InStitches
General pricing:
Over all simple edge to edge pantograph is $0.02 per square inch.
Tight pantos can range up to $0.03 per square inch to cover the cost of the extra thread.
To get idea of the cost just take length x width in inches and then multiply that by 0.02
Customization is priced per project and will start with the price of $0.05 per square inch and upward.
There will be a minimum charge of $40.00 per item quilted.
Preparation of the quilt!
Quilt top, batting and backing should be separated-not basted together.
Quilt top pressed, clean and free of any threads. Please do not place any pins in the quilt except
one safety pin to identify the top of the quilt.
Backing and Batting needs to be squared up and at least 3 - 4 inches larger than the quilt top on
all sides. Please assure that your quilt backing and batting are cut to size and ready for the machine. Any cutting of backing or batting on my part will incur additional charges.
If backing is seamed, please realize that the all over design will run parallel to the seam. Also, where backing is seamed, please be sure all pieces are the same size.
Place your quilt top, back and batting in in a plastic bag before placing it in the box. Place all info
to include contact information in the package.
Ship your quilt to us via USPS, UPS or FedEx with shipping confirmation.
We cannot be responsible for packages lost or damaged en route to us during shipping. Please
insure and track your package. Once it arrives we will treat it as one of our own!!!
Our Job!
We will send you an email to confirm that your quilt has arrived
We confirm your pattern and thread color choice, Variegated Thread is an EXTRA CHARGE
($8.00)
We will quilt your top as if it was our own!!!
My Studio/Home is a smoke/pet/food free environment
Quilt Disclaimer
By sending us your quilt you are putting your faith and judgment in me that I am
going to provide you the best service possible. If there are issues with the quilt I
will contact you before the quilting process begins. If there are issues during
the process I will do my very best to correct the issue and to make it right.
Please make sure that your quilt top is squared up before sending it and it lies
flat so we don’t have to deal with ruffled or wonky fabric towards the end of
the quilting process. By sending your quilt, you agree that you have read and
understand that we will do the very best we can to provide you with a quality
quilt.
Longarm Quilting Services
+ I will return you quilt untrimmed (unless you request trimming). If we trim it we will return
all extra back fabric over 2" wide.
+ Try to make the back a minimum of 3" to 4" larger than the top on all sides. Larger quilts like
queen and king should leave more if possible.
+ When your quilt is mounted on the quilting machine it is attached to leaders on 2
parallel rollers. If the edges of your quilt aren't also parallel, one side is going to be
tight and the other loose - not good. Since you don't know which 2 sides we're going to
use to mount your quilt (and for some other reasons also) you must make all the edges
of your back straight and all the corners right angles. Trim off any of that extra fabric
where one piece of your back fabric is a little longer than the other. When we have to
do this for you, we often end up with a back that's too small (see above)so this is another
reason to leave plenty of extra back fabric. This extra work will include additional charges.
+ Some of you send double wide fabric which we like because there probably won't be
any seams. However, since this fabric is folded twice before it's wound on the bolts it
tends to have large folds to accommodate the uneven way the fabric winds up on the
roll. When you buy fabric from these bolts the salesperson sometimes just cuts the
folded fabric without unfolding it. This usually results in a very irregular edge; two of
them in fact since the existing end was probably cut the same way. This irregularity
can be so great that you'll loose 6" of fabric at each end when the piece is squared up.
+ To avoid ending up with a back that is too small after squaring buy a lot extra or insist that
the sales person rip the existing end to make it square and also rip the edge where your piece
is separated from the bolt. That way you'll know the edges are square to the selvage edges of
the piece.
+ Double wide fabrics and batiks (above) tend to have a lot of wrinkles that are set
quite firmly into the fabric. It's best to iron these fabrics so that these wrinkles won't
get quilted in permanently. We will look at your back for these wrinkles and iron
them if necessary but that costs you extra.
