All quilts are special because they have been made from the heart by the piecer. They purchased the fabric, chose the fabric colors, used a pattern they liked, cut the fabric into appropriate pieces, and finally sewed them together to make the quilt top. There is time and effort put into every quilt made, no matter how simple or complicated it may be.
First this:
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What a longarmer needs from the quilter:
1) A quilt top that is squared, 1/4" seams secure and ironed flat. It is best to use a stitch length of 2. Sometimes 2.5 can ravel on the outside edges of tops and backings. I've repaired a lot of quilt tops prior to quilting them because of a large stitch length.
2) A back that is also square and at least 6" wider and 8" or more longer.
Before I can start quilting I lay out the quilt to find the exact center of the top and backing. The center is marked by pins. This allows me to put it exactly centered on the canvas leaders on the frame that are also marked.
How is the longarm quilter going to quilt the quilt? That is the dilemma. I go to quilt shows and see what others are doing to be inspired. I also took the Quilt Whisper 101 class by Carla Barrett three times! Once live at a local quilt shop and twice more online. Her next online class is Fall 2012. She explains the process of how to look at a quilt and see different areas. Is the quilt masculine or feminine in tone, how will the quilt be used, etc. Her information and print outs have been invaluable to me. http://moodle.steponpins.com/...
More info on what to quilt on the quilt and why below the squiggle.
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