Cate’s Sew Modern offers longarm services to finish your quilt tops!
If you’d like to bring your quilt in, we ask that you set up an intake meeting to take a look at your quilt and go over quilt size, thread, batting, charges, etc. Please call the store at 203-421-6853 to set the appointment up. This way we can ensure that someone is available to work with you.
Required steps to prep your quilt for our longarm:
Quilt Top:
- Make sure to square up your quilt top. The quilt should measure the same across the top and bottom and the two sides should also measure the same.
- Press your quilt so that it lays flat. Use of a gentle starch such as Best Press will work to hold the ironing. Gently fold and drape on a hanger to keep it from wrinkling.
- Make sure any borders are not wavy, and that there are no ripples or puffy spots in them; these can cause folds, creases, and lumps in the fabric as we quilt.
- Make sure seams are secure, and that there are no open gaps in the seams.
- Indicate the top of the quilt by marking it with tape or a safety pin with the word “top”, so we know which direction to quilt. Also, if the backing has a definite top, indicate this too.
- Trim all loose threads. Aka, groom your quilt.
Quilt Batting and Backing:
- Both batting AND backing should be at least 10″ wider and longer than the quilt top. This means that there should be at least 5″ extra batting and backing on each of the four sides. For example, a 60″x80″ quilt top should have a 70″x90″ backing and batting.
- If your back has a seam, remove selvages before piecing it and use a HALF-INCH seam, pressing it open. Seam should be vertical, going top to bottom.
- Press backing flat. Fold gently and drape over a hanger. Make sure that there are no hard creases. Failure to remove these wrinkles beforehand will make it impossible to remove them after it’s quilted.
- Square up the backing fabric on all sides (same width on both sides and same length on the other two sides).
- Bedsheets are not suitable as a backing. The tight weave of bedsheets will cause tension problems with the machine.
A Note on Quilt Batting:
- We can supply any batting so you don’t need to worry about getting those measurements right. But if you decide to bring your own, we recommend only cotton, superwashed wool, cotton/wool blend or bamboo/cotton. Polyester has several issues you don’t want after all that hard work doing your top!
Other little things:
- You must use our threads, which we know work very happily with our Bernina Q24 long arm. If you want to buy a spool from us of an approved type, we will return the rest. If you use ours, we charge $3.00 for each bobbin we go through.
- We cannot accept quilt tops wider than 108″, or backings/batting over 120″.
- We offer extra services such as trimming, binding attachment, repair of areas overlooked by the maker, etc for a fee.
Pricing:
Edge-to-edge quilting: .0275 per square inch for medium density designs; dense quilting can carry an upcharge. $75 minimum charge.
Thread fee: $3 per jumbo bobbin
Trimming and squaring to prepare for binding attachment: .085 per linear inch.
Attach your binding to front edge: .22 per linear inch.
Rush Fee (a week or less): $150