you are making a very generous donation when you do the quilting.
you should not hesitate at all to set standards for the tops, batting and fabrics you will accept.
you should not have to reinforce or repair seams.
you should not have to trim strings.
you should not have to raid your stash because not enough fabric came along with the top.
you should not be expected to quilt anything that is so poorly made you literally risk damage to your machine or your reputation as a quilter.
- poorly pieced, pressed to disguise that; so that the foot might catch at a seam;
- no attention paid to seam allowance so there are holes in places where seams should be; also risk of foot catching
- generally looks horrible;
- etc
i have gotten tops that have one or more of the characteristics i listed. using my embroidery machine, the first time, i tried to "quilt it out". the foot caught; the machine sewed the foot to the quilt; broke the needle; and nearly damaged the whole machine. it was no fun at all cutting the quilt away from the machine and then the foot away from the quilt. after that, i sent back anything dangerous.
let the quilt, your time and your heart choose the quilting design.
have fun with them. [img]/images/smilies/smile.png[/img]