Just how do you do it? Square the quilts up I mean.
 

Is there a trick to this? I squared up a quilt tonite. Oh my gosh, I thought I was a dork! I squared it up so many times, I am sure I lost inches, ok, the quilt did not me!! I use a L to square mine up but tonite I think my L was crooked. How do you do it? Any tips? I can't be the only one wondering this I am sure! Thanks in advance.

I haven't done it this way myself (yet), but using a laser square from the hardware store looks like an accurate way to do it. Here is a link:
http://www.dreamweavers-quilts.com/q...hort-tutorial/
I know it's for blocking a quilt, but it would work for squaring a quilt also.

For me, squaring a quilt sandwich by cutting has always been a bust. What I do instead is use a Sharpie black marker to mark the corners. That way, if I need to make adjustments, there is less squirming around of the quilt sandwich while I am working.

Unlike most people, I do not cut the edges before sewing on the binding. Instead, I use the Sharpie line as as virtual edge, lining up the cut edges of my binding strip with the Sharpie line. Only after the binding is sewn on do I finally cut the quilt edges to size. (My only caution about this is to be *very* careful at the corners; you do not want to nick the binding.) Doing it this way seems to keep my edges from stretching, and I also don't have to worry about a fabric edge folding under.

Here's an excellent video on how to square up a quilt. (No affiliation).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeYAO...eature=related

The youtube video is good but I'm having trouble even being square on the inner borders. Must improve. Love the laser thingy. Think it would just depress me if I used one as I'm so wonky.
Annie

Off topic, but what accent does this woman have? It sounds unusual to me.

Great idea. I hope I can remember that for the next time I'm finishing a quilt.

I think the most important thing is to square up the blocks as you sew. If I'm working on say a 12" finished block I square that up to 12 1/2" before adding it to another block or sashing. Once all blocks are sewn together I will take 3 measurements each way (middle, each side) (horizonal, vertical) to ensure they are correct before adding the first border. If your blocks are coming up SHORT, I fudge that with the sashing or the next block ( of course making sure the next block is correct first).

I found this same youtube video and it took all the problems away for me. It really is a great way to square a quilt and I've used it on my last several quilts and it works great.

I do it this way too. It pulls everything together as you go. It sure has made a difference for me since I've been doing it this way.

Thanks for posting this. I've learned a few things. Now can't wait to implement them. The video was great.

I just watched the video......I think it's really good! I never knew how to do this. I just cut!

My question is what do you use when there isn't an inside border?

TIA-

No one minded to identify that accent for me? I love regional variations in language and speech and would like to know.

It definitely helps to keep things lined up as one goes.

Trying to fix a lot of wonkiness when the top is "finished" is almost futile.

When you attach inner borders do you measure your quilt's length and width at the center of the quilt, then cut your borders to these dimensions? Example: Measure length of quilt in the center of the quilt, not at the edge. Cut side borders to this measurement. Attach and ease in any fullness. Once attached then measure your quilt's width for top and bottom. Again measure at the center of your quilt, cut your top and bottom to this measurement and attach, once more easing in any fullness. This should square up your quilt. You can now measure top and bottom it should be the same measurement. Same with left and right sides. Your corners should be nice and square as well.

I noticed this too! I went to the website Overallquilter.com and the company is located in South Carolina.

Squaring up begins as soon as you sew two pieces of a block together. Everytime another piece is added, the section is squared. When the entire block is pieced, the block is squared again. After adding sashing or borders, I stay stitch around the quilt top, so the fabric doesn't stretch when handling, and adding other blocks, sashing, etc.
By squaring up as you piece the quilt top, it will be square when the top is finished.

Ditto! Every smidgeon that is off adds up in the end. I have learned to sew small bits then measure and trim. More work along the way but better results in the end. Haven't tried blocking yet.

Thanks for the question. No matter what classes I have taken, we never seem to get to that point...squaring the quilt.
I know I should check each block but just want to keep sewing. Obviously I'll have to mend my ways. Also Will watch the video and get some pointers.

I have never had any luck with the "easing" of fabric. I put the longer side on the bottom and no matter how I try, I either get a pucker or am too short . And I'm not talking about a lot of fabric-maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch at most.
Any suggestions?

this is the one i use. it never fails. and it pays to by the laser leveler.

http://chubbymother.blogspot.com/200...ing-quilt.html

thanks for posting. i always learn new tips from youtube videos.

Thanks for posing the questions. I like the video, but still would like to know what you should use as a guide when you have a quilt that doesn't have a boarder edge to use. Any one done that?

Do you pin first? Match centers first, then edges, then quarters, etc.

If you are getting a pucker in the bottom layer or else coming up short in the top layer, you can also try pulling slightly on the top layer when feeding the fabric.

Thanks for the video. It was great! I put it in my favorites for future reference.

Great video! Thanks for sharing it.

Be sure you have the part you want to ease in on the bottom so the feed dogs work to ease it in. I learned this at a pattern making workshop. It really makes a difference.

What a great video, I never knew this information or even thought it should be asked.

Let's say you cut the border to the 2 of the 3 measurements but it is 1/4 inch shorter than the 3rd. So I can't really fold the border in 1/2...1/4 etc because wouldn't I pin it even at the top? So how then do you match up therest of it? Am I over thinking this?

I too asked about what to do if the quilt doesn't have borders. I posted it in a separate question because it got buried here. My thought is that no one knows.........just a thought as with my other post I didn't get an answer there either.

Does anyone know?

Thanks!

Maybe you are over-thinking it. Here's an example.

I measure the quilt through the middle and it is 82 inches (you could use the average of 3 separate measurements instead, but I don't bother), so I cut my border strip 82 inches.

Next step is to mark the quilt into eighths. I fold the quilt in half to find the mid-point and put a pin there; that is the pin that marks the halfway point. Then I fold each end to that pin to find the quarter marks and put pins there to mark them. To find the eighths, I fold until two pins match and mark that center point.

On the border, I do the same thing (although usually I iron the marks). I fold the border in half and iron the fold. Then I fold each end to that mark and iron in the quarters. I match quarter marks to iron in the eights.

Now my border is 82 inches long and marked into eighths. My quilt edge may be 83 inches long, but it is also marked into eighths. I pin the border to the quilt edge, matching marks (and pinning the edges also). That way the extra inch is split up into 8 different sections. It's not hard to ease an eighth of an inch at a time. In this case, I would probably put the quilt on the bottom (so the feed dogs can ease in the excess) and put a little extra tension on the border piece if I see I am going to run out of border before I get to the next pin. If the quilt edge measured 81 inches, then I would put the border on the bottom and pull a little extra tension on the quilt top while sewing. In this way, after sewing, the length of each border at the outer edge will be 82 inches.

Easing is the process of *gradually* working in excess fabric without getting a pucker.

On non-show quilts I use my largest square ruler - my June Taylor shapecut, on the corners. If it's slightly off, I adjust it so the difference is split across the two sides (ie: if it's out 1/4" on one side and 1/8" on the other, I just eyeball it to between the two on both sides). Once the corners are done, I add the 24" ruler up against the square ruler to make a long edge from the corner. I work this way from both corners and meet in the middle.

Thank you EasyPeezy for directing me to the video. This will really be helpful to me.

Thanks to Prism 99 for your instructions. Twice I've tried to ease the border fabric and have always had it come out to short and had to rip. Think I may be sewing too fast. Will try again as I'm getting ready to finish a lap quilt...put it aside because I didn't want to deal with the borders.