Read more. In other words the backing should be the biggest. If I get a quilt in and see the backing is not big enough I can add muslin to the edges so that I can load it into the machine, I will charge extra for that obviously and I will not guarantee that none of the muslin shows on the edges of the quilt after trimming. It should be 6" larger overall  than your quilt top. For example, the lap-size top is 45″ x 66″. In this first of a series of blog posts I would like to address some questions that I’ve heard people ask about long arm quilting. Try to avoid placing the pins where you'll be stitching. This is one of the single most important things you can do when constructing your quilt to ensure a finished product that you'll be happy with. If the package states the quilting distance is 10 inches, then that batting is pretty stable. You'll need enough pins to put one every 4-5 inches all over the quilt. Of course, if you are binding a smaller quilt, you should adjust the size of your rulers to fit the project. This measurement would then be multipied by the price per square inch (ppsi) to calculate the cost of machine quilting before thread, batting and tax are added on. Wool is warm and good in cooler climates. Advertisement – I receive a small commission from purchases  made thru this link. Stitch. Your batting will be 2” longer and wider on each side, so adding 4” to each measure makes your batting size 44” x 64”. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. fold back the top and batting and smooth the back into place. The more space you give around the edge of the quilt the easier it’s going to be for the longarm quilter to attach it to the longarm quilting machine. Now let’s talk backs. On the sides we have to attach it to clamps to keep the backing straight so we don’t end up with puckers. The batting should be larger than the top to account for any shrinking of the top due to quilting. I quilted it with a medium to large meander so the quilting is not the reason for the stiffness. If you choose to send your quilt out to a long arm quilter, they may want a larger square, requiring as much as 4-6 inches of extra batting on each side. Your pieced quilt top, backing (pieced to fit, if needed), and batting (backing and batting is at least 4 inches larger than your quilt top on all 4 sides). Prepare and press the quilt backing. As you quilt the presser foot actually pushes the quilt top out a bit further. Seams should be pressed open and lie flat. You should also press open any seam allowances in the backing. Example, your quilt top measures 60" x 80" therefore your backing and batting should each measure 66" x 86". Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). You would need to check with the quilter for their specific requirements. Ensure all batting is same type, thickness and/or brand. To pin baste the quilt layers: 1. If the clamps are too close to the edge of the quilt top they can interfere with the quilting machine when quilting and cause all kinds of bobbling of the machine. Let’s take a look at how a longarm quilting machine works. Cut your batting and backing at least 2” bigger than your Quilt Top all the way around Make sure your fabric is flat when cutting your backing and batting. After you have your size and materials mapped out, it’s time to start thinking about your design. The batting is cut and placed on top of the backing, smoothed out and the bottom end is tucked under the roller bar. By understanding why it’s required for the longarm quilter will give a better quilting experience. Definitely, it is actually best if you press as you sew on your quilt top and then give it a final pressing when finished. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Trim all edges even when finished sewing pieces together. You can get away with minimal quilting while still having a quilt that won’t fall apart after the first wash. Should I press my quilt top and back prior to having it quilted? Example of measuring batting from a previous Quilt Along: The batting should be several inches larger than the quilt top all the way around. Here you see examples of what it looks like to have it too small and how the quilting machine doesn’t have room to work. The batting also needs to be larger than the top but not larger than the backing. This is a close up of the Quilting Safety Pins that we use. What if you don’t have enough fabric to make the backing bigger than the quilt top? Make sure your backing and batting are larger than your quilt top. We ask for 8" larger, which is outlined at Quilting Services Process. Consider the Seam Allowance Unclamp everything and readjust the quilt so that unbasted areas are now on top of the table. Therfore a quilt measuring 60" x 72" would cost $43.20 with meandering, $64.80 with a pantograph and $86.40 & up depending on the type of custom work you want to have done. This is a fact that you may have never crossed your mind. (8” total. They typically have three horizontal bars (some have 4) two of them are what the backing is attached to, bottom and top. Now lay the top right side up matching the middles of the sides to the backing. *BACK SIZE QUEEN or larger: Cut your backing and batting at least 4” wider and longer than your quilt top on EACH SIDE. If you've acquired a quilt top and want to finish and display it, the process of adding batting requires a bit of effort, but the end result will be worthwhile. The quilt sandwich consists of backing, batting, and the quilt top. The reason I tried it was that I wanted the quilt to be much warmer than a single layer of warm and natural would have been. This is a personal decision based on the finished look you want to achieve. Make sure your batting is larger than the quilt top. Lay the backing fabric right side down on your work surface. You calculate square inches by multiplying the width by length. Pin your border to your quilt working outward from the center to the ends. One of the big things that people always hear from the longarm quilter – I must have the backing 3 to 4 inches bigger than the quilt top on all 4 sides. Say that your pieced quilt top is 40” x 60”. (there are other horizontal bars in this picture but they aren’t attached to the quilt. I just got through spray basting a quilt. Your backing was all ready to go for home quilting. It is much heavier and a bit stiffer in terms of drape. That depends on a couple of important questions. Most longarmers ask for a backing that is 8-10" larger than the quilt top in each direction, which provides 4-5" of excess backing all the way around the quilt. If the quilt top and the backing start out the same size it simply is not possible. 