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9-1-2022
APQS.com
Quilting Basics
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Unwind the quilt top and bring it across the batting and backing
until it’s aligned with your referenced sewn line in the batting.
Be sure to place the quilt’s center mark in line with the center line
on the Pick-Up Roller canvas (extend that center mark down to
your reference line in your mind’s eye or use a ruler to mark it).
Now you can secure the quilt along this reference line.
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If you need to “ease in” this side of the quilt, measure out
from your center mark along your stitched reference line.
Since you don’t have marks along this line, use a ruler and
pin the outer edges of the quilt top to the “eased size.” Continue adding pins in between, easing the
top as you go but pinning about ½-inch away from the quilt’s edge. Then you can use the machine’s
needle up/down button to place close tacking stitches that hold this top border to its new width.
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Disengage your channel lock and move the sewing head over the quilt
top, just inside the ¼-inch seam allowance, then re-engage the channel
lock. If you’ll quilt off the edge with a pantograph, baste the top of the
quilt in place using a long stitch setting, taking care not to stretch the
fabric. (You might wish to start in the center and baste out to the left and
right if your batting is puffy, to keep the quilt from creeping to the right
as you baste.)
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If your quilting will stay on the quilt top (such as a border design that
stays inside the border) you can use pins along the reference line
instead.
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For the most control, use your needle up/down button to place single
stitches about one inch apart along the quilt top edge. (This allows you
to “ease in” the quilt top if it’s necessary to square it up.) However,
unless you are using the optional “scoop foot” you’ll need to be careful
when stitching off the quilt top and then back on again as the foot
might catch on the longer basting stitches.
Step 10: Stabilize the Quilt’s Left and Right Edges
Stabilize the quilt’s edges before you add the clamps to the quilt backing. This step is important whether you are
doing a pantograph design, all-over freehand design or custom work.
NOTE: If you choose to quilt “off the edge” of your quilt and back on again, be sure that you’ve left enough
backing and batting to do so, and that the quilt edges won’t get flipped over as you move on and off. (An optional
“scoop foot” is ideal for this quilting type as its rounded bottom prevents it from catching on the quilt’s edge or
tacking baste stitches, or when using a zigzag basting stitch on the edge as described in Option 1 on the next
page.)
