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Mitch's mom 11-06-2011 01:29 PM

Pictures of the reverse side of quilt tops
 
There are quite a few quilters here who do outstanding work and you are also quick to offer help and guidance. Would you consider posting some pictures of your tops after you are done piecing - but before quilting - so that we newer, less experienced quilters, can actually see what the reverse side of finished quilt top should look like before being quilted by hand, on a home machine or sent to a long arm quilter?

I know everyone does what works for them, so there may be differences in technique, however it would be a great way to learn and see what we are striving for in our quilting and also explain how the reverse side finish affects the overall appearance of the finished quilt and the quilting.

Or is this a terrible suggestion?

ckcowl 11-06-2011 01:50 PM

that is a great suggestion- i will go take a couple pictures of backs of quilts i have waiting to be loaded up-
as a long=arm quilter i sometimes wish people would pay a little attention to the backs of their finished tops- when i get one that has (tons) of strings- frayed seams- thread nests everywhere= it can add an hour or more to my time-if i left it like that it would be a mess- especially if the backing is light- and the threads are dark...even with batting between the two those threads can still show through-and be quite unsightly in a finished quilt.
it will take me a little time to get some pics- but i will.

alageeps 11-06-2011 02:23 PM

Pictures of back of quilts
 
I too like to see the back of quilts, but, maybe just fold over one end with enough to see the back with the front.

QuiltedCritterLady 11-06-2011 03:00 PM

I love this idea! We new, inexperienced quilters have no idea what we should be striving for.

MoanaWahine 11-06-2011 03:32 PM

I have plenty of them waiting for quilting. They may not be the best, but that is OK with me. I will get them up tomorrow morning when my kids are in school and my head is not pounding like it is today. Hope you do not mind the wait.

ckcowl 11-06-2011 04:57 PM

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ok- i took a couple pictures- now i just have to figure out how to post them....

ckcowl 11-06-2011 05:02 PM

pictures of backs of quilt tops
 
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here's another one (i hope) the picture posting part i think i'm going to have to work on...

ckcowl 11-06-2011 05:07 PM

the threads that need to be clipped
 
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so here is a picture that shows how long threads can (build up) and if left can show through when the quilt is quilted

MoanaWahine 11-07-2011 06:40 AM

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As promised, here are some pictures of unquilted tops that I have. Hope this helps you out.


Here is one that I am just waiting to FMQ.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283331[/ATTACH]

MoanaWahine 11-07-2011 06:43 AM

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Here is a checker flag block.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283333[/ATTACH]

Here is a table runner made from Charm Squares.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283334[/ATTACH]

Here is one that every time I touch it, the dark blue frays some more. Can not wait until I get this quilted.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283335[/ATTACH]

Here is a little more complicated block. This is one that is in my Avatar Pic.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283336[/ATTACH]

Here is another block from my Avatar Pic.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283337[/ATTACH]

The last two pictures are from my Avatar Pic. This quilt top I have been caring around for at least 2 years. Have not quilted it yet and so happy that the fabric has not frayed that badly. Makes for less cleanup when I sit down to quilt it.

MoanaWahine 11-07-2011 06:45 AM

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Now for my WIP quilt tops.

This is from a Christmas Quilt that I am working on.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283338[/ATTACH]

Here is one from a Stack-N-Wack pattern that I am working on.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]283339[/ATTACH]

barny 11-07-2011 06:52 AM

I do so appreciate you ladies taking the time to put these photos on here. It is a learning deal. Thanks so much!

littlehud 11-07-2011 07:02 AM

This is a great topic. I'm watching it

CarrieC 11-07-2011 07:08 AM

Great question and gosh thank you all for sharing the backs of your quilts. That does help me immensely.

Sunnye 11-07-2011 07:10 AM

The backs of MY quilts never look that good, ladies. Maybe some day if I keep practicing.

johanka 11-07-2011 07:15 AM

Good pictures everyone.

just_the_scraps_m'am 11-07-2011 07:19 AM

you know i really have to laugh! i've always read in the pamphlets i see "how to prepare your quilt for the longarmer" about cutting all the loose threads
this always made me laugh b/c i thought that's impossible! but now i see what you mean & WHY----hhhhmmmm..........

charity-crafter 11-07-2011 07:26 AM

please keep posting advice for quilting friendly tops
 
Please keep giving us advice to make our tops more quilter friendly. I want to make my tops as painfree as possible for the people quilitng my tops.

