My mother-in-law and I just finished a twin size quilt top we've been working on for my daughter. It's the largest quilt I've done, and I'm nervous now about squaring it up.

Do we square the top before it's been quilted, or should we wait until after? We are sending it to a longarm quilter.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture. The quilt is pinwheel blocks set on point, with no side borders, although there are narrow top and bottom borders. For the setting triangles on the sides, we used larger blocks than were necessary, to "float" the blocks a little and give us more room to square up. THe lady we quilt with, however, who has an awful lot of experience quilting, acted like she'd never heard of doing this, so I'm not sure she'll have much advice on squaring it, either.

I square as I go and unless I'm going to enter it in a contest (which I never have) I don't square up the whole quilt. I know, I'm bad, but if it's off an inch or two who's going to notice? When it's on a bed you really can't tell. I do try to make my edges somewhat straight and that's as good as it gets.

you will need to square the quilt after it is quilted; the quilting process can 'draw-up' the top (just like doing applique) so it will need to be squared after quilting before the binding is attached. it should be squared before going to the long-arm quilter's too. if it is off kilter it will not roll evenly as it is loaded to quilt it.

I wait until after I finish quilting too :D:D:D

I wait until I'm done quilting.

This is what I do also.

It needs to be square when you send it to your longarmer!

If it isn't square, it doesn't roll up on the take up roller evenly, and the problem will just get worse as it's quilted along.

Of course longarmers work "magic" with unsquare quilts a LOT, but do both of you a favor and get it as square as possible before sending it, she'll do a much nicer job of the quilting that way.

I square as I go and before quilting/sending to longarmer and again after quilting/before binding and then I block it after binding. I guess that's obsessive, huh. Maybe it comes from all those years married to a carpenter?? :D

Okay, thanks for the advice everyone!