How do you prepare A Quilt to be Quilted by a Longarm Machine?

Quilt Top

The flatter the quilt top lays before quilting, the better it will look after quilting.

To help prevent wavy borders with extra volume:

• Resist sewing fabric to the sides of your quilt top and cutting it off when you reach the bottom.  Measure three times and cut once.  Measure the left side of your quilt top, measure the center of your quilt top, and measure the right side of your quilt top.  Cut the side borders the average of these three numbers.  Pin the center of the border to the center of the quilt top then pin the ends of the border to the ends of the quilt top.  Keep adding pins until you feel that the fabric is distributed evenly. Sew the borders in place. Press flat.
• Again, resist sewing fabric to the top and bottom of your quilt top and cutting it off when you reach the end.  Measure three times and cut once.  Measure the top of your quilt top, measure the center of your quilt top, and measure the bottom of your quilt top.  Cut the top and bottom borders the average of these three numbers.  Pin the center of the border to the center of the quilt top then pin the ends of the borders to the ends of the quilt top.  Keep adding pins until you feel that the fabric is distributed evenly. Sew the borders in place. Press flat.
• Back stitching at the start and end of every seam helps prevent the seams from popping open at the edge.

• For quilts that do not have borders, stay-stitch 1/8” from the edge of the quilt around the entire quilt. Doing this will prevent the seams from popping open at the edge. Tip – It is easier to stay-stitch on the backside of the quilt.
• Trim all loose threads. Tip - Dark threads will show under a light background.  
• Press the top well
• Eliminate bulky seams where ever possible. Pressing seams open creates a flatter quilt top. Seams pressed to the side create more stability.  Pressing choices are up to the creator.
  

Quilt Back

The quilt back needs to be at least 8” wider and 8” longer than the quilt top. This gives 4” on all sides for attaching to the frame and for clamps.

• Removing the selvage from seam allowances helps the back lay flatter. The selvage has a different pull or give than the rest of the fabric. The selvage sometimes will create a tension in the quilting.
• Make sure the back is well-pressed
• Please square up your backing, making sure all pieces are the same length so it can be attached square with the frame.

Embellishments or 3-D Elements

Quilt tops that have any embellishments or 3-D elements (prairie points, flowers, lace, etc.) need to be basted down. Please know that if the machine head catches on these items the result could be a hole in the quilt.

Minky / Cuddle

Who doesn’t like a soft cuddly backing on a quilt. We stock over 35 colors of 90" Cuddle and approximately 20 colors of 60" wide Cuddle fabric. 


My Backing is not quite 8" bigger than my top, now what?

You can baste a leader fabric to the edges of your backing or we can do that for you for a charge of $15.00 per leader.


Will you sew my backing together?

Yes, we will sew your quilt back together for $20.00 per seam.


Do you offer binding services?

Yes, we will bind your quilt for you.  We offer both machine and hand binding.  Machine binding is $.25 per linear inch (customer prepared) and $.30 per linear inch (Quilter's Lodge prepared).  Hand binding $.50 per linear inch.  Yes, we will still bind your quilt for you even if you have a minky / cuddle back.


What is your pricing for shipping?

Our standard default shipping is Priority Mail, Flat Rate Boxes via USPS (United States Postal Service).  Fabric is heavy and we have found this method to be the most economical in the most situations.  No one likes to pay shipping, we make sure we use the most economical, smallest box to package your purchase for a safe arrival.