Help me remember: waves?????
 

So I just finished a small lap-sized quilt and thought I’d squared it up...but maybe not. Is that what is causing the small waves in the edges of my quilt? I haven’t washed it yet...maybe that will help flatten it out. It’s not for show, just for love...but I’m curious as to what went wrong And how to remedy it???

Thank you for helping!!!

I get small waves when I machine stitch my borders. I am usually going around the quilt 3 times. If I hand stitch the back, I don't get waves.

I measure my border from the top of my quilt to the bottom in the center and cut my length that way. Then I pin it to the side and starting with the center then on either end and work it in if necessary then when I get the sides on I measure side to side from the center and cut my top and bottom border, prevents any waves. when Quilts go to the longarmer to done there biggest complaint is a wavy border

I had wavy edges until I followed mic-pa's technique of measuring only the centers, No problems since.

I always use a carpenters square when squaring up my quilts. No problems so far.

Just a thought here: I wonder if the waves are more noticeable when, in sewing the border to the quilt body, the border is on the bottom or the top. I would think that unless your machine has a feed equalizer feature (I forget the proper name--maybe continuous feed?) then the bottom fabric would tend to be pushed through at a greater rate than the top fabric, due to the feed dogs pulling the bottom fabric through. Thus you would tend to get waves on the bottom fabric. Maybe.

I have found a method that works for me, kind of the lazy girl's method. I just cut a length that I know is plenty long, and lay it in place on top of the quilt edge (which has been staystitched at the edge), on a bed or other flat surface. I very gently smooth the two fabrics together, not pulling or easing at all. Just lay one on top of the other, making sure each is flat. Then I pin, every few inches, to make sure there is no stretching on either piece. Maybe every 4 inches. Then sew. Any little stretching that the presser foot or feed dogs create (or natural stretchiness of the fabric that is cut WOF) will be eased in before you get to the next pin. This has worked for me. No waves.

Using a walking foot and a bit longer stitch than when piecing does help me.

Need more information.

Does your quilt have borders? Have you sewn on the binding yet? Are the blocks/fabrics at the edge of the quilt cut on the bias?

All of these items will have some effect on wavy borders depending on how you manage them. Please tell us more about your quilt, or maybe post a picture.

Properly measuring through the center both sides and top and bottom causes me not to have waves.

I measure the width of the quilt top and quilt bottom and add the measurements together and then divide by 2. That way both borders are the same length. I then measure the left side and the right side of the quilt, add measurements together and divide by 2. Now my quilt is squared and no wavy borders. I never cut my border according to the pattern directions because a 1/2 " can make a big difference.

I had a top that was a mass of bias edges. No amount of measuring was going to give me a true length for my border. I finally did the math--finished size of block x number of blocks + 1/2 inch and marked every intersection on my border fabric. I made sure that everything was pinned to match up with the markings and sewed with the body on the bottom so that my feed dogs would help gather in any bias stretch. It worked like a charm!! And this is my go-to method for any borders.

I cut my border 1/2" shorter than the center measurement and ease the top to the border.

This the perfect solution for bias edges being sewn onto borders. Then I sew with the border on the bottom so I can see how that bias is going into the seam. A little brush with a wooden stiletto will ease the fabric so it doesn't create tucks.