purpleleaf

I don't have a long arm, and get very frustrated when I quilt anything larger than a twin on my machine. I have this pieced top that I'm really proud of - I designed it myself - but it's not a standard size. It's slightly larger than queen.

I think I want to have someone quilt it for me, since I know I'll never get to it, but I have no idea what a reasonable price would be. What questions do you ask people who offer their quilting services when you're shopping around?

Gershwin64

Hi Erin,
1st measure your quilt and get the square inches of it, most Long Armers charge by the square inch. Ask how long they've been doing this, ask to see some of their work. Do you provide batting or do they, see which is better priced for you, most LAer get their batting at a really good price compared to us. Do they provide the thread or do you? If you do make sure you find out what brand their machine likes, some LAers don't like certain threads. Have your LA person help you pick out a color of thread, do you want it to hide in the quilting or pop? Do you want a loose meader, a tighter stiple or a pattern? Do you want custom quilting where there is more than just border to border quilting involved? If I think of anything else I'll let you know I hope this helps.
Tina

O, I think they start at 1&1/2 cents per square inch.

ManiacQuilter2

In my area, the LAQ that is a member of the senior group charges a penny per square inch. Be sure you can see the quality of their work since so many people are getting on board with the thought of making some extra pin money. It does take a little time to become skilled at the technique.

PaperPrincess

This was just posted a couple days ago.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...g-t266383.html
I will say that ManiacQuilter is getting a bargain in her area. No one around me (I'm on the east side) is charging less than $0.015/ square inch. Any type of custom quilting is going to go up from there. Possibly way up. Check with one of the quilt shops around you. They should have brochures from local quilters.

juneayerza

If I had a top that I was really proud of I would contact Feline Fanatic on this board and see what she charges. Personally, if it was a great top, I wouldn't care what she charges; her work is fantastic.

ckcowl

Check with your local quilt shops, or guild to see who is in the area, who they recommend. Then contact them. There is a very wide range of prices. Ask to see their work, every quilter has his/her own style. Find someone who does the type of quilting you like. Some of us do a lot of long distance quilting. But I would recommend starting locally if possible so you can visit, see first hand. The first quilt I paid to have quilted- the quilter was wonderful! He Showed me a lot, went over things with me I had no idea I should ask about. He even trimmed/squared up my quilt for me when finished & taught me how to do the binding. It was an expensive experience ($385) to have that first quilt quilted, but it gave me first hand knowledge and a fabulous quilt for my daughter's wedding gift. It also motivated me to find a way to become a longarm quilter.

Belfrybat

The LA quilter in my town charges $75.00 for a twin, $85.00 for a double, $95.00 for a queen, and $110.00 for a king which includes thread, batting and machine binding. For folks who want to hand sew their binding, she will sew it on the front for them. She does either pantographs or over-all meandering, which can also include loops, stars or hearts, depending on what the customer wants. She stays so busy that she doesn't do custom work like feathers or special quilting patterns inside the blocks.

Maureen NJ

I agree she does beautiful work. I've also loved the work done by the following board members: Helenq, pumpkinpatchquilter, Charisma, and a girl from Indiana (thought I''d saved her name but can't find it). Check out their work. Absolutely beautiful. Helenq has a link to her website with prices. I haven't used any of them but may in the future so I want to be ready. If it is a special quilt I've worked on for a long time, I want the best!

just_the_scraps_m'am

Wow, i wish SHE was local to me!!!

feline fanatic

Oh my goodness you guys! I am humbled and so honored by your kind words on my quilting. I am blushing right now! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To the OP, everyone pretty much covered it. You need to decide what you want done and how much your budget is. Custom work can range from as little as .025 per s/i on up to crazy high prices for an over the top show quilt. To get your total s/i you multiply your length times your width then take that figure and multiply by the s/i price. For a nicely done custom job it is not out of line to pay $400 to $450 for a queen size quilt but in return for that you should definitely have what I consider heirloom quality quilting.

Ruler work such as cross hatching or curved cross hatching and stitch in the ditch drive the price up because they are labor intensive and require a lot registration marking. And you can't be a speed demon when doing ruler and ditch work, but boy they sure make for a very pretty quilt top. Keep in mind that the price you pay for custom quilting is not just the quilting but the design work the quilter comes up with. Something that will compliment your top and not overpower it. Many LAQ will spend several hours working on design and prep such as measurements to evenly break up negative space or borders and any marking that may need to be done. Some LAQ are shifting from charging per s/i to charging per hour. The key is to find someone whose work you like and you can work with, either in person or long distance. The very first quilt I ever had longarmed (before I got my own LA) I sent to Green Fairy in Utah and I live in NY. I was not disappointed! (I don't think it is possible to be disappointed in a quilt from Judi, aka Green Fairy!)

Thank you again. I am still blown away by your comments. Edited to add that I whole heartedly agree with Maureen that there are many talented LA quilters on this board. I whole heatedly agree about Charismah. In addition to the LAers Maureen mentioned there is also BeckySt and #1Piecemaker is doing E2E work for people. and these are only the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I know there are others and I apologize for not remembering right now.