Professional Longarm Services
Some quilts just need to be put together, nothing fancy.
Some quilt tops are masterpieces that need the quilting to fade into the background.
Other quilts need the quilting to be an equal partner.
And for others the quilting is the star.
Helping you determine what's best for your project is part of the fun and something we are really good at doing.
During an intake appointment we will ask questions like: Who is this for? How will it be used? Are there any designs you really want to use? We have hundreds of designs to consider and we can always purchase new designs* for you. Together we will help you pick the best quilt design and choose a thread color that matches your aesthetic and vision for your project.
Batting – the stuff that goes inside
We carry Quilter’s Dream batting. We have many different types and sizes. We prefer you purchase batting from us. The quality of the batting makes a huge difference in the quality of the quilting. We can not guarantee client provided batting will result in quality quilting. We reserve the right to not use your batting.
If you provide the batting it needs to be at least 4 inches larger than the size of your quilt on all sides (i.e., a 60”x60” quilt top needs 68”x68” inch batting).
Thread – it holds the layers together
We have many colors of Superior Threads’ SoFine in stock.
If you have a different thread in mind, bring it to the intake and we will discuss if it will work. If you want multiple colors of thread used in the same quilt there is an additional charge for thread changes
Finishing Services – to trim or not to trim
We can trim, make binding from fabric you provide, and even bind your project in various ways. See the intake form for more details and pricing.
I’m ready, let's do this! – fill out an intake form & make an appointment
Please fill out this intake form. If you are not certain how to answer a question, don’t worry. The form is where we begin our conversation about your project.
Once you complete the form, email us at hello@longarmquiltinglab.com to set up an intake appointment. Appointments take place at our studio located at 4222 Ravenswood, 204, Chicago, IL 60613. If you need to mail your project to us, let us know we should expect it.
We can’t wait to help you finish your project.
*Digital Pantograph Designs.
We recommend going to one or more of the following websites (or others), creating a free account and wish-listing designs that you like. This helps during the intake process - maybe we already have it or maybe we have something similar. Please let us purchase the design for your project to make certain we get the design that works best with our software.
Websites:
www.UrbanElementz.com
www.ThePantoShop.com
https://totallyquilted.com/
https://longarmleagueshop.com/
Quilt Backs – the foundation of your project
Quilt backs need to be at least 6 inches larger than the quilt top on all sides.
A 60”x60” quilt top needs a backing that is at least 72”x72”.
The back is loaded onto the longarm frame first, everything else is loaded on top of it. The extra fabric is our “longarm seam allowance”. Without this extra fabric we cannot quilt your project. When you are able, please do NOT trim selvages off the edges of your backing fabric. Selvages help us load the backing fabric.
Many backs will be pieced. That’s great. If it’s just one long seam, a pieced back works best when the seams are horizontal to the quilt (the internal seam can have the selvage trimmed to avoid bulk in the quilt).
The backing fabric needs to be pressed with all seams pressed to the side.
For larger quilts "widebacks" in 108", 110” or 118" backing are ideal. There is no need to trim widebacks; please leave the selvages on this type of backing.