Prepping your quilt for longarming is very simple, but also very important. Whether this is your first quilt or your 1001st, taking these few steps will ensure a great quilting experience. We have two versions of the list – the first, short version, is the ‘friendly reminder’ for those who have utilized a longarm service before. Following that is a more detailed list which provides more examples and reasoning behind the steps.
QUILT PREP CHECKLIST (short version)
Top :
- All loose threads trimmed
- No open seams
- Well pressed from both sides
- Seam direction checked
- No wavy borders
- Squared corners
- Back stitch all outside seams
- “TOP” marked with safety pin and note
- No buttons or embellishments please
Backing :
- Seam selvages trimmed or clipped
- 1/2” seams pressed open
- Well pressed
- Ends straight
- Square corners
- “TOP” marked with safety pin and note
- At least 8-10” larger than top [4”-5” on ALL sides]
- No Sheets Please
- Do not assemble the quilt layers or attach binding fabric; we need separate pieces to attach to the longarm
QUILT PREP CHECKLIST (long version for those who want more details)
Top :
- All loose threads trimmed and removed; especially important for light quilt tops as stray threads may show through
- No open seams; be sure all your stitching has remained intact
- Well pressed from both sides; ensure seams lay flat and in a single direction
- No wavy borders Lay your quilt on a flat surface and verify that the quilt, blocks and borders lay flat on their own. If there is fullness in your quilt or ruffles in your border, we will do our best to try to ease in the fullness; however, this may require tucks or pleats to fully resolve.
- Squared corners; All four sides of the quilt should be straight. It is important that your quilt is square. If it is not, we will need to work with you to improve the squareness (additional charges may apply) A quick check for squareness can be done by folding the quilt in half lengthwise and then widthwise to see if the edges line up. Ideally corners are 90 degrees – this can be checked by placing a square object such as a piece of paper or postcard in the corner to validate edges align
- Back stitch all outside seams; Back-stitch all seams that go to the edge of the quilt to prevent them from pulling open (in other words, any seam that extends to the edge of your quilt should end with a couple of backstitches similar to how you start a row of stitching). This also applies to pieced backing fabric. Alternatively, you can sew a 1/8” straight stitch around the out edge of the entire quilt top or back to secure the seams and stabilize biased fabric cuts. (Instead of doing a few backstitches at the end of each seam, you can simply sew around the outer edge of the quilt top 1/8” from the edge; this will also ensure that no seams come undone and minimal stretching along bias cuts occurs.)
- “TOP” marked with safety pin and note
- No buttons or embellishments please (The sewing foot on the longarm machine only has the clearance of a dime; that doesn’t leave room for anything but fabric and thread.)
Backing :
- Seam selvages trimmed or clipped
- If you backing is seamed, be sure you have removed the selvage as it will shrink differently than the rest of the fabric when washed, causing puckering. Use ½” seam, press open
- Well pressed
- Ends straight
- Square corners
- “TOP” marked with safety pin and note
- At least 8-10” larger than top [4”-5” on ALL sides]
- No Sheets Please
- Do not assemble the quilt layers or attach binding fabric; we need separate pieces to attach to the longarm