Would you!?
 

I happen to be on ebay checking out some things and saw ads for having your quilt top quilted by a person with a long arm (some of the prices were extremely reasonable). My question is this would you entrust your quilt top to someone you didn't know and also has anyone done it. If you did were you satisfied and would you do it again? This may sound completely insane but I have made 2 tops for my elderly neighbors and I told her about them before the holidays, she is indirectly asking about them and I don't know how to tell her that it could take a while for them to get the quilts because right now I can't afford to pay for them to be quilted. I have thought about completing them on my DSM but that is another problem because she loves the fancy quilting she has seen on my other quilts. I would really appreciate your feedback on this situation before I do something I may regret.

I have never sent a quilt to anyone to quilt for me but I would only use someone I trust locally if I did. You might have to explain to her what the process is and tell her how long it will take. You might have signed up for more than you bargained for. Good luck!

You can always look at their ratings reviews, If they had a low score I wouldn't. The problem is you can't see their work online unless they have samples posted

here's a list of board members who quilt for hire:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...s-t169702.html

Here are my guidelines if I don't personally know the longarmer:

1) They have a significant online presence with many examples of their work. Examples are Judi Madsen, Margaret Solomon Gunn, Carla Barnett, etc.

2) I have glowing recommendations from at least 2 other quilters I personally know and trust.

I have used the quilting services from someone online who I had never met, Happy crafters in a little town in Kansas. (Happycrafters.net) Their prices were very reasonable and even with shipping less than half of my Local LAQ. But, I tried them out first with a quilt top that wasn't a special gift quilt, just one that I made for me because I wanted to try the pattern and fabrics. Their work was acceptable to me---they have 20 or so repeating pantograph patterns to choose from. The result is not as striking as the custom, original work of my LAQ, but I feel I get what I pay for with both. I have since sent two more "non-special" quilts to them, and would use them again. I believe there have been other posts about them so you can search for them and look at their website.
I would also take a chance with one of the EBay services, but again I would try them out first with a "non-special" quilt first. Overall, I think we get what we pay for, and will continue to use my local LAQ for special wedding quilts, etc. that I want the original, custom quality I get from them.

I use someone all the time ... I've never met her. Her ebay user name is polly-parrot and her Etsy listing is quiltingbug

She is in Missouri

I did like Jeanne S suggested - I sent a quilt top that was nice but not spectacular .. and she did a great job ... her turnaround time is awesome, and her prices ROCK ... she supplies batting and backing!!!!

I've looked into the cost here in Ottawa, and even with shipping and handling (and me having to buy the batting and backing) she is still cheaper by more than half ...

Here's a couple of pics of stuff she has done for me:

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On this one, she even fixed my points in the middle because I couldn't LOL

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the back

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There are many of us here on the board who quilt ( long distance) all the time, and, you can visit our picture posts and see our work.

Is there anyone local you can hire? Postage costs can add considerably to the cost of quilting, so be sure to add that in if you use someone long distance.

I normally use a local quilter to quilt my tops theres a few in my area but I did send one to a quilter here on the board. I have seen many photos of her work her name is charisma and she did an excellent job and I was very happy with her price and work. im usually in too much of a hurry to send something out that far as she lives in wa and I live in ok. I also don't trust the us mail that much as they've a lost a pkg or 2 of mine in the past. that quilt was a gift for
a company in mi my husband made it to present it at a convention, we were going to attend.
Carla m

There are long-arm quilters on this board who create masterpieces at qreat prices. I unfortunately am not one of them !!!!! LOL I only quilt for myself as I need lots of practice still. These ladies can due justice to any quilt. IMHO.

There are several on QB I'd not hestitate at all to send my quilts to. The only question is....THE POST OFFICE! I have way less confidence in the P.O. than any given long arm quilter. I'd probably ship it some other way than the USPS.

I would never send a quilt to anyone unless I had seen their work.

Thanks for the responses, yes I am very aware that there are incredible longarm quilter's on this board although I am not aware of their prices , also I have a longarm quilter that does beautiful work and she is definitely reasonable again the problem is that it would cost about 250 for the 2 quilts (the quilts are about 67 x 89). At this time I'm in no position to pay for them to be quilted therefore, when I saw the ad on ebay it was so inexpensive that I considered that as an option but not before getting opinions from everyone here.

