Just How Many Quilt Tops Do You Have Stashed
on Your Closet Shelves Waiting to be Quilted?

 

And what are you waiting for?

Now you can learn how to choose an excellent professional longarm machine quilter - or set up your own longarm quilter to complete your quilting projects - Easy!

 

 

From: Penny Halgren

Date:

 

Dear Quilting Friend,

If you are anything like I am, I spend hours making a quilt top.

First, there’s choosing the pattern.  Should it be a simple block or a fancy block? 

Should I sew sashing betwen the blocks, or just place the blocks next to each other, possibly creating a design within a design? 

Should I take on the challenge of circles or clamshells, or stick with the known quantities of squares and half square triangles, with maybe some Flying Geese sprinkled in?

Once I have worked my way through those issues, there’s the decision about how large to make the quilt.

Often that is based on who it is for.  Engineer son, Bubba, is over 6 feet tall, so a quilt that is much shorter than that is pretty useless in his eyes. 

Quilting daughter, Stephanie, on the other hand, loves her cuddly couch-size quilts – bigger than lap but smaller than twin.

Once all of those decisions have been made, then it’s off to the quilt shop to choose the fabric.  I do make a quick stop at my fabric stash to see if there is something interesting, but truthfully, most of the time a new quilt requires a trip for new fabric.

Then there’s the whole process of cutting the fabric, stitching patches into blocks; blocks into rows and eventually into a quilt top with sashing and borders.

By the time it is finished, I have invested hours and weeks in the quilt, and there are still more decisions.

• Should I hand quilt or machine quilt it?
• What quilting design should I use?

The hand quilting vs. machine quilting question has to do with the use of the quilt and how much time I have. I am likely to hand quilt quilts that are special - either because of the design or because of who they are going to.

Those quilts that will be used a lot are more likely to be machine quilted.

But the last thing I want to do is ruin a beautiful quilt with puckers and tucks created by poor machine quilting.

This quilt is puckered due to my lack of skill at machine quilting. Click on image for larger picture.

Years ago, I tried machine quilting on my home sewing machine.  The experience was full of frustration and the resulting quilt - - well, I’m glad it hadn’t spent hours and hours making that quilt.  You can get a flavor of the results to the right.

It was a baby quilt for a friend; one that she was planning to use with her baby, so I knew it wasn’t destined to be any kind of prize-winning quilt.

But then there was the quilt that was way too big for my sewing machine.

I didn't want to even think about handling the bulk of that quilt in my tiny home sewing machine.

So I farmed it out to a friend who had volunteered to machine quilt it. I provided the top, batting, backing and binding, and turned the design work over to her.

It took months to get it back - maybe even a year. It was fine, but really nothing to "write home about."

I've Heard Horror Stories

Although I have been tempted, I haven't sought out a professional longarm machine quilter to quilt one of my quilts.

While I have heard many success stories, I have also heard horror stories. And, how can I know which will be "my" story?

I've heard the story about the "really close friend" who machine quilted a quilt and ruined it with a really bad quilting design. The quilt maker didn't realize that the quilt would be quilted with an overall design that made the entire quilt look "flat." The quilt maker wanted her beautiful, intricate hand applique to stand out.

Then there's the one about the quilt that had puckers and pleats quilted into the backing. Apparently the longarm quilter didn't do a really good job of setting up the tension on the layers as she quilted.

Or, the quilt that never came back. A friend of mine sent a quilt off to a professional quilter who still hasn't returned the quilt - finished or not - and it's been more than a year. (The quilt was promised within 3 months.)

Just imagine - you purchased quality fabric, spent hours cutting and sewing - including ripping and re-sewing so you will have square corners and pointy triangles in your quilt blocks - only to have it be ruined by a professional quilter.

 

But, What To Do?

One option is to get your own longarm quilting machine.

While that is an option for many quilters, there are other quilters who don't really have that as an option. It could be the space it takes in your house. Or, maybe knowing that you will really only quilt one quilt a year, and it seems like a large investment of time and resources (let alone space) for such a small usage.

Another option is to find a professional machine quilter to trust your quilt with.

Either choice requires some research.

Many of the longarm quilting machines come with manuals and training. Sometimes the manuals are very descriptive and helpful. But, then there are others that leave you hanging with a pile of pieces and no obvious way to put them together.

Once you put them together - then what?

Often the company will give you training on how to use the longarm quilting machine. But, what if you live in a remote town, or the training times aren't convenient for you, or the trainer speaks a different quilting language than you do and you get nothing from the hours you spend in the class?

There you are - having spent thousands of dollars, invested scores of hours of time, and you still don't know how to use your machine.

Or, maybe you have some basic knowledge, and want to learn more than just the basics.

On the other hand, you may decide that you don't really want to own your own longarm quilting machine, but you do want to know how to choose a great professional longarm quilter.

With so many to choose from, how will you know what questions to ask and what to expect?

• How flexibile will the professional quilter be - will she quilt it the way you want it, or the way she wants the quilt to be quilted?
• How long should it take?
• What if you have a budget?

What better way to find the answers than to ask an expert?

But where do you find an expert? Just a random Google search might land you in the hands of someone with a really pretty website but who doesn't know what they are doing.

Not long ago, there was an article in the Professional Quilter magazine about Paula Rostkowski.