I know that my crumb quilts drive some quilters crazy because there are too many seams and it causes needle and thread breakage so I don't make my crumb blocks as "crumby" as before.

And when they tell me to square my top before giving it to them, how do I do that?

blessingscounted 11-07-2011 07:31 AM

This thread is great, I learn easiest by sight and touch, so thank you all. I see gray thread being used - is there a number and manufacturer that you use the most? I've heard about the "magic" gray color and have wondered what it is. I'm also a newbie with quilting. Thank you.

KerryK 11-07-2011 07:38 AM

I haven't heard about the "magic gray color" before and would be interested in learning about that, too! Do I need to go buy gray thread? Sounds like a good reason to go thread/fabric shopping to me!!! :)

bearisgray 11-07-2011 07:39 AM

Would it be okay to post the fronts and backs of individual blocks on this thread, also?

How a block is pressed does make a difference.

Excellent question/suggestion.

I've found a medium greenish-gray thread disappears into almost all colors - except for the very light ones.

GABBYABBY 11-07-2011 09:44 AM

I think this is just what I needed to see right now!!!! My daughter-in-law has just finished her first
quilt top and I have been helping her iron it. I seen on her top where her seams are here and there. No
order and it looks raggy, but I know once it is quilted no one will know this. I need to tell her to be very
careful when she sews her seams and presses them. These pictures I am going to save and show her
exactly what she needs to do without me having to tell her and maybe hurt her feelings. (you know us
mother-in-laws)!!!

charity-crafter 11-07-2011 11:48 AM


Originally Posted by blessingscounted (Post 4646463)
I've heard about the "magic" gray color and have wondered what it is.

I don't match my thread to my fabric, I want a nice neutral color that goes with everything. I use beige. Some people like gray.

Ruby the Quilter 11-07-2011 02:18 PM

Thanks for this thread. My question to go with this is: When you have pressed the blocks and go to sew them together and nest the corners sometimes they were pressed in the wrong direction to nest them when the strips of blocks are sewn together - how do you avoid this?

NDQuilts 11-07-2011 03:12 PM

I'm a hand quilter so I can spend a lot of time pressing seams, trimming errant seam allowances to prevent shadowing, clipping threads, etc. Based on a chosen quilting design, I may need to repress to accommodate the design, flipping the seam allowances into the opposite direction so I do not need to quilt through them.

mim 11-07-2011 03:38 PM

I think this is a great idea -- especially for those who are new or hand quilt. The way we press the seams is so important to the way the finished quilt looks. I shall bookmark this and next time I do a project -- big or small -- I shal take pix and post
Mim

mim 11-07-2011 03:43 PM

I take a long hard look at blocks and strips before I press so I can make sure to have "most" seams lock. It was really essential when I was making a bargello with a zillion tiny pieces. I would have been lost if the directions hadn't been so clear as to which way to press.

That said, sometimes I do have to make a tiny clip close to the seam so I can press the end of a seam the other way. Mim

ckcowl 11-07-2011 03:45 PM

you square your top by making sure your edges are straight- sides and top/bottom===the quilt is generally trimmed/squared after quilting- but needs to be straight for long-arm quilting so when it is loaded on the rollers it rolls up straight- otherwise it will (feed) crooked and you could run out of batting/backing--generally if you trim/ keep things straight as you create your top- it will be straight enough for quilting
about the gray thread---light gray on light fabrics, dark gray on dark fabrics---blends in and pretty much goes with anything---keeping you from having to change thread colors all the time- if you simply use a (neutral) like gray- it almost disappears.

charity-crafter 11-07-2011 04:03 PM


Originally Posted by ckcowl (Post 4648837)
you square your top by making sure your edges are straight- sides and top/bottom===the quilt is generally trimmed/squared after quilting- but needs to be straight for long-arm quilting so when it is loaded on the rollers it rolls up straight- otherwise it will (feed) crooked and you could run out of batting/backing--generally if you trim/ keep things straight as you create your top- it will be straight enough for quilting...

Oh, that makes sense. I kept thinking that it could be trimmed after they were done quilting.

Any other suggestions?

quiltymom 11-07-2011 04:10 PM

I preety much use ecru or white

Mitch's mom 11-07-2011 07:04 PM

Thank you for posting the pictures! My quilts have never been that neat and tidy on the reverse side. I do try to trim my threads because I can't stand them, however my pressing leaves a lot to be desired. I get it all confused, upside down and backward. If I have to nest corners heaven only knows where my seam will end up!

