Quilting Basics

The following is a reference guide. For more information, consult a comprehensive quilting book.

Borders

Most Quilter's World patterns give an exact size to cut borders. You may check those sizes by comparing them to the horizontal and vertical center measurements of your quilt top. Straight Borders 1. Mark the centers of the side borders and quilt top sides. 2. Stitch borders to quilt top sides with right sides together and matching raw edges and center marks using a 1/4" seam. Press seams toward borders. 3. Repeat with top and bottom border lengths. Mitered Borders 1. Add at least twice the border width to the border lengths instructed to cut. 2. Center and sew the side borders to the quilt, beginning and ending stitching 1/4" from the quilt corner and backstitching (Figure 1). Repeat with the top and bottom borders.

3. Fold and pin quilt right sides together at a 45- degree angle on one corner (Figure 2). Place a straightedge along the fold and lightly mark a line across the border ends.

4. Stitch along the line, backstitching to secure. Trim seam to 1/4" and press open (Figure 3).

Quilt Backing & Batting

We suggest that you cut your backing and batting 8" larger than the finished quilt-top size. If preparing the backing from standard-width fabrics, remove the selvages and sew two or three lengths together; press seams open. If using 108"wide fabric, trim to size on the straight grain of the fabric.

Prepare batting the same size as your backing. You can purchase prepackaged sizes or battings by the yard and trim to size.

Quilting

1. Press quilt top on both sides and trim all loose threads. 2. Make a quilt sandwich by layering the backing right side down, batting and quilt top centered right side up on flat surface and smooth out. Pin or baste layers together to hold. 3. Mark quilting design on quilt top and quilt as desired by hand or machine. Note: If you are sending your quilt to a professional quilter, contact them for specifics about preparing your quilt for quilting. 4. When quilting is complete, remove pins or basting. Trim batting and backing edges even with raw edges of quilt top.

Binding the Quilt

1. Join binding strips on short ends with diagonal seams to make one long strip; trim seams to 1/4" and press seams open (Figure 4). 2. Fold 1" of one short end to wrong side and press. Fold the binding strip in half with wrong sides together along length, again referring to Figure 4; press. 3. Starting about 3" from the folded short end, sew binding to quilt top edges, matching raw edges and using a 1/4" seam. Stop stitching 1/4" from corner and backstitch (Figure 5). 4. Fold binding up at a 45- degree angle to seam and then down even with quilt edges, forming a pleat at corner, referring to Figure 6. 5. Resume stitching from corner edge as shown in Figure 6, down quilt side, backstitching 1/4" from next corner. Repeat, mitering all corners, stitching to within 3" of starting point. 6. Trim binding end long enough to tuck inside starting end and complete stitching (Figure 7).

7. Fold binding to quilt back and stitch in place by hand or machine to complete your quilt.