Preparing Your Quilt for Your Longarmer
APQS Millie Longarm Quilting Machine with Quilt Path Computerization
Expert Tips for Preparing Your Quilt for Longarm Quilting
Now that your quilt top is finished, there are a few things you need to do to get it ready for your longarm quilter. These extra steps ensure you receive a finished quilt top that is ready for binding. Follow these steps to ensure your quilt top is longarm ready.
Press quilt top and backing
Iron seams from the front to ensure there are no folds or creases. This also helps to keep the blocks true to size.
Ensure your quilt is square
A square quilt lays flat with no pleats or waves. This is crucial to avoiding folds or pleats during the longarm quilting process.
Refer to our tips for keeping your quilt square.
Remove threads
Remove threads from the front and back of your quilt top.
It is especially important to remove threads from the back side of your quilt top. You don’t want darker thread showing through your lighter fabric. Once it’s quilted, these darker threads cannot be removed.
TIP: Use a lint roller and smaller scissors to trim loose threads.
Provide backing fabric that is at least 10 inches larger than your quilt top
Example: for a 40” x 60” quilt top, your backing fabric should be at least 50 x 70 (extra is okay – no need to cut to size).
108” wide-back quilt fabric is preferred. If you do use regular-width fabric, please sew pieces together with a ½ inch seam and iron seams open to avoid bulk on the back of your quilt.
Please iron your quilt backing before sending to us.