oksewglad

Recently indycat32 started a thread on reloading a quilt.

Can I re-load a quilt onto a longarm?

My scenario and question is:

I have a UFO quilt that was machine quilted on a DSM and have three outer borders left to quilt...each about 3" wide. Naturally I started in the middle and worked my way out to the sides. The quilt is glue basted with Elmer's white glue. I just got a new to me LA...quilt #6 was finished last night.
Can I load this UFO on the LA, and turn it 4 times to finish the outer borders?

Look forward to hearing from more experienced quilters! Thanks for your advice!

PaperPrincess

Sure you can! Depending on how much backing you have, you might have to baste something (like a muslin strip) to make sure that you have enough to load it. You won't have to turn it 4 times. Load it, do top (horizontal) border roll to bottom & do bottom border. Most experienced LA quilters will quilt the entire quilt as it's rolled both the field and borders, so if you are adventurous, you can do the side borders as you roll. If not, just remove, turn & reload. I'm not that good with borders, especially when I'm trying to center a motif, so I will often turn mine.

oksewglad

Oh thanks, PPrincess! I have plenty of backing and batting so not worried there, but never thought I'd only have to do it just twice. And no not too comfortable working the side borders at the same time just yet.
My next question for you is do I start from the top and work toward the center or start where I left off previously and work up (or down if it's on the bottom part)?

newbee3

Okay it depends on the design you are going to use I think you could do the top border and then do both sides without turning and then do the bottom border. Without turning the quilt at all if it is just a all over meander type of design

oksewglad

Thanks newbee3..not sure what I want to finish off with yet.

PaperPrincess

Regarding where to start on the border... What I would do is lay the quilt on a table. Smooth the bottom border. Pin thru the bottom quarter or half inch of the border, keeping the pins parallel with the border. attach the backing to the leaders & roll the quilt onto the front bar. You will find this pretty easy because you pinned the bottom border down first. When the top border is in position, smooth then put a couple pins near the edge. Using your machine run a line of stitches close to the edge. smooth the top border and whatever portion of the side borders are available. Put a few pins in the edge on the top & sides. Now run a line of stitching across the top, removing the pins as you go, then down the 2 sides. Use a long stitch length. Once the edge is stitched down you can start quilting anywhere you want. When you are done with the top border, don't just roll the rest of the quilt up. roll section by section, smoothing and stitching the edges of the side borders as you go. This will keep the tension good across the whole quilt and get you set up for when you turn the quilt. When you get to the bottom, secure the edge removing the pins as you go.

oksewglad

PPriincess...your "instructions" are so clear and make so much sense. I will follow your advice and let you now how it turns out. It will be a good activity for this snowy spring day and my #1 GD will be happy as this is for her! Thanks again.

oksewglad

And it worked! Edges on all 4 sides nice and even. Fortunately I had the backing basted squarely to the quilt top. Everything nice and square when I put it onto the frame following PPrincess's suggestion... Thanks so much. Now to trim and bind...

MaryKatherine

Sometimes, depending on what I'm trying to do, I finish the borders on my domestic.

oksewglad

Thanks MKatherine.