Dear Cowgirl Crafty,

My quilt backing is only 43–44" wide, and my quilt will be approximately 34" across when finished. Will 5" of extra margin on each side be enough for the longarm machine? I have plenty of length, that dimension isn't a problem.

Also — if I add a 2" border all the way around, bringing the width to 38", I'd only have about two inches of margin on each side. I was thinking of cutting a couple of panels and stitching them onto the sides to bring that up to six inches each, then trimming them off after quilting. I'd have to stitch them in vertically. I'm trying not to buy wideback fabric unless I truly need it, and I have a lot of this 43–44" Riley Blake yardage for length, just not width.

— Kathryn

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Dear Kathryn,

Short answer: your original 34" quilt works as-is. For the bordered version at 38", you've got three solid options, pick whichever fits your needs, and I'll walk through why each works below.

Your 34" quilt: no changes needed

5" of margin per side is the standard minimum, and that's exactly what you've got: 44" minus 34" is 10" total, 5" per side.

Why margin matters: it gives the fabric a wide, even bed of tension while quilting. Skip it, and the vertical borders risk stretching, especially if the quilter needs to ease in any fullness. How much risk depends on the fabric, in my experience muslin, Minky, Kona, Moda, Pepper Cotton, and AGF all behave differently under tension, so there's no single number that predicts exact stretch. What's consistent: it's not worth risking over a few inches of fabric.

Your bordered quilt (38"): three options for backing

Option 1: Sew two lengths of yardage together. Stitch two 43–44" lengths along the selvage, about 1" from the edge. Trimming that seam's selvage afterward is optional. Leave a ½" minimum seam allowance and press it to one side so the seam lies flat and won't pop open if the quilt gets heavy use.

Option 2: Wideback. No piecing, no seam to manage, a good choice once a quilt outgrows what a single standard-width piece can cover with adequate margin.

Backing prep for options 1 & 2 (no squaring needed): provide at least 10" of extra width beyond the quilt top, a little more if your cut tends to run wonky. Separately, if you rip the fabric to straighten it, tearing rather than cutting, that process can fray the edge by about 1" on each side, so add 2" more: 12" wider than your quilt top instead of 10". Also provide 11" of extra height, 4" on the bottom, 7" on top. The extra height lets the longarmer square the backing as it rolls onto the take-up bar, before clamping the top edge in place.

Load direction: selvages run horizontally, East to West, parallel to the frame.

Option 3: Small quilts running selvages perpendicular to the frame. At 38" wide, your margins are only 3" per side, so this option gets you there without piecing. Cut a single, unpieced 44"-wide length, sized at your quilt top's height plus 11", or more if squaring that fabric is a challenge. This loads with the selvages running vertically, North to South, along the East and West sides, instead of the usual horizontal orientation. It's viable because your quilt is small, here's what to know:

• Load direction: selvages run vertically, North to South, perpendicular to the frame. Selvage is a tight, non-stretch edge, so it acts as a built-in tension bar on the sides, doing the job extra margin would otherwise do.
• Tension testing: longarmers test tension in the margins, using fabric similar to, or the same as, your quilt top, laid over the exposed batting and backing. Send a separate test strip, about 15" x 43/44" of backing and 5" x 10–15" of quilt top fabric, in case your longarmer needs a sample to test, fabric qualities vary as much as we covered above.
• Squaring: square the bottom edge to a true 90 degrees relative to the selvages, and add 11" of height beyond your quilt top. Square the top too, and that drops the backing height requirement to 8" more than your quilt top.
• One catch: this only works with non-directional prints. Rotating the fabric this way also rotates any printed pattern, so a directional print will run sideways. If your backing has a directional print, use option 1 or 2 instead.

Whichever option you choose, never trim off the selvages around the backing's perimeter. Having selvages that run perfectly parallel to the bar ensures your backing is almost perfectly even from side to side. Worried about sending more fabric than needed? Just ask your longarmer to return the leftover backing. And if your backing needs a specific loading direction, say so upfront.

Last resort: side-strips

Stitching narrow strips onto the sides creates vertical seams right alongside the border you're trying to protect. Vertical seams can invite tension inconsistencies and puckering if not monitored closely while quilting, depending on the fabric. To compensate, a longarmer sometimes has to gently put pressure on the quilt mid-stitch to keep the backing from puckering underneath, which can throw off pattern alignment. This is especially tricky for free-motion quilting, since we only have two hands.

If you do add strips at the edges to extend width, leave at least 3" of clearance for baby or lap quilts, four to five inches for larger ones. It also helps to load the quilt top onto the bar rather than floating it, to prevent the quilt from shifting causing it to quilt over the backing seams.

Bottom line

Your 38" quilt top works with any of the three options above. If you go with option 3, confirm with your longarmer ahead of time that she's on board. Always leave ample height for loading on the frame, and send a strip of fabric matching your quilt top so she can test tension accurately before she starts.

Quilt on.

— Cowgirl Crafty