Wondering how it works? Here's how!
- You sew your quilt top and bring (or mail) it to my home in Edmonds, or another prearranged site.
- We talk about what you’d like, including design choices, thread, and batting.
- I give you a written estimate for the quilting, as well as a timeline for completion. My general turn around time is 2-4 weeks, depending on complexity. Christmas season and Quilt Show season are usually longer.
- You leave the quilt with me and I quilt it. I'm available during the whole process, and I can even send you pictures if you like.
- You pick up your quilt, pay the balance (I accept checks, cash, Paypal, and Venmo), and take home your quilt to finish the binding. Then you do a happy dance, because it's finished!
Pricing
The cost of quilting depends on what design(s) you want on your quilt. The least expensive is a basic meander across the whole quilt top. This is a random, loopy quilted line that basically secures the three layers of the quilt together. A meander stitch is 2 cents/square inch. (Total square inches is found by measuring your quilt's length and width, and multiplying those two numbers together.)
Horizontal or vertical straight line quilting also starts at 2 cents/square inch, and goes up to 3 cents for lines closer than 2 inches apart. The minimum charge for quilting a basic meander design or straight lines is $75.
The next type of quilting design is called edge-to-edge (E2E), and it's a design that's quilted from one edge of your quilt to another, across the whole quilt. It uses a repeating pattern (called a pantograph), and I have many different designs to choose from! This quilting begins at 2.5 cents/square inch for very simple open designs, and goes up to 4 cents, based on the density and complexity of the pattern you choose. As an example, a typical queen sized quilt of 80 x 90 inches would cost $180 using a 2.5 cent E2E design, and a typical twin quilt measuring 70 x 86 would cost $150 using a 2.5 cent E2E design. The minimum charge for quilting an E2E design is $75. See a sampling of E2E patterns here and in my Quilt Gallery.
The third type of quilting (and often the most beautiful!) is called custom quilting. In custom quilting, the quilter free hands different designs on the quilt (or uses a computerized machine, which I don't). This makes custom quilting more artistic, time consuming, and personalized than E2E quilting. Custom quilting involves specific placement of different patterns in borders, blocks, setting triangles, etc, and highlights and enhances the piecing and pattern of any quilt. This quilting begins at 5 cents/square inch, and increases with the complexity of the quilting up to 8 cents/square inch. Custom work is priced when you bring your quilt in, and will be based on your individual quilt. (Please note I do not offer heirloom quilting.) The minimum charge for custom quilting is $100. You can see many examples of custom quilting in my Quilt Gallery.
The cost of quilting depends on what design(s) you want on your quilt. The least expensive is a basic meander across the whole quilt top. This is a random, loopy quilted line that basically secures the three layers of the quilt together. A meander stitch is 2 cents/square inch. (Total square inches is found by measuring your quilt's length and width, and multiplying those two numbers together.)
Horizontal or vertical straight line quilting also starts at 2 cents/square inch, and goes up to 3 cents for lines closer than 2 inches apart. The minimum charge for quilting a basic meander design or straight lines is $75.
The next type of quilting design is called edge-to-edge (E2E), and it's a design that's quilted from one edge of your quilt to another, across the whole quilt. It uses a repeating pattern (called a pantograph), and I have many different designs to choose from! This quilting begins at 2.5 cents/square inch for very simple open designs, and goes up to 4 cents, based on the density and complexity of the pattern you choose. As an example, a typical queen sized quilt of 80 x 90 inches would cost $180 using a 2.5 cent E2E design, and a typical twin quilt measuring 70 x 86 would cost $150 using a 2.5 cent E2E design. The minimum charge for quilting an E2E design is $75. See a sampling of E2E patterns here and in my Quilt Gallery.
The third type of quilting (and often the most beautiful!) is called custom quilting. In custom quilting, the quilter free hands different designs on the quilt (or uses a computerized machine, which I don't). This makes custom quilting more artistic, time consuming, and personalized than E2E quilting. Custom quilting involves specific placement of different patterns in borders, blocks, setting triangles, etc, and highlights and enhances the piecing and pattern of any quilt. This quilting begins at 5 cents/square inch, and increases with the complexity of the quilting up to 8 cents/square inch. Custom work is priced when you bring your quilt in, and will be based on your individual quilt. (Please note I do not offer heirloom quilting.) The minimum charge for custom quilting is $100. You can see many examples of custom quilting in my Quilt Gallery.
Thread I use Superior threads (Omni, So Fine, Bottom Line, King Tut) and Fil-tec (Glide), and I have a variety of beautiful colors to choose from. Thread is an additional flat charge of $5. Unfortunately, I cannot accept customer-provided thread.
