Preparing for Longarm Quilting

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These instructions are not meant to scare or intimidate- it is a pleasure to work with quilters of all skill levels. These suggestions will help ensure that your finished quilt lies as flat and square as possible and avoid extra labor charges if I have to press or square up your backing or quilt top.

Preparing the Quilt Top

  • The quilt top should be square** and lie flat.   Careful application of your borders is important as excessive fullness cannot be quilted out and may result in puckers or pleats on the top of your quilt.  Measuring and pinning add a little time to putting the borders on, but results in a much flatter finished product.  The corners should be square with no excess fabric hanging off.
  • The quilt should be well pressed with all seams lying flat (In most cases, pressed to the side, not open), no wrinkles, and no gaps in the seams. 
  • Please trim piecing threads and any excessive fraying to prevent shadowing or threads migrating to the top of the quilt.
  • The maximum width quilt top I can accommodate on my frame is 106-108″ with a maximum backing width of 114″. The quilt length may be longer.

Preparing the Backing

  • The backing must be pressed, squared and a total of 6-8″ larger than the top in both length and width.  (10-12” for custom quilting) Maximum width is 114″.
  • If the backing is pieced, please use a wider seam allowance, remove selvages from the center, and press the seam open.  Selvages are OK on the edges.  
  • Please press, square and size wide-backs appropriately for the quilt top. 

I need a minimum of 3” (5” for custom to accommodate the use of rulers) all the way around to attach the quilt to my frame and clamp the sides to stabilize it.  It is important that all four sides are straight with no excess fabric hanging off one (or more) sides, the top and bottom are equal length and the two sides are equal length.

  • Do not baste or pin the layers together (Keep the batting, top and backing separate)
  • If the quilt and/or backing are directional please mark the top centers with a pin

**”Square” tops or backing refers to the corners being 90 degrees and the parallel sides being the same length.  I can accommodate oddly shaped items such as table runners and tree skirts, however, I quilt on a frame and the backing and batting MUST be square, even if the top is an unusual shape, otherwise I cannot load it onto the frame properly.