What I see as a Longarm Quilter
08-05-2012, 07:28 AM
#61
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,430
Crashnquilt, Great conversation!!! You have said what many longarm quilters have probably wanted to say on here. May I add a bit (or maybe I missed reading it in your post) - Longarmers need a backing that has the edges even if it is seamed together, not one side an inch or two longer than the other. And, as said so many times before visit with your longarm quilter about your top and backing. She/he may enjoy the pieced backings and find that seams running both directions are not a problem. Twisted seams may not cause a problem, unless the longarmer is going to be doing SID. It really is a matter of the piecer knowing their quilter and the quilter knowing their piecer.
08-05-2012, 07:36 AM
#62
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,430
When you are piecing you have something on your machine to show where your needle needs to be to give you a 1/4 inch seam. It may be a special foot or a piece of tape stuck on the needle plate, but something to show you where to stitch. A longarmer doing "ruler work" is using a "ruler" ,usually made of acrylic that she/he lays down on the quilt top next to the hopping foot to guide the needle to stitch a straight or curved line of stitching.
08-05-2012, 07:54 AM
#63
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: So Plymouth, NY
Posts: 2,502
I appreciate your honesty. Have only had two of my quilts LAQ'd and was very happy with how they both turned out. Just to get the quilt set on the frame before you even add a stitch to it, takes more energy and patience than I could ever muster up. Kudos to all the LAQ's out there for both your patience and your talent.
08-05-2012, 08:04 AM
#64
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: El Lago Tx Originally from Upstate NY
Posts: 654
As a long arm quilter, I also thank you for posting this information. Piecers always blam the LAQ, but some time they need to check their work before it comes to us. Most quilters call themselves "Quilters" but they are just Piecers, appliquers etc. Quilters are the ones who actually quilt the top, batting and backing together. They are the ones who make the sandwiches not the piecers. As LAQ we finish their work and they then own a quilt for themselves or as gift. Sorry I do not mean to change what you said, I really agree with everything, I just wish piecers did not think LAQs are aways to blame when their tops turn out wrong. Besides there are different level of LAQ, some are show quality and some are great for just quilting their tops for grandkids or using everyday.
08-05-2012, 08:08 AM
#65
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 6,958
Good points made throughout the thread. I don't quilt for others, except for charity quilts and can definitely see the points made by crashnquilt. I have also worked at a LQS where they did LAQ for others and we would measure and check the quilts, sometimes things had to be taken apart or watched more closely when they were being quilted, especially if the quilt owner requested an automated quilt pattern (the main machine they used had a Statler Stitcher (Gammill) on it.
08-05-2012, 08:14 AM
#67
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Ohio, just east of Toledo
Posts: 1,369
I realize I may well get blasted for this post BUT I just gotta say these things anyway.
If you have a top like a pinwheel or kalidescope (sp) block there is quite a build up of fabric in the center of the block. You may have pressed, ironed, hammered, steamed, steamrolled, ran over, hammered more, and the like to flatten that center. Okay, it looked really good on your ironing board. Well, give that block a bit of a stretch. That center will pop up. It isn't that you may have pieced the block wrong, it is just the nature of the beast. Now a LAQ has to figure out a way to quilt that block AND have the center lay down. Please remember, the center seam of that block is THICK! When we go to quilt over it our machines may get stuck in the fabric. For most of us, the only way to correct this problem is to turn the machine off, turn the flywheel to lift the needle, then turn the machine back on. In most cases, this will appear as a skipped stitch. Worse yet, when the machine gets to the fabric build up, our hopping foot may not be able to clear the build up and kind of "push" the center to one side. Then we always face the problem of the needle breaking at the intersection. (I have learned the hard way to never quilt without some kind of eye protection) I have had to replace eyeglasses from broken needles that have put a chip in my lens right in my line of sight.
If you have a top like a pinwheel or kalidescope (sp) block there is quite a build up of fabric in the center of the block. You may have pressed, ironed, hammered, steamed, steamrolled, ran over, hammered more, and the like to flatten that center. Okay, it looked really good on your ironing board. Well, give that block a bit of a stretch. That center will pop up. It isn't that you may have pieced the block wrong, it is just the nature of the beast. Now a LAQ has to figure out a way to quilt that block AND have the center lay down. Please remember, the center seam of that block is THICK! When we go to quilt over it our machines may get stuck in the fabric. For most of us, the only way to correct this problem is to turn the machine off, turn the flywheel to lift the needle, then turn the machine back on. In most cases, this will appear as a skipped stitch. Worse yet, when the machine gets to the fabric build up, our hopping foot may not be able to clear the build up and kind of "push" the center to one side. Then we always face the problem of the needle breaking at the intersection. (I have learned the hard way to never quilt without some kind of eye protection) I have had to replace eyeglasses from broken needles that have put a chip in my lens right in my line of sight.
I have a question:
Did you include this part just to explain to us WHY a LAer has a problem here, or are you telling us so that this problem can be avoided?
Other than pressing the heck out of it, is there a way to really minimize the problem? Or do we just need to understand it's possible this type of situation may not be perfect?
Is a 'twisted seam' one that the seam is pressed one way and then midseam it changes direction?
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to do this
08-05-2012, 08:17 AM
#68
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Small town in Northeast Oregon close to Washington and Idaho
Posts: 2,795
I always take my quilts to the LAers. If fact, she called me last night and asked me which way I wanted my back to lay. I had sewn in a yard of different fabric in the middle of the backing. I told her to do what worked better for her and she said either way was fine with her. I have never had a problem with my quilts. They've always come back looking beautiful. I am one who gives these instructions to the LAer: do what you think will work best. And she always does a great job. Some times I have a custom and we talk about it, but I let her decide what to do with the quilt. I haven't had any wavy borders, I don't think anyway. I've never noticed them. And she's never complained. One time she charged me $10 for ironing and after that I ironed the heck out of my quilt tops. I felt bad that she had to re-iron my quilt. But, it had been at the LAer for 3 months, so I figured it probably needed to be ironed again. I cut all the threads away and pull the threads that are stuck in the seams. I turn it over and cut all the threads on the back so there's no extra threads anywhere. Now, she might have problems with my quilts, but she's never said so and like I said, they always look so perfect when I get them back. I must have a great LAer. I love her work.
08-05-2012, 08:36 AM
#70
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,643
I always take my quilts to the LAers. If fact, she called me last night and asked me which way I wanted my back to lay. I had sewn in a yard of different fabric in the middle of the backing. I told her to do what worked better for her and she said either way was fine with her. I have never had a problem with my quilts. They've always come back looking beautiful. I am one who gives these instructions to the LAer: do what you think will work best. And she always does a great job. Some times I have a custom and we talk about it, but I let her decide what to do with the quilt. I haven't had any wavy borders, I don't think anyway. I've never noticed them. And she's never complained. One time she charged me $10 for ironing and after that I ironed the heck out of my quilt tops. I felt bad that she had to re-iron my quilt. But, it had been at the LAer for 3 months, so I figured it probably needed to be ironed again. I cut all the threads away and pull the threads that are stuck in the seams. I turn it over and cut all the threads on the back so there's no extra threads anywhere. Now, she might have problems with my quilts, but she's never said so and like I said, they always look so perfect when I get them back. I must have a great LAer. I love her work.
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