Thanks sew much for this post. I am working on a quilt top now that will be my first one to bring to a LA'er, so all of this information is very helpful to me. I am a nervous wreck about it though!

Don't be nervous about it. Trust your intuition, if you feel comfortable with the laq'r, it's probably going to be alright. From my own experiences being on the other end as the laq'r, I too was nervous a little at first but as soon as I started talking to the people, it got easier to get across what I could do for them and what they wanted from me. I do have people that just send me their quilts and bring them and say do what you think is best and I've not had any problems but it is always best if you both know what you as the onwer of the finished quilt want. Most of these folks started with me as a new laq'r. Also better to know up front if there is a problem with it.

Hi, Barb- For me, it doesn't matter which way the seam in the backing goes, because I can always load the quilt sandwich sideways if the seam is a vertical one. The longarmer wants the seam to be parallel to the rollers so that the entire seam goes over the roller all at once. If the seam runs perpendicular to the rollers, it keeps building up on itself, making a thick area, and the fabric on either side is lifted up, and can not lay flat. Seams in the backing become a problem when there is more than one seam, and they go in different directions. The thick areas are unavoidable. Also (not sure if this was mentioned--I read all the posts, but memory's not what it used to be, lol!) the seam in the backing (which should be a half inch seam, as mentioned, without selvedges attached), should be pressed open. Hope all this makes sense.

I am fascinated by how many LAQ have issues with seams in the backing. Granted I have only been LAQ for about 2 years now and have done a whopping total of about 2 dozen quilts (give or take) Of those 2 dozen quilts 3 were my own and every single one of them had pieced backings. Like a double sided quilt pieced so I am not talking one or two cross seams going both horizontal, vertical, and diagonal, I am talking dozens of seams. I have included orphan blocks, new blocks, strips, piano keys, and huge chunks of fabric. Here are links to pictures of them that I included pics of the BACK as well as the front. They were actually the first two quilts I did on my LA, so maybe I was too green to know a difference but I certainly did not run into any issues. No pleats, no tucks, no nothing.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...rm-t77776.html

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...lt-t85150.html

I just completed one a few weeks ago that had a log cabin set in barn raising pattern on the back along with a bunch of other piecing (haven't posted pics of that one yet). Again, I ran into no issues at all. I wasn't able to perfectly center them, I think that is just not possible, but I got close enough.


In addition to these quilts I have had 4 client quilts with pieced backs that I was asked to center as closely as possible. So again I had vertical and horizontal seams. No issues.

I do know that my quilt rack is a four rail system as opposed to 3 which many people have. My take up roller is set above my quilting bed a good 10 inches and my 4th roller is really just a tension roller that sits low on the quilt bed where most LAQ take up roller is. So if I do get build up from a seam it does not affect my take up.

That said, I do love getting a single wide back piece. They are quite heavenly. But I have absolutely NO problems with pieced backings and I don't care which way the seams lie.

Great information - Thank You.

I always use a LAQ for my quilts. My LAQ happens to also be a quilt teacher and friend so I know her pretty well. She wants me to always stay stitch around a quilt and does not mind pieced backings. I do iron the heck out of my tops and backing and make sure that they are square and lay flat. All my quilts come back beautifully done :)

Computerized quilting comes in lots of shapes and sizes these days. I have Intelliquilter and may step into the next room but I don't feel comfortable leaving a quilt alone for long. Too many little things might change the quality of the quilting and we computerized to improve our results not so we could set it and forget it. You may think computerized means no effort on our part. It also takes a lot of work, training and practice to get good results. It's just a different method than freehand longarm quilting.

Great thread. I am a LAQ and have a few loyal customers. I have no problem with seams going up and down or back and forth. I even have had great luck with minkee and fleece as backings. The main point is: talk to your LAQ. Tell her want YOU want and listen to what she needs. If you cannot come to an agreement, find another LAQ! There is one that is right for you.

