quilt it down?
 

i have a bit of a problem i think. a couple of problems maybe...

i used some wide curves in my last project while i was piecing and the quilt top isn't lying quite flat. i was planning to fmq with wavy vertical lines with small leaf motifs throughout. exactly how flat does the top actually have to be and what are the consequences of it not being completely flat? pleats? wrinkles? what?

also, how much play should one have at the edges of the quilt? i mean...how much should backing and batting stick out before you're really in trouble? if i sandwich it together and pin the living daylights out of it, it won't really shift around right? or even sew the outside edges first to stabilize it? this is a double sided quilt, and both sides are important in terms of what's on the edges.

how tricky is this going to be? it's late and i am suddenly scared that i've made a real mess of everything.

thanks for your thoughts!

aileen

I'd glue it together if you don't want movement.

I love 505 spray adhesive and it's great to smooth the quilt down before quilting. I haven't tried Elmers yet, but I just can't seem to get a nice smooth finish by using pins.

The 505 is great . You can play about to get a really flat surface on both sides. I would also press verrrrrrrrry well and use spray starch . The starch will not only help to hold but to slide.
Good luck and keep that s.....box handy.

Spray adhesive. I'm not sure about the puckering/wrinkling, I am a pretty picky when it comes to getting them to lay flat. Good luck!

I had puckering with my last quilt, it had bias edges. I used school glue on it to glue down the poofs. It helped considerably to not have it "move" as I quilted. I was able to stretch out the poofs with my hands. No folds or tucks. But I did break the thread several times when it hit glue on both sides.

I'm an Elmer's School Glue basting fan. No over-spray, no fumes, very inexpensive, and works wonderfully!

I use big safety pins and remove several when ready to quilt each area, I FMQ most quilts and can work out any poofs or blemishes by smoothing out with my gloved hands. A larger design helps too. Close quilting will make them more noticeable. I always use a high loft poly batting, never iron it.

i tore out and reset a half dozen seam bits where they were bunching/poofing. this was a tricky project; working with linen on a mid-century modern design.

i got it lie flat. i cannot however make the batting bigger nor the quilt smaller so i taped down the back and the batting and did my very best to stabilize it with pins. it has a ridiculous number of pins in it that will be a huge pain when i start quilting. this is a commissioned piece so i didn't want to experiment with the glue, but i appreciate the suggestions.

wish me luck on the fmq! and thanks so much for your thoughts :)

aileen