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Many people
use the services of a professional longarm quilter. A professional
longarm quilter will do the quilting on your quilt and may even
offer binding and other quilting related services. Each professional
longarm quilter is an independent business person. Many professional
longarm quilters’ take classes, attend machine quilting conferences,
attend longarm group/guild meetings and practice, practice, practice
to expand and hone their quilting skills. Each quilter has their own
pricing structure and it will reflect their quilting skill level. A
good professional longarm quilter can take a so-so quilt top and
make it wonderful! Professional longarm quilters are skilled,
technical and artistic craftsmen and deserve to be compensated as
such.
If you are
contemplating using a professional longarm quilter (or already use a
professional longarm quilter) here are some questions you may want
to ask about them and their services.
Questions you may want to ask a professional longarm quilter :
How long
have you been professionally longarm quilting? Have you taken
any longarm quilting classes or attend machine quilting
conferences?
How much
do you charge and what is covered in this charge?
Do you
have different charges for different patterns and techniques?
Do you
give estimates? How firm are they and how long will the estimate
last?
When can
I expect to have my quilt finished?
Do you
have batting available or should I bring my own? What batting do
you like to work with?
How much
extra backing fabric do you like to work with? Will you stitch
backing fabrics together if needed and how much does this
service cost?
Do you
bind quilts? How much do you charge?
Do you
work your quilting designs from patterns or do designs free
hand? Do you have patterns that I can look at and choose from?
What
kind of thread do you use and what are your thread charges? Is
there any kind of thread(s) you will NOT use?
Have you
won any prizes with your quilting?
Can I
see samples of your quilting?
Are your
hours by appointment? Can you meet me at a different location?
What if
I’m not happy with the quilting when it is finished? Do you have
a refund policy?
Questions a longarm quilter
may ask before seeing your quilt
What are
the dimensions of your quilt? Professional longarm quilter’s
often charge by the square inch or square foot. Please be as
accurate as possible.
What is
the quilt piecing/appliqué pattern? Log Cabin, Flying Geese,
etc. What book/pattern is it from? This will help determine the
price of the quilting.
What
type of fabrics are in the quilt, such as Hoffman’s, Batiks,
Thimbleberries, scrap fabrics? Did you purchase the fabrics at a
discount department store or the local quilt shop?
What
predominant color are the fabrics?
Would
you say your quilt is traditional or “artsy”?
Is the
quilt for a man, a woman or a child?
What is
the quilt’s ultimate use? A couch or snuggle quilt? A show
quilt? A gift? A charity or raffle quilt?
When do
you need this quilt finished by?
What is
your vision for this quilt?
Do you have any patterns/designs that you love and are there any
patterns/designs that you don’t like?
Would
you like to see samples of my work?
Questions
NOT to ask a longarm quilter:
Where is the
computer and does the machine run itself?
The
majority of longarm quilting machines are hand guided. This
means that if the machine is to work, someone needs to be in
control of and moving the machine.
How long
does it take you to quilt a quilt?
Each
quilt is an individual and each quilt will take a different
length of time.
Can I rent time on your
machine so I can do my own quilting?
Would you ask your
doctor if you could rent time in his operating room to do your
own or a family member’s operation? Would you ask to borrow a
friend’s new car?
Can I watch you quilt my
quilt?
Many quilters work
in the early morning or late at night. Many quilters’ business
insurance policies prohibit people from being around the machine
while it is running.
That looks
so easy, anyone can do it!
You
can purchase your own machine for $15,000 or more, take the
classes, practice, practice, practice, break the needles,
re-time the machine, practice, practice, practice some more on
muslin, sheets,
charity quilts, etc., and after more practice, practice,
practice THEN you can quilt your own quilts.
Before dropping off a quilt:
If you make
an appointment, please make every effort to be prompt. Professional
longarm quilters are busy business people. They will wait for a
while if you are late, but if you are going to be very late, please
be courteous and call. Be understanding if your quilter reschedules
your appointment.
If your quit
back is seamed, make sure it is stitched together correctly, edges
are even and the selvedge is trimmed. Also make sure that the
stitching lines “covers” the selvage “printing”.
Please make
sure your quit top and especially your borders are as flat as
possible. If they are not, the quilter may not be able to avoid
pleats and puckers on the finished quilt no matter how skillful she
may be.
Feel free to
suggest quilting ideas to your quilter, but be flexible enough to
hear what the quilter has to say. Through experience, the quilter
may have creative ideas to enhance the beauty of your quilt.
Don’t keep
calling your quilter before the completion date. If the quilter
calls you to say the quilt is done early, you will have a pleasant
surprise.
If you are
unhappy with the way your quilt turned out, please be courteous and
talk to your quilter about the problem. Try to determine where the
problem is – thread color, pattern choice, quality of workmanship,
etc. Contact the quilter and give her the opportunity to work out a
reasonable solution with you.
By asking
questions and listening carefully to the answers you can make an
informed decision on the professional longarm quilter you want to
quilt your quilt. If you and the quilter both have the same
expectations, you may develop a long-term mutually satisfying
relationship.
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