PS ruler work is anything that is quilted using a ruler...could be SID (which is easy on a domestic machine, but it NOT on a long arm...so when you say 'JUST SID', watch your LAQ's face!), could be a template (like a circle, swag, heart, etc) Ruler work usually takes more time and its 'fiddly-er' (how is that for a good made up word..lol)

your quilt has been with the la-er for 3 months??? ironing shouldn't take 3 months. is this normal???

Thanks for the info ---- will help all of us with the quilting issues. I have the utmost regard for any LA quilter ---- I have dabbled with free motion on a mid Arm Bailey for a few quilts at the LQS. I think I will have less frustrations with it now if I follow some of the tips you have shared. As for being blasted etc for what we say/share on the board --- I would hope we are above and beyond that. If not, come join me in my "Fall Out" shelter --- the chat area or a PM conversation.

WilliP

As a long armer,should we check you out also?After all,it's our work that goes out too.And I'm sure any problem that is noticable will be blamed on the long armer.Right?

Very enlightening! I quilt my own quilts only because it is just my thing. If/when I choose to take a quilt to a longarm, this is some valueable information to have. Thanks for posting.

I took a class - intro to long arm machine - at our LQS and realized just how hard it really is to do well. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you, As with any process the pro knows somethings the novice does not and we need to know more so you can do your part better. Thank you. I feel that when I take my first piece to be long armed that my work will be better prepared and I will get a better result. Thanks you so much. My local long arm gal will appreciate your time and effort to keep us informed too.

Your so right. If you don't longarm, you have no point of referance. This is why I don't longarm for anyone but myself. There are just way too many variables, and I don't want to deal with the stress of it all! :-)

You are spot on!!! After spending all the money and time to make a top, a little more effort to make it better always results in a better quilt.

Lu in TN

Hello, I think sharing this info is great. Thanks.
My problem is, I've been quilting for less than 3 years and little by little things are coming into focus. We all have to make our mistakes. :-) I will review this and I'm sure in time it will make sense. I've never sent out to a LA yet. I think about it. I'll probably just do my own meandering on one of my tops that's not quite up to snuff.
But I'll try to carefully watch for the things you mention. Most of my tops now are well formed. Paper Piecing has really helped my tops! haha

Take care. Enjoy the LA'ing! I can't wait to have enough room for one.

I learned from your post about the tautness of the layers, but will this fix the problem of matted, and messed up bobbin threads on LAQ? I could not wait to own the frames and machine, but after two horrible attempts have not touched the setup since. Bobbin thread always skips, mats, and knots, and I have broken so many needles I spend more time working on these problems than anything else. I am so frustrated with it, I have gone back to my machine quilting.

My sister & I bought a LA and we have had a lot of people offer to pay us to quilt a quilt for them. This is why I don't do it. I am fine just quilting our quilts. I have a had hard enough time doing that . lol I sure admire the ones that do.

LA Quilting
 

Very well said crashquilt... I also am going to bookmark this and refer to it often.. and maybe print it off for my customers.

Given my age, I am relatively new to quilting, about 3 years or so, and having nobody to teach me I learned on my own. I have taken several quilts to be LAQ and learned so many things about making my tops better from my LA. She has dealt with my wavy borders, uneven blocks, lumpy intersections, and quirky tastes - all while making the quilting look great. I have nothing but admiration for all the LAQ out there. One of my dreams is to have my own quilting studio (instead of a tiny sewing room) with a LA. When that happens, I will be right here for all the answers to silly questions.

A cute video on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzoL7ddTEnA

AMEN to everything that you said, CrashnQuilt. Everything is true. I sent you a private message.

Love the video - you can quilt that out! Such good illustrations.

