Do you send your quilts out?
 

I have never quilted my own quilts. I use long arm quilters to do the quilting. They do such a nice job...so much better than I ever could. And sometimes I have them do a custom job on my quilts, even though it costs much more. Do any of you send your quilts out to be quilted? There seems to be a lot of LAQs that do it for a living.

I send out quilts that are too big for me to quilt myself on my machine. I and to up to twins, and even double but once they get to be queen size, that is more than I can handle quilting myself. Good thing I don't make too many quilts that big! It is expensive sending them out to be quilted!

I am a LA'r but before I got my Gammill, I did my own quilting on a Singer Athena 2010 and on a Bernina 1008. They are both workhorses, and I'm sure, made quilting a lot easier than it could have been. Needless to say, I LOVE my LA! But I did do up to regular King-sized quilts on those two machines with no problems.

Til now I have sent all my full size quilts to a LAQ or handquilter.

Gradually I am learning machine quilting on my DSM, working my way up from smaller pieces to bigger sizes. The largest so far has been a baby quilt. I have no interest in owning my own LAQ, or doing handquilting for a full sized quilt. So the big ones, I'll probably still send out.

JCrow ... perhaps you'd enjoy the LAQ yourself, and your DH would buy one for you? It'd save the costs of paying someone else, plus you'd be able to be part of the process through to the end.

When I first started quilting, I sent my tops to a LAQ. Then funds got a little tight and I had to learn how to FMQ on my machine. I now FMQ the smaller quilts that I do and send out the Bed Size quilts. I have not made a Twin size quilt before, so am not sure if I would send that out or not. Depends on the quilting I would want done on it I guess. I have quilted large lap size on my machine without problems. In fact, that is how I learned to FMQ was on large lap size quilts. I started with a meandering stitch and got that down real well. I am now working on other quilting designs and find it very enjoyable and relaxing to do.

I've never sent a quilt out. they're mine from start to finish, well, until I give them away.

I used to send mine out, but now I mostly make smaller quilts and do them myself by hand or machine. When I do make a larger one than I can handle these days, I barter services with my longarmer and no cash changes hand.

As I understand it, you bought the Bernina quilting frame when you bought your 830 a year or two ago and haven't even taken it out of the box yet. If I already had that equipment, I sure as blazes have a couple years practice in on it already and would have stopped sending mine out long ago!

That's the way I think too. It's a challenge for me and I am still mostly doing straight quilting with the walking foot. I did send one out a long time ago when I finished the top for an older lady whose grandmother had made the blocks. I knew I couldn't do it justice.

I had sent one out, a baby quilt. I thought it would look great with an all-over panto so I brought to an LA. However, once she got her hands on it she threw out a few more ideas for me to mull over and I chose a custom job instead. I was very happy with the results and the quilting she did was not something I could have accomplished at that time. I've had much more practice now and would attempt it on my domestic.

I send mine out but I am still learning FMQ so I thin it will be another 2 years before I feel comfortable doing mine

I have never sent a quilt out. I do them start to finish or I would not feel like it was my creation. I' m retired and don't have the extra money to have a long arm quilter do it. The job is not too hard, just takes time.

*gasp*
JCrow ... and to think I suggested that you might consider a purchase and you have the equipment you need already?

ITA two years later I would have at least ... opened the box ... and set it up .... and been practicing ... and developing some comfort level with it after that much time. *another gasp*

Can you tell me more about this quilting frame? Is there an online source where I could see how it works?

I send mine out as soon as I have it put together with the backing pieced! Someone's got to stimulate the economy right? :)

As an aspiring LAQ I thank you Fraew and JCrow! Please continue to send them out to a LAQ! :thumbup:

Since I hand quilt I do them all myself. I did have another lady do one once, a long time ago - when I got it back, I paid her but re-did it myself, considering her work as basting. The stitches were that big.

I have hand quilted a lot of quilts for other people.

I send out my bed quilts to a LAQ because I enjoy making the quilt-tops more than doing the quilting. Cannot count the times the LAQ has suggested a pattern I'd never have thought of but really enhances the quilt-top. I still feel like the quilt is mine start to finish since I pay for it :D :D

From the Bernina USA site: http://www.berninausa.com/webautor-d...ame-032811.pdf I believe the cost is around $2K.

I have never sent a quilt out to be done. I either hand quilt (which is becoming hard with my "old" stiff fingers!) or QAYG. I would hate to gift a quilt and say someone else quilted it.

