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What
is Longarm Quilting?
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A longarm quilting machine is a large sewing machine
that has 360 degree movement. It is guided by handles with controls
and moves across the quilt top. The machine sits on wheels which move
along rails embedded in a very long table. The quilt top, batting and
backing are attached separately to a series of rollers. Side clamps
help ensure a wrinkle-free quilt sandwich.
The
machine floats on a carriage system that allows the operator to
manipulate it easily in any direction over the surface of the quilt.
Machine quilting is
not intended to replace hand quilting. There is a place for both.
Machine quilting, however can be more durable, and in many cases
totally unique. Quilting by use of a long arm machine gives the
creator of the top more time to spend doing the part of the quilting
process they enjoy most - designing and piecing.
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Quilting Choices
| Edge to Edge |
- a single, hand-guided, pantograph
design quilted over the entire top. |
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| Free hand |
- free-form quilting over the
entire top. |
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| Outlining |
- free-hand quilting around appliqué work
or around printed designs in the fabric. |
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| Custom |
- a combination of pantograph designs,
block insets from templates, channel quilting, and a variety of
free-hand quilting including, but not limited to, outlining,
meandering, stitching in the seams, and echo quilting around figures
and appliqués. |
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| Heirloom |
- patterns such as small background grids or
meandering, intricate feather designs, wreaths, trapunto, dense
free-hand designs, or wholecloth designs requiring the quilt be
hand-marked. Heirloom quilting is generally intricate, heavy, quilting
designs that are very labour intensive. |
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What type of Quilting should I choose?
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The type of quilting you choose will depend on:
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- the end use of the quilt.
- how much detail and uniqueness you want worked into your quilt top.
- what you wish to spend.
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Pricing
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My pricing is based on the intricacy of the type of quilting the customer chooses applied to the size of the quilt.
To arrive at an estimate feel free to call me at no obligation and I will walk you through it.
When figuring out an estimate I measure the length times the width of the quilt in inches then divide the answer by 144 to come up with the square footage of the quilt. The answer is then multiplied by the price per square foot for the type of quilting you want.
Edge to Edge quilting takes the least amount of time therefore it is the most economical.
There are limitless combinations of Edge to Edge and Custom Quilting . The cost varies according to the time each takes. Heirloom quilting, the most time consuming and intricate detailed work is also the most unique and will make the quilt one of a kind.
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Batting
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Things to consider when trying to decide what type of batting to use:
Who is the quilt for ?
How is it going to be used?
What type of finished look do you like?
For example a wall hanging doesn't require the thickness or durability that a quilt for a grandchild heading off to university would. Each project has it's own unique requirements.
I carry all kinds of battings for my customer's convenience and to insure that they get only the amount of top quality batting that they need. The batting comes from a large roll and is not the type stuffed into a bag.
Customers are also welcome to supply their own batting, if desired.
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Preparing
your Quilt for Machine Quilting |
- Do
not baste your quilt.
- Identify
the head and the foot of the quilt top.
- The
quilt backing and batt should be a minimum of 4 inches wider all the way around.
- Measure
through the center of the quilt top vertically. Then measure the
outside edges vertically. If there is more than a 1-1/2 inch
difference, it is possible that your top will have tucks when quilted.
Do the same measurements horizontally. The most common reasons for
measurement differences are stretched bias edges and mitered corners
that leave extra fabric on one or both sides of the miter. Too
much easement when piecing blocks can result in small tents or
puckers, which will cause tucks when the quilt is quilted.
- Remove
any buttons, charms, pins, etc. from the quilt top.
- Check
quilt top for seam breaks. Please repair any seam breaks before
sending your quilt.
- Clip
any loose threads, both front and back, (these may cause snags and
uneven stitching). On lighter fabrics, loose threads on the back
side of the top will show through.
- Top
and backing should be pressed with seams pressed open or to one side.
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