Prep Guide
Preparing your quilt for quilting
A few minutes of prep makes for a flawless finish. Here's everything to do — and a couple of things to avoid — before you ship your quilt to us.
We supply the batting, thread, and label — you only send your top.
Do this before you ship
Press everything flat
Iron your quilt top (and backing, if you're sending your own) so they lie smooth. Wrinkles and folds can distort the quilting.
Remove pins and embellishments
Take out every pin, basting pin, button, charm, and embellishment. A stray pin can break a needle — there's a $25 needle fee if one slips through.
Trim loose threads
Snip stray threads on the back of the top. Dark threads can shadow through a light-colored quilt.
Size your own backing (+4″)
If you're sending your own backing, make it about 4″ larger than the top on all four sides. If we supply the backing, just send the top — we handle the rest.
Stay-stitch a borderless top
If your top has no border, stay-stitch around the edge so the outer seams don't pull apart on the frame.
Mark the top edge
If your design has a definite top — a directional print or a scene — pin a small “TOP” note to it so we orient the quilting correctly.
Pack it safe and insured
Seal the quilt in a plastic bag inside a sturdy box, and we recommend insuring it for the quilt's value.
A few things to avoid
Don't baste or sandwich the layers
Send your top and backing separate and flat — never basted, pinned, or layered together. (We supply the batting, so there's no need to send any.)
Don't pack in deep creases
Roll the quilt or fold it loosely. Hard creases pressed in for days of transit can be difficult to quilt out.
Don't label the box “QUILT”
A plain box draws less attention and helps prevent theft in transit.
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