Originally Posted by
cathyvv
I'm not laughing, but how do you get it straight and keep it straight? For me, that's the hardest part of loading the quilt top!
Then again, I put the quilt sandwich together first and then load it onto the take up rail, let it all hang free until the second to last row of a quilt. The weight of the quilt keeps it taut enough until then. I also use side leaders that I made. Seems to work for me and for the quilts I make.
how do you make the sandwich first? don't you have two rollers, one for top and the other for backing? It seems to me by putting it together you might be creating puckers.... Keeping the quilt straight? I don't understand that....it should be straight when you attach to rollers.....I use pins to attach to leaders and then use clamps attached to elastic - 3 on each side to keep it the right tautness when quilting...no sagging.....if I get one that has "hills and valleys" from either paper piecing or bias edged triangle piecing, I will use strips of batting tucked just into the top roller at the front side -enough to take the sag out while working on it.
About once every 2/3 yrs I have to re-hem the ends of my leaders.......they will bow in the middle from continuous pulling.....that may be what is throwing off the straightness of the sandwich...........