The best way to get great results is to start with a quilt top (and backing fabric) that is clean, tidy, pressed, and ready to be loaded onto the longarm machine.

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Extra fees may apply if I need to put extra time and effort into getting your quilt ready to load. If you have questions, please ask.

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1. Measure and square up your quilt top and backing fabric. If your quilt top is wonky to begin with, the finished quilt will come back that way as well. Your quilt top should also be trimmed down to the final finished size.

 

2. Make sure your quilt top lies flat. If there are waves or puckers in your quilt top, it may result in unwanted tucks and gathers when quilting. (Although I do my best to manage these issues as it’s being quilted, I can’t guarantee I can fix everything.) 

 

3. Tidy up your quilt top.

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• Trim any loose threads on the front and back.

• Double-check that your seams are securely stitched. (​If the seams at the edges of your quilt are not backstitched, you may want to consider adding a staystitch around the entire quilt top 1/8" from the edge.)

• Remove all pins, buttons, or other embellishments. These can damage the longarm machine.

 

4. Clean and press your quilt top and backing fabric so all seams lay flat. (Don’t forget the backing fabric needs to be 4-inches extra on all sides!)

 

5. One last tip: pin a note to mark the top of the quilt if your quilt has a definite “top”.