City Quilting

Applying Borders

The edges of your quilt will be most stable if you cut your borders on the length (grain) of the fabric, rather than the cross-grain.
As quilt blocks and pieces are assembled, the edges tend to grow. As a result, edges are often longer than the center of the quilt. If you cut a border strip of fabric, sew it to an edge, trim it off, and repeat around the quilt, chances are that the borders will be longer than the center of the quilt, and you will have "ruffled" borders. Our goal as piecer and quilter is a flat, square quilt.
To avoid ruffled borders, measure the center of your quilt, cut the first set of border strips to that length, mark the centers of the strips and the centers of the sides of the quilt, and pin from the center out to each side, easing in fullness. If your quilt is large, take three measurements across the center, average the measurements, and use that number for your border length. Re-measure and repeat for the second set of borders.
On my own quilts, if I am doing straight-cut borders, I always do the borders length-wise first, then re-measure and do the width-wise borders.
If you are making a top with several borders, repeat this technique for each.
If you want mitered corners, consult a quilting book that contains instructions for finishing quilts.
Press gently.

The Quilt Top

Gently press your quilt top and clip loose threads (they can catch in the machine AND they will show under light fabric).
It's a good idea to stay-stitch about one-fourth inch around your top to stabilize the edges, especially if you have pieced edges. Check for loose seams.
Please do not pin or baste your quilt in any way. That's my job! Check for stray pins.
If your quilt has been designed with a top/bottom direction, pin a piece of paper or post-it to the center top of the quilt.

The Backing

Backing must be four to five inches larger than the quilt top on each side. For example, the backing for a quilt top that measures 60 x 80 needs to be at least 68 x 88.
If you seam your backing, it works best (but isn't required!) if the seams run cross-wise to the length of the quilt. Be sure to trim off the selvages and press the seam(s). Pieced backs are fine, but keep in mind that it's very difficult to center a back on a longarm machine, and I can't guarantee that it will be exact.
I can supply wide backs for you at market price.

The Batting

You may supply your own batting, if you prefer.
I stock a variety of battings, including Hobbs 80/20 and medium loft polyester. If you prefer another brand or style, I can order and have it within a few days. I charge market price.
Like the quilt back, the batting needs to be four to five inches larger than the quilt top on each side.

Putting It All Together

You need to consider what your quilt will look like after it's washed. All battings made of cotton or cotton/polyester blends will shrink when washed, some more than others. If you have pre-washed your quilt fabrics but don't pre-shrink the batting, your quilt will most likely have that wrinkly, "old-fashioned" look after washing. It will also shrink up to perhaps 8%, depending upon the brand of batting, so keep that in mind as you plan the dimensions of your quilt. Polyester batting will not shrink significantly.
If you decide to pre-shrink your batting, follow the directions on the package.

Quilting Design

If you have ideas for how you want your top quilted, please let me know. I can help you decide what will look good on your quilt and work best within your pricing budget.
When we talk about your quilt, please be prepared to discuss preferences for thread, batting, quilting design, pre-shrinking, and costs. I want to be very clear about your expectations so that neither of us is disappointed.