I do appreciate you ladies taking the time to post the pictures.

Fabriholic 11-07-2011 07:32 PM

This is a great thread! Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures ... that is very kind of you.

SheriR 11-08-2011 06:20 AM

When I've done hand work like embroidery or cross stitch, I've always believed my back should look as good as my front. Such as: no loose/hanging threads or clumps of threads. Stitches in a pretty order (when I cross stitch I want all my back stitches, as much as possible, going up and down).

When I've made quilt tops in the past I only ever tied them. And I would think -those puckers will be hidden in my tying....-

Now.... I have an amazing machine, sisters with so much quilting skill that I'd like to emulate, this quilt board with so much experience, patience and willingness to share. I also have the desire now, as I have more time to "play and create" to learn new skills such as free motion quilting, or maybe I'd like to send a top to be quilted on a longarm.

Thank you for this post. I apologize for taking so long to simply say you ladies have taught me it's ok to slow down and be more careful AND caring about my work.

Becka 11-08-2011 06:43 AM

What a great thread! You know, I take pictures of my projects at every turn. You could practically stack them up and make a flip movie of them. But I never, ever thought of taking pictures of the backside before sandwiching! And now that I've seen others' backsides (sorry, I couldn't resist that one) it is really a helpful thing to do. Just like taking a picture of the front to find things you don't see with the naked eye, the same concept works on the back of the front...

valleyquiltermo 11-08-2011 07:13 AM

I always want quilts that come to me for quilting to look as good on the back as they do on the front.
I do charge by the hour to trim them up if they are not trimmed. So I tell my ladies this and they have made such improvments that I no longer get quilts that need trimming on the back.

amsandy2 11-08-2011 08:43 AM

I'm new to the forum but... one of the prettiest quilts to me is white on white. One look says it all. What good is knowledge if it isn't shared. Thank You for your knowledge. I haven't quilted for quite a while but on the recent death of my mother and inheirting her quilting frames, I have a new zeal to quilt. She so loved to quilt. She taught so many the craft.

Janis 11-08-2011 08:50 AM

What a great idea of looking at the backs of the quilts!! I usually haven't worried about how the back looks because no one sees them. NOW I'll pay more attention to the backs too. The backs we've seen here are lovely. That inspires me to want my backs to look better. I'm just imaging someone being able to see inside my quilts and say 'OH MY!!! she didn't make it look very good'.
Janis

omaluvs2quilt 11-08-2011 08:57 AM

What an awesome thread! I never thought of doing this either, Thank you !!! I really love those patterns that give you the pressing directions, it can be very confusing at times. I design a lot of mine on EQ7 and am mostly self taught, so they don't always work out like planned, lol.

charity-crafter 11-08-2011 09:00 AM


Originally Posted by valleyquiltermo (Post 4651855)
I always want quilts that come to me for quilting to look as good on the back as they do on the front.
I do charge by the hour to trim them up if they are not trimmed. So I tell my ladies this and they have made such improvments that I no longer get quilts that need trimming on the back.

When you say trimming-do you mean the hanging threads or is there more trimming involved? I only ask because I think I'm a quilters nightmare. I sew with a charity sewing group and when I show up with tops for quilting I get the eye roll. I get comments like "I had problems with this quilt, my thread kept breaking" Or "my needle broke a couple times" But they aren't giving me specifics on how to make my top so the thread won't keep breaking while they quilt. I think they are trying to spare my feelings.

Things I've been told that I do wrong and I've tried to do better:

1) Always press my seams as I sew. I used to be pretty bad about this, I'd press when my block was finished. Now at least I'm getting better about finger pressing at least between seams.

2) don't have so many over lapping seams-this was more when I was using the smallest crumbs for my blocks.

3) square up the top

So now, I'll add trim my strings on the back as well as the front.

What else?

Really I want to learn! Please give as much advice as you can, even little things that might seem like nit-picking. I want the info. Because I really don't want to quilt my own. I want it as painfree as possible. So I won't be the one everyone dreads to see coming in with an arm load of tops.

thepolyparrot 11-08-2011 09:11 AM

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I like the backs to look (as far as possible) as nice as the fronts. This is the back of a serged snowball quilt.

I took the picture for a tutorial and the orange marks are there to demonstrate pressing each seam toward the darkest fabric. This back was the nicest I've ever made.

Serging is not an option for many patterns - it adds too much bulk to the seams. But for this snowball quilt, serging works well and, since it's for a toddler, I think it will wear well.


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