Normabeth

Hi, I just finished making my great niece an I Spy Quilt, using 42 charms square, making the "Jar" I Spy pattern and put a border of 5" charms sewed together, I also want to make the back and I Spy Quilt. How much bigger should I cut the back border so that it can be put on a quilting frame? Right now, the font border measure 4 3/4". Thanks NormaBeth

bearisgray

I think it is very hard to line up a front and back EXACTLY - so you may want to take that into consideration when you plan your designs.

kristakz

Generally long arm quilters want 4" extra on each side. So a 9" border on the back would be appropriate. But please, as bearisgray said, keep in mind that getting the back perfectly centered when longarming is *really* difficult, so you may end up with a 3" top border and a 5" bottom border when it's done, for example. I did this with one quilt (of my own) recently, and despite my best efforts I managed to mess up the alignment top to bottom.

dunster

You really need to talk to your LAQ about this. Her requirements may be different, and she can tell you whether she can attempt to match up the top and back.