I teach machine quilting on DSM (domestic home sewing machines). The pieced backings are less of a problem for us because for one, you can control the speed and the movement of your quilt. If necessary, we can make stitches manually, one at a time, over these difficult areas. Also, since we are not rolling the quilt onto a rail, the thickness that builds on a LA simply does not apply to us. Will you notice if a pieced backing seam comes under a pinwheel center? You betcha! But, you can walk through it if necessary.

Personally, since I discovered extra wide backing material, that's all I use now because it makes life easier.
Your mileage may vary.

I don't think the quilting itself takes that long, but how many quilts are in the queue in FRONT of that quilt? I don't have many customers, but my frame is rarely empty. I dont' like to have many in my house waiting to be quilted, but I usually have a list of tops that are waiting for me to have room. There are MANY LAers who have waiting lists of much longer than 3 months.

Everything you said is so helpful to know!

Though, I will admit, as someone very new to quilting (only a few months), your post did make me very nervous about sending my own quilts out to a long arm quilter. I would now be scared that she was really judging my work!!

Thanks for taking the time to write this. It is good information that I will keep in mind. I already do most of those things, but I did not know about the pieced backing. I sent one quilt to be quilted with an add on piece to the backing as I had not cut it long enough. When the quilt came back, there was a slight separation about and inch and one half long about an eighth of an inch where the seam had come apart. It had been sewn ok and I think the tension of the fabric caused it to separate.

Professional hand quilters also run into these kinds of problems.

Great post. Thanks for putting it "out there".

Wow! I am going to add my thank-yous to the previous positive opinions. Your comments were so very helpful and prewashing my yardage fabric is now going to become the norm and not the exception. Probably won't prewash any of the kits or jelly rolls, charms, etc.

The info in your post is one reason I do my own quilting on my Juki TL98Qe or Babylock Jane. I am glad I have no room for a long arm. That way I won't ever be tempted to buy one.I quilt in rows and quilt around thick intersections. I have really pieced the backing and press those seams open. I have never had a problem quilting over them. I found your post very informative and makes me appreciate my quilting. I only quilt for myself, I am hard enough to please. I would think most others would br even more so. Have a great day.
P.S. I have always pre washed my fabrics.

Thank you all for the information... posts like this helps me understand the process even better, and too appreciate the LA even more..

Love the knowledge on this board!

I agree with everything you just said. My Longarmer told me about a lady who started quilting for others and did such a bad job that people came to her and asked her to tell the women to quit ! My longarmer is 82 years old and has been doing this for over 30 years, does a fantastic job. She could tell some stories too. Thanks for your information, I will try and follow through the next time I take a quilt to Marie.

Excellent post. Thanks for taking the time to explain quilting from a LA perspective.

Thank you for wonderful information. You are right ,right and right again. Thanks for taking the time to post .

Thanks so much for all the info!! Very much appreciated and I will be printing this out and reading it over and over if and when I ever have enough $$$ to send one of my quilts out to be longarmed. :) Thanks again.

Sharon

Wow - Lots of information. Thank you. It will be helpful to keep these kind of things in mind when working on a project that is to be loaded on a frame.

Thanks for such an informative and eloquent posting...Its difficult as a Long Armer to convey how important all these things are. It's easy to place blame on others. We never give a price on any quilting until we have inspected and measured a quilt...so many things such as ironing, multiple seams, lumps, hills, valleys, waviness and puckers can cause dire problems. We also require 2 inches extra ALL the way around. So glad you posted this valuable lesson for everyone.

One disclaimer I use on my website: My stitch-in-the-ditch is only as good as your pressing! If your pressing instructions are followed, my SID can be wonderful. If not.....well, I do my best. When I talk to customers, I offer suggestions for better piecing or application of borders (this seems to be the most common challenge I run into). I am not paid to judge their quilts. I am paid to quilt them. I do my best with each one and will help any quilter who wants it....as a quilting instructor, I can offer this. It is just like when we were all in school. Some kids wanted to finish first on a test and didn't mind making a few mistakes. Some kids took their time to make sure they got all the answers right......