NZquilter

Yes, this small company takes payments! https://www.suesquiltingcompany.com/e2e-info I have not used her services myself yet, but if I ever need to I will. Her cost is very reasonable I think.

Iceblossom

Oh I understand very well, Pam that I'm looking for someone to let me into their personal space and play with an expensive item and that there are always liability concerns. I didn't think it would be easy to find but I know quite a number of people who have bought machines that didn't end up using them nearly as much as they thought... and all I need to find is the right fit for me.

Had hoped to meet people/do some networking, get business cards etc. from quilters this year. Unfortunately, Seattle as we know got hit hard first and fast with the Covid stuff. Our big show for our area for the year was cancelled, the Ricky Tims thing was cancelled. Pretty much everything has been cancelled...

And I can't afford the entirely reasonable costs it would take for someone better than me to put together my tops. Wish I could, but no, typically I can't afford the going rate for a semi-custom job in the Seattle area even once a year. Most everything I use is stash, I buy what fabric I buy at thrift stores for about a dollar a yard and have been doing that for years now. Most everything at this point is no cost to me but labor and I'm willing to do the labor to get what i want.

So for this year I'm simply going to ignore the stack of unquilted tops unless they fall on me. Which is a very real possibility...

cjsews

I quilt most of mine myself. Mainly straight line and SID. I am not good at FMQ. Occasionally I do some simple meandering. They are not as pretty as they would be with a LAs talent. But, I cannot afford that. I could practice FMQ on my home machine but the fun for me is in the piecing

SusieQOH

I was going to suggest 2 things that may have already been mentioned:
Learn to quilt them yourself by machine.
Hand quilt them.

I was a hand quilter for many years but am finding machine quilting a good way to get them done faster. However, my skills aren't great. You have to keep at it and then it gets better and better.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

sewingpup

some long armers will simply baste the quilt together for you which generally doesn't cost to much.... when I did not have my long arm....basting the quilt sandwich together was really the hardest part....when I quilted...I usually just did straight line across the quilt....not fancy...sometimes I used a combo of straight line quilting and tying....and some of that was with a simple bar tack or a decorative stitch.....I don't know if you typically make quilts with a lot of plain fabrics so you can show off quilting....I do not...because even though I have a long arm....I don't really enjoy fancy custom work...generally just do meander plus...which means meandering but throwing in some other motives like leaves or hearts or bubbles or loops...or something like that...and I purposely make them different sizes and shapes so I don't have to worry about being precise....and I use finer thread like superior's so Fine with colors that blend into my fabric...so the quilt ends up being quilted...but the piecing is the star of the quilt , not the quilting...

Quiltah Mama

I really like tallchick's idea, I never would have thought of that. [img]images/smilies/thumbup.png[/img] Another idea, is finding a longarm quilter that is just starting a business, their rates are generally less expensive, or contact a local guild, maybe you could barter with a member, you provide a service, yardwork, housekeeping, dog walking ect. and you get a flimsy quilted.

I quilted my own for many years on my domestic machine, stitch in the ditch, quilt as you go, fancy stitches mixed it, and a few small FMQ projects mixed in. I did buy a midarm quilting machine off Craigslist about a year ago, and it by far, is my preferred way to finish the quilts I make. I only do edge to edge meandering, and I am happy with that, they are not made or intended to be national quilt show judged quilts, which I absolutely admire when I am at a larger or even a local state show. It takes an expert quilter to turn a flimsy into a masterpiece, and that cost a lot of money if you don't quilt it yourself.

tranum

Have you got things sitting around your house that you could sell ? I’ve sold many things on Craig’s List. Garden items, end tables, headboards, bed frame, vintage items, bedspread, downspouts, lawn mower, table & chairs. Recently I sold an old screwdriver with advertising on it for $15. I meet buyers at a grocery store then when we are done, I go in the store. That way they don’t follow me home & know where I live. Of course big things need to be picked up at my house but my husband is visible or do like my friend who has a neighbor man come over when buyers arrive. Or find a 2nd hand dealer who buys & resells.

Peckish

I was thinking the same thing.

quiltingshorttimer

You might try Happy Crafters, in Osawatomie KS. Carol will do edge2edge designs fairly inexpensively. I don't think she does any custom work.

Rff1010

The long arm ladies do beautiful work, dont they? But I'm teaching myself the quilting part because I'm going to go broke paying them. So I'm trying to do most things myself and just send out the large ones (queens).