advance and also use my clamps as well to keep it pulled snug but not tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I loaded the back and got it all straight and that isn\'t the problem. The top is a partial float as I don\'t like a full float. The top had to be adjusted a little but it isn\'t the top that is causing me the problems it is the back. I use side clamps and it is completely flat...I triple check that. I get the top square on top and stitch that down first. Then I do each side and make sure everything is sqaure. Everything is smoth as can be until I get about 1/3 of the way back up the other side. Again I was super careful to smooth as I go. The backing though ends up migrating at a different level than the top as I roll from take-up to backing bar...does that make sense? I\'m thinking that I should stabilize the quilt first but I\'m ready to go to my old method which is to quilt all of it and then roll. I never end up with puckers that way. The problem is there is a lot of big triangles and I was really worried that I would be able to get the top completely square. Maybe what I need to do is start with the center star, sid, then go out to the next star, sid, then finally do the borders. Any suggestions? Thanks. Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 The only advice I can give is to tell you how I do a custom that requires me to turn the quilt for the borders. -I load my quilt the normal way (which is a partial float). -Baste the top to the batting and backing. -Then I machine baste the sides of the quilt that are in my stitch area. - I Stitch in the Ditch the areas only in the stitch area that I am working in (I DO NOT advance my quilt to do all of the sitd areas of the whole quilt before going back to do a border or detail work). I find that this always gives me problems. - I then do the outer border (the 2 corners first if it is to wrap around to the sides) then the rest of the top outer border. -Then advance the quilt to do the next section etc...filling in doing all of the quilting as I go except for the side borders. -Once I get to the bottom of the quilt and do the bottom 2 corners and border, I take the quilt off, rotate it and reload to do the remaing borders. If the side borders are larger than 4" I usually will stabilize the heck out of it with long basting stitches so everything stays put when the quilt is turned. I baste the larger side borders as I work my way down the quilt. I have never had any problems doing customs and turning quilts doing it the way I mentioned, no tucks, no pleats. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Joann, In the past I have done it exactly as you outlined but I thought I would try it the way others do it without turning. What a lot of wasted time. I won\'t have puckers so unsew I will do. Not my favorite job but you know it is better than a pucker! Thanks for the feedback. Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstucker Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I try to finish all the SID in one area before moving to the next also, but if you will pin the unquilted areas between the SID you will avoid those puckers. Put the pins in horizontally so they will roll with the quilt and about a fist apart....I do this to the borders and body that are unquilted, but have SID and have had little to no problems . Learned to do this from Myrna Ficken\'s class, but not before I had major pleats on a quilt I couldn\'t frog....I was so ashamed to have to stitch those pleats down, and give a discount...fortunately the customer didn\'t care....but I sure did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I know there are quilters who do that quilt all the SID and borders all around before working on the center. There is even a well-known quilter\'s DVD that shows that method. I have tried it with the same results as Heidi, puckers. No more. I now do my quilts just like Joann does with 2 exceptions, I pin-bset the sides and I prefer to do a full float. I hate puckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Linda, I think I\'m with you. This is my first time and I think last time doing it this way! Barbara - I guess where I went wrong was that I did not pin in the center, only the outside border. I\'m just starting the frogging! I hope to have it all undone by tonight. Then I\'ll start fresh but probably not until next week. I have 30 people coming for dinner on Sunday - early TG. My son is coming home from NC and I\'m just going to be a mom! LOL I asked him if he wanted to do anything when he came home and he said, "I just want to be with you all and eat!" Guess that means I\'ll be cooking a lot! I\'m going to enjoy the little time I get with him and hope that everybody gets along on Sunday! Thanks for the advice. Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlittle1 Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Did you square the backing before loading it onto the machine? I didn\'t see that mentioned in any of the details. Not squaring the backing can cause puckers on the back. I\'ve stabilized the top and bottom borders, stabilized the blocks and then turned the quilt and finished the borders and back fill without problems. I\'ve also worked my way straight through the quilt working border area and blocks as I come to them without problems. The only time I\'ve had problems was when there was a vertical seam in the back which was causing drooping on each side. When I see that I tuck extra batting under the lining bar nearest to me. This helps control any extra fabric that causes puckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenMcManus Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Thanks for all the great info! All this order of operations stuff is what I\'ve been thinking about lately. I printed out this thread! Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrna Ficken Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 When you are going to roll your quilt to do certain areas of the quilt and not others you have to baste or stabilize in some manor. I pin baste very heavy as not to allow my quilt to shift. When you did the basting or quilting in the borders and not the body of the quilt your backing had freedom to move:( That is never a good thing, sorry to say. See photos of the way I stabilize or baste. http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2112461690034244157SJaCTm This also help keep any fullness where it "lives" and helps keep your quilt top from pulling out of place when you are working around on the quilt. Myrna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Phyllis - yes the back was squared before I loaded it. Myrna - that is where I went wrong. I stabilized the unquilted border area but not the middle. Live and learn I now know what I won\'t do . I have the quilt all unsewn and will get it loaded again! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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