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Quilting with a longarm machine is quite different from quilting with your home sewing machine. The biggest difference is the constant tension adjustments that are necessary on a longarm machine. You can put different threads in your home sewing machine and never have to adjust the bobbin, and sometimes adjust the top tension a notch or two. With a longarm machine, the tension is never ‘normal’, and sometimes the tension will need to be adjusted even with the same thread from day to day. A longarm machine has no feed dogs. One of the hardest things to do well is stitch-in-the-ditch, while it is one of the easiest things to do on a home sewing machine.

With these differences in mind, the characteristics of the quilt take on a different importance and can mean the difference between a great outcome and a so-so outcome. Considering these guidelines before you bring your quilt to your quilter will help make your experience a successful one.

Press, press and press again. Make all seams consistent to one side or the other, i.e. try to keep them from going one direction at the top and the other direction at the bottom. Alternate the direction as necessary to make them nest into each other. Think ahead as to how the blocks will go together so when you press, you are able to press the seams in the appropriate manner.  Set your thread by ironing the seams flat first, then to one side or the other, or if several seams are coming together, you might want to press them open. Press after seaming each and every piece before sewing the next seam. Press your finished quilt before taking to your machine quilter.

Borders are unanimously the most troublesome item professional quilters encounter. When adding plain borders to a quilt it is so easy to cut a long strip, sew it on, and then cut off the excess length of the strip.  This may save you some time measuring, cutting and pinning.  After you get the border on, you may have a wavy or ill fitting border.  A border that is not fitted properly will cause tucks when the quilt is sandwiched and quilted. It may not cause you any problems if you quilt it with your home machine. If, however, you plan on bringing your quilt to a professional quilter, it’s worth taking the extra time to apply the border properly will result in a nice, flat, square quilt. 

To apply a border properly, it needs to be cut to size. First measure the quilt from side to side on the top, bottom, and through the center. Take the average of these 3 measurements, and cut the border to that measurement. Take the same measurements from top to bottom – on the top, bottom, and through the center.  This will give you the actual length and width of the quilt top. Measuring through the center allows you to be sure the sides are equal after the border is added. 

Second step is to pin border to quilt top.  Fold the border in half to find center, and mark, then in half again to find quarters and mark again.  Do the same with the quilt top.  Pin border to quilt top matching these marks.

Make sure your seams of the borders are all pressed in one direction. If you have requested stitch-in-the-ditch, press the seam allowances away from the border, towards the quilt top.

If there are rippled borders on your quilt, pleats or puckers while quilting may be impossible to avoid.

Check for any seams that are not properly caught in the 1/4 inch seam allowance. These could come apart when the top is on the rollers. The quilting frame should not stretch the top, but it does need to be kept slightly taut in order for the machine to work correctly.

If borders are pieced on the outside edges, staystitch 1/4 inch along edge to keep them from pulling open when quilt is loaded on the machine.

Have seams well pressed and clip threads that would cause "varicose veins" under light fabric areas.

Select with quilting thread color in mind. Many machine quilters will choose thread that matches the back, regardless of what’s used on the top. Wash in the same way top fabrics were washed. Multiple pieced backs need to be staystitched 1/4 inch from edge.

Please have backing squared with seams pressed flat and selvages removed. This means that the top and bottom should have the exact same measurement, and the sides both have equal measurements. You can tear the fabric or cut it to accomplish this goal.

Give your machine quilter enough fabric to do the job. They need to pin your backing and batting to the leaders on their machines. This means they need several inches of extra width and length on the backing. Ask your machine quilter how much extra he/she wants you to give them. This varies with each quilter, so be sure to ask. As a general guideline, the backing needs to be at least MINIMUM 6" wider and 8" longer than the top, after shrinkage and squaring. For example, a 60" X 60" top needs at least a 66" X 68" backing. If you are using traditional poly batt allow 6" width and 10" length. Allow an additional 10" extra in length if backing the machine quilter is squaring up your backing for you.

