What Your Longarm Quilter Wants from You
Guidelines for Preparing Your Quilt Top and Back 
for Machine Quilting
The following are guidelines for preparing your quilt top and back for machine quilting. If you follow these guidelines, both you and your quilter can have a wonderful experience in quilting your quilt top.
- Your quilt top must lie flat on its own – no puckering or flaring. These are piecing issues and cannot be corrected with quilting.
- Your quilt top must be free of embellishments. This includes buttons, crystals, stuffed animals, baseball cap visors, and anything else that is not cloth or thread. Wait to add the embellishments until after your top has been quilted. If your top arrives with embellishments, it will be returned to you unquilted.
- To prevent your quilt top from pulling apart when it is loaded onto the frame, please backstitch your seams when attaching your final borders or sew a line of stitching around the perimeter of your quilt about 1/8″ from the edge. If your final border is pieced, then it is vital that you stitch around the perimeter to keep it from pulling apart.
- 100% cotton fabrics are recommended for the backing of your quilt. Sheets are not usually a good choice because they are of a tighter weave and are harder for the machine to work with. Flannel backings are perfectly acceptable (and make for a very cozy quilt!).
- Your quilt backing must be fully prepared, with any seam lines backstitched and excess material in the seams removed. Seams should be pressed open to reduce bulk. A 1/2″-5/8″ seam allowance is recommended to add stability. Your backing must measure at least 6″ wider and 6″ longer than your quilt top. Backings that are not prepared properly will be subject to an hourly service fee in order to prepare them properly, or your quilt will be returned to you unquilted. You will be contacted in this case, so there are no unpleasant surprises.
- If you choose to provide your own batting, be sure to choose a size that is at least 6″ wider and 6″ longer than your quilt top. Look at the measurements on the packaging to be certain that the batting will be big enough. If your batting is not big enough, I will provide my own and add that cost to your final quilting fee, and I will return your batting to you. I will not accept Mountain Mist or Hobb’s batting, I haven’t had very good luck with either. I also will not accept polly-batting or high loft polyester batting. They are difficult to work with on a quilting machine and not as reliable for your cotton quilts. The batting I keep in stock is Warm and Natural. It is a mid-loft batting that has a beautiful drape, a soft hand, and extra durability. Other good batting companies are Quilter’s Dream and Warm. These are very nice as they lay on the frame and hug the fabric well. If you bring another brand, I can feel it before you leave in order to make sure it is a good fit.
- Quilts are prices at a general fee of $.017 per square inch. That means a lap-sized quilt top that is about 60″ x 75″ (60×75=4500x.017) would be $76.50. A queen would be approximately $156.