First visit, clarification request

[Margo]

Hi,

I am a longarm quilter and having read the previous posts I am now somewhat concerned. I work very hard at my quilting and my tension and stitch lengths are generally good, but they aren't perfect.

Is perfection what is expected by customers? I could get a stitch regulated machine or buy a computer to run the machine, both would get closer to perfection but not hit it, and I really enjoy freehand work. Or I could give up on customer work and concentrate on my own and accept I'm unlikely to get good enough to satisfy customers. I hadn't though of this being an issue before, but if it is I would rather know. I was about to spend quite a lot of money on getting advertising leaflets done, but it might not be such a good idea.

Thoughts?

Ferret

[littleflower]

Hi Ferret!

Perfection isn't expected by customers. They generally want a good job. With your work I wouldn't worry about it...I've seen your vid on facebook you have no worries. Don't give up quilting for others.

Teri

[littleflower]

Well, I am not a professional but I have looked at your work and would say you have nothing to worry about. You work is wonderful.

[littleflower]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm still worried that people do feel every stitch should be exactly the same length. I am currently working on a quilt for myself. The stitch lengths change a lot. I would guess the longest might be 8 times the length of the shortest. That's just the intentional variation. I have small stitches on intricate areas and larger ones on larger designs. On the larger designs there is variation in different areas of the design.

On the back of the quilt I have a lot of wadding blobs. I think the backing isn't as tightly woven as it might be and I know that after washing these will vanish.

I also have some tension drifts. I know that with the wide rage of weather we have had recently that is very likely to happen. It will probably vanish with washing, but I don't see it as a huge flaw. My top and bottom threads match so it really isn't that bothersome.

However after reading this forum, I'm not sure I would be happy to hand it back to a customer. I would happily enter it in a show, and I think it would do OK, but is it good enough for a customer? I'm not so sure any more.

Ferret

[Lorchen]

Fer, I have seen your work (nose about 1/8 of an inch from it ), and watched you grow as an artist over the last few years. Your work is interesting, challenging, and fun to look at. So, please, just continue. I always look forward to see what you are up to.

As far as work for customers is concerned: Do they complain? Do you discuss how you use your longarm before they are committed to you doing their quilt? I suspect that your answer is 'no' and 'yes'. So you have nothing to worry about.

Lorchen

[Lorchen]

Hi Ferret. I like your work too.

If you have customers coming to you, you must be doing it the way they want it done. Perhaps you could use that as a disclaimer, they came to you not the other way around, your work is becoming more well known. I don't go to Plumbing World to buy shoes after all!!

Have you tried with a regulator? I have a Nolting, a baby in comparison to yours and I'm very very bad at it but the impression I have from those I have talked too and read is you're either into perfection with the regulator or freedom of stitch without. Trouble is, over here we are so limited with access and support. Maybe that will change but that will take time.

Good luck with your future projects.

[Mandella]

Hello Ferret,

I suppose the answer is that different customers will look for different things. You have a wonderful creative flowing style and I'd much rather see that than go and measure each stitch with a magnifying glass. I can't believe that customers who come to you don't know what they're likely to get.

Have you had any complaints? You'd be most welcome to work on one of my tops!

There's also a debate about whether things made with human hands - with or without mechanical assistance - should replicate what can be done automatically with no human input. Is it possible that viewed in this context professionalism and perfection aren't necessarily the same concept?

[Sewdreamy]

From what I can see, your work is wonderful. I don't think "perfection" is what people want, but rather a lovely job. Please don't give up on quilting for customers, if it is your dream. You clearly have the skill you need already.

I will say one thing though that you might consider, I think the stitch regulator doesn't limit your ability to express freely, just gives you a little extra help (but that's talking from a domestic machine quilter's viewpoint..I really appreciate that little help, which still doesn't produce perfection...and sometimes I turn it off to get a different affect). Cheers

[Sewdreamy]

Thanks again guys. Yes I have tried SR and I hated them. I'm not even sure if I like the look of very even stitches when I see them, but I really don't like the way they make the machine behave. I've tried them on several machines now, and they really aren't for me. When I teach domestic machine quilting they seem to be great when people first start and then get less useful. A lot of students improve when they take them off.

I meant to say earlier, but yes in my experience thread does shrink. In piecing it's usually just enough to tighten the stitches, but it can be enough to pull a seam if the tension was already tight.

