1)Lay your quilt flat on a bed or floor and see if the
blocks lay flat. 2) Press the quilt
top making sure seams are flat. This is important and can make a big difference in the look of the finished quilt. THEN Iron
from the finished side. 3) Be sure the
borders lay flat and are not wavy. The best way to make flat borders is to fold the quilt in half lengthwise and measure
the center of the quilt and make the side borders the same length as the center measurement, NOT the edge measurement. After
you attach the side borders, fold the quilt in half the other way and measure the crosswise center (including the borders
you just put on) and make the other borders the same length as that center measurement, not the edge measurement. 4) I can make your quilt look better if you have prepared your top and
backing with care. Now to work on the backing 1. Your quilt back should be a MINIMUM of 4" bigger than your
quilt top on each side. That means a total of at least 8" longer and 8" wider. This
is because I will use that fabric to attach the quilt to the bars and side clamps of their frame. I will also use the side
edges to test the tension. new update 7/30/2017 If I have to sew fabric to the sides of
your backing to make it big enough to clamp there will be a small charge for this. 2)
If you piece your backing, which is most often the case, make sure to trim the selvages off. Use a 1/2- 5/8" seam
and press the seam open. That will minimize the bulk in one area as I the quilt back on the frame and minimizes any resulting
waves. Ideally, the quilt back can be loaded so the seam runs parallel to the bars, taking the bulk of the seam out of the
equation, but that may not always be possible. 3)Square
up your quilt back. You can do this by folding it in quarters and using your rotary cutter and rulers to trim it even. Just
make sure the back ends up at least 8 longer and wider than the quilt top. 4) And finally press the back.
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