Zipper Leader Instructions
Once you have booked your Certification Class for renting one of our APQS longarms, you will need to know how to attach your quilt top and backing to the Zipper Leaders. We will go over this information with you in your Certification Class also. We use the Quick Zip System, which will allow you to get your top and backing loaded quickly so you can get straight to the fun of quilting.
1) Determine the most efficient way to pin the material and quilt the chosen design. (Some materials and quilting designs are directional, so you must take this into account when deciding how to load your quilt.) Measure the quilt top in the direction it will be pinned, 3 times (top, middle and bottom), calculate the average ((1 + 2 + 3) divided by 3) and write this number down.
2) Fold the quilt top in half and mark the centers of the top and bottom edges of the quilt top with safety pins. Unfold the top and lay it out, right side up, to make sure that you will be pinning the side that you determined in Step 1.
3) Flip the fabric up, so you see about 5" of the backside of the top.
Lay out the zipper half marked “TOP FABRIC BOTTOM LEFT SIDE” and make sure this label is to the left of you. Pin the center of the zipper to the center of the wrong side of the bottom fabric edge (of the quilt top). There is no zipper half for the top edge of the quilt top.
The flat edge of the zipper tape should be lined up with the edge of the fabric.
4) Using safety pins, pin out from the center to one end. Place pins no further than a thumb width apart but do not overlap.
Keep the pins a consistent 1/4” from the flat edge of the zipper tape and do not let the material stretch or ripple while pinning.
Fill the pin with as much of the zipper tape as possible, so the safety pin does not slide back and forth.
5) Note: If your quilt top is not square, meaning the 3 measurements from step 1 are not the same, you will need to account for this when pinning the quilt top to the zipper tape.
For example: if your 3 measurements were
80.5" + 79.5" + 80.25" (= 240.75)
That would make the average width 80.25" (240.75 / 3 = 80.25).
The area that measures 79.5" may not be able to stretch to 80.25" so we would want to pick the low average of 80".
Now pin the left corner of the top fabric 40" from the center (80/2= 40). You will have more fabric than the zipper tape, so you will need to ease in the fullness by continually adding pins as you divide the space in half.
Follow the same steps for pinning to the right side of center.
6) Lay out the backing fabric, square up if necessary, and determine the direction it will be pinned. Fold in half and mark the centers of the two edges with safety pins. You could also use straight pins. Unfold and lay out your backing fabric WRONG SIDE UP.
7) Flip the fabric up, so you see about 5" of the RIGHT SIDE of the backing fabric.
Lay out the zipper half marked “BACKING FABRIC, BOTTOM LEFT SIDE” and make sure this label is to the left of you. Pin the center of the zipper to the center of the RIGHT side of the bottom edge (of the backing fabric).
The flat edge of the zipper tape should be lined up with the edge of the fabric.
Pin out from the center to the end as in Step 4.
8) To pin the top edge of the backing fabric, rotate the fabric so that the top edge of the backing is closest to you (or Upside down).
Make sure the backing material is still WRONG SIDE UP.
Flip the fabric edge up, so you see about 5" of the RIGHT SIDE of the backing fabric.
Lay out the zipper half marked “BACKING FABRIC, TOP LEFT SIDE” but this time the LABEL IS TO THE RIGHT OF YOU. Pin the center of the zipper to the center of the RIGHT side of the top edge (of the backing fabric).
Pin out from the center to the end as in Step 4 & 7.
When you are finished, you will be ready to load your quilt onto the machine using your Zippers, which we will cover in your Certification Class.
