Currently Stitching: Trimming a Quilt

Trimming a quilt after it comes off the longarm can be a bit tricky. Much of the time, I'll let the long armer trim my quilts down to size after they've finished the all over quilting. Many long armers have a space designated for cutting quilts down to size. Or, if they have a shop, they have the extra large cutting tables where they can trim a quilt down.

In this episode I'll show you how I trim a quilt at home. This is a moderate size project I have featured in previous blogs. I did the all over quilting on a longarm myself! Which was new and exciting for me! However I was unable to trim it once it was completed so here we are. Whether you're trimming on the floor with me, or on a large table, I hope this encourages you to feel confident in learning to trim!

It can be difficult to cut away the leftover material if you don't have a lot of room. If the table or area is too small, the fabric can pull while you're trying to cut it or the excess fabric can get caught. This could lead to warping or cutting at an angle instead of straight. Or worse you might trim fabric that got caught underneath the piece you're working on! When I don't have my quilts trimmed, I usually end up crawling around on the floor to get it trimmed to size (which I will be doing today). It's not the worst thing in the world, but I know is very difficult for some folks to get up and down a lot.

I like to use my largest mat for this, a rotary cutter, and two kinds of rulers. I like a large square ruler, mine is 10 x 10 inches. They make them much bigger, which is helpful, but this is what I have. I am also using a long rectangular ruler, measuring at 6 1/2 x 24 inches. Between the two of them, I can get it taken care of.

I will choose one corner to get started in. You can see where the machine quilted past the edge of the quilt, which is normal! I like to align my square ruler with the corner of the quilt to make the first cut. It helps ensure the corner is indeed square.

**Note: If you're trimming a quilt, please be careful of your surroundings. It's easy to run off the mat when you're cutting long lengths. It's also easy to accidentally slice your finger because you're looking at so many points. As with anytime you're cutting or trimming, please use caution!

Here you can see I've made the first cut! I am happy with how this first corner looks. I also used the lines within the quilt to make sure I was squaring correctly. For a fairly standard pieced quilt like this, the lines on the ruler should line up with some of the blocks and seams in the quilt.

Always take your time and make sure you're happy with how it's lining up. Ensure you feel confident in your corner trims before slicing off fabric. Once it's cut, it's very hard to go back!

The next steps are where I switch to the long rectangular ruler. Again, I am using a 6 1/2 x 24 inch ruler to work my way along the side.

This is also where I start to trim away the excess stitching. You could take the time to pick out the extra stitches to save every inch of fabric, but it's a huge pain (in my opinion). They're generally dense stitches and it takes hours to get a small area undone. So I trim it away and save the fabric and batting on the other side.

If you're of unsure what to do with bits of fabric or batting that you feel like you can't use, but don't want to throw away, reach out to a local quilt or craft store and see if they'll take them. A lot of folks use the "unusable" scraps to fill animal beds that go to shelters.

I will continue to work my way down one side at a time until I reach the next corner. I like to trim all the way to the edge so I can cut away the excess fabric. This way I'm not stuck working with a surplus of fabric. It can make it harder to control the material as you work.

I'll point out again that I've take the time to trim away the excess stitched material around the edge. This leaves the extra backing fabric and batting that can be put towards other projects. I find it way more efficient to trim it as I go instead of cutting it away later.

From here I'll rotate the quilt and then start down the other side. I'll keep working around the quilt, alternating between rulers, until I get back to the first corner. I take my time to make sure it's lining up and I'm not cutting off the mat. It's very satisfying once it's all trimmed away and you're left with this beautiful quilt and some leftovers!

Ta-da! It always looks so crisp after it's trimmed. Sometimes I get a little nervous with the first cut and then I see it done and I am pumped!

Before I conclude, let's talk about the next step after trimming - auditioning fabrics for binding.

Here's where I have to admit that I forgot I already bought binding. Not once, not twice, but three times! I found these three when I was looking through the pile I keep of bindings... you know, so I won't forget that I have it... #facepalm. Sometimes I will use leftover backing material to bind my quilts. Sometimes I'll use leftover strips and make a scrappy binding. There's always lots of options and choices, none of them are wrong as long as you like it!

I like to lay out the quilt on top of the fabric I'm thinking about using. I leave as small sliver around the edge. Because the binding is very thin so you won't see a lot when it's done. This is how I estimate the thin slice will look once it's finished.

For me, this multicolor burst is a bit busy to use as binding. I want the quilt to shine not be muddied.

Some folks will wrap the fabric around just the littlest bit to see what it looks like. I find I have to pin when I do that, which I'd rather avoid. This way I can step back and get a good look at it!

You can also see that I have yet to pull out the basting stitches. Sometimes that will fit within the binding and you don't have to pull it out, but I went a little too far in to the quilt with my basting stitch so I will need to cut it out before binding.

I wasn't over the moon about the red multicolor either so I laid out this mildly textured blue batik. I think it's the one! It frames the quilt and offsets the colors within very well! I like that it doesn't distract from what's going on with the pattern or fabrics.

Now it's time to get my strips cut and sewn for the binding. I'll get this quilt finished up here in no time! 

I hope this helps you feel more confident in trimming your quilts when they come home! Share your projects with me! Let me know your tips and tricks! Tell me how you choose your bindings!