Inside: Sq. Up a Quilt
Do you know that the quilting course of can make your completely pieced quilt high un-square? This occurs as a result of quilting can stretch a quilt out of being sq.. This tutorial will train you how you can sq. up a quilt.
True confession right here. My very first quilts weren’t squared up following the quilting course of. As a substitute, I used the quilt high as a information, trimmed the surplus batting, then slapped on some binding. They have been all types of uneven.
I do know higher now and I’m right here to point out you how you can sq. up your quilts and enable you forestall this from ever taking place.
What’s Squaring Up a Quilt?
As soon as the quilting is full it’s essential to trim away the surplus backing and batting earlier than binding the quilt. That is referred to as squaring up a quilt; it’s the course of of making 90-degree angles in any respect corners of the quilt and constant straight edges between the corners.
What occurs in case you don’t sq. up your quilt? You might have a nook (or two) that curls or presumably the quilt by no means lays flat and at all times seems to be a bit of wonky.
Nonetheless, when correctly squared, your quilt will lay completely on a mattress or fold neatly with all the corners matching.
Professional Tip: Add borders or widen borders in your quilt tops as a result of quilting can shift and alter the form of your quilt. When squaring, you might have to trim away greater than anticipated. By having a bit of additional border it is possible for you to account for these inconsistencies and nonetheless have a sq. quilt.
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Provides
With a purpose to appropriately sq. up your quilts you’re going to want just a few provides.
*About Sq. Rulers: Essentially the most generally used sq. ruler is 12.5″, nonetheless, there are bigger sq. rulers (15.5″ and 16.5″). If you happen to plan to make a whole lot of quilts it could be worthwhile to spend money on one in all these bigger rulers.
Step 1: Iron your Quilt First
That is one thing I’ve just lately began doing with all of my quilts and it has made an enormous distinction in how precisely my quilts are squared.
Quilting creates wrinkles and shifts the quilt high and backing. I like to recommend you flippantly spritz your quilt with a bit of water and iron out all of these inconsistencies. This can set your stitches and go a good distance in stopping any wonky-ness if you begin the squaring course of. Plus, you get an opportunity to look over the complete quilt to test for quilting imperfections that will want an adjusting.
Step 2: Squaring Surfaces!
One of many points with squaring a quilt is having a big sufficient floor to do that nicely. For mini quilts or child quilts, you must be capable of sq. your quilt on a big desk. Nonetheless, laying a big quilt out on a clear flooring goes to be your highest choice for getting an precisely squared quilt.
Why a flooring? Utilizing a raised floor can create uneven edges. This will occur if you permit your quilt to hold over the sting of a desk as a result of it pulls on the quilt and there could possibly be bowing alongside your quilt’s edges.
If you happen to don’t have a big open house with a good floor you’ll be able to roll up or fold the sting not being squared onto the quilt, however ensure that it’s flat and even on all ends.
Step 3: Squaring the Quilt Corners
Squaring the corners is step one and important in precisely squaring your quilt. Observe the steps under to completely sq. the corners of your quilt.
- Begin with the corners first. Place a slicing mat beneath the underside proper nook. Ensure that the slicing mat is underneath the complete space you’ll be slicing. You don’t need to come off the mat when slicing!
- Place a sq. ruler within the nook (I’m utilizing a 16.5″ ruler). You should definitely double test the alignment of your ruler. There could also be locations the place a number of the quilt extends past the ruler and different locations the place there’s batting exhibiting. That is regular and can get sewn into the binding.
- Be sure you discover the place the 1/4″ line on the ruler is hitting your quilt. For quilts with factors on the edge, ensure they’ve a 1/4″ seam allowance so that you don’t lower off any factors, even when it means you may have batting exhibiting. This batting shall be sewn into the binding and can disappear when you bind the quilt. This permits your binding to be stuffed and never hole.
- Utilizing a rotary cutter and mat, trim each outdoors edges on both aspect of the sq. ruler.
Professional Tip: Borders may be your finest good friend when squaring up a quilt. Within the picture under, discover how I trimmed greater than a 1/4″ from the sting. When including a border, I like to extend the border measurement by 1″ permitting further margin for squaring. Borders are additionally useful as a result of the seam strains provide you with a second place for ruler alignment.
- After trimming the primary nook, flip the quilt to the following nook and repeat these steps on the opposite three corners. Clean out the quilt till it’s flat earlier than putting ruler and slicing. This can enable you keep away from unintentionally slicing off a few of your quilt.
Different Concept: You may as well use a contractor’s framing sq. and draw the slicing strains. I did this whereas I used to be rising my quilt provide stash. WORD OF WARNING: It’s not protected to make use of a contractor’s framing sq. with a rotary cutter; it’s only for use for marking the slicing strains. Use a quilter’s ruler for making the cuts alongside the strains you’ve drawn.
Step 4: Trimming the Quilt Sides
Now that the corners are good and sq., it’s time to trim the perimeters.
- Ensure that the slicing mat is beneath the aspect getting trimmed. Relying on the size of the aspect being trimmed there shall be some adjusting. It’s finest to comply with the saying, “Measure twice, lower as soon as.”
- Utilizing the 6.5″ x 24″ ruler, line up the the 90-degree nook you chop in Step 3.
- Utilizing a rotary cutter and mat, trim the aspect of the quilt the size of the quilt ruler(s).
Discover how the quilt’s backside edge and the border seam additionally assist with lining this up.
- Slide the mat, quilt, and rulers alongside the sting of the untrimmed aspect. If there’s nonetheless a spot of house between the primary trim and the 90-degree nook on the different finish, add the sq. ruler within the nook and one other ruler, if accessible.
- Repeat these steps till all 4 sides of the quilt are squared up.
Professional Tip: Add the sq. ruler within the nook if the size of the aspect being trimmed extends past the size of the ruler. Place the 2 rulers collectively to get a superbly straight innovative.
Step 5: Ending the Quilt
As soon as your quilt is correctly trimmed and sq. it’s time to connect the binding and name your quilt completed.
I choose to machine bind my quilts. I’ve a tutorial that walks you thru how you can machine bind a quilt. There’s additionally a recap video embedded within the tutorial.
Bear in mind, handmade quilts are by no means good! The squaring course of takes a bit of apply so don’t attempt for squaring perfection. As a substitute, comply with these instructions and also you’ll have corners which might be sq. and straight sides. And, these minor imperfections grow to be a part of the quilt’s appeal that can by no means get observed.
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