Help! I'm getting puckers

[PurpleRose01]

What do you do after you have finished quilting and before binding. My teacher teaches that you baste the edges of your quilt. When I do that, I end up with puckers, that don't want to be eased in anywhere

Should you baste your edges before binding and if so how do you not get puckers?

[Jean Sewing Machine]

I always baste before binding. Here are a few ways to avoid puckers. I'm not sure how you can attach a binding to an unbasted edge and not have a total mess.

1. Use a walking foot to do the basting.
2.When you start at the corners, be sure to pull the upper edge of the top up to make sure it is even with the backing, it often slips down and then you are sure to be basting it wonky as you baste the side.
3.Pin pin pin like crazy if it looks like you have fullness in certain areas, I'll run a whole line of safety pins about 1" from the edge to ease in fullness, just far enough away from the edge for my presser foot to slip past.
4.Put your left hand horizontally across the fabric right in front of the presser foot to help feed the fabric under the foot smoothly, helps to control the fabric from squirming out from under the foot and puckering.
5. If you gat a small pucker in the corner, don't sweat it, the binding will conceal it.

Hope this helps!

[Auntpiggylpn]

I don't baste my edges but I do use my walking foot to attach the binding to the front. I also hand sew my binding to the back. I also always (ok, 99% of the time) use bias cut binding. I found that if I use straight of grain binding or machine sew the binding to the front and back of my quilt I always got puckers. Using the bias binding and hand sewing to the back has alleviated this problem for me.

[Doloris]

I never trim my backing and batting until I have sewn my binding to the front of my quilt. That way I can pull the backing gently so that it stays straight and I rarely get any puckers. This is if you are going to hand sew it to the back. If you are sewing to the back and then flipping to machine sew to the front, then you have to trim first. I would run the basting the same way as I do for the binding and then trim and sew the binding to the back.
Having that extra backing gives you something to hang on to so you can keep the backing straight.
Whatever you do, I would trim after I did any sewing.

[tamsterg7]

I never, ever baste! I use bias cut binding, machine stitch down and hand finish, and knock on wood have never had a pucker issue. Go to Sassyquilters blog and check out her tuts for making and attaching binding. Works like a charm for me! Good luck on your quilt.

[Claire OneStitchAtATime]

I'm a new quilter & don't own a walking foot -- yet, that is! Backing off the presser foot pressure a notch on your sewing machine may help with puckers.

[Iris Girl]

I don't baste before binding but Pfaff has IDT and its never been an issue for me

[Marebear]

I usually always baste before binding. I use a small zigzag with my walking foot - no puckers.

[Jess1377]

Wow, I am in trouble with the quilt police! I never baste and I trim my quilt before binding but I do machine binding and put the binding on the back before attaching it. Although come to think of it I (99% of the time) do my own quilting and so far its just been stippling so I typically make sure I cover the edges pretty good and securely when I do quilt them. Ultimately I just go slow and steady when attaching the binding on. Smoothing as I go, looking ahead at where I am stitching and that helps. So thats my point of view. Hope it helps a tiny bit! (though to be honest I would follow Jean the Sewing Machines advice if you are a new quilter, that way you start doing it the correct way, Jean is awesome that way with great advice!)

[JCY]

I always baste! I use a serpentine stitch that curves on & off the edge of the quilt, so it's easier to ease in the fabric along the edge. (This was a stitch recommended by the gal who taught my FMQ class.) In some areas, it might be necessary to remove a few basting stitches to ease in the fabric so there are no puckers. Since the borders usually are quilted last, this isn't a problem. My LAQer always bastes my large quilts. She uses a long straight stitch. Just make sure the basting stitch comes in <1/4" along the edge, so it gets covered when you sew on the binding. After the FMQ is done, then square the corners & trim all 4 sides of the quilt before adding the binding. JCY