I do a lot of mail order quilts from a town that is about 2 hours drive from me. They are more than happy with my work, and keep sending their quilts to me for quilting. My turn-around is less than one week and I do them with the same amount of care and love as I do for all my customers. I would say if you haven't used them before, let them do your 'sample' quilt before you send them your masterpiece! They are probably just as concerned about meeting your expectations as you are.

Can you provide a link to the quilter on eBay? Maybe someone here has used them!

I too have sent a quilt to her. She does AWESOME WORK!!!!

I have sent several quilts to Happy Crafters and been very pleased with the results. Their prices are extremely reasonable. They have called when they have had questions or suggestions about quilting my quilt. Their turn around time has been exactly what they promised. I will not hesitate to use them again.

I sent a quilt out this fall to Kansas to be quilted. It was about a twin size and she supplied the backing, batting and even the binding and I was pleased with the results. Total cost for the work was $90 and that included shipping it back to me.

Okay so I checked out the HappyCrafters.Net and they definitely are the answer to what I need however, now I have 2 problems biggest problem is that I'm scared of mailing the tops (although I have done this before). Secondly I decided to try to do the quilting on my DSM and I just don't know what went wrong but I was doing a meander all of a sudden it started dragging, like I was having a really tough time moving the top. I checked everything, cleaned all visible lint out changed the needle even put the feed dogs up to clean and then back down, nothing helped. The stitches got so tiny it was nightmarish getting them out, but I did get them out only to have it happen again and again. I even tried a different machine the stitches are just so different I have done one row and the beginning of the second what should I do rip it all out and send it off? I seriously just want to have these done so I can move on to my next project. BTW I forgot to tell you the pattern is the BQ 2.

Would you?
 

I send my quilts to a woman in Connecticut. Her name is Debbie Scozzafava. Website is www.theycalledherlettie.com

I have always been very pleased with her work and service.

Often when they supply the batting it is poly, so make sure you get what you want if they supply the batting.

You can always try contacting the quilting guild close to them and check what is know about their reputation...?

Let us know if you decide to have it done and how it turned out.

Are you using a walking foot? If so, the spring inside the walking foot could be shot. When this happens, the foot no longer feeds the quilt properly.

Honestly, if I were you, I would just pick out those stitches and mail the tops to the longarmer. The safest way is probably to put both into the smallest priority mail box the post office has (the priority boxes are free; you just pay the postage). I think they come automatically with tracking, so you can track the package to its destination.

Looks like this list needs cleaning up as some have not followed the rules of consistently posting in quilting sections of the forums Some of the last post actively is quite awhile ago...Just saying. I am surprised the list is so short.

Whenever I'd see Charisma's name on QB, I knew I had to see her quilting. Everything she does is gorgeous!

I sent one of my quilts to Jeannie Butler, Butler Country Crafts, in Montana about 8 years ago. I was scared, but she did a beautiful job, was reasonable, and has quilted probably a 100 or more for me, friends and family. We pretty much use her exclusively. You won't be sorry. She provides the batting and thread in her price. I am not related just love sharing her talents. She does give a $5. Credit for a referral. You can go to her website and see pricing. She is a very nice lady.

I also used Charisma and she did a lovely job. I would be leery of someone I did not know, or had not seen her work. I id know a local lady and took a quilt to her. She decided to let her daughter learn on my quilt. It was a mess and totally ruined. Even after asked her to fix the quilt it was ruined.

Have you looked in the telephone book for quilters in your area? There is surely some listed. If you can't find on locally, go to the nearest fabric shop and talk to them, they will probably tell you of someone. If not, just tell the lady that will be sometime before she gets hers because you have to save up if you have the quilts quilted by someone else . Maybe she will offer to pay for the quilting.

You can't always go by the ratings. People have been known to use bogus email addresses and post their own "ratings".

I would tell the elderly neighbors the truth. I have finished the quilt tops and here you are: get them quilted as you can. That way, they would realize that just putting a quilt together is just half of it. If they cannot afford to have them quilted locally, a family member may do that for them. But, that is quiet a responsibility for you to PAY to have it quilted for them too... If she loves fancy quilting, do some research for her to see who can do that for her and then give her the information.