1. Clip any loosed threads. Stray threads will show through lighter fabrics and they can cause snags and uneven stitching.
   It's a good idea to stay-stitch about one-fourth inch around your top to stabilize the edges, especially if you have pieced edges. Check for loose seams.

2. Label the quilt top and back top if necessary with a note paper marked "TOP" and secure the note with a safety pin to keep it attached to the fabric.

3.  Fabric with a lot of paint on it (rather than dye) may cause problems during quilting because the paint "grabs" the needle and can cause drag or needle breakage or possibly tearing your quilt.

4. If your top arrives and it needs pressing before it can be loaded and quilted, I will charge an additional $10 per hour to press. Pressing during every stage of construction should make any additional pressing minimal if needed at all. (Small creases from mailing will be taken care of no charge.)

5. Save any embellishments such as buttons and bows until after the quilt has been quilted.  These are almost impossible to quilt around safely and can damage your quilt and/or my machine.

We supply Quilter's Dream Batting, only available at independent quilt shops and produced in the USA.  All batting types are machine washable and low dry.  (To ensure the best quality machine quilting outcome, we do not accept customer-supplied batting.)

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Your batting choices are:

• Quilter's Dream Blend 80% Cotton/20% Polyester (considered a mid loft)

• Quilter's Dream Natural 100% Cotton - Request Loft (considered the lowest loft)

• Quilter's Dream Natural 100% Cotton - Deluxe Loft  (considered a high loft)

• Quilter's Dream Bamboo (considered a mid loft)

• Quilter's Dream 100% Wool (considered a high loft)

We offer an "all-inclusive" price based on the size of your quilt top and any customization of your quilt starting at .03¢ per square inch.

There is a $50 deposit per quilt required at the time of intake

Price includes: 

Quilter's Dream Batting (Bamboo, Blend, Cotton, or Wool), Thread, and Quilt Design.

1. To properly load your quilt onto our long-arm quilting machines, your backing must be a minimum of 4" larger on all four sides than the pieced quilt top. 

2. The maximum width for our machine is 115". 

3. Label the quilt back top if necessary with a note paper marked "TOP" and secure the note with a safety pin to keep it attached to the fabric.

4. If seaming backing, please leave the selvages on the top and bottom as it provides a more stable surface to pin to the leaders. If you are piecing the backing and have a choice, run seams horizontally and not vertically. This rolls onto the machine more easily and prevents unnecessary stretching and puckering.

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   Pieced backs are fine, but keep in mind that it's very difficult to center a back on a longarm machine, and I can't guarantee that it will be exact.

    

We require a deposit payment at the time of intake for each quilt. This includes Venmo, Cash, or a check.

Please note that your quilt will not be released or shipped until payment authorization is confirmed. If payment authorization is delinquent past 60 days of completion, your quilt will be considered our property. We will make every attempt to contact you if there are any payment concerns.

1. Please do not pin or baste your quilt in any way. That's my job! Check for stray pins.

2. If you aren't already a "pre-wash" convert, consider pre-shrinking all material before cutting/ assembling your quilt. This will avoid "bleeding" of fabrics (particularly reds) and ensure an even shrinkage across all fabrics in Top and Backing.

3. As quilt blocks and pieces are assembled, the edges tend to grow. As a result, edges are often longer than the center of the quilt. If you cut a border strip of fabric, sew it to an edge, trim it off, and repeat around the quilt, chances are that the borders will be longer than the center of the quilt, and you will have "ruffled" borders. Our goal as piecer and quilter is a flat, square quilt.To avoid ruffled borders, measure the center of your quilt, cut the first set of border strips to that length, mark the centers of the strips and the centers of the sides of the quilt, and pin from the center out to each side, easing in fullness. If your quilt is large, take three measurements across the center, average the measurements, and use that number for your border length. Re-measure and repeat for the second set of borders. If you are making a top with several borders, repeat this technique for each.

4. 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. Please insure that your piecing and borders lie flat. 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. Don't scrimp on Batting. Cheaper versions (without scrim or bonding) often fall apart on the machine or poke out of the fabric (called "bearding").

5. 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.

6. When we talk about your quilt, please be prepared to discuss preferences for thread, batting, quilting design, pre-shrinking, and costs. I want to be very clear about your expectations so that neither of us is disappointed.

   If you have a question about the tips, please ask!