After I have stabilized the quilt with stitching horizontal and vertical, do any of you stitch around the outside edge before putting on the binding? Thanks for all your help--I learn so much from this forum!

I do stitch around the edge before I put the binding on.

me too :D

For me, it depends on the density of the quilting pattern and whether it goes all the way to the edge. I do not usually stitch the perimeter before sewing on the binding because the quilting is enough to stabilize the edges.

No I dont
But it is important to square up your quilt before binding.
If you machine stitch in the ditch it keeps your seams from being all wonky.
I use a walking foot to attach the binding to the front then I use a stitch in the ditch foot to attach the back binding. Love that foot as it keeps my seams right in the ditch.
I learned from this board to use Elmers glue to hold the back binding in place before sewing, much better than pins. Thin line of glue then iron.

Same here. Do not cut the batting and the backing down until you have either stabilized or put on the binding ...

I used to not cut off the backing and batting before putting on the binding but have found it is more important to square up the quilt before binding.
I machine stitch my binding in the ditch rather than hand stitching and squaring up the quilt is very important.

I should have taken a bit more time ... I used to cut the backing and binding right down to edge of the quilt. I don't have the space to lay the quilt out to square it up, and for some reason, that hasn't been an issue. However, cutting things down while walking around the edge of a bed (and, yes, I did cut a sheet doing that little trick, too! <g>) anyway, I found that if I cut too close to the top, I would inevitably run out of batting and backing somewhere along the way. Now, I trim the batting and backing to with two inches or so from the top ... if you leave too much backing and batting, it is a constant battle to keep the edges smooth.

That's what I do, too!

stabilizing the edges before putting on the binding would probably eliminate a lot of fiddling to ensure capturing all of the front and back and ease any "waves" as you go along. Trying to do all of that at once sometimes becomes a bit overwhelming.

One of the guild ladies zigzags around the top and the backing before she sanwiches the quilt. She also bastes around the perimeter to stabilize.

If I had to do that, I would never quilt a stitch. :wink:

Seems like overkill. Fabric is fluid medium and the actual quilting process will produce a small amount of "wonkiness" here and there. Stitching the very edges would not allow the quilt to "breathe". I square units and blocks. Once the top is completed, sandwiched and pinned I begin stabilizing by stitching in the ditch each row horizonticaly and then verticaly. Then, I mark and quilt the entire quilt except for the borders. At this point, I square each corner of the quilt. I quilt the borders. I add binding according to the measurement through the center vertical and horizontal. This is about as square as a quilt can get.

while a quilt was still on my frame, i wet it down to get all the chalk marks out. what i do is wipe it off with a pure white towel and the chalk just cleans off easily. anyway, i was wetting the edges and i discovered that when it dried, the edges has shrunk just enough to "block" out any wonkies and leave me a nice straight edge.

well, you know the rest i'm sure. i roll each section out and wet it enough to wet, not soak, the top. i find that that's where the wonkies live. the backing is very tight on the frame. the water is not enough to go through to the batting, so that stays dry, as does the backing. but the top gets very straight. when that section dries, i move on to the next section. it's a few extra days on the frame, but so much easier on my back. the take-up roller really does the job for me.

this shrinking process also shrinks down any squoogies (those oversized pointy little hills of fabric that appear between two quilted areas) and other bulging problems.

once the top has been straightened and roughly trimmed, i can go right to binding, which i do from the front then trim to finished size, and hand stitch to the back. does anyone understand that garble at all?

I usually stitch with my walking foot around the edges of the quilted sandwich. I am learning more than one way to do things. :?

It depends on the quilt. Some just don't need it and some need some extra help.

Perfectly clear to me, but then I speak fluent garble! :lol:

I never thought of stabilising before putting the binding on - I trim everything back to the top once quilted then put my folded double binding on to the top by machine. I don't pin or glue, just sit with it trailing out behind me and place it as I go. Then I turn over and hand stitch to the back, again placing as I go - no pinning or glueing. OK Maybe my quilts aren't always plum square but who wants to be square, :D :wink: !