Batting: You are welcome to provide your own batting for use (make sure it's not flimsy or so thin that it pulls apart when handled), or you can purchase from me. I stock Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 cotton poly blend ($9.00/yard, 96 inch wide, not a lot of loft, but more than 100% cotton, lighter and more durable than cotton, machine washable/dry, shrinks 3-5%) and Hobbes Heirloom Wool ($12.00/ yard, 106 inch wide, soft and luxurious feel, brings out piecing and stitching, great warmth without weight, "breathes" well, more loft than 80/20, also shrinks 3-5%, machine washable in cold water/air dry but best if dried flat). Visit Hobbs Batting to determine the best type of batting for your project.
Other services: I will trim your quilt edges after quilting at no charge, and I offer the following services at $25/hour: pressing the quilt top/back, constructing and attaching binding to the top (machine only), shopping for backing fabric, pre-washing backing, piecing backing, and extensive thread clipping on quilt backing.
WA State tax of 10.4% will be charged on all services.
Batting: You are welcome to provide your own batting for use (make sure it's not flimsy or so thin that it pulls apart when handled), or you can purchase from me. I stock Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 cotton poly blend ($9.00/yard, 96 inch wide, not a lot of loft, but more than 100% cotton, lighter and more durable than cotton, machine washable/dry, shrinks 3-5%) and Hobbes Heirloom Wool ($12.00/ yard, 106 inch wide, soft and luxurious feel, brings out piecing and stitching, great warmth without weight, "breathes" well, more loft than 80/20, also shrinks 3-5%, machine washable in cold water/air dry but best if dried flat). Visit Hobbs Batting to determine the best type of batting for your project.
Other services: I will trim your quilt edges after quilting at no charge, and I offer the following services at $25/hour: pressing the quilt top/back, constructing and attaching binding to the top (machine only), shopping for backing fabric, pre-washing backing, piecing backing, and extensive thread clipping on quilt backing.
WA State tax of 10.4% will be charged on all services.
NEW CUSTOMER DISCOUNT!
I love new customers, and to show my appreciation, I offer a 20% discount on your first order!
(Offer limited to quilting only, and does not include batting or other services. May not exceed $50)
I love new customers, and to show my appreciation, I offer a 20% discount on your first order!
(Offer limited to quilting only, and does not include batting or other services. May not exceed $50)
How to Prepare your Quilt for Long Arm Quilting
Quilt Preparation
Quilt Top
Quilt Backing and Batting
- Don’t baste any of the layers together, no need to do this! Hooray!
- Tip: when measuring how long to cut your borders, measure through the center of the quilt top as well as the outer edges, and average these measurements together to cut your borders to. Match outer edges and centers, and ease in any fullness. This will go a LONG way towards reducing "wavy borders"!
Quilt Top
- Press all your seams flat. Pressing your seams to the side (instead of open) creates better structural integrity in your quilt if the pattern calls for any stitch in the ditch designs. Clip loose threads. Make sure your top is nice and square. Measure your quilt across the bottom, middle, and top. These three measurements should be the same, or pretty close! If not, there's a possibility your quilt edges will get puckered during the quilting process. Spray starch is a great way to get near-perfect cutting, sewing, and pressing results! If you're having trouble with wavy borders and uneven blocks, try a spray starch.
- Mark the top of your quilt with a safety pin.
- Check your seams to make sure there are no gaps or holes. If any seams extend to the edge of your quilt, stay stitch 1/8 inch from the edge of the quilt across the seams to secure them.
- Remove any pins, buttons, or other embellishments from your quilt top for later.
- If your quilt will have scalloped edges, please wait to cut them until after quilting is finished.
Quilt Backing and Batting
- Both the backing and batting need to be 8 inches wider and longer than the quilt top. For example, if your quilt top is 50 x 60, your backing and batting should be at least 58 x 68 inches. If you have problems with this, contact me, and we can talk about options.
- When possible, leave the selvages on the outside edges of your backing fabric, as they provide a nice straight edge to attach to the machine. If you've sewn the selvages together in the middle of your backing, make sure to cut them off, as they shrink differently from the rest of the fabric.
- If you piece your backing, run the seam horizontally (parallel with the longest side), not vertically, if possible. This makes it easier to keep everything straight while quilting. However, there's no need to run the seam exactly through the middle of the backing.
- Mark the top of your backing with a safety pin.
- Make sure your backing is cut evenly and as straight as possible. Straight, square edges are best!
Disclaimers
If your quilt has fullness and/or puckers, unfortunately they cannot be quilted out. I can’t guarantee that puckers and tucks won’t be sewn in. In some cases, excessive fullness in borders may result in the quilt corners not being square. The flatter your quilt top is, the better your finished quilt will be. I will definitely try to work in any fullness, but cannot guarantee this! If you're having trouble with your borders, there are some great YouTube videos on attaching borders to solve these problems.
If your quilt has fullness and/or puckers, unfortunately they cannot be quilted out. I can’t guarantee that puckers and tucks won’t be sewn in. In some cases, excessive fullness in borders may result in the quilt corners not being square. The flatter your quilt top is, the better your finished quilt will be. I will definitely try to work in any fullness, but cannot guarantee this! If you're having trouble with your borders, there are some great YouTube videos on attaching borders to solve these problems.