1. I do my best to enhance your quilt but the real magic begins at home with you the sewer. 2. I cannot stress this enough! I found minky at the thrift store for a couple dollars that is a perfect match. Twin-size batting comes in rolls of 72 inches by 96 inches to accommodate a twin-size quilt top. This is because the batting is held on the machine by rolling it onto a bar/roller. You don't want to add fabric in a way that will look awkward. It just sticks out past the quilt top barely a half inch. Add 8 inches to both measurements to make sure you have an extra 4 inches all the way around to make allowance for the fabric that is taken up in the quilting process as well as having adequate fabric for the quilting frame. 100% cotton batting is cool in summer and warm in winter and will give your quilt an antique look once it is washed. For this project you will need 1 ¼ yards of fabric for the back. The other horizontal bar is a belly bar and it just helps keep a good tension on the backing. Measure your quilt top vertically and horizontally. And lets. At the same time, if you're adding a lot of stitches to the quilt top, the quilt will shrink up a bit, too. Smooth out the pieced quilt on top of the other two layers. For example if your quilt measures 60" wide by 72" long then it would be equal to 4320 square inches. At this point you could baste the layers together, but I prefer pinning. ake sure your back fabric is facing out. I have the backing a couple inches bigger than the top for a low loft and about five inches for a high loft batting. Painter’s tape Flatter smoothing spray or some type of starch. First, youll cut the backing 4 to 6 longer and wider than the quilt top. You want your batting to be larger than your quilt top (front) by about 4″ bigger than the length and height and slightly smaller than your quilt back. They are curved which make it easier to pin Your backing and batting should be at least 3" larger on each side than your quilt top. But it also means that same quilt could be stiff if you added lots of quilting to it thanks to the batting’s stable properties. That means your backing should be at least 6" to 8" wider and taller than your quilt top, more if you prefer (and even more backing) to fold it and bring it to the front of the quilt to create a self-binding. Selecting Your Quilt Batting: Okay, now you know what quilt batting is, why you need it, and the common types of batting. The batting needed is 51″ (45″ + 6″) x 72″ (66″ + 6″). High loft batting is thicker and fluffier, usually polyester and used more often for tied quilts. And this last image shows what it looks like if you have plenty of backing fabric at the bottom also. There are online tools (like the free Quilt Backing and Batting Calculator) that can help you calculate yardage. Batting for your crib-size quilt will measure 45 inches by 60 inches to accommodate a crib-size quilt. Most quilting magazines have a pullout section of quilting basics and most books have a section dedicated to this subject also. ! Find the center of your quilt side (where you are going to attach the border) and mark it with a pin. Another option would be to add a row of blocks or another fabric down the middle of the backing, this makes it larger and usually looks really nice, this also prevents having a very small narrow piece of fabric around the outside near the binding after trimming, where the extra fabric with stitched to the backing. Happy Quilting! Butt edges up to each (don't overlap) and baste together with a whipstitch by hand or use a large zigzag on your machine. Your quilt back should be a MINIMUM of 3-4" bigger than your quilt top on each side. Prior to sewing on your first border measure your quilt top down the middle and also on each side of the middle, take the average of those three measurements and that is what you should cut your border fabric. **We use Warm and Natural Batting. Tools for trimming a quilt to prepare it for binding. They should be roughly the same size. How busy is your fabric and/or quilt top. Low loft batting is thinner and shows off the quilting stitches. However, the backing and batting may need to be 7-9 inches larger than the quilt top … *LOL*  Unfortunately no we are not. Secure the backing fabric to the surface at regular intervals. Yes, this is not a problem for me. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Quilt batting comes in all different sizes, loft weights and fibers. Doing this you always run the risk of some of that fabric being on the back when finished, but not doing it can also mean you can’t get it longarm quilted. It is best to start with a quilt block. Use scissors to trim long stray threads. If your quilt is larger than the table, be sure the top and one side are aligned with the edges, clamp around and baste what is on the surface. No matter what, your backing MUST BE 4-6″ larger than your quilt top, on ALL sides. Then, if youre planning to quilt the project yourself, youll baste the layers together, using thread if youll be hand quilting or safety pins if youll be machine quilting. The backing is attached to the muslin leaders on the horizontal bars as shown in this picture. Place the batting on top of the backing fabric and trim it to fit. It should be three to four inches larger than your quilt top on all sides—more if you plan intricate quilting stitches as the backing draws inward as quilting stitches are added. So 3 to 4 inches more on the top and 3 to 4 inches more on the bottom than the quilt top is absolutely necessary just to get it loaded on the machine. Here are some examples of what it should look like with the extra fabric on both sides so the clamps can attach and stay out of the way. Your quilt batting will be always a bit larger in dimension than your quilt top to allow for overhang during quilting. (They both just need to be a few inches larger on all sides than the quilt top.) To determine how much backing fabric you need, keep in mind that all sides of a quilt back should be at least 4″ longer than your quilt top. It should be pressed and free of wrinkles. I would not choose to do it this way again because of the stiffness. I hope this helps you to understand how very important it is to make your backing and batting larger than the top. Next the batting goes down with no wrinkles. I've had the back fold under and get quilted in with the top, if that makes sense to you. So if your quilt top measures 50″ x 50″, your backing must be at least 58″ x 58″. Your backing should also be pressed especially if it is heavily wrinkled. Step 4: Lots of Pinning. 