Preparing Your Quilt for Service
Depending on the details of your project and the services you are having completed by your long-arm quilter, there are steps you can take to prepare your project in order to save time and money.
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Long-arm Quilting:
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You Supply the Top - Bring a complete quilt top to Sew Quiltable. Check that it is clean and look for missed seams.
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You Supply Batting - Make sure your batting is 4 inches longer on all sides, meaning 8 inches total longer and wider than the quilt top.
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You Supply Backing - Make sure your backing is clean and has no missed seams if it is pieced. In addition, make sure your backing is 4 inches longer on all sides, meaning 8 inches total longer and wider than the quilt top.
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You Supply Binding - If you wish to supply binding and have me finish the quilt, you can save expense by preparing your binding as a single 2 1/2" strip at least 6 inches longer than the perimeter of the quilt.
T-Shirt Quilts/Memory Quilts:
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Shirts - When preparing your T-shirt Quilt or Memory Quilt project:
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Preparation - Make sure even new shirts are washed and free of smoke and pet hair. Do not cut your shirts in preparation of the project; you may not know the seam allowances I need in order to prepare your quilt.
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Identify Your Art - Communicate in some way your expectations regarding using shirt fronts and backs. You may bundle shirts together in Front-Only, Back-Only, and Front-and-Back marked groups. You may mark out any area you do not wish to be used on the quilt by making a masking tape X through that side of the shirt. The intent here is to make sure I have a way of knowing what you want included in your project.
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Shirt Selection - Choose shirts with a sentimental value or a theme. Don't overlook sweatshirts; they can be quilted, too.
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Stabilizing - I will attach a lightweight interfacing to the back of the shirts in order to help them hold shape for cutting and sewing; this service is included in any T-shirt Quilt/Memory Quilt quoted price.
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Quilting - See the recommendations above for any other quilting preparations. Once the T-shirt Quilt/Memory Quilt is a sewn quilt top, all of the preparation tips listed at the top of the page (Backing, Batting, Binding) apply.
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