Bringing a Quilt in for Longarming

Congratulations! You just finished that quilt top and it looks gorgeous. Now comes the next question; how are you going to quilt it?

If quilting your project on your own seems like too much, or if you like those intricate designs that only a computer or a custom quilter can do, then consider sending your quilt out to be quilted and ask yourself the following questions: 

• Do you want the quilt to be machine quilted or hand quilted?
• Do you want the same quilting design all over your quilt (often called an edge to edge design) or do you want a custom quilting design?

When you bring your quilt top into Birdsong, here’s what we need before we can get started:

• Double and triple check your quilt top that all the blocks, borders, and seams are how they should be. No upside down blocks!
• Please remove all pins, there’s no need to baste before you give it to us.
• Press your top and backing fabric, then fold neatly or hang over a pants hanger.
• Make sure your backing fabric and batting are at least 4” - 6” larger than your top on all four sides.

Once your top and backing are prepped and ready for quilting, do you have your batting ready? We are happy to suggest one if you don’t bring one with you. If you have purchased pre-packaged batting please take it out of the bag a few days before bringing it, then gently refold. The rolled battings can be very crinkly and this opens up and relaxes the fibers. 

Now we can get to the fun stuff - deciding on the quilting design! At Birdsong we have an intake form which will outline the details of the work you would like done.  The information on this form is important and will help to set both yours, and our, expectations for the service. What’s on the form? 

• Your contact information 
• A general description of your quilt and whether you’ve brought your own batting
• Who the quilt is for and a quilting pattern you have in mind. 
• A description how dense you want the quilting to be: tight, medium, or loose. This density impacts the look and feel - most often people choose a medium density. 
• Your thread choice. At Birdsong, we quilt with matching thread on the top and bottom of your quilt, or the front and back once it’s quilted. 

Sending your quilt out to be quilted will be the perfect finishing touch for your masterpiece. If you have any questions, Birdsong Quilting is always here to help!