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whitepinesquilter

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  1. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to Gator in Loyal customers. ???   
    Lora, great topic which needs to be brought up every now and then.  I like hearing what's happening in other parts of the country and world.  I have Millie with an IQ.  I did not raise  my prices when I got my computer.  I didn't need to because I could do more quilts which evened the field.  I charge a penny and a half for loose pantos/e2e and 2 pennies for tight pantos/e2e.  I have a Quilt finishing shop a block away from me (I'm also in a small town) who charges about the same.  The owner and I have a great relationship because she just does pantos/e2e.  She also sells batting, wide backs and flannel.  She does no custom, so she sends those customers to me or another longarmer.  There's work for everyone.  You really have to flow with the local pricing or you will loose those "bread and butter" customers.  When I moved to Michigan, I asked around about longarm pricing before I decided on what to charge.  I ask my customers  to pick out the panto they want from the hundreds I have  but  if a customer wants a particular panto design that I don't have (i.e. hippos, fire hose, particular flowers),  I charge them a one time special design charge of $15.00,  plus my normal square inch charge.  It will help you build your design catalog fast  without coming directly from your pocket.  I do the same with my embroidery business. 
    Great info, advise and thoughts everyone.
  2. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter got a reaction from WandaGerdes in CompuQuilter is no longer in business   
    Oh, bummer. For those of us who were considering purchasing one of the used systems for sale, it now looks as if we would have no support if anything goes wrong.  I guess I don't want to be in that position no matter the price of the system.  Thanks for posting this.
  3. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to Merryjo2003 in quilting inherited tops?   
    I do quilt lots of vintage and antique tops for people.  I've been told by an appraiser that machine quilting will devalue them some, but most I've quilted are family heirlooms that people want finished.  They want to use or display them and they mean a lot to them sentimentally because of who made them.  They aren't interested in selling them, just preserving them and their memories.  I always tell them the quilts would have been hand quilted and will be devalued, just so they know.  I try to quilt them with a similar design as they would have been quilted during the era when they were made.  So, I'm with Linda!  Quilt them!  They don't do any good sitting in the drawer or closet, especially when they're still in good shape!
     
    I recently did a DWR for a lady who doesn't sew.  She remembered seeing her mother and grandmother working on the top when she was a little girl (and she was no spring chicken herself).  One of the last conversations she had with her mother before her mom passed away was about the quilt top.  Her mom asked her to please find someone to finish the quilt and not to get rid of it.  All the background fabric in the melons and pinched squares were from her mom's wedding dress.  It was in great condition and quilted beautifully.  What a treasure!  She wanted to hand sew some of the binding so she had a small part invested in finishing it, but didn't know how.  When she picked it up, I had the binding stitched to the front and partially hand sewn.  I showed her how to blind stitch the binding so she could finish.  She just cried and cried.  It really meant a lot to her.
     
    I've never heard that new thread will hurt the quilt top, nor have I heard any complaints or problems with the quilt once they were quilted.  If the fabric is fragile and it hasn't been stored properly, I think even trying to hand quilt would do some damage.  If the fabric's still good, I don't think it hurts them.  I think they'll last longer quilted and stabilized than not.  I've quilted some that are in such good shape it would be a shame not to see them, machine quilted or not!
  4. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to Oma in quilting inherited tops?   
    Quilt them...then love and enjoy them.  The only reason quilts used to be hand-quilted was because no one owned a long-arm! 
  5. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to Anniquilter in quilting inherited tops?   
    Quilt them - with care - and enjoy them with your family. Definitely put those labels with all the known history on them too!
     
    I love the idea of hugs from your ancestors.  I'm the first person in my family to quilt and I taught my mother to quilt!  She, however, taught me to sew so respect is maintained. ha      ha       ha !
     
    Now I just have to help her learn to use her I pad and she could join the forum.  All this from 3000 miles away!
  6. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to ffq-lar in quilting inherited tops?   
    Quilt them!  
    Since they are family heirlooms, if quilted they'll be used and displayed. As unquilted tops they'll be stored and be passed down and maybe not appreciated. Much more "valuable" quilted and on display.
    I've quilted vintage tops on the longarm that dated to the 1920's without any problems besides an occasional seam repair. I even quilted a top that had some hand-quilting started and we decided to leave the hand-stitching alone since it was part of the legacy of the quilt.
    Since vintage quilts are dated from the "youngest" element (whether it's the newest piece of fabric in a finished quilt or the date the actual quilting stitches were finished) that dating affects the value if the quilts are sold. A quilt finished in its era is more valuable (retail) than one machine quilted today but pieced in the 30's.
    But your quilts are "family" and won't be sold--so finish them, wrap them around you and enjoy the hugs from your ancestors! 
  7. Upvote
    whitepinesquilter reacted to jgardog in quilting inherited tops?   
    I'm doing a suit sampler from the late 1800s right now.  It's been stored in a trunk for decades.  My Mom was so happy when we got our Freedom that she gave it to me just to see it finished and on display.  Very few of the family have ever seen it or even know it exists.  I just picked a Victorian style backing in black and charcoal and am going to do a modified Fleur-de-lis pattern that would look period correct. Can't wait to finish it.
    JIM & JOHN
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