Don't use sheets as backing, especially the high thread count sheets. They are like iron to quilt through. You have hours and hours into piecing a top, don't scrimp when it comes to the final touches. If you must use a sheet for backings, you must have all hems removed and be washed twice. Because of the higher thread count of sheets, there may be irregularities in stitch quality and tension.

When seaming the backing fabrics, trim the selvedges off the center or piecing seams. Then press just as you would a seam on the quilt top. Press entire backing. Do not put outside borders around your backing. It is quite difficult if not impossible for the machine quilter to center the top exactly on your backing. If you need a bigger backing, insert another piece of fabric through the center. Or be creative and make a pieced insert. Just be sure to press the seams as carefully as the quilt top. Square off your backing before taking to be quilted. If you have to piece your backing with two or three seams, be sure the grainline is going the same direction. In other words, don't make one piece horizontal across the grain and the other two vertical grains. This can cause the backing to become skewed.

Batting choices will greatly affect the appearance of your quilt. Cotton batting gives a smoother flatter look and polyester batting has more texture or "poof". If you do not want the puckered look after washing, pre-shrink your cotton batt or use one that is pre-shrunk. The batt needs to be at least 6" wider and 8" longer than the top. If you use poly, allow at least 10" in length and choose a bonded batting. Unbonded traditional poly batts are too delicate for handling on the Longarm machine.

Do not bring inexpensive battings to your quilter. It's like quilting through steel wool and can greatly affect the quality of the work the quilter can do for your quilt.

For darker fabrics (black, dark blue, etc.) a black or a "non-bearding" batting is suggested so the batting doesn't migrate through. 100% cotton will not migrate through your fabric, but traditional polyester batting will eventually show.

If you are buying packaged batting, fluff it in your dryer for 15 minutes on low heat, remove from dryer, shake out and fold loosely.

Trim those threads! If you don't want to trim as you sew, when your quilt top is done, turn it over and clip, clip, clip. Those threads may show through when your quilt is done. It's too late at that point to trim threads.  Also trim back any fraying fabrics that are likely to show such as dark fraying next to a white fabric.  Avoid thread "nests". If you hold onto your threads as you start to sew a seam, the thread will not get pulled into the seam causing a bulky nest of thread. Your seam will press nice and flat and your quilter will be able to quilt a straighter line, as the machine can become uncontrollable when it hits a huge nest of fabric and thread.

Make true seams consistently throughout your quilt. If you start with a scant 1/4, stay with the scant. If you start with a full 1/4 or more, stay with it throughout. Reinforce your outside seams by adjusting your stitch length for the last 1/2" of the seam to a very tiny stitch. Or, stitch around the entire perimeter of your quilt. When your machine quilter puts this quilt on the roller bars, it will put tension on these seams. If they are already coming apart, this will make the problem worse. The quilter will most likely not take the quilt off and reinforce the seams for you. It is very time consuming, and the quilter assumes you have given them a finished top, not one they have to re-sew in order to quilt.

Each step should measure out to what you expect. Each and every block should be squared up before being joined to any other fabric such as a border, sashing, and other blocks. Don't wait until the quilt top is done to start squaring up. Press, square, trim threads. Easy to do if you take the time and make it part of your everyday quilt-making. It will make an incredible difference in your finished quilt.

Lay your quilt out wrong side up. Scan for stray threads, twisted seams, thread nests, lint, etc. Then turn the top over and do the same. Clip any threads you see, as well as the fraying threads from fabric that inevitably get caught in the seams. Remove any lint, pet hair, baby slobber <gig>, or other matter that may be clinging to the fabric. Fold your pressed and inspected top as little as possible for transporting to your quilter. A drapery hanger from your dry cleaners makes a nice hanger. This will help keep it from wrinkling again. If you are going to put embellishments on your quilt (beads, feathers, buttons, etc.) do it AFTER the quilting! These items break needles.

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