How to Avoid Unnecessary Fees and Charges

It is our desire to serve you in the best possible way.  To be able to do that we suggest that you take a few minutes to look over our Prices page.  Of course, we would be happy to take care of any of these items for you, but there may be fees that you are able to take care of for yourself, thus saving yourself added time and extra unwanted expenses.  We are all about saving money too, so we encourage you to take advantage of these savings by preparing your quilt in advance.  In that way, once we receive your quilt treasure, we will be able to finish it in a timely manner.

1. If you choose to prewash your fabrics it is best to prewash them all.

2. Take care to stitch exact ¼ inch seams, watching for and removing any puckers in the seams.

3. Press each block flat as you finish sewing each one.

4. Press your entire finished top as flat as possible.

5. Clip and remove ALL thread tails.

6. Square up you quilt top, if needed.

7. Place a note with a safety pin in the quilt indicating where you want the top of the quilt to be.

8. Do not attach any forms of embellishments, such as buttons, ribbons, etc. to your quilt top.  These can be added later.

9. If your quilt top is a vintage piece,

   1. Do not try to square it up.

   2. If there are a lot of puckers from using cardboard stencils and hand piecing, leave them there. While it’s not a guarantee,  I may be able to stitch out some of the puckers, but don’t be surprised if the finished quilt will have several.  That’s just part of the charm of a vintage quilt.

   3. Press the top well with steam, getting it as FLAT as possible.  This is key goal especially when it comes to vintage quilt tops.

10. Adding borders to quilt top.

    1. Be sure to remove the selvages before cutting and stitching the seams together.

    2. Cut your fabric lengthwise along the selvages.  This will do a lot to stabilize the stitching.

    3. Pin the center of the border to the center of the quilt edge then pin each end to secure it during sewing.  This will keep the edges of your quilt square and not “wavy”.  Of course, you can pin extra along the edge before sewing, if you prefer.

    4. Take care to stitch an exact ¼ in seam.

    5. Trim seams to exactly ¼ inch, if needed,  and then press the seams to one side.

    6. Trim all thread tails.

    7. Press the borders carefully, taking care to not stretch them as you go. Do not use a back-and-forth ironing, but rather press down with the iron and then pick it up and move it to another area and press down again.

11. When you prepare the quilt backing:

    1. Make sure you cut the backing at least 4 inches larger than the quilt top all the way around.  (8 inches total longer and wider)

    2. Trim away all selvages.

    3. Stitch all the seams to ¼ inch.

    4. Trim the seams to ¼ inch, if needed,  and press to one side.

    5. Press the entire backing carefully.

    6. Mark the center of both side edges and both end edges, using a safety pin.

    7. Carefully fold to transport.  I will press out simple fold lines without extra charges.

    8. Make sure to trim all thread tails.

12. To prepare the quilt batting:

    1. Make sure the batting is laying evenly to cut it.  Be careful not to stretch it as you cut.

    2. Cut the batting at least 4 inches larger than the quilt top all the way around.  (It should measure the same as the backing. See #11 above)

13. Prepare the quilt for transport in the following manner.

    1. Fold the quilt top, the batting, and the backing separately.

    2. Do not baste, spray baste, pin, or layer them together.

    3. Using safety pins, mark the center of all four edges of batting, backing, and quilt top. Add a note to the safety pin that marks the top end of quilt.

    4. I prefer to purchase the thread as my longarm performs better with certain thread brands.  Be sure to indicate color preference on the order form.  If none is listed, I will use my own discretion as to which color I feel works best with your quilt.

14. Choosing to do your own binding will save money as well.

15. Download and print the Order Form and fill it out completely.  Include it inside your packing box for transporting.  Please write legible. Be sure to indicate if you want the leftover fabric scraps back.  If so, they will be returned with your quilt.