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Sorry I Started this Venture


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Bonnie, I'm on the next plane out to New York to give you a big hug!!! Your starch steam method worked:) AMAZING. It's not perfect, but then again, that's probably me, but the difference is amazing. There are a couple little puckers here and there, but I think once the quilt is washed, it won't even be noticeable. I'm thinking of considering this one a freebie and not charging for it since it's less than perfect. Thanks again to everyone for all your support and encouragement.

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Gable, I think every quilt is going to be a learning experience. Every one is going to be different and few will be without some kind of issue to be worked around, through, or over. More so in the beginning as there is so much to learn anyway! But giving your work away isn't going to produce the results you want and that is to enjoy what you are doing and make money doing what you love! The peicer is going to need to learn from these issues also. If she's going to continue peicing beautiful tops she's going to want the quilting to go well, too, and that has to start with a well peiced top! I agree with Karen's comment about perfume on a pig. You can only do so much and that depends on what you are given to work with so do what you can and then when the customer picks up the quilt explain the problems that came up and educate her on how to make it better next time so her quilt will turn out better next time. Just give a little mini class. I know that as a handquilter some of the peicing problems that are talked about here never occured to me. I quilt in a hoop and never have problems with wavy borders or dog ears, and all my quilts end up square. I'd never dreamed that machine quilting would be any different, I mean the quilt looks square, the frame looks square, where could there be room for not so square after all? But now I understand how all this works and wonder how many of the quilts I've done by hand would have been hard to do on a longarm? Makes me cringe. If anything I think in terms of adding PITA charges for things like this that are not your fault but that you still have to deal with to get the quilt completed. First time a mini class, next time she should know better so it's no longer your problem to fix.

Sorry this is so long, and I don't have my machine yet, and I've never used a longarm other than just to try it out for a minute or so, but for what it's worth...

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Gable....If I stand on my soapbox and yell at you "That you are not going to give your work away" Would that help change your mind.

I'm glad that it worked for you, but as the others have said....you are not here to give you're work away. We all learn from each quilt, and as you go you will find that it just becomes second nature for you to grab whatever tool it takes to get the job done.

BUT more importantly its falls onto our shoulder to also teach and train our customers to become better in what they are or aren't doing. And in turn that will make your job easier....and then you get to charge more....yeah :P:P:P

When this happens I have found that it's generally how they hold their fabrics. I sat one customer down so that I could watch her sew. Because each quilt I was getting was worst than the before quilt, not better as you would expect.

Yes it was my machine and unfamiliar for her, but OMG the death grip she had on the fabric strip was amazing. She was so scare that she was going to screw up something that she was pulling on the new piece so tight that it was stretching about 1 inch each tug....and the ruffles that she was putting into the quilt were so out of control, and by doing this she was creating more trouble for me. With each new row or border she would tug on the newly attached piece...times that by whatever row/borders there are in the WHOLE quilt: turning everything into nothing but a huge wonky ruffle. And sadly it takes cans of spray starch to even get these quilts flat enough to put onto the frame.

Don't sell yourself short...there isn't any reason for you to give yourself away....Discounts at first are something you can do, but NEVER give a quilt totally away. Besides you are only as good as the work that you are working on....if you get lemons there isn't much you can do with that except made lemon pie or lemonade.:cool:

Another rule of thumb is, the galloping horse theory...

Can you see it from a Galloping Horse...if not, its perfect.

Okay...I'll get off my soapbox now.;)

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I have a question about shrinking just a little area. Yes, I have done this many times but what if the fabric hasn't been washed first and you shrink the fabric to quilt it. What happens after the customer washes the quilt??? Will the area you shrunk up be puffy?? Will shrinking the rest of the quilt bring out the problem area again? Clear as mud??? Never thought of this before.

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Bonnie - great tip about the heavy starch. I will try it next time I get one of those wavy ones. I have a piecer that regularly brings me wavy borders. She just can't seem to get it straight. She has been quilting MUCH longer than I and I would not presume to give her instruction. She is a sweetie and I will continue to try new things to keep her piecing errors from showing.

I attended a great Dawn C class (well, all her classes are great, actually) at MQS called This Quilt is Trouble. She stepped us thru some techniques. I learned how to identify the wavy borders BEFORE I put the quilt on the frame.

