Long Arm Quilters Question
 

I read the other day that some quilters add muslin to the sides of the top of the quilt before they put it on the long arm machine. Not sure what I think about that. I just recently purchased a used machine and have been reading alot trying to learn.
Please tell me your opinion.

I don't know why anyone would add muslin to the top, however sometimes muslin is added to the backing to give more fabric to attach to the frame.

I have on two occasions had to add about a 2" strip to the backing to have something to clamp to on the sides. If I do this for a customer (and yes, one was my own and I didn't get enough backing!) I do charge for the hassle of doing it--that also reminds them to give you at least 3-4" extra on all sides to attach to when long arming. I'd add that I always "float" the top and the batting (meaning I don't attach either to the roller, instead stitching it directly to the back at the top and then basting down the sides as I go)

I think it might be for keeping the edge of the top away from the leaders so that the quilting can be done right up to or off the edge of the quilt without running into the leaders.Of course this would be done if the top were loaded sideways on the frame.
I once had a minky backing that was barely bigger than my quilt top so I heavily thread basted the two layers together, then sewed a strip of muslin all the way around the backing and loaded it on my frame like that to quilt it. When I was done I trimmed up the backing, cutting off the muslin strips. Worked great.

Cari

Edit - I think Quiltingshorttimer has a better explanation than my thought.

I've never had to add to the top or bottom, but sometimes the sides. I have a couple strips of muslin, about 8" wide, and 18" long that I can pin and unpin to the sides of my quilt as I go along. I sometimes need this when I'm using my extended base that you use with acrylic templates.

I keep long strips of muslin on hand just in case someone has a charity quilt with a backing that is "tight" in size. - meaning not enough room to clamp to the leaders and have sufficient room to quilt the top. Most of the time, however, I never use them (when I do need them, I never know where I stuffed them the last time they were used - lol).

I'll be working on a reversible quilt in the future and I thought about adding strips to the top and bottom of the backside so I can match up the blocks better. Might have to do it to the sides too or make sure the batting is wider than the quilt. Haven't thought a lot about how I'm going to do it but I know I'll be basting this quilt to make sure the blocks match up front and back. Not looking forward to this quilt.

This may be done because there is not enough backing top and bottom to mount it on the frame and still have clearance for the needle head to start at the edge. This would be common for anyone using Red Snappers or the equivalent.
For that reason I always ask for at least 3 extra inches top and bottom for the backing. If your pinning all pieces on, it's not necessary .

this sounds very hard! Glad it's not me trying to figure this out. One thought--will the quilt roll well (and not cause tucks) if you are clamping to the bat and the "back" is smaller? Or did I misunderstand you on that?

Ditto, absolutely spot on.