Cutting border fabric
 

I cut my border strips the same way I cut block strips but when I sandwich my quilt the borders are wavy in spots. How do I fix this?

Thank you, Marilee

Do you sew them on with the border fabric on top? The feed dogs will feed the bottom fabric every so slightly faster. When that happens you'll get waves.

Did you measure your quilt first, or sew the borders on and cut flush with the edge? If you did it the second way, that could be why your borders are wavy.

I do trim the border fabric to the quilt edge after I sew it on. I'll try measuring first & the sewing.

Thanks, Marilee

Instructions might help:

http://www.quiltuniversity.com/metho...or_borders.htm

I always did it that way-sew on a longer piece and trim. Never had a wavy border. Then I read that it's not the right way so I switched. I figure with my luck, the next time I did it the old way I'd have a wavy border.

Are you supposed to keep the border fabric on the bottom?

Also, I don't measure, even now. I just cut the border the width or length of my quilt top in the center.

measure, cut and pin center, ends and in between. some starch might help the fabric to be more stable too.

No, put the border next to the presser foot and the quilt next to the feed dogs.

It also helps if you cut the border fabric on the length of the fabric. Cross-wise it stretches some, length-wise it is more stable. I know it uses much more fabric, but it works.