Quilt Preparation
The good news is that if we longarm your quilt, all you have to focus on is the patchwork top. There's no sandwiching layers together or squaring up - we take care of that.
There are a few simple things we'd recommend though:
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Please press items and ensure seams are flat.
Whilst we do iron tops and backings before quilting, it's only a light pressing.
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Snip loose thread ends.
We'll happily remove the odd loose thread from a quilt top. However, there's little we can do about those on the underside and these can easily show through lighter fabrics.
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Please label the top edge of your quilt and backing if the orientation is important.
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If you wish to supply your own wadding, check it's suitable for longarm quilting.
If in doubt, look for a needle punched wadding with a scrim as this will prevent bleed through.
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Any wadding or backing must measure at least 8 inches longer and wider than your quilt top i.e. leave 4 inches all round.
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A stay stitch is not essential - but it's a good idea on any pieced top to prevent edges stretching and is especially important on bias edges (triangles!) or pieced borders. Stay stitch approx 1/8" from the edge.
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We'll tack stitch the edge of your quilt top to secure it. Your binding should cover this stitching - if you do find it shows, then simply use that stitch ripper to make it disappear!
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We will square your quilt at no extra cost, just let us know what size - 1/4", 1" or 2".
Finally, we like to add pictures of our customers' quilt to our gallery. If you do not want your quilt to appear, please let us know.