To trim or not to trim...?

That is ALWAYS the question upon putting in that final quilting stitch and ultimately taking the completed quilt off the frame.  If it's a client quilt and the client wants the extra batting and backing left on, other than removing any loose threads and strings aka 'pruning the quilt', then our question has been answered...no worries.  If this quilt will be a treasured heirloom or one that will be entered into a judged show where every centimeter counts, then I'm not trimming 'til I've taken the quilt off the frame and squared it up.

However, if this is a quick project, one that will be loved and drug - I refer to this as a 'Hug 'n Lug' quilt, then I'm trimmin' while it's coming off the frame!

Gotta love those batting scissors - they work great!

Yep - I trim the top, sides and bottom while the quilt is coming off the frame, just keep those leaders far away from those batting scissors or you'll have them all trimmed up, too!:

Just look how nice and straight this is (this quilt was quilted sideways ;-)

As mentioned in a previous post, I take great pains to keep my quilt top nice and straight during the entire quilting process, checking my quilt top's alignment and pin basting with each roll of that top to ensure everything remains nice and straight.  Looks like it paid off once again, cause this quilt is straight as a string and lays nice and flat:

Just coming off the frame after being trimmed - 

everything looks nice and straight

Trimming a quilt while it comes off the frame is a great time-saver and one I highly recommend if you need to complete a project quickly and the quilt doesn't require blocking.  Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you...

Later,

~Deb