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Quote:

Originally Posted by Nilla (Post 6389604)

I really think a lot about just admitting that I don't like this part of the process and selling my longarm...

Don't give up, Nilla! It's all a learning game, for sure. You didn't sell your sewing machine when a quilt didn't turn out right, did you? And thank goodness you didn't! It's all about learning from your mistakes - we all go through it, you're not alone!! You will love to learn this process. Seriously.

not to fret, even us old quilters make mistakes

What a clever idea Cindi !! I use to quilt my quilts on my Bernina. I used one of those long measuring vinyl tapes (120")to make sure everything was square. But I also cut my border a tiny bit wider just to be able to adjust to any small errors.

JJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindi (Post 6389553)

That problem alone is the reason I use the centering tape on my frame. It keeps me from pulling it too tight at one end and not enough at the other. It keeps everything nice and square. I've never had that problem again. I swear by this tape! It's the pink tape that runs across the quilt in the picture. It has little points that I line up with the sashings. You can see it up-close in the other picture. Two different quilts, but you get the drift!

wow, that looks like a really nifty tool. i'll have to remember that when i get my next frame

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindi (Post 6389553)

I saw another thing you did which was to pin a lot more closer when going down the sides than I have been doing. I have been pinning every 3 or 4 inches. I'm thinking that is leaving too much slack. I have been tending to work the "fluff" (love that word) out by pulling the corner to stretch it, when I should have been easing it in. All the seams inside the quilt tend to not let the middle stretch at all, so only the side borders can stretch, which is another part of the whole equation.

The measuring tape you are using...is it a special one that fits your frame, or just a really long one that you hook on? I am very good at eye-balling it to keep the quilt straight and have been measuring from one side just to verify. I didn't think about keeping the whole quilt straight by measuring all the points. I just love learning something new about my quilting every day and I do. Thank you for these two great tips.

The measuring tape is called Colonial Longarm Centering Tape. You can get it at a lot of LQS's and a lot of places have it online. Here it is at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Needl.../dp/B0016ZZMZ6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb in Louisiana (Post 6390353)

I do pin very close. It really helps when I baste the top and sides down. The more pins I use, the less fullness I have to worry about. I pull out one pin at a time, as I come to it. I'd rather over-pin and be able to work in any "fluff" (love that word, too!) than to have tucks from not pinning enough.

Thanks to everyone for advice and support. Thanks to Cindi for providing the link for the 'tape'. Working on another quilt this afternoon and will do better this time.

So many great tips from this board. I use a lot of pins and was informed it wasn't necessary. Why go to all that work? Because it's worth it! Mine was a small quilt!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessagin (Post 6390542)

So many great tips from this board. I use a lot of pins and was informed it wasn't necessary. Why go to all that work? Because it's worth it! Mine was a small quilt!

Exactly! It's definitely worth it. I'd rather get it right the first time than to have to frog, that's for sure!!