baste outer edge before quilting border?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 301
baste outer edge before quilting border?
Hi all of you wonderful quilting experts. Once again I need your advice. I'm new to quilting (only 4 years) and even newer to finishing a quilt. I'm almost finished quilting a rather large (for me) quilt. I quilted it in sections using a walking foot and anchored the blocks in the ditch before doing anything inside the blocks, but now I'm getting ready to quilt the border. I may even get up the courage to do some FMQ in it. My dilemma is whether I should baste the outer edge all around before starting to quilt the border, or just leave it pinned and quilt it first. I feel like I should baste it to anchor it down first, but then I'm afraid that the quilting will bunch it up if it's fixed in place. I'd appreciate your expert advice, and thank you in advance for your help. You guys have never let me down yet!
#4
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 227
I've made several quilts and for my current lap quilt I had just heard about basting. I believe the borders came out flatter by basting than ever before. They didn't stretch out of square. The walking foot really eased the fabric so I did not get any puckers. Also this quilt I only had to trim 1/8 inch just in some places. The best that has been with any other quilt. I'm sold on basting.
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Asheville, previously Lake Vermilion, Tarpon Springs, Duluth, St Paul, Soudan
Posts: 1,651
Basting all around the outside makes the borders stay flatter for me. It also prevents the edge from accidentally folding under your FMQ in the borders.,
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,548
I baste the edge of the sandwich with my walking foot before quilting the border. It keeps the top in place and the extra backing fabric is something to hold on to as you FMQ. I also like to put a chalk mark around the edge where the binding will be sewn so that I don't quilt too close to the edge.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: England Alton Towers
Posts: 6,673
If you don't ensure they are basted you will end up with a mess when quilting. Guess how I know and it took ages to undo. Now if a long border I begin in the middle then mirror on opposite side.it smoothes out.
Oh I use this method and I always join border to quilt before quilting.
Oh I use this method and I always join border to quilt before quilting.
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