How to Prepare your Quilt - A Guide
Libie Peterson • May 21, 2020
Following these guidelines will help ensure there won't be delays in the longarm quilting process, additional fees, and will avoid the possibility of getting placed back on the waiting list while waiting for any corrections to be made.
1.) Your quilt top and backing should be well pressed with all seams flat.
- If your backing is pieced, seams need to be pressed open with selvage edges removed prior to piecing. I prefer the seams on backings to run left to right on the frame, this tends to produce the best results.
- Bolt folds must be pressed out.
2.) Clip all the threads on your quilt top (especially the finished side).
- Stray threads will show through lighter fabrics and they can cause snags and uneven stitching.
- If your quilt top has abundant loose threads I will add a thread trimming fee of $15.00. Loose threads will wrap around the hopping foot and may damage the machine. The fee is due to the fact that I will have to stop after each row and trim your threads before quilting the next row, taking up much more time.
3.) Make sure the quilt top / backing and batting edges are cut straight and form a perfect square.
- Packaged batting does not need to be trimmed.
- Please do not send Mountain Mist or high loft polyester batting. I have a variety of Hobbs batting available.
4.) This is Important!
- Backing must be a total minimum of 10" wider and 10” longer than the quilt top.
- Provided Batting should be a minimum of 8" wider and 8" longer that the quilt top.
- If you choose not to square I will need 12“ longer AND wider and I will quilt the top as you send it (May be slightly off in the rows)
5.) No bed sheets for backing.
- The fabric is too dense, and in turn it prevents needle penetration causing skipped stitches and thread breaks.
6.) If you have bias edges
- On the outside of your quilt, stay-stitch 1/4” around all edges the quilt top only.
- This will help prevent the quilt top from stretching when it is loaded onto the frame.
7.) Identify the top of quilt
- By marking with a piece of masking tape, if there is a definite top.
8.) The quilt top should be free of embellishments such as buttons and beads. NO PINS PLEASE
- I don't need your top basted or pinned as I load each piece separately onto the frame.
Notes:
- Longarm quilting is a hand-guided art. Thus, computerized perfection cannot be achieved nor is it a built-in part of the longarm quilting process. I am human, not a robot :)
- Please insure that your piecing and borders lie flat. Quilting will not correct puffiness due to uneven piecing.
- Longarm quilting will not "fix" misaligned patchwork or the uneven borders that can cause your quilt to have puckers or tucks when quilted.
- Your quilt will be as free of pleats, fullness or tucks as your piecing allows.* Extra charges may be added for quilt preparations that must be completed by Libie prior to quilting.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to give me a call. I'm happy to assist you in getting everything prepared, and going over any of the details you need further information on.
Here is a tutorial on how your quilt moves through the process of being quilted. I have borrowed this from Craftsy.com. I have changed it to match how I will be handling your quilt. Please contact me if you need further explanation.
You might wonder how your quilt gets from the package it arrives in, to a quilted piece. Here I show you how. Your top and backing should be pressed out as shown, prior to delivery for quilting.
