SITD - do you get puckers?

[grannyann]

I was on here not to long ago complaining about my quilt puckering.I can tell you I don't
like using that walking foot but I did and I did lengthen the stitch a bit to much but finally got it done after a lot of ripping out.
Some times I wonder it the material it self has anything to do with it.
I posted a picture last week on the finished quilt.I washed it and it did fine.My daughter took it home.

[Pattycake]

Are the puckers in the border or in the part of the quilt onto which the border is sewn? It it's in the border, the border may be a little too long. I carefully measure both sides and the middle of my quilt, add those measurements and divide by 3 to get the appropriate length to cut the borders. Example: Left Side - 60" Right Side - 61" Middle - 59.5" Add all three numbers (180.5), divide by 3 (60.1), so the border should be cut 60". I didn't know to do this on the first quilt I made, cut a long border and sewed it onto the quilt. It was very wavy and had puckers.

[lilmouse]

I just measure the middle and cut my borders to that measurement....this last time had very little to ease in...the top didn't get as much handling as some do so it made a difference...and if I don't have a pucker somewhere I will have one the back guaranteed....that's just my luck so now I check the back frequently and I rarely rip as my quilts aren't perfect and are supposed to look homemade...I try not to pucker but will live with small ones as an added charm and usually once washed it is a lot less noticeable!

[NanaB]

I have that problem, and one of my friends suggested using the darning food instead of the walking foot. Now my problem is that I cannot stay in the ditch!!!!!

[Jean Sewing Machine]

All great advice, start in the center, use a walking foot, iron the puckers out. Somebody else was told to do the borders first in a quilt class, that doesn't make sense to me, because if you are off one tiny little bit, you will get a pucker in that last corner. I always work from the middle. I'm a pinner, and I use a lot of pins. My backing is pretty flat because I clamp it to my cutting table before I add the batting and top. I pin from the center. And I use an Accufeed foot (same as a walking foot). Once I did all those steps, I very rarely have a pucker, and if I do it might be on the very last corner of the quilt as I'm doing the last stabilizing before adding the border. I can live with that.