We are thinking that I probably need some kind of disclaimer then I'm not perfect, I'm not a computer and I will do my best but there may be variations. I think I have to do something given that the variations are seen as an issue and people think that all longarms have gadgets to make the stitches the same length. If that is the perception I need to make it clear that isn't the case with mine.

Ferret

[eileenkny]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm still worried that people do feel every stitch should be exactly the same length.
Ferret

Hi Ferret,
I'm a longarmer as well. I now have the IQ on my machine but haven't really started to use it as yet. I think eveness of stitches depends a lot on the work being done. I've loved your work since you did that art quilt of the bridge, sorry I don't remember the name. You are going for the overall artistic effect, not the precision of traditional quilting.
If your customers want perfection, you can always tell them that only God is perfect :P
eileenkny

[eileenkny]

I guess the key is to show the customers your work; if they like your work--do your best and that should satisfy them. If they don't like your work--they have the option of going else where.

[eileenkny]

I guess the key is to show the customers your work; if they like your work--do your best and that should satisfy them. If they don't like your work--they have the option of going else where.

The theory sounds great, but people don't seem to really look at quilting. Not even on their own quilts. I always encourage people to have a look at their quilts when they collect them but I have one customer find faults weeks later.

I've also had students tell me my feathers are perfect and regular. To which I suggested the pointed to two that were they same on a quilt. It took about 5 minutes for the penny to drop, they aren't. They are close enough to fool most of the people most of the time.

Ferret

[Lorchen]

Fer, I may be totally wrong here, but I suspect that candid discussion of issues relating to longarm quilting is not easy in the UK. In comparison to the US we are a very small country and most longarm quilters here are using their machine to earn some money, so you are all competing in the same (limited) market. That might make an exchange of ideas and experience somewhat awkward.

I don't know how others feel, but getting something longarm quilted is expensive (though worth every penny, in my opinion). If I have a large bedquilt that I want to get finished, so an overall quilting pattern would be just fine, I may go to a longarm quilter who has a large range of pantogram patterns, and a computerized machine, so that the pattern I choose can be adjusted in size to be just right for my quilt.

If, on the other hand, I have a wallhanging, and I'm looking for quilting that's complex and artistic, but don't feel my own skills with a little old domestic machine are adequate, I would go to a longarm quilter who has a proven track record in producing some individual and visually stunning quilting.

It's probably very important to agree on all sorts of details about the quilting, write it all down, and have the customer sign it.

I hope that one of these days I'll produce a quilt top that'll be worth it to bring to you, Fer.

Lorchen

[littleflower]

This group might be of interest to you Ferret....
http://www.mqresource.com/home/
I've joined recently and while I don't have a long arm I deal with some of the same issues.

Teri

[snowplow3840]

This past summer I had five quilts quilted by a long arm quilter. Two were quite unique and three were quilts that an overall design was appropriate and what I wanted. The first quilt was a round robin so it had a center square and numerous borders. It was small enough that I could have quilted it but had no idea of a good quilting pattern for it. The three were bed quilts that were rather large squares and a general overall design. The fifth was my Rhapsody. Lots of crazy shapes in the piecing and lots of applique plus I wanted feathers in the corners. EileenKNY (a TQS member and longarm quilter) did all five. We had many phone discussions through the process and discussed threads, patterns, batting, etc. etc. The first four were wonderful and I was very pleased, but needless to say I was nervous about my Rhapsody. I had put so much blood, sweat and tears into that quilt that I wanted it wonderful. Eileen out did herself and my expectations. She used two layers of batting which helped the applique pop and almost look like trapunto and her feathers in the corner were great and just what I wanted. I haven't taken a magnifying glass to any of them (nor do I intend to) so do I know if every stitch is perfectly even? No I don't. I just know as a customer, I am very pleased and will send her quilts again. (And no she isn't paying me to say this. LOL)

My advise to a customer or the longarm quilter is have a dialogue as you are beginning to work together and communicate all during the process. If you find something you do not like in the first quilt, say so and ask for it to be changed in the next one. This not my first "rodeo" as some say when it comes to long arm quilting. I had one very disappointing experience (and it was the most expensive one), a mediocre but acceptable experience and a third experience (with Eileen) that in the end was fantastic. So keep on trying. Ann