Thread Bear Quilting and Embroidery, LLC

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

(or Questions you wished you'd thought of)

• Oh no, I changed my mind. I was going to do the quilting myself and trimmed my quilt, batting, and backing down to just slightly larger than the size of the top, but now I want it longarmed by you. Can you still do it?

A: I need to have 3-4 inches on all sides of the backing (and preferrably the batting as well). This gives me something to attach to the machine. It also allows for the amount of material that gets taken in by the machine (all quilting takes in some fabric during the process). Given that, if you attach fabric strips to all sides of the backing to bring it to that size I can probably work with it. Remember that I still have my requirement for these strips with the backing for "square" (see quilt preparation). If you've actually cut it to exactly the size of the top, I strongly recommend that you purchase a new backing and batting because I will run into issues with making sure I don't run out of backing on any of the edges. Also, if you've already basted it, please remove any plastic or metal pins. If you've spray basted, I will just detach the top in order to quilt it, so you don't need to worry about that.

• Can you do a quilt that I (or my grandmother, or...) already started (without removing my existing quilting)?

A: If the quilt has a very thin batting and is not very large and is in good shape ...and... if all you want done is adding a few designs within some blocks, "maybe". For the most part because of the way the separate pieces of the quilt (top, battting, backing) are loaded onto the quilt frame, this doesn't work. I've been successful with putting some stand-alone designs within blocks on a pre-quilted quilt. Pricing depends on the complexity but you can figure it will be more expensive than normal.

• I found a top in a garage sale, can you quilt it?

A: How clean is it? What shape is it in -- are all the seams intact, is it fragile? Most of the time these yard-sale finds are not in the best of shape. I can't work on a quilt that is moldy or has a lot of puckers (not "square"). Also if the quilt was hand pieced the seams might not take the pulling that happens on a long arm machine and you should consider finding a group that will hand quilt it for you. Another alternative is hand-tying in the corners of the blocks.

• Should I pin or baste my layers (top, batting, backing) before I bring it to you?

A: No. The backing and batting is attached to one roller and the top is separate when the longarm process is done. If you have a quilt that you'd already basted or pinned to prepare for domestic machine or hand quilting, you will need to remove that before I can do the longarm quilting. See my page on quilt preparation on all you need to do -- but basically you just need to have everything squared and pressed.

• My quilt design calls for embellishments (buttons, crystals, etc.). How do I prepare it for quilting?

A: Hold off on your embellishments until after I've quilted it. While free-motion quilting and other techniques can be done around embellishments, you are going to up your price to my highest pricing categories due to the time it will take to accomplish this (this can take a lower priced edge-to-edge into Custom pricing).

• What does it mean when you say you will offer a discount for a charity quilt but require proof of donation?

A: Often customers think they will donate a quilt to charity and then like it so much after they get it quilted, that they change their mind and decide to keep it. Because of this, I need to see that you actually have donated it to a charity. Therefore, I will calculate a discount amount and once you show me documentation that you've donated it, I give you a coupon to use off your next non-charity quilt with me. For example, say you have a charity quilt done and we figure it will be $5.00 off the price because you are donating it. I will give you a coupon for $5.00 off your next quilt.

• What batting should I use? What do you recommend?

A: I don't have a favorite per se, but do have some I don't like. I don't like 100% polyester (especially high-loft) -- the kind you get at your discount fabric stores in plastic bags. I do like Quilters Dream Cotton and Hobbs 80/20. You can provide me with your own batting or I have a stock of Hobbs here in the shop. Check my price list for current pricing.

• Do you just do the longarm part or can you make a complete quilt for me? And what would this cost me?

A: Yes, I can do quilts on commission. You can figure on the cost of fabric (about $200-300 or more depending on the size of the quilt) plus the time to do it. I typically charge an hourly rate for this since it depends on the complexity of the pattern/design plus there will probably be time needed to plan out the design and colors. Then you will have to add in the normal longarm charges for the quilting. On average, a commissioned quilt will run you between $800-1,000. I also do t-shirt quilts which start at about $500 for a twin (depending on complexity of pattern) -- you can figure about $18.00 a t-shirt.

• Why is longarm quilting so expensive? Don't you just hook it up to a machine and let it go?

A: While longarm quilting certainly doesn't take as long as someone doing this by hand or domestic machine, it is time-consuming. Even though I use a computerized model, I can't just walk away from the machine in case of glitches and keeping the quilt and design even while advancing the quilt as it moves through the design. After each row the machine has to be advanced and I also keep measuring for squareness as I go along. When a quilt has huge variances in sizes or wavy borders, I may have to ease in some of the quilt or even take tucks. If a problem occurs, I sometimes even have to "un-sew" which is extremely time-consuming. When you get down to it, a long arm quilter typically makes less than standard hourly wages to provide you something that is not only functional but artistic as well.

If you have more questions, please email or call!

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