kathymartinez Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 How much do you use stitch in the ditch for your customs? I love SID and am really hooked on the look. But.... Those massive extra hours of work on a custom puts my revenue at below minimum wage. It seems that my customers who want to know what it will cost, start to get tense after 3 cents/inch. I'm struggling because up to now, I have done SID around the blocks and sashing, anyway. It doesn't pencil out when I keep track of the hours. I have a CQ, which I absolutely love, but it doesn't help. Blocks and sashing just aren't uniform, so unless you use the boundary function on every block, you just can't quilt right up to the edge. I would love to hear how people approach this dilemma. thanks, in advance. Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyL Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 If I\'m doing custom, there\'s lots of SID. A while back I decided to cut back on the amount of SID in order to save time but every time, I\'d go back and add the SID. In my opinion, it just makes such a nice, crisp line between the piecing. I\'m working on one of my own quilts now and I didn\'t want to spend a lot of time on it so I said I wasn\'t going to do SID but I\'m going back and adding it now . . even after the rest of the quilt was finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 I\'m with Judy. I try to stay away from SID, it is time-consuming, for sure. But it gives such definition to a block or border, it encapsulates the design so your eye can focus on that element alone. It makes the quilt look clean and crisp. I like to use it if I\'m quilting a separate border. If I use a blending thread (same or similar color as borders), then I can freehand the SID pretty well provided the quilt is well-pressed. But when the borders are dissimilar or have great difference between thread and border fabric, I have to drag out the ruler and slow down. I have some customers whose only guideline is "quilt it the cheapest". OK. Cheapest = No SID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 I\'m with all of you. I always SID and I just love the look. It gives things a finished look. I will however let customers know that if I do that they will be charged for it. You just have to if you are in business. I\'m lucky that I don\'t have to worry about my business paying my rent. Maybe someday I\'ll leave my full-time job but for now I want my quilting to continue to give me pleasure. If I\'m taking my free time to quilt a customer quilt then they\'ll have to pay for that time! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathymartinez Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Could i ask what the upcharge is for SID? You can use percentage if you are hesitant to be specific. Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 If sitch in the ditch then it is definaly custom. I too think it really makes the quilt look better and do alot of it. As for charge I am gonna up my beginning custom price to 3 cents from 2.5 because it just takes so much more time. It just does not make sense to work harder for less pay on the custom stuff. Right now I will charge from 2.5 to about 5 cents per inch on custom and more for heirloom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenMcManus Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Can someone give an example of the difference between custom and heirloom quilting? Not pricing, the techniques used difference. Thanks! Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 I have tried and tried to do the SID but it wiggles all over the place. I used the ruler but everytine I come to a junction it goes off the line. They are all my own tops. I don\'t do quilts for others but have let a few ladies use the machine to do their own quilts. I usually do pantos and they come out fine. I did donate some of my quilts to different organizations for fund raisers and most people thought they were pretty good. I also gave some to my kids and grandkids and even made one for our first great granddaughter, another one due in March. I made a sunbonnet sue quilt for her and did freehand quilting on it but it was not very good. I did not want to run over the sunbonnets so kind of echo quilted around them and just did some scalloping along the lines of the sashing and around the blocks. I did not even try to do SID as that would have ruined the whole thing. I\'ll keep trying. I have an Accucut machine now to cut more quilts out and it is going to be a big help. Not much waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeoldeforest Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Jen - I think custom is using different designs in the different blocks or on the quilt i.e not using a pantograph. Custom can be light to medium quilting. Heirloom is heavier quilting like a whole cloth design or McTavishing or stippling. I think both methods can use SID if applicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Jen, For me heirloom implies a couple of different things. 1st it would be something like trapunto which would require twice the work plus some. The 2nd is the design. If there is lots of unique designs that are intricate and require pre-marking then you are into heirloom. Anything that requires, feathers, sid and background fill could go into heirloom depending if I have free-motioned the feathers or used a stencil which requires a lot of premarking. For me custom starts at .03. This may include a very minimal amount of sid plus other techniques but a much looser design. I go up from there. If it requires heirloom then I start at .05 and up. I really try to determine the time required to design, mark and quilt....easier said then done! Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathymartinez Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 It was really eye opening for me when I kept track of the time SID requires. I, too, can\'t be satisfied without it. Minimum blocks and sashing. I think I will change my price structure: .03 for blocks and one border; up from there for more borders, sashing, etc. Let\'s see how that goes... Thanks for all the responses! kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 It takes alot of practice to become very satisfied with the results of SID. I almost always use mono-poly for it, in case I jump out of the ditch, it\'s not so obvious. But, as far as charging, I will ask if they want FULL custom which will include SID. That will usually mean tight fills, and about .04 per inch. Regarding Heirloom, that is all tight, very custom, and burying threads to boot. Depending on the project, we will start about .05. Is that alot of money? Why yes it is, but the last time I had a plumber in, he charged $250 labor for about 2.5 hours-do the math........ As I have said before, I would rather NOT quilt for someone else, and work on my own stuff than give my time away. My 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenMcManus Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Excellent info. Thank you all. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 I know this is business, but I have never counted the hours it takes me to do a quilt. I do it for the love (and yes a LOT of money), but I\'m not about to depress myself by figuring out my hourly wage. That quilt leaves my studio with my name attached to it (whether the topper acknowledges the agreement to credit me or not). If it needs SID (and it generally does) I do it. I\'ve actually gotten fairly good and fairly fast at it. I don\'t even touch a custom quilt for less than 4.5 cents an inch. If they don\'t want to pay that, we look for less costly options. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathymartinez Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks, Linda. That helps give me courage to charge more. I am also thinking I need to get some samples made so I can show customers the difference. Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 HI All! Ok.....Here I go with ANOTHER question!! When you use rulers to quilt beside, are they special rulers? Can I just use my rotery cutter rulers? Or are the ones you use for long arm quilting thicker? And if they are different, where do you get them? Thanks for putting up with all of my questions!! believe me,I have a thousand more!! linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Linda, Yes, the rulers used for SID (stitch-in-the-ditch) are thicker than the usual quilting rulers. If you use those quilting rulers, you run the very real risk of running your hopping foot and/or needle over the top of the ruler, resulting in a possible needle break and timing issues. Even with the thicker rulers designed for longarm quilting, it\'s possible to hit them with the hopping foot, chipping the ruler and scaring the operator out of his/her pants! These rulers can usually be found at your local longarm supplier and on the internet - I use an A1 ruler sold by Pam Clarke and have used rulers marketed by Linda Taylor. You have to try the ones you can find and see which ones suit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks Barb! I checked both out. Is there an atvantage to the green neon color of the pam clark one? I noticed it was much more expensive. linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 The color isn\'t significant, I don\'t think - I just bought it \'cause I was in Pam\'s shop in Spokane one day, when I was just getting started, so it was the very first tool I bought to use longarming! I prefer it to the Linda Taylor ruler - the angled ridge/handle makes it easier to use, at least for me. Like I said, you need to try different ones to see which suit your own style - you may find a different type entirely to be your preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Linda, I bought my Millenium late August 2007, then I bought my base expander from APQS a month after, it came with 2 sizes rulers. This combination greatly improved my straight line stitching. Corey APQS Millenium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Linda-- Some people prefer the neon green rulers because they use the glow in the dark powder with a black light in the machine. With the room lights off the glow from the neon ruler helps to see the fabric. I think the yellow rulers work as well but the green ones really glow! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veg-girl Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have a small green ruler for SID which I can always find, however the clear ones often get lost if I put them down on the quilt and then I only spot them just as thay are being dragged under the back roller when I advance the quilt at which point I\'m scared they will snap if they get pulled under, so coloured ones seem like a good idea. Compared to rotary rulers they do seem rather expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnnHoffman Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 When I started longarm quilting there was no longarm quilter in ther area that would do stitch in the ditch. So that immediately told me that was something I had to master. I am addicted to it and have to stop myself. I do pay more attention to what people are willing to pay and stitch accordingly. If you are in doubt, stitch the quilt without it, when you have completed your quilt unroll it but don\'t unpin it and let it relax for a while. Lay on the floor at look at the back of the quilt for saggy spots, look at the top and see if there are ugly seams popping up. Then make the big decision to go back and do some SID if it bothers you. I always stitch in the ditch if the quilt has a border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynne Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I\'ve only been at long-arming for a year and until last summer, I absolutely WOULD NOT do SID, even with a ruler. The stitching would always wander off. Then I found the Line Tamer. I\'m not affiliated, but I tell everybody who\'ll listen how wonderful it is. Rather than stitching along the side of the ruler, there\'s a channel down the middle of the ruler that just fits the hopping foot, so you keep the ruler steady, and you don\'t even have to pay attention to the stitching. I can handle focusing on one thing at a time...well.....usually....or sometimes...Anyway, I now love doing SID and it makes a HUGE difference. I just did a triple Irish Chain and I SID\'d all those squares then did a Terry Twist in them. It looked great! Here\'s the addie if you\'re interested http://www.fourpawsquilting.com/pages/template.html Lynne in Ann Arbor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jobuck Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi: Please tell me more about this LINE TAMER! I too have shied away from SID because I found using the extender base put drag on my sewing and handling the ruler also made it more difficult. However at this time I am ready to surge ahead and conquer this extra stuff. Please give a web site for the LINE TAMER if possilbe. Thanks , Jo-Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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