100% Polyester is lightweight and will keep that smooth polished look even after it's washed (particularly if you pre-wash your fabrics). I try to give myself at least 2 inches or more. Quilt Top The top layer of a quilt Sandwich. Completed quilt top Batting Backing Fabric Tape (painters or masking) Safety pins large, clean hard surface Crib-Size Quilt Batting. Did you know that the thickness of your batting determines how much larger than your quilt top, the length of your batting should be cut? Just follow the 6" bigger or 8" bigger rule. I piece my backing larger than my batting so that I can see it while quilting. If you need to piece your back you should remove any selvages prior to sewing sections together. That type of binding is not as durable as double-fold binding but is an option for quilts that won't receive heavy use. As you sew on multiple borders your quilt will need to be remeasured before starting a new set. The backing is another 2” on each side, adding another 4” to the batting size (and 8” to the pieced top size) so it is 48” x 68”. I know if you are quilting by hand or on a domestic sewing machine you don’t have to have the backing and the batting larger because you’re pinning the layers together, you don’t have it attached to the machine itself like we do with the longarm. No, I need to load each layer onto my machine separately so they should remain apart. How much do you want to see the quilting design? Your backing and batting should be at least 3" larger on each side than your quilt top. There are several different types of batting available on the market today and they offer a variety of finished looks so you should do your research before you decide. One of the big things that people always hear from the longarm quilter – I must have the backing 3 to 4 inches bigger than the quilt top on all 4 sides. Size: you want your batting to be slightly larger than your quilt top (front) and slightly smaller than your quilt back. That is because your quilter will use that fabric to attach the quilt to the bars and side clamps of their frame. With a sit-down machine you can get along with only a couple of extra inches all around the quilt. A descriptive term for the thickness, height and resilience of quilt batting. In other words the backing should be the biggest of the three layers. Example, your quilt top measures 60" x 80" therefore your backing and batting should each measure 66" x 86". As for your batting and backing, they should be both cut 6-8 inches larger than the quilt top. Trimming threads, pressing seams, measuring & cutting borders all go a long way in helping turn your quilt top into a lasting heirloom to be enjoyed by many generations. This is a great option for quilts and comforters. For example:  your 3 measurements equal 70 down the middle and 70 1/2 on each side of that, cut your border strip 70 1/4. Please make your backing and batting 3 to 4 inches bigger on all four sides. If you start out with a backing that is the same size or just a little bit bigger than the top you don’t leave room to attach it and still quilt the whole quilt. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. High loft means ¾” - 1” thick and will be great for thicker comforters and blankets—anything you want to make warmer with the extra thickness of the batting. Do the same for the border fabric. 80/20 cotton/poly is lightweight and will allow some shrinkage when washed. To complete the sandwich, youll quilt You can learn more about batting in this article I wrote here. Bigger is OK but it should not be smaller. Example – 60” x … I can always trim the batting if it is too large but harder to make it bigger if too small, although I have pieced batting together as needed with satisfactory results it is always best to do that before sending it to the longarm quilter. Especially if you are loading it lengthwise. I receive a small monetary compensation for any purchases you might make thru links on my site. Kind of confusing, right? I know if you are quilting by hand or on a domestic sewing machine you don’t have to have the backing and the batting larger because you’re pinning the layers together, you don’t have it attached to the machine itself like we do with the longarm. Be sure to place it within the boundaries of the quilt top not the backing or it may end up half on and half off the quilt when finished. There are a few ways to fix this problem, you can add extra fabric to the sides and top and bottom. That means a total of 6-8" longer and 6-8" wider. The backing needs to be at least 3” bigger than the quilt top on all four sides because of these leaders and clamps. Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download. This does’t cost you anything extra, but it does help me greatly. The sides should be trimmed evenly and square (no jagged edges or sections that are longer than other sections). Ask your quilter -- she might want more. Strips of muslin or scraps can be basted to the sides to enlarge backing if needed. 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Take a look at how a longarm quilting machine works have your size materials... Type, thickness and/or brand it onto a bar/roller s required for the quilter... Avoid placing the pins where you are happy with it width by length x 86 '' you sew multiple... Batting are larger than the quilt Sandwich consists of backing fabric at the thrift store for a low loft is! So we don ’ t end up with puckers most quilting magazines a! Larger in dimension than your quilt measures 60 '' wide by 72 '' then! Perfect match to large meander so the quilting stitches be 4-6″ larger my! A problem for me if your quilt back should be at least 58″ x....