K x

Butter flying
I do understand and I was happy you did mention the wetting process since I have a home made frame but I didn't know I can actually wet the fabric while on the frame.....
It was very interesting to read all of the comments in here....
As for me...It depends...I am working on a large dinning room table to square quilts up but of course its not a perfect solution.....
Quilts that I feel will couse some problems during binding..I rather serge the edges first.....It keeps them right in place and make them easier to keep in place.....
:lol:

i actually can't take all the credit for this. sharon schamber shows a wetting process on the frame to "iron" the backing instead of really ironing. as the fabric dries, it shrinks into un-wrinkles. i also saw a video of her squaring up a block by stretching and shrinking by wetting in place and then pressing to true it up. both methods can be found on youtube.

so i thought HAH! there's more to this shrinking thing than meets the eye.

she uses a plain old spray bottle so i do too.

How would i do this without a quilt frame? Any ideas? I guess you have to be able to stretch the top square and hold it there, right?

K x

the only thing i can think of is some contraption where you hang one roller from the ceiling with the quilt rolled on it. at the bottom would be another heavy roller to roll it onto. wet the center part as you go? it sounds like a lot of trouble, but the idea is to hang it with straight weight on the bottom and top to keep it stretched out top to bottom, then wet the sides. you didn't ned that living room anyway, did you?

butterflywing, I love your calling them wonkies and squoogies! Now I have a name for them :lol: :lol: :lol: Ninnie in NC I am with cindyb

how large a quilt are you talking about? hooks in the ceiling, rod on the hooks, sleeve on the rod. down below a heavy rod, sleeve basted to the bottom of the quilt. adjustable to height. when you're through, take everything down except the hooks. voila! that's my french for you. and my tag below.

Merci B mais ça me semble trop de boulot!!! Sorry, that's mean! What I said was thanks but that sounds like too much well, boulot is kind of work, no chore is better. Also, if I had that kind of contraption set up in the house, people might talk! :wink:

IF I was a perfectionist I'd do that but (as you've seen!!!) I'm not so I think I'll stick with wonkies and squoogies!

K x

PS I had noticed your new French signature - I LOVE it, sorry should have commented earlier. I also noticed that you put the old one back again as well! :D :wink:

why not let people talk? they'll think you have a fascinating private life. who knows? i hope you do.

yes, i had changed it for my other favorite saying, which is really an extension of the same feeling. then i figured, s**t, why not go all the way?

I had a friend in the UK whose hubby was into hang gliding - they had a strange set up of ropes, pulleys and shackles set up in their spare room - she CLAIMED it was so he could practice hang gliding but it looked a bit suspect to me - or maybe my mind lives in the gutter?! :lol:

K x

butterflywing - here's your original signature in French - ish! :D

Si tu ne peux pas voler si haut que tu veuilles, vols si haut que tu puisses!

Probably not grammatically correct but close enough!

K x

only if the quilt is large. baby quilts not neccessary for me.. I hand stitch the binding on for baby quilts.

Parkenson's people.. if on top of meds, machine stitching ok.. other wise that needle going up and down and hands side to side.. always a scary thing !!

Ellen

maybe they were happy that way. you know the rocks and holes theory? the rocks in his head fit the holes in her head!


(thanks for the tag info)

gee, K, after reading that,...now my minds in the gutter! :lol:

that sounds like them! You're welcome BTW!

K x

oh, you can't blame me for THAT! For a lot of things maybe, but not that! :lol:

K x

C - yes, you got me! But you led me there!!! LOL

K x

I have a wonderful gadget that my daughter got me at a garage sale. It is a huge huge piece of cardboard, that folds right up when not in use. It has a grid on it, so when i am finished making my quilt top, i lay it out on that before sandwiching it, and if there's any waves in my edges, they get trimmed off right then. Then i sandwich and pin my quilt. Then, i used to quilt from the centre out, and always, the quilting would stretch and wobble my perfect edges. So now, first thing i do is stitch right around the whole sandwiched quilt first, and then i do my quilting, this ensures my quilt stays square, it also allows me to trim the excess batting off right from the start, cus i cant stand having to deal with the extra batting when trying to sew. This is the first time i've done it this way, and it's working out really well for me.

...just putting the 'bait' out :lol: :lol: :lol: