Help my quilt edges are wonky.

[Penny66]

I made this table runner and when I went to quilt in the ditch some of my sides are showing on the backing side. It is a cute table runner but I can't figure out what I did wrong. It measures 18" by 23". It is on the 23' side some of the strip ends are showing on the backing side.http://www.make-it-do.com/sew-it/mak...e-runner/These are the pattern and picture. I left off the rick rack.

[cyndiofthevortex]

Oh it won't open up for me! It says there's an error on the page. Is it just me? Can you post the pictures here on the forum?

Cyndi

[Judy~Ann]

Me either....

[K. McEuen]

The link isn't found, but that doesn't mean we can't try to answer your question. Had you already started quilting when you noticed the strips hanging over the edge? If so, did you use a walking foot?

Was your back cut larger than the front or did you cut it to the exact size that the pattern called for?With seams not being exactly 1/4 inch, pressing, etc. things often don't measure exact.

[Jean Sewing Machine]

What Karen said is so important! I did a queen quilt, and had just enough backing for it, (so I thought), thought I cut straight and laid it out straight, but ended up with a part of the top that had no backing behind it. A little patch here, a little patch there, nobody will ever know! It is always wise to cut your backing bigger than the top, then if things shift a bit, you don't have to make a patch like I had to.

The website looks interesting, but I guess they took that link down, some of the other projects look interesting, though!

[K. McEuen]

http://www.make-it-do.com/sew-it/mak...-table-runner/

there's the correct link

[Penny66]

The link isn't found, but that doesn't mean we can't try to answer your question. Had you already started quilting when you noticed the strips hanging over the edge? If so, did you use a walking foot?

Was your back cut larger than the front or did you cut it to the exact size that the pattern called for?With seams not being exactly 1/4 inch, pressing, etc. things often don't measure exact.

I cut my back to fit the front. Plus I had the batting to cope with too! I pinned everything together and sewed them together with a 6 inch opening to turn right side out.I ironed it. I used a walking foot. Should I have pinned all over before I started to quilt in the ditch.Sould I have started sewin on the ends and then started quilting in the ditch.

WWW.make-it-do.com
choose from the top sew it
search box put in Make an easy easter table runner

[Penny66]

I think I'll try again using the rick rack and then see what happens. Maybe my top fabric stretched too much.

[toggpine]

My edges are wonky too, but that has more to do with me not putting down the fork than my sewing. Oh right, quilt edges, sorry.

On to your sewing problem.
It sounds like you put in a step that messed you up. If you are going to quilt the item. You don't really want to sew the edges together and then turn it out. There is no where for the "extra" to really go when you start squishing it around with the quilting process.
Try this experiment. Put something squishy like sugar cookie dough in a ziptop bag and smooth it out in a nice even layer. Drag your finger down the bag, leaving an indent. A small amount of dough is displaced by your finger, it has to go some where. It heads away from your finger and towards the edges of the bag. At some point there isn't anyplace else for the dough to go, and it starts to distort the shape of the bag or your finger design. If you had done the same thing with the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, the sheets could shift and the dough could escape where it needed to. Then you could trim off the excess of both and make a neat "sandwich". The second method is the best option for items you are quilting. When you add the binding you will hide the raw edges of the quilt top, batting, & backing. You can get away with tying a quilt you have sewn and turned since there is more freedom of fabric movement with tying.

Good Luck!

[K. McEuen]

I think pinning it all together before quilting would have helped some to keep it from shifting so much. I've never tried to quilt something that had finished edges already. Honestly I would have done this topper as a "quilt as you go" method and added binding.