Question about squaring up a quilt
#21
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Hamburg,Western New York State
Posts: 4,856
Mine is labour intensive and low tech. I lay my quilt full out on the floor. I use my large 15 inch square in a corner and line up all my rotary rulers up to the next corner. I slide my rotary cutting mat under the edge and trim, moving the mat as I go.
I like the idea of the laser light for squaring up but so far can't justify the cost and I would still need to move the mat and ruler to trim.
I like the idea of the laser light for squaring up but so far can't justify the cost and I would still need to move the mat and ruler to trim.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Mission Viejo, CA
Posts: 832
First I fold it into fourths and see how it looks, if it's way off, put a pin where it looks like it needs to be cut off, then lay it out and measure it, see if it still is off in the same spot, cut if necessary by laying the quilt on my cutting mat and cut straight with a long ruler. I am not a perfectionist, but this is how I do it.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Albuquerque NM
Posts: 674
More power to you!
I am not that up tight.
I lay all 4 corners together square them up than mark all corners rounded, stay stitch all edges and trim, then bind the quilt.
Corners always hang off the bed, rounded corners lays better and are easy to bind.
I am not that up tight.
I lay all 4 corners together square them up than mark all corners rounded, stay stitch all edges and trim, then bind the quilt.
Corners always hang off the bed, rounded corners lays better and are easy to bind.
#24
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 36
You mentioned wanting a lazer light but pricey. I found a small one in a hardware store on sale for about $5.00 and also found another in a big box store on sale also. They are handy for many things I have found. Hope you can find a bargain one soon
#25
Mine are usually pretty square to start with, since I try to square everything up from the start (yes, I am a bit OCD), but then my LAQ is great about squaring up, too. I've never had to trim a quilt once I've gotten it back from her.
#26
I square up my quilts by putting borders on. I measure through the middle of the top, then at 1/4 and 3/4 spacing across the top. I get an average of those measurements and cut my borders. Then I fold the quilt and border into quarters and pin the borders on. I ease the fabric of the top as I'm pinning. Usually the top and borders go together easily, but I have been known to resew a few of the seams right at the ends where the threads have either pulled out or to take in a couple threads. Once the top and bottom borders are on, I do the sides in the same way.
I repeat this for each border I put on.
I repeat this for each border I put on.
#27
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 150
I lay some of them on my husbands pool table...lol, of course he doesn't care for this idea, if the quilt is too big for that i go to the floor and then use the same method as some of the others, Tartan and Jan.
#28
#30
I use my husband's large metal T square and start in with the upper right corner to make sure that is square both ways. Usually I only have to do a very slight trim or none at all because I do square up my blocks as I go. Then I switch to my 6x36" ruler and using the outer edge of my 2nd to last border I line up my ruler to trim the outside border a slight bit, sometimes up to 1/4" to get rid of variations in the outside edge usually due to the machine quilting pulling a little at the edges. Now I just keep his T square in my sewing lab and he knows where to find it if he needs it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post