When you measure the quilt horizontally on one side, write down the measurement; now measure the other horizontal side and write it down. Different? Do the same with vertical. If the quilt is 80" on the left vertical side and 81" on the right vertical side, you will have one inch to ease in.

Try to identify where that fullness is. Sometimes it is edge to edge stretched or full; in which case you pin (6" apart) that full edge from corner to corner smoothing the border from seam to edge perpendicular to the border so you distribute the fullness. You don't want to push the fullness down your quilt or you will end up with all the fullness waiting for you at the bottom. Grrrr :mad:

Sometimes the fullness is in one area, like where a border was pieced. You can see that fullness by having somebody help you hold the quilt. Have your partner bring the two vertical corners togethers with the fold toward the floor. You stand on the other end bringing up the other 2 vertical corners. Gently pull the quilt taut between you and your partner. If you have a saggy border (on the edges you are holding), you will see it droop next to the taut side. If both borders are drooping then you have wavy borders on both sides.

Do this process in the horizontal direction so you can see if the other borders are drooping. My DH helps me with intake. We made this process part of the intake. I find it easier to know in advance that I have wavy borders. It helps me select the design elements like border treatments that will work best on that particular qulit. I don't like doing tucks though I have done it a time or 2. I prefer the piano key border which helps s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t any fullness so it is not so obvious.

What I learned from Dawn C was that, as professional quliters, it is our responsibility to make the quilt look good. For me, that includes using all the tricks I have in my toolbox to fix, hide or minimize piecing errors. Now I have Bonnie's spray starch trick to add to my toolbox. Thanks, Bonnie.

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All of you have given some great advice, and I would like to add one point. If the piecer took this quilt to another quilter in your area, would it have looked as good as what you have done? That's what kept me coming back to one particular LA'er in my area. No matter what I did, she made it look good. So as Bonnie said, don't give yourself away. Unless your competition is reading this site, they are miles behind you.

Cathy

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Originally posted by lyonden

I have a question about shrinking just a little area. Yes, I have done this many times but what if the fabric hasn't been washed first and you shrink the fabric to quilt it. What happens after the customer washes the quilt??? Will the area you shrunk up be puffy?? Will shrinking the rest of the quilt bring out the problem area again? Clear as mud??? Never thought of this before.

No Carol this really isn't an issue with smaller spots....now if you had half a quilt one way and the other not...then I might be concerned. If the quilt is that far off you will know it in the beginning and I just spray starch and steam the whole quilt before I even put it on the frame. Spot treatments get nailed down and they don't puff up out of control, so no worries.

You are welcome Linda C.....I do have to say that this is my most used trick....its hides some of the worst sins.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this forum. I bought my machine used from a gal that had only made 3 quilts on it - so my introductory lesson wasn't very thorough... I have learned more things from reading this forum, and this is a fabulous tip. I copy the great tips into separate word documents and save them in my computer in a Tips folder so I can fink them quickly. This definitely went into the folder, with the photos.

Thanks guys!!!

Julia

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Cathy AKA Quiltercac,

My competition DOES read this forum. All the time! Good thing we are all such good friends.

Last month one of the gals bought my "extra" King Tut -- all the cones I had somehow managed to double order during the year. That saved her having to bring a big sack of thread home from Innovations and it improved my cash flow for the trip. Yesterday I ran out of thread in the middle of a quilt. Yes, of course, the same one I had sold her. So I had to go begging to get one of those cones of thread back from her! :D

Repeat: Good thing we are all such good friends!

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  • 1 month later...

I am so glad I found this post. I was beginning to doubt my decision to buy my mille. The last few quilts I have done I have had to take tucks in the border. But this last customer quilt sent me over the edge. There was so much more on the right side than on the left and I just kept thinking how could I have let this happen. I am going to try the starch thing.

Thanks!

Carrie

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Carrie,

I am glad you brought this thread to the top. I was going through the same darn thing last night. After sewing and ripping the same section out about five times, I took Karen\'s advice and took a pleat. This is a charity top so I didn\'t need to call anyone and tell them what I was going to do. It is a busy border and you honestly can\'t tell.

Too bad I didn\'t know you were having a ripping your hair out moment also. We could have cried on each other\'s shoulders. I was doing a pretty good job of beating myself up last night and questioning my abilities also.

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