Quilt Prep Checklist
Inspect your quilt top. It is always a good idea to go over your quilt top, and look for seams that may have come apart. This includes not only the perimeter of your quilt top, but also the body. If you find any unraveled seams or holes, fix them before you send your quilt to me.
Clip loose Threads. Please make sure to clip off any loose threads from your quilt, both top and bottom side. A dark thread that makes its way over to a lighter section of your quilt, during the quilting process, is almost impossible to retrieve.
Stay-Stitch. If you don’t have borders on your quilt it is recommended that you stitch a small 1/8th of an inch seam from the edge of your quilt around its entire perimeter. This will help prevent your seams from coming apart during the quilting process, and gives it extra stability from just general handling. This step is highly recommended for any quilt top that has bias edges. This seam will be covered up by your binding so you will not need to remove it.
Fullness: Please note: If your quilt has fullness, a quilt that doesn’t lay perfectly flat, I will do my best to tame the fullness by means of a dry iron and if needed a spray bottle of water or best press. This works like a charm with a minimal amount of fullness. If you know that any your quilt fabrics have a tendency to bleed PLEASE make note of this on the quilting form. I will not use water or Best Press in this case. If your quilt has a lot of fullness I may be required to take pleats. If this is the case, I will do my absolute best to try and take the pleats in a manner that will still look pleasing.
Press quilt top. Give your quilt top a good pressing. Please take great care in making sure your seams lie flat on the backside. Any twisted seams can cause extra bulk and bumps. Fullness? Use a little steam while ironing.
Mark the top of your quilt. Place a piece of painters tape, or a safety pin, to mark the top of your quilt. Some quilts, especially if they are square, can be hard to tell which end is up.
BACKING FABRIC MUST BE 8 INCHES LONGER AND WIDER THAN YOUR QUILT TOP! This gives me a 4 inch margin on all 4 sides of your quilt top. Backing may be larger than 8 inches but NOT smaller. I need the extra fabric to attach your backing properly to my quilting frame.
Whenever possible I will place the quilt backing seam horizontal to my quilting frame. This helps reduce bulk in the seam area as I advance your quilt. I know that horizontal loading is not possible 100% of the time and that’s okay!
Sometimes it will be a must to load the backing seam vertical. This can be due to the direction of the backing fabric, the digital design chosen or both!
Backing fabric must be square. If your backing fabric is not square you may end up with tucks, pleats, or puckers in your backing during the quilting process.
Iron backing seam(s) open.
Press quilt backing.
Mark the top of backing fabric with painters tape or safety pin. This is super important if your backing fabric is directional.
Last but not least. Fold both your quilt top and your backing on the bias. Folding on the bias is not required but will help prevent an abundance of wrinkles. No sure how to fold on the bias? Red Thread studio has a great tutorial. See tutorial here!