I send my large quilts to a LAQ. I do small to med size on my home sewing machine--I do a "jillion" charity kid quilts and those I do completely myself. I really do not particularly like the quilting part of quilt making, so am GLAD to have the option of letting someone else do it for me.

I send mine out to a couple of LAQ's. I've tried to do it myself but do not have the dexterity it takes to guide the sandwich. If it is a small quilt that will look ni e with SID I will do that, but otherwise they get sent out and I give appropriate credit on my lables to the quilter.

Nope, I never even considered it. That's the only part I enjoy doing!

If it's bigger than a baby quilt, I send it out.

I do my own quilting...start to finish. I handquilt so it takes an extra amount of time. Maybe lots of mistakes, lots of boos-boos but made with lots of love. I feel complete ownership when I do it this way.

I send mine out because I don't have the space for quilting, nor do I have the time.

I do my own, I have done up to full size (many times) and happy with results. I have a queen size quilt and a king size waiting to be quilting, I will do those myself. I know I can go near by and rent a long arm but just not interested. I can't imagine sending them out but that is me.

I have to be honest, if i had the 830 AND the frame, I think by now I would have at least tried machine quilting with it <grin>.....and i KNOW my hubby would have expected me too! LOL.

I typically send out anything bigger than a wall hanging. I have promised myself that when my new bernina comes home (a 450...only one more month!) that I will really really try to become more proficient at machine quilting.

betsey

My favourite part of any quilt is the hand quilting. So, no, I have never had a quilt LA

I only paid $500 for my Bernina frame. I have no place to set it up so that's why it's still in its boxes. Plus, I don't think I would do a good job quilting. I tried meandering on a sandwich once and it was harder than I thought. I bow to all of you who quilt your own quilts, espeically with your sewing machines!

I send each and every one of mine to the LAQ. I am not interested in any manner in doing the quilting - my 'art' lies in making the quilt tops. As my mom has always said, "Thank goodness we're all different!" and that we have the freedom to choose what we do!

So you got a good bargain ... Congratulations!!!
Though it's not much of a bargain, if you have no space to use it ... or no intent to use it.

If you think you can't do it ... you're absolutely right!

Though trying it once does not really give a fair assessment of your ability to do something. Gosh, if I stopped at everything just because the first time it was not perfect ... OMG where would I be in life? Sometimes you just have to do it a 2nd, 3rd, 4th ..... and more times, and gradually we get better.

Think about this ... were you able to piece your quilts as well, the first time?
I'm sure you got better with practice.
At least most of us have.

How about selling it? Not here, obviously, but Craiglist or something like that. Even a notice at your LQS or guild. Those frames are made to accept a large number of machines, not just the high end Berninas. Guaranteed to bring in more than you paid for it, especially considering it's in mint condition. You could easily double the $500 you paid for it I bet. Just a thought.

Same here, do up to queen size on my DSM with increasingly better results each time. I simply can't afford to send them out and have learned to love the whole process. Quilting in sections, then putting sections together works great and I do that when I can - it does take some planning ahead of time re: the quilting pattern so that you can't tell it was done in sections. Beats wrestling with too much bulk. The only quilt I ever sent out was a Tee Shirt quilt years ago.

I send mine out...no shame here...I love to make the tops...but the quiltings is not my cup of tea...

I make big quilts all th time...very few are smaller than a twin....rolling of that and attempting to quilt on my regular machine is just a nightmare to me...I will quilt my own table runners and small things.

So I too will stimulate the ecomony! :-)

I used to send all of my quilts out because I didn't realize I could spray baste them and thought trying to pin or stitch baste them was ridiculous. Now I spray baste the heck out of them and go to town on my domestic machine. Good think I like straight line quilting ;)
If I have a special quilt that I want to be nicer then I would send it out to a longarm quilter, but for now I am enjoying not having an added cost of quilter for my quilts, esp when I sell a quilt, I get more profit that way.

I used to quilt all of my quilts, even an oversized king; but I have sent my last 3 quilts out because I have so many tops I want to make now. I will probably go back to machine quilting in the fall.

I have never sent a quilt out for some one else to do but.... I have two very special quilts that I am considering sending out. One is just too large for me and my machine and the other is just, special.

I used to send my quilts out for quilting when I was an over the road truck driver, as my time at home was very limited. I would still do the smaller stuff up to a lap size. Now I've retired & have a long arm, so I quilt them all myself. Thank you, all, that use our services! It gives us great pleasure to quilt your treasures & see your delight in our abilities!