Quilt Preparation
Please follow these guidelines for preparing your Quilt Top, Backing, or Batting, and your quilt will look better, and you'll save money! Any preparations that you choose to have us do here (e.g. seaming backing, pressing seams, etc.) will be billed at $40/hr.
If you prewashed the fabrics in your quilt top it is highly recommended that you prewash your backing fabric also.
Quilt Top
- Square and press your top as you piece it.
- Be sure all pieced seams are completely sewn together, trimmed, and pressed flat.
- Press seams well. Be sure the top lies flat. Ripples and "puffy" places will not necessarily quilt flat. Take care that the borders do not ripple and wave.
- The top should be free of pins and embellishments such as buttons and beads.
- Clip all loose threads. They will show through light fabrics and might damage the quilt if they “catch” during the quilting process.
- Quilt top should be trimmed down to final finished size. We will not cut or trim a quilt top.
- Use one safety pin to mark the top of the quilt.
- The quilt top must lay flat. Measure your quilt top across the top, bottom, and at the center. These three measurements should be the same. If not there is a possibility that there will be puckers in your finished quilt.
- Quilt must be clean and free of any odors.
Batting & Backing
- Batting and backing must be at least 6”to 8”larger than the quilt top. Backing must be square and properly seamed together.
- Quilt top and backing must be brought in as separate layers.
- Batting must be purchased from HeartSong Quilts. We reserve the right to refuse unfamiliar backing fabrics such as sheets and additional charges may apply.
Fullness Disclaimer
Fullness and/or puckers within a quilt and its borders cannot be quilted out. We cannot guarantee that puckers and tucks won’t be sewn in. In some cases excessive fullness in borders may result in the quilt corners not being square. The flatter your quilt top is, the better the finished quilt will be.
Mechanical Disclaimer
Please be aware that sewing machines including longarm machines are mechanical devices. Although we do our best to ensure perfect results every time, on very rare occasions mechanical problems can occur which may cause minor damage to a quilt top and/or backing.