There are several things you can do to prepare your quilt top and backing for an optimal quilting experience.

• If your quilt top will have borders, I strongly recommend creating them using pre-measured strips, rather than just cutting a strip, sewing it on, and then trimming off the excess. Using pre-measured strips that are the actual length/width of your pieced blocks will significantly reduce the chance of excess fullness in the borders, which can cause problems when quilting.
• Press your quilt top and backing to remove any stubborn creases.
• Square up your quilt top and backing.
• Make sure your backing fabric and batting is at least 4 inches wider than your quilt top on all sides. (e.g., if your quilt top is 60″x70″, then your backing and batting should be at least 68″x78″)
• Clip all loose threads from your quilt top.