It's me again- with more newbie questions.
The top of my quilt is 6 long strips, 9in wide, which, in retrospect, I would never do again, but didn't really happen on purpose... I can't tell if I'm getting them lined up correctly. How can I line them up to be straight not just to eachother, but as a finished product?
Next. Once I get that all sewn together, my batting/backing all lined up, where should I start pinning? in the center? I got basting pins- do I really need to pin every 4 inches or can it be further apart?
-I am machine quilting it, down the ditches between the 6 strips, then the plan was to ditch again every 9in or so (because of my blocks). That's why I'm wondering about pinning. Once that's done, I was going to do a little hand stitching, but not much.
Next next. I found pre-cut/rolled binding today at JoAnns in a patterned-not-plain-fabric. I believe it started at 2 1/2 inches wide, is rolled and pressed in half with one folded edge and one raw edge. I obviously have to fold the raw edge under- is there a 'set' size that my binding should be once it's finished? Do I fold and press that raw edge into itself until it touches or just about touches the center fold, or further out? Do I leave myself some extra batting/backing to fold in there, or not so much?

Thank you all. Sorry for all the questions, I know I'm just in the new-quilter-panic mode, but I am such a perfectionist. I don't want to find out later, DOY- wish I would have known that!- about silly, simple things.

THANK YOU!!!!

I'll answer this part. The binding you bought sounds like it's ready to use. You leave it folded in half and line both raw edges of the binding up with the raw edge of the quilt and sew it one with a quarter inch seam. Then you turn the folded edge over to the back and hand sew it down.

Remember, your work will improve with practice.

Most of us end up doing some trimming to square up our quilts at the very end or even as we go along. I think it would be rare to have it end up being perfectly square.

As to pinning, if you do not pin your layers enough, or closely enough, you may end up with puckers on the back and you won't know until you turn the quilt over. Start pinning in the center and work your way out. When SID I try to keep the pins out of the ditch areas so I don't have to take them out as I go.
Check your quilt over carefully when you are done pinning to make sure it is laying nice, flat and smooth.

deedles215 It sounds like your binding is ready to go AS IS. First you try to square up your finished quilt up. cut all 3 edge layers off evenly (top, batting, backing) DO NOT turn under unfinished edge of binding. Just lay it along the TOP with that edge even w/ edge of quilt, right sides together, (It will be sort of upside at this point, and pinning as you put it around the whole edge of quilt. Make sure NOT to catch any of the other folded edge!. Leave at least 2 inches extra at the end for turning under when you get to that point when sewing, so they overlap. Sew these 2 pieces together w/ (with) a 1/4 inch seam. This should insure that when you bring the other edge(already turned under) over to the back side that your pre folded center edge will match the very edge of your quilt sandwich and the very (folded) edge will line up with the edge of the front binding. Or close enough as it won't show. Then by hand take tiny stitches along very edge of back binding to sew it down. Then again, at this point. if you are real "gutsy" just try to match the edge of back binding to edge of already sewn front binding--sew on the machine. Have good luck and have FUN.
imak

all that I said only applies if your binding is folded in half and only one of the raw edges is folded under already!! And the second raw edge is NOT turned under ! If it is just folded in half with both raw edges it is to be applied as the first person said. Hope I haven't totally screwed you up!!! LOL

imak

Hi
I hope when you sewed your strips together you stitched one row from the top down and the next strip from the bottom up.
When you sew strips together you should NOT sew them all in one direction as this will not keep it square.

Scrap quilter

I am glad that you are asking all the newbie questions... helps all of us out

Nope, I didn't. I started at strip A, sewed them together all the way to the bottom, then started at strip B, all the way down...
ARGH. So do I have to rip all those seams out, or is there a way I can make it work without completely damaging the integrity of the pattern on top? That's the point I was at last night.

"pins, pins, pins - pin like crazy before you sew"

Now that the strips are done, I sat there for almost an hour last night trying to justify the edges together and pinned ev 3 inches- but since my strips are not all perfectly square, it's not working... My worry is that if I try to 'force' the strips to be correct to eachother, they wont' be correct as a quilt and it will look dumb.

"all that I said only applies if your binding is folded in half and only one of the raw edges is folded under already!! And the second raw edge is NOT turned under ! If it is just folded in half with both raw edges it is to be applied as the first person said. Hope I haven't totally screwed you up!!! LOL

imak"

The binding is folded exactly in half, leaving one edge with 2 raw edges and the other with the fold. No, I understood what you said. I watched the youtube video that b.zang posted and I was like OH! I thought I was sandwiching the 3 layers right in the middle of the binding fold, then tucking both raw edges into themselves, making 7 layers I'd have to sew through... but what was suggested makes more sense, and is, I'm sure, how it's supposed to be done.

I'm going to go down now and take pictures of the issues I'm talking about and post them here... I think you all get it, but maybe it will help. I really don't want to tear all those seams out, but I don't know where to move forward from here.

Why couldn't I just have started with a 9-patch?! lol...

Here are the pictures... the binding, strips (2 out of 6) and how much I've gotten pinned. I guess in the picture it doesn't look as if I'm really that off, but when I'm counting on 1/4 in seams, I'm afraid I'll cut it too close.