Now, I know, just because there is an article in a magazine doesn't mean that the person really knows what they are doing.

But, I checked her website out and called her, asking many questions about her business and how she works with quilters.

In that short telephone call, Paula gave me some of her best tips for choosing a professional longarm quilter - things I hadn't thought about and would not have occurred to me to ask.

She's got the credentials in terms of experience, and she knows what is important to quilters who are looking for a professional to help them finish their quilt.

And She Shares Her Secrets with You

Professional Longarm Machine Quilter, Paula Rostkowski, will share information about machine quilting on Sunday, June 28.

 

Paula was excited to be asked to be interviewed for our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation this month.

And she has agreed to share her techniques for longarm machine quilting as well as talking about how we should choose a professional quilter to finish a quilt for us - the quilters who don't have a longarm machine and don't want to finish a quilt on a home sewing machine.

I feel very fortunate to have Paula join us so you can get her fabulous information.

The Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation interview with expert longarm machine quilter, Paula Rostkowski, will take place on Sunday evening:

June 28 beginning at:

Paula will share her experience as a professional longarm quilter, sharing techniques for beautiful machine quilting as well as giving us tips for how to choose a professional machine quilter who will quilt our quilts the way we want them - even within a budget.

During the Conversation, Paula will cover topics like:

how to choose the perfect quilting design for your quilt what questions to ask a professional machine quilter about our quilt and the project how long it should take for the quilt to be finished what kinds of supplies might we need to provide the professional longarm machine quilter how to set up a longarm quilting machine and quilt for perfect results how to choose the right batting what kind of thread will give us the best results whether to use quilting templates or stencils …..and much, much more

 

This information could save you hours of valuable quilting time - let alone frustration.

And the best part is that you can have access to Paula for FREE.

It all takes place on Sunday, June 28 during our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation. As always, the call is free, except for any long distance charges your telephone company may charge.

But, you can listen in during the interview and then ask your personal question, once the interview is finished.

You will want to register for the call by completing the form below so you can get the dial in information and receive the Telephone Worksheet.

Enter Your Name:
Enter your Email:

Because the information Paula has is so valuable, you may want to make sure that you have every word at your fingertips when you need it.

By investing in this CD, you get a recording of the interview, as if you were there - even though you might have been doing something else during the live call.  You’ll be able to play it whenever you want and as many times as you want to.  You can enjoy listening to the call in your car while you are on the way to the quilt shop.  Imagine learning new tricks you can use when you start quilting when you get home.

We all know that telephone calls are fleeting, and it’s easy to forget what was said.  And, if you have your very own copy of the call, you’ll never need to wonder whether you missed anything important when your dog barked in the middle, or when the other phone rang.

This call is worth its weight in gold. Paula will share secrets that beginning machine quilters need to know. Techniques that have taken her over a decade to uncover and sort through.

All of her insights, inspiration and hard work, without the pain of your learning are right there on the CD for you to use. Just listen to her, and you'll know exactly what to do to make your machine quilting perfect or to find the perfect professional longarm machine quilter.

Your copy of the CD is a tiny investment of $24.97.

You can't afford to pass up the opportunity to have this information on your very own CD to listen to. Although you might think you will never send one of your quilts out to a professional machine quilter, you might find yourself up against a deadline and a quilt that will be perfect for a machine quilter. Then you will wish you remembered what questions you should be asking before you send your quilt off to someont. And, you won't be racking your brain to remember what Paula said.

Just a few months ago, I attended a seminar, and was so fascinated with one of the speakers that I ordered a copy of the exact speech he gave at the event. I was listening to it in my car just yesterday, and I could swear it was a different seminar.

I recognized some of the speech, but there were many parts of his talk that I had totally forgotten - and I took great notes, didn't fall asleep, and wasn't distracted by anyone sitting next to me or across the room I was amazed - how could I have forgotten things he said such a short time ago? But it happens. We forget 80% of what we heard in about a week.

Whether you were listening to the call or not, having your own copy of the CD can make your longarm machine quilting experience a most pleasant adventure. And your family and friends will be amazed at the beautiful quilts you will make. Or, if you are looking for a professional longarm machine quilter, this information will take you one gian step closer to finding the perfect quilter.

You might decide, too, that you want to try your hand at machine quilting - now that you have more than one finished quilt top just waiting to be quilted.

You'll be missing the boat if you pass up this opportunity.

Yes! Please send me the CD with the Paula Rostkowski, expert longarm machine quilter interview for the special price of just $24.97.

 

Special Introductory Membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com

 

Resources abound in TheQuiltingCoach.com. Hundreds of quilt block patterns, articles about quilting, pictures of quilts and quilt blocks, step-by-step guides of quilt blocks and quilts, discussion forums and tons more.

Every resource you can imagine is right at your fingertips in TheQuiltingCoach.com, and you can play for free for 2 months! What could be better than that? After the second month, you will be charged the low rate of $24.97 per month. You can cancel any time.

Once your order is complete, you will be taken to a special, secret page where you can test drive www.TheQuiltingCoach.com for two months for FREE.

No, thanks. Just sign me up for the call so I can Eavesdrop on the Telephone Conversation with Paula Rostkowski:

Enter Your Name:
Enter your Email:

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Specializing in Information for Beginning Quilters

www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
Where Quilters Connect