A pieced quilt top is a work of art! It only becomes a quilted work of art when there batting and backing fabric all bound together by a quilted design. The quilting design itself adds depth and detail to your top to really set off the entire beauty of the art. The quilting service provider must make certain that you understand some of the difficulties he/she will encounter when working with your art. Let’s begin with the two basic forms of quilting services, Edge-To-Edge (E2E) and Custom quilting.
E2E
For most quilters seeking the affordable route there is the choice of Edge-to-Edge or E2E for short. As the name implies, the pattern is repeated from one edge of the quilt to the opposite edge. The quilt is then rolled up and the design repeated, until completed. This does not mean that E2E designs are dull and simple patterns, oh on the contrary! There are literally thousands of designs to suit anyone’s fancy! We can even design and digitize one for your specific art. This is the most efficient use of a computerized quilting system. We utilize a fourteen foot Gammill longarm machine and aided by the Statler Creative Studio version 7.5 to meet your needs. The price for an E2E is 0.02 cents per square inch. All you have to do is multiply the length by the width of your top, then multiply by 0.02. In some circumstances the quilting provider may assist with a selection of batting options as well as backing fabric and/or secure the perimeter of the quilt with binding. A professional quilter will assist the piece maker at any phase where service is needed. We will inspect your top to determine if there are any complications that require correction before loading and quilting. You will be given the option to correct the issues or pay for the corrective service.
Custom
Custom quilting is when the piece maker seeks intricate detail and special effects for complex blocks, sashes, and/or borders. This where the professional quilter must have a long background in free motion quilting or a computer aided design (CAD) system. This is where the Statler Creative Studio version 7.5 comes into play. There are literally thousands of digital designs to be found through the internet. In many cases we cannot find what we believe would add the effect we wish and our design team consisted of Eddie Greenlee and Courtney Nicklas help to design and digitize the quilt CAD file to complete the effect.
Custom quilting is the most expensive quilting service there is. This service is charged at an hourly rate of $20 and a proposal will be given before any work commences. Semi-custom is another option that can be considered. Do not fear asking for either option – sometimes, less is more!
Most clients using the custom route will do so if they are looking for a specific designed look, or perhaps they wish to sell their quilt or are entering their piece in a judged competition.
Now let me talk about the secrets to a stunning finished quilt.
Batting & Backing Fabric
Batting helps the quality of the quilt stitch pattern effects to appear. I highly recommend that your pieced art use batting made by Quilter’s Dream which I can order this for you. There are many other batting products available but most have an adverse effect on the quilting outcome and can do some damage to the quilt machine. Feel free to ask if you already have purchased your batting to determine if it is the appropriate filling for your project.
Your backing fabric may be a whole cloth backing or it must be pieced and sewn together to cover the area of the quilt top. However, both the batting and the backing must 6 inches longer in length and width when supplied to your professional quilter. The reasons are numerous, but most of all due to the potential of pushing/pulling of the fabric as well as shrinkage during quilting. At the end of the quilting process, there must be enough leeway so that the final cutting keeps enough of all three layers for the final step – binding.
Binding
The final steps of completing a quilt is the process of applying a strip of fabric that covers the outer edges of the quilt and conceals the three layers that would otherwise be visible. Part of the process is manual cutting and the joining of fabric to make the binding strip, the next process is machine driven by attaching the strip to the top, and the final process is hand stitching the strip to the back concealing as much as possible any stitches from appearing. Think of crown or base molding in construction when you think of binding.
It is very rare that you might want to engage a professional quilter for all or one of these services. The binding strip for example may have to be made from remaining fabric and the top maker simply wishes to hand that part away. The cost for this is $.10 per linear inch (not including any fabric needing purchased). In our example this would be $24.
It is also very rare that the top maker would want the professional quilter to also sew on the binding strip, but the scenario may exist if the top maker’s machine is not working and a deadline is near. If the binding strip is made by the top maker the fee for machine attachment is $0.10 per linear inch or $24.
The last process is hand stitching the strip on the back side. Because of health issues such as reduced strength or arthritis, or a simple dislike of hand stitching – I can complete this process for $0.20 per linear inch or $48.
Therefore a complete binding service for the quilt in this example would be $100. No one ever said quilting was an inexpensive hobby, these are time consuming processes and my pricing structure is fair and comparable.
Advance Preparation of Your Quilt Top
You’ve heard the old saying, “measure twice, cut once”. Quilt top production is no exception and proper measuring is essential to a high quality work of art. Attention to detail is paramount. All your edges should be straight and corners abutted. Seams should be pressed flat, either all to one side or open.
Open seams is where the two adjoining blocks seam allowance are facing flat on their own side. This is preferable if you have multiple seams coming together in the center, for example, in a hexagon or star block. The smoother the seams, the lessened chance of the quilting machine foot to catch on the seam and potentially damage the quilt and/or the machine.
Your top creation skills can improve over time if your professional quilter is invested in teaching you the tricks and tools of the trade. This is why we have created our YouTube channel to help you to increase your pieced top making skills.