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Quilt Preparation
Press quilt top and backing so that it is wrinkle free and lays flat. Excessive fullness cannot be quilted in.
Remove loose threads and ensure all seams are sewn properly.
Please piece and “square” the back keeping the grain lines consistent. Remove selvages prior to piecing to prevent puckering.
The back and batting must to be 4-6 inches larger then the quilt top on all 4 sides.
Extremely wavy borders do not mount or quilt properly. To check your quilt top, lay it on the floor and measure it vertically and horizontally in the middle and sides. Tucks may be required if the quilt top is not “squared” properly.
Be sure to mark the quilt top with a safety pin if it is directional.
Do not baste or pins layers together. The layers are mounted individually on the machine.
Squaring Your Quilt
Once your quilt top is complete, you need to make the edges even and square before it is quilted.
Lay the quilted piece out on the floor or large table. Measure it's length and width in two or three places (middle and ends). If the mesurements are different then the quilt may not be square, which means is will not be square after it's quilted.
Lay the quilted piece on your cutting board with the top and one side in position for trimming. Support the weight of the quilt if it is larger than your table so that it is not pulling at the edges. You have to decide what to use as a guide when cutting. If you have added a border which is narrower than the ruler, you can use the interior seam allowance as your guide. Line this seam up with the proper marking on your ruler and continue to place the ruler in that same position as you move around the four sides.
Put your ruler with the long side against the quilt side and the 6" width of the ruler running across the top of the quilt. This will allow you to trim around the corner and know that you are making a right angle. Trim.
Move the ruler down the length of your quilt. Align the ruler with your interior guide and overlap the previously cut edge enough so that you know you are still trimming in a straight line.
In addition to trimming off the excess, you are trimming the edge of the top at the predetermined width of your outermost border strip. The naked eye will not notice that the border has been trimmed. Wavy lines are a lot more visible.
As you get to the bottom, you will do the same thing with the square end of the ruler as you did at the top, making another perfect right angle corner. Continue in this manner all the way around the quilt.
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Quilt Preparation 
