Stella Quilting

The task of a long-arm quilter is to load your pieced quilt-top on the long-arm quilting machine and breathe life into it through thread and quilting designs. This is really an art, not just a job!

Quilt tops come in all forms: they can be perfectly pieced, ironed, and thread-free, or they can be hand sewn, freehand cut, wonky and full of threads, or anywhere in between! You don’t need to be an award-winning quilter to be my favorite client, just understanding how the process works and knowing what you can do to make it easier for me to bring your quilt to life. We are really a team.

Here are some tips to make sure your finished quilt is the best it can possibly be:

• Don’t pre-baste with pins or spray. Fold the top, backing, and batting (if supplying) separately.
• Square your top by cutting off uneven ends of borders.
• Press it well and check for loose seams. They’re easier to fix now than after it’s quilted!
• If your top and back are directional, simply pin a piece of paper to the top of each so it is easy for me to match them up.
• Trim loose threads. They can show under light fabrics or get caught on the machine.
• Save embellishments such as buttons, beads, charms or pins, for after quilting. The machine can catch on them damaging both the quilt and the long-arm.
• Stay-stitch 1/4″ from the edge if your quilt is pieced to the edge without borders.
• Borders should be flat–it’s always best to measure across the center of your quilt, cut borders to that length, and pin before sewing. If borders are wavy, I’ll do my best to ease in fullness, but this may result in pleats, tucks, or even unplanned wrinkles.
• Make sure your back is 8″ wider and 8″ longer than your quilt top, but no more than this. This gives me the ability to load it in the most efficient way, or both ways, if needed. Please don’t give me an extra-wide back that is 20″ longer than needed!
• If you’re providing batting, make sure it is 6″ wider and 6″ longer than your quilt top.
• Finally, understand that long-arm machine quilting is an art done with a very large, powerful machine. Accidents and mistakes can, and do, happen.

I have really grown to love the art of long-arm quilting and I’m grateful to be able to work with all kinds of quilts. I’m happy to bring yours to life!