luvTooQuilt

for you long armers- Why does it have to be squared up? i understand the wavy borders but what difference does it make if one bottom corner is off by an inch or so? .. Just curious..

IMHO Id tread lightly and ask if they would like a suggestion on a way to fix as its difficult to LA wavy borders..

feline fanatic

The quilt sandwich is loaded on a rack that is perfectly square (if it wasn't the carriage that the machine rides on would never glide smoothly). If the quilt is out of square (and an inch or so is a LOT out of square) it won't load on the rack correctly and lay nice and flat in the exposed quilting area.

With most racks the quilt back is loaded with one end of the backing on what is called "take up roller" which will be taking up the completed quilt sandwich as the quilt is quilted and advanced on the frame. The bottom of the backing is rolled up on a different roller located at the front of the frame. One of the quilt top's edges is loaded on another roller (unless it is floated) also at the front of the machine and rolled up as well. At any given time, depending on the size of the LAQ's machine, only about 16" to 22" of the quilt is exposed for quilting.

The LAQ lines up the top, batting and backing and stitches a line of quilting across the top to secure the sandwich together and attaches side tension clamps. Then we proceed with quilting. If the quilt is out of square in one corner even just an inch or two this problem gets amplified as the quilt is quilted and advanced. It is a lot of extra work to try and quilt and avoid the problems of an out of square quilt (which in my experience is ALWAYS accompanied by a wavy border or fullness in the middle). It can result in pleats, puckers or very exaggerated out of square quilt by the time the last lines of quilting are put in. Sometimes this isn't an issue for the person who pieced it sometimes it is and they tend to blame the LAQ for the problem.

tessagin

I would tell them so they don't blame you for the finished product they may be disappointed in. Just tell them. They may be depending on you to correct the problem as you go. Everyone wants tips to help them with improving the out come of their quilts.

luvTooQuilt

So is that only a problem with Panto's - as they wont be straight?( IM not a LA.. I want one, hence the picking of brains from experience LA's . )

If they float and are all over freehand meandering does it still create havoc? again just wondering..

SueSew

IMHO the best way to learn how to make a quilt suitable for giving to a professional LAQer is to learn to DIY from start to finish. If I screwed anything up then I will surely learn what made it difficult to quilt on a DSM, and then try to remember not to do it the next quilt.

I've been quilting for just three years and never sent a thing to get LAQ'ed. Still not satisfied I've got a product could stand up to the treatment. Plus, I know where the difficult spots are - where seams in a block join in a nightmare cluster despite best efforts, or where rows joined up with difficulty in spots, or one mitered corner is a bit shaky, etc. - and I quilt around them. (If you LAQers can deal with all that fussy stuff, shout out and correct me )

PaperPrincess

Out of square will be an issue with any long armed quilt, although some designs will be more of an issue than others. In addition to the great info Feline Fanatic provided, quilters will also take measurements side to side as the quilt it advanced, like along a line of sashing or an obvious seam where blocks meet. You can scoot the quilt a bit, but it gets more difficult as you go. Usually it's not just the border that's out of whack, it's the whole quilt. Some issues can be addressed with custom quilting, but many folks don't want to pay for that. That's why it's important for the LA quilter to look over the top, with the piecer, when it's dropped off. They can note any issues with the top before accepting and provide a realistic expectation of the results. When I got my long arm, I worked with a couple other quilters in the area to see if I wanted to quilt for hire. Issues like this were one of the reasons I decided to only quilt for family and friends. I can tell them to go fix it!

SueSew

Feline and Paper Princess, that was great help in understanding what goes on. I'm awed and floored that someone could consider a quilt to be done and be an inch or more out of square - for that to happen, something has to be wrong in joining the rows.

Jamiestitcher62

The woman who does mine (she owns the shop) has done some pretty wonky tops before and I'm sure mine aren't perfect, I think she just does the best she can with what she's got, but then again she's been doing it for 20 years or longer. She always makes mine look fantastic and she sews the binding on for me.

feline fanatic

Joining rows, joining pieces into blocks etc. Consider 1/4" seam allowance being off a mere 1/16th of an inch but multiply that by many pieces in the quilt. It can be fixed along the way. If the blocks are squared up during assembly a fraction of an inch "easing" is fine and can be inconsequential to loading on a LA rack and quilting. Even the whole top can be off if it is squared up with the final borders it is amazing how much a difference that will make. Just taking that final step of putting the borders on by measuring center of quilt first, then cutting your border to the center measurement of the quilt then easing in the small variances that our bound to happen during construction (fabric distorts, it is the nature of the beast) while attaching the border (yes that means using the dreaded PIN) makes all the difference in the world.

A lot of issues, the LAQ can work around, ease in, manipulate while quilting. We steam, we spray, we pin and starch the smooth with one hand while guiding the machine with the other to try and avoid complications (only when working from front, can't do any of this when doing pantos from the back). For many of us it is our art and we want to do the best we can for every quilt and make it pretty as possible. We want our clients to be happy, really!

Many people just cut the border strips, WOF (which also distorts because it has stretch), sew several together until they have more than enough, sew them to the edges of the quilt then lop them off when at the corner with their ruler, assuming it is straight and square. I have had quilts come to me that measure 2 or more inches more on the right side than on the left side and same top to bottom. If the quilt was set on point with setting triangles cut so the bias edge is on the edge before attaching that final border it can be much, much worse. One quilt I got was so bad out of square, I had to remove the outer borders, measure and recut them. One of them I cut 6" off the length! SIX! I couldn't believe it myself. But this quilt was for a long distance friend and I did it because she was a friend. I explained the problem but I don't know if she got it or not. I think quilting was a passing passion for her and she burnt herself out. Thankfully the majority of quilts that cross my rack are true and square and load with no problems and quilt up just beautifully. In fact, my only problem quilts all came from this one friend who jumped in with both feet and churned them out like her life depended on it.

For the OP, this would be the perfect teaching opportunity for your friends if they want to continue quilting, if they are like mine who only seemed to have the passion as a passing fancy then I wouldn't bother. Have them see for themselves the difference in measurement and explain what will happen in quilting with the wonkiness (pleats and puckers) and how they can keep that from happening in the future. Of course it would have to be done prior to quilting.

quilterjody

If you don't discuss the issue of the wonkiness, you both will be dissappointed. Gentle honest is always the best policy. Think of it as a teaching moment.