The Batting
+ The batting is laid on top of the back and must have the same amount of extra
material at the edges as recommended for the back.
+ Try to iron your seams open and reduce the material build up at the points as best
you can. When all the fabric around the points is quilted down these junctions where
all the pieces come together can look like mountains. It's also hard to get the quilting
machine to go over the bumps.
+ If your outer border is made from many pieces, lock the seams or
stitch around the entire quilt about 1/4" from the edge to lock everything. Your quilt gets a
lot of handling by us and these borders with lots of seams tend to come apart.
Foreign Objects
+ Pins play havoc with our machine. Don't put any straight pins or safety pins in your
quilt except to pin a note marking the top or bottom or similar indicator. If damages to the machine are incurred due to foreign
objects, additional charges may apply.
+ Don't use batting with an adhesive on it or any spray adhesive. These prevent the various layers from adjusting as the quilting
proceeds from the top to bottom of the quilt.
+ A few times a year we get a quilt that someone has started to hand quilt. These
stitches have to come out. You can remove them yourself or we can do it for you for a fee.
+ Don't baste the layers together. The pieces have to be attached to our machine
separately.
+ Don't put any tape on the quilt. If you want to mark the top or bottom use a plain
piece of paper and pin it to the fabric in the desired position. The adhesive often
comes off on the fabric and is difficult to remove. We will remove the tape and let
you remove the adhesive when you get the quilt back.
Borders:
+ Most of you make a long strip for the border, sew it on and trim off the excess to match the
length of the piece to which you've attached it. Instead, measure carefully the length of the quilt top on both the left and right side and down the center. Average out these three measurements and cut your borders from this measurement. (Check out https://www.kristamoser.com/post/2017/11/19/measuring-for-borders-cheat-sheet)
+ Another method is this:
Measure a number of different blocks from the center of your quilt. After!
you have determined the correct size of the blocks, assuming they are all the same size, mark down the
length of your border the same length as each block. When adding the border you just match up the
mark with each block. This helps to avoid any stretching of triangles or patches that have been cut on
the bias.
+ Cut your borders from the length of the yardage if possible, it will stretch less than if cut
from the width.
+ If you're supplying the batting and you know you have this problem with extra fabric in the
borders, go for the puffiest batting you're willing to use. The extra loft helps to "consume"
some of the extra material.
Black & White
~Dirt~
+ Quilts with black and white themes seem to be popular these days. They pose a few
problems however.
+ Most of you select a natural batting, either all cotton or a blend, for all your quilts.
This is a mistake for quilts with large white sections, on the top especially. These
natural battings usually have one side with a number of dark specks from the seed
pods. These will show through the white material especially if it's thin. Also, the tan
color of the batting will dull the white fabric slightly defeating the highly contrasting
theme you intended.
+ Blends generally have fewer or no specks and are somewhat closer to white. They
may work for you but take a scrap piece of batting and place it under your white
sections and see if you like it.
+ Instead of using natural batting try white (bleached) cotton or a very white polyester
instead. This will enhance the whiteness of your white fabric.
+ Many of you leave lots of attached threads and fabric threads on the back of your
quilt. Again, if the top is white and thin these may show through. Decide if this is a
problem for you and clean the back of your top if necessary.
~Dark Back Fabric~
+ If you've chosen a solid black or very dark color back for your quilt you will probably
see some "bearding" on the back of the quilt; more with cotton, less with poly. This is
where a few fibers from the batting poke through the fabric and appear as little
"beards" at the needle hole. The amount of bearding varies with the fabric, the type
of batting and the way the batting is constructed (resins or scrim).
+ Most manufacturers make a black poly batting that would be a better choice for black backs.
Black batting would not be appropriate , if the top has a lot of white because it
will make the white sections look dull. In these cases you could supply a separate piece of
white fabric (fairly thick) to insert on top of the black batting and under the quilt top to keep
the white sections of your top looking white. An extra layer of thin white (usually poly)
batting can also be used.