FAQs

 

Is my quilt good enough to send to a longarmer? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!

If you feel your quilt isn’t good enough for longarming, then you couldn’t be more wrong! EVERY QUILT is good enough to be finished, and placed in the arms of our loved ones!

We are all works in progress and so are our quilts! We learn as we go, and we learn from each other. Even after 25 years of making quilts I am still learning new tricks to help me become a better piecer.

A quilt that is finished is much better than one that stays in the closet unloved for years, and years, and years! So grab your work of art, and LET’S DO THIS!

What is your current turn around time?

My current turn around time is approximately two weeks, from the time I receive your quilt, to when I drop it back in the mail. We all know that life can throw us curve balls at times, so if by chance I can’t finish your quilt in the two week period, I will let you know as soon as possible.

Will you trim my quilt?

I do not trim quilts. When I am finished quilting I will neatly package your quilt and let you do all the trimming. That way you get all your extra fabric back.

Can you center a specially pieced backing with the quilt top?

Do you have a backing that has specialty fabrics sewn in to make the backing more fun and interesting? Go for it! Please note however that it is almost impossible to center a design on the back with the quilt top. There is a lot of fabric draw that happens during the quilting process. So I would recommend that you offset your design on your backing, and that way it will still look good! If centered is what you want I will do my best to accomplish it!

Also please note. If your backing has one seam I do not try and center it. Most people often fold their quilts in half when they are not in use and if the seam is centered this will create a lot of tension on this seam.

Will you square up and piece my backing for me?

Absolutely! I charge $15 for squaring up and $20 for squaring up and seaming. This includes one seam. Any additional seams will be $10 per seam.

When purchasing your backing fabric Be sure to buy extra to make up for the amount that I will be removing to find the straight of the grain.

I rip and tear to find the straight of the grain. Fabric on the bolt is NEVER cut off straight of the grain.

Regular width fabric will only need a few extra inches to find the straight of the grain. Wide width fabric, 108 inches, could take an extra half yard of fabric.

Should I have a vertical or horizontal seam in my backing?

This is a great question! When I am working with my own quilts I often try and have a horizontal seam. This usually saves me a little money when buying my backing fabric AND a horizontal seam has less bulk as I advance the quilt because the seam is the entire length of the backing fabric.

A vertical seam, which runs from top to bottom, causes the backing seam to be rolled up over itself as I advance the quilt, causing bulk in one area.

But there are times when the backing seam needs to be vertical. This past Christmas season I was working on a quilt that had directional backing fabric AND I chose a digital design that was also directional. That means that the backing, the quilt top and the design all needed to be vertical.

My friend and fellow longarm league founding member has an amazing blog post on this exact topic. Shelly of Matantequilting explains in detail the why’s behind choosing either vertical or horizontal backing seams. Please see Shelly's blog post here!

How do I properly attach borders to my quilt top?

The 3 measure method is simply taking 3 measurements at 3 different places on your quilt top, add them together then divide by 3. This will give you your average measurement.

  • For top and bottom borders measure distance from left to right across the top, middle and bottom of your quilt. Take these 3 measurements and apply the method mentioned above to find the average. Cut your top/bottom borders to the average measurement.

  • Now fold your borders in half and mark with a crease or a pin. Fold in half again and then again, creasing or marking each fold with a pin. Repeat the folding for your quilt top.

  • With right sides together lay top border across quilt top. Be sure to match markings and pin at the center, then outer edges, then finally at the 1/4 & 3/4 markings. If you have a super large quilt you may have to have 1/8th markings.

  • Ease in any fullness in between said markings. Some times you may have to stretch your fabric a little to fit. Sew top border to quilt. Repeat for bottom border.

  • If you have to ease in any fabric, it is best to put the side of your quilt that has the most fullness against your feed dogs. The feed dogs will automatically gather in the extra fabric for you.

  • After attaching the top/bottom borders you can now repeat this same process for your side borders. Take 3 measurements including the top and bottom borders at the left, right and middle of the quilt.

  • You may reverse the order of attaching your borders: side borders first then top/bottom borders. It’s your quilty preference. :)

  • When you follow this method of attaching your borders it will help bring your quilt top to square and it will lay flat and hang straight.

  • Whenever possible I try and cut my border pieces parallel to the selvage edge. This has the least amount of stretch.

How do I choose the quilting density?

I love a lot of quilting. I think it adds great texture to any quilt. Some people are afraid to add too much quilting for fear that their quilt will be too stiff.

Would you believe me if I told you that quilt stiffness is most likely caused by the batting used in your quilt and not necessarily the quilting density?

Yep! Some battings are a bit stiffer by nature and if quilted at a high density this will add to its stiffness. But honestly, I have yet to come across a quilt that you can’t be wrapped up in just because it was quilted a little more dense.

In my experience with Quilters Dream 100% Cotton and the 80/20 Cotton/Poly blend, no matter what the quilting density is, the quilt remains wonderfully snuggly!

Okay so now What? How do I know what is loose, medium or high density?

Think scale. The smaller the scale, the more pattern repeats there will be on your quilt top. The larger the scale, will in turn, have less pattern repeats. Make sense?

The wonderful thing about a digital quilting system is that I can change the size, the scale of a design so it can be stitched out with either a loose, medium or high density. Please note: that some digital designs are more dense in nature. If you are wanting a very light density than I would chose a design that doesn’t have a lot going on.

Still not sure how to choose your overall density? Once again my friend Shelly of Matantequilting explains this beautifully! Check out Shelly’s blog post here!

No worries! I can help you choose and I will quilt at whatever density makes you happy. I can quilt loose, medium or high density.