It must be too early for me or else dementia is setting in because I am apparently the only one not following this line of thinking. Not saying you're wrong or in any other way criticizing but I just plain don't understand. Are you saying that basically the batting should be 1/4" wider than the top and backing (all around the quilt), rather than of equal size? In other words, the top, batting and backing should not be flush? I would think that if the top, backing and batting were flush, and the binding sewn on with a good 1/4" seam, the binding would be "stuffed" with the seam allowance. Could you straighten me out?
Originally Posted by auntpiggylpn
You should leave at least a 1/4" of the batting sticking out from the top. This will help "stuff" the binding and make it firmer. Judges at quilt shows will look for a nice stuffed binding. Plus, if you don't have have your binding stuffed, it will fold in half and then it will start to wear along the edge and split, especially if it is washed a lot. Many antique quilts have split bindings just because they didn't fill the binding enough and they were used and washed a lot.