cegates

Beautiful design and execution!!! Carol

That is stunning!!!

I would be very interested in a solution to this. Can it be done??? I have IQ and have put off re-packing the gear box for too long because I'm afraid I'll either spend a huge amount of time getting it put back together or just won't be able to do it at all. Carol

We are so lucky to be able to help people in this way - it's the best part of this crazy business. You did a wonderful job with this treasured quilt! Carol

I too, have thought about having 2 machines for my business. What I have learned after having Intelliquilter for a year, is that I wouldn't want to do custom work without it, so the idea of having a non-computerized machine for custom quilting isn't as appealing as it used to be. In a perfect world, I'd have 2 longarms with IQ on both of them. It would be great to track down the Ultimate XX, add IQ and use it for pantos! Carol

Perfect! I beg to differ on your opinion of your creativity. Carol

What an amazing gift!!! It's beautiful. Carol

I have had quite the run of custom quilts lately, and it seems that it takes almost as long to decide on how to quilt it as it does to do the quilting. I have started hanging up the quilt top that is next in line where I can see it while I'm working on the current one. This gives me plenty of time to make a plan in my mind, and by the time I'm finished with the current top, I am ready to go for the next one. Sometimes I can even work on drawing my quilt design ideas while IQ is stitching. This simple idea has saved me a lot of time. Would love to hear of other tips and tricks that help you! Carol

Maybe a flat meander above the points of the "mountains" that will look like sky and straight lines under the flat side to ground it. You could divide the areas above the mountains with a diagonal line through the large white square so that the direction of the flat meander fits each section of the mountains. Does this make any sense? I would have to sketch it out to see if this is a good idea. I'm sorry you had the flu! Carol

You won't regret it! I love my IQ! Carol

Has anyone tried a quilt-as-you-go quilt on the longarm? It seems like it should be simple to do a strip quilt very quickly that way - but would like to hear from others before I try it. Thanks! Carol

Wow!! That's incredible!

Wow!! That's incredible!

In an ideal world, I would remember to lay out each quilt with the customer watching so that we can both see if it is reasonably square and flat - but of course I don't do that every time and get caught in the same situation you described. When I run into problems, I take lots of pictures and call my customer and talk about the options (taking a pleat, leaving the quilt wonky, etc.) The more I do this, the easier it gets - I know that it can be an uncomfortable conversation if you are less experienced. I personally would not have accepted this job as is. I would have returned it to the customer and let them decide whether to get a bigger backing or trim the quilt down themselves. I've only trimmed down a quilt once, and it was with a customer I know very well, and again, with lots of pictures to document what I did. I also saved the texts in which she gave me permission to do that. Regarding the binding, I charge by the inch, the price varies depending on what the customer wants. Many of my customers just want the binding attached and they stitch it down by hand. I don't think you charged enough in this case. Sorry that you had such a difficult time with this quilt! Carol

I think there are several different brands that you could get from a quilt shop or JoAnnes or Hobby Lobby. It will be labeled as hand quilting thread. It has a waxy finish to make it stronger, and I think that it will be much easier to handle than regular thread. Don't be tempted to keep the leftover thread for your own use- it should not ever be used in a sewing machine. Let us know how this project turns out! Carol