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Closing the Back
Now you are ready to close up the back of your quilt on each row.
Place each row right side facing down on your table, and fold open the batting and backing so you can see the sashing in between.
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| Place your quilt face down on the table and open up the batting and backing so you can see the sashing. |
You should have about 3/4 inch between the seam on one block and the seam allowance on the other block.
This may sound a little strange, but I want to have it all lay flat. I will trim the batting and backing on one side so it matches the seam allowance, and I want the batting on the other side to butt up against that. (The other option is to trim the batting so it meets in the center of the sashing. Either way works.)
Once you have decided how much to trim, fold everything out of the way. Line up your ruler along the seam line where you added the sashing, and trim the excess batting and backing.
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| Decide how much batting and backing to trim, and then cut it off. |
In the picture below, the blue is what I just trimmed, and the purple is the seam allowance on the adjoining block. The layers of batting and backing fit just inside the sashing strip that is between the blocks.
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| The batting and backing are trimmed on one side. |
Now you are ready to trim the excess off of the other block so you can overlap the backing and close the back.
Trim the batting so it is even with the seam allowance. It will just meet the backing and batting you just trimmed from the adjoining block.
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| Trim the batting so it is even with the seam allowance. |
Now you can lay down the batting between the blocks, and it should lay flat, with no bulge for overlap.
You could whip stitch the batting together, but I chose not to. It is a relatively small space, I am using needle-punched batting which should not separate, and this is a wall hanging; so it shouldn't get much wear that would cause the batting to move.
Now you are ready to trim the backing. It needs to be long enough to cover the backing from the adjoining block plus allow for a 1/4 inch seam allowance that will be folded under.
I trimmed mine to be 1 inch wider than the seam.
Then I ironed the 1/4 inch seam allowance under, and used a blind stitch to close the back.
You need to sew the length of the blocks plus about 1 inch beyond the blocks on both ends. That will ensure that the backing is secure as you add your other sashing and borders.
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Pin the backing closed and stitch. |
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