Are you ready to finish your quilt?
Taking a little extra time to prepare your quilt properly helps to ensure the best possible result.
Your quilt represents hours of creativity, care and hard work. My goal is to enhance your quilt with beautiful quilting while treating it with the same care I would my own. Taking a little extra time to prepare your quilt properly helps ensure the best possible result. The information on this page is all included in your confirmation email as well.
What you provide
Please send:
- Your completed quilt top
- Quilt backing fabric
- Batting (or I can supply batting for you)
- Any special instructions about thread colour or quilting preferences
What I provide
Every quilting service includes:
- Professional longarm quilting
- A custom-selected edge-to-edge or bespoke quilting design
- Premium quality quilting thread
- Careful handling of your quilt throughout the process
Before you send your quilt
Press everything well
A well-pressed quilt is much easier to quilt beautifully.
Please:
- Press your quilt top thoroughly.
- Press seams so they lie flat.
- Press backing fabric before sending.
- Press backing seams open to reduce bulk.
Do not rely on the quilting process to remove wrinkles or fullness.
Trim loose threads
Before sending your quilt:
- Remove loose threads from the front.
- Remove loose threads from the back.
- Pay particular attention to dark threads behind light fabrics, as they may show through after quilting.
Check your borders
Borders should lie completely flat.
Borders that have been stretched while sewing can become wavy. Unfortunately, quilting cannot remove fullness and may result in pleats or puckers.
If your borders ripple when laid flat, they should be corrected before quilting.
Mark the top
If your quilt has a definite top and bottom (directional fabrics, panels or borders), please attach a safety pin or note indicating the top edge.
Do not baste
Please do not baste your quilt layers together.
Each layer of your quilt will be loaded individually onto the longarm frame.
Quilt top requirements
Your quilt top should:
- Be fully completed
- Be well pressed
- Have flat seams
- Have all loose threads trimmed
- Have no pins remaining
- Lay flat without distortion
- Absolutely no glue!
Batting requirements
Batting must extend 4 inches beyond the quilt top on all four sides.
If your quilt is 60 inches wide, your batting should be 68 inches wide. Your batting must already be joined to make the size if necessary.
There are many excellent batting options available, each giving your quilt a different look and feel.
Some popular choices include:
- Cotton – soft, breathable and traditional
- Wool – warm with lovely loft
- Bamboo – lightweight with beautiful drape
- Cotton/Bamboo blends
- Polyester (such as Loomtex) – slightly firmer with excellent durability
If you’re unsure which batting is best for your project, I’m always happy to help you choose.
Backing requirements
Backing fabric should be:
- At least 4 inches larger than the quilt top on every side
- Pressed before sending
- Square with parallel sides for correct loading on the frame
If joining backing fabric:
- Sew seams with approximately a ⅝” (1.5 cm) seam allowance.
- Seams are best horizontal to reduce puckering as a result of uneven advancing.
- Press seams open to reduce bulk.
- Remove selvages before joining to prevent puckering.
After pressing, fold the backing carefully rather than tightly creasing it.
Important Things to Know
Quilting changes the size of your quilt
As the quilting stitches are added, the layers are drawn together. This means your finished quilt will be slightly smaller than the pieced top. The denser the quilting, the more noticeable this reduction may be. This is completely normal and is part of the quilting process.
Every quilt is unique
Because quilts are handmade, slight variations such as fullness, minor waviness or fabric movement can occur during quilting.
While I take every care to minimise these, some small imperfections are a natural part of a handmade quilt and should be embraced as part of its unique character.
Sending your quilt
If you’re not local, you’re very welcome to courier your quilt to me. Every quilt is handled with great care and treated as though it were my own.
Packing Your Quilt
For the best protection:
- Fold your quilt neatly.
- Place the quilt, backing and batting inside a sealed plastic bag to protect against moisture.
- Pack everything securely inside a sturdy box.
- Tape the parcel thoroughly.
- I will provide my delivery address once your booking has been confirmed.
Return shipping
Return courier costs are the responsibility of the customer.
For your quilt’s safety, I only use door-to-door or counter-to-door courier service. Your quilt is packed in the same manner you send it to me i.e. in a sealed plastic bag to protect against moister and inside a sturdy box.
Insurance
While every quilt is handled with the utmost care, I cannot accept responsibility for parcels that are lost or damaged in transit.
For valuable quilts, I strongly recommend arranging courier insurance when shipping your parcel to me and again when I send it back to you. All shipping is paid by the customer and is not included in the quilt price.
Questions?
If you’re unsure about batting choices, backing requirements, quilt preparation or anything else, please get in touch before posting your quilt.
I’m always happy to answer questions and help make sure your quilt is ready for a beautiful finish.