The Twisted Thimble

You have a quilt top that needs to be quilted – now what do you do?

Is it an antique pieced or appliqué top made by a family member and you have no idea what to do with it? Maybe you finished piecing your first quilt top and you saw a quilting pattern you like but you’re not sure it’s the right design for your quilt. You want to talk to someone experienced with helping people select designs that will enhance your quilt top. Or maybe you already know exactly what you want on your quilt and you just need the person who has the skills and tools to complete your quilt.

Whatever level of assistance you need, I am that person. I use sketching software to begin the design process and will share those ideas to make sure it shows the look you want for your quilt. You can see examples of my work in the Gallery.

Quilting Services Offered

Edge-to-Edge (e2e)

Also known as a “panto”, this is a continuous, overall design that covers the whole quilt without regard to blocks or borders. We currently have hundreds of e2e designs available to our customers.

Semi-Custom

This category of quilting includes a combination of edge-to-edge quilting with a different design in the border(s).

Custom

This includes designs that are quilted in individual blocks and borders. These can be digital or free-motion designs or stitched using a ruler (commonly called “ruler work”). It can include stitch-in-the-ditch around the blocks, sashing, cornerstones, etc. You can also provide a design that you want quilted and we can digitize it to fit in a specific area of your quilt.

Heirloom

Heirloom quilting is often dense, detailed quilting. Many times, each block is quilted with a different design. The quilting is usually done as free-motion and ruler work which can be quite labor-intensive. The result is a stunning masterpiece.

BATTING

Batting

You can provide your own batting or you can purchase it from us. We have Hobbs Heirloom 80/20, Hobbs Heirloom Wool, Warm and White (cotton), and several Quilter’s Dream battings available.

ABOUT DEB

You could almost say I was born with a needle and thread in my hand! I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember. My mom was my first teacher as she let me watch her sew as she made dresses for my sister and me. In junior high, I started making my own clothes and in college I worked in the costume shop of the university’s school of theater. That experience landed me jobs working in the costume shops for The Washington Opera and the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger in Washington, DC. Along the way, I learned the fine art of quilting from my Amish grandmother and aunts. As a young girl, I went to their quilting bees with my mom. I remember playing under the quilt with my cousins, wondering if that was the day I would be allowed to sit up at the quilt and learn how to make tiny, even stitches by rocking the needle back and forth.

Fast forward to the present: After a 30-year career with the federal government, I’m now retired and enjoying the opportunity to quilt for others – and occasionally, for myself.

I bought my HandiQuilter Fusion in 2014 and still use it today. It is computerized with the Prostitcher Premium so I can use digital designs as well as do free-motion and ruler work.

Project Gallery

Pricing

Quilting costs are charged by the cost per square inch. The costs below include set up, thread and thread color changes, tying and burying threads, and trimming the quilt (if requested).

Edge-to-Edge (e2e):  Costs start at $.025/sq inch. Costs increase depending on the density of the design.

Semi-Custom: Costs start at $.035/sq inch and increase based on the density and complexity of the designs.

Custom:  Costs start at $.045/sq inch.

Heirloom:  Costs start at $.06/sq inch.

Additional services can be provided and can include, but are not limited to, the following:

Piecing the backing: $10/seam

Pressing wrinkled top or backing: $10

Making and attaching the binding to the quilt: $.20 per linear inch. Sewing the binding down by machine is an additional $.10 per linear inch; hand sewing the binding down is an additional $.20 per linear inch. Scalloped quilt edges that require bias binding will incur an additional charge.

Repairing seams: Cost varies depending on the work required. We will contact you prior to repairing any part of the quilt top or backing.

A written estimate can be provided to the customer upon request.

Testimonials

“Deb did custom quilting on two of my queen size bed quilts.  In both cases, I had some rather vague ideas about quilting patterns, but no firm concept of how to go about it.  One of the things I loved about working with Deb is her amazing imagination and familiarity with a myriad of quilting designs as well as her ability to come up with unique patterns.  She was able to guide me to patterns that would best fit my quilts and enhance their design.  She took care in the execution and the results far exceeded my expectations.  I would not only use her services again, but would highly recommend her to others as I would expect they would be equally pleased with the results.” Anne L.

“I made a quilt in memory of several friends and family members who died after battling ovarian cancer.  I envisioned Celtic designs, which Deb was able to interpret brilliantly.  The complexity of her Celtic motifs were the perfect foil to the relative simplicity of the quilt design!  I could not have been happier with the finished quilt!” Regina D.

“I’ve been using Deb for my custom quilting since she got her long arm.  She has a good eye to see what will fill a space and accent your piecing (or applique) while adding enough variation that it is not boring to look at.  I like being able to give her a quilt and say—”make it nice”—and it comes back just gorgeous.” Beth S.

“Deb is a very skilled custom longarm quilter. She has a wonderful sense of scale and design as to what to quilt in all areas of your top. Without much direction from me, she has created several exquisitely quilted tops. She loves to quilt feathers and other intricate designs to enhance the pattern of the quilt. The back of the quilt also looks as lovely as the front does when Deb is finished. You won’t be disappointed, I’m sure.” Cathy E.

“I have known Deb through my quilting group for nearly 20 years.  The first quilt she did for me was Vintage Moments, 90” by 90”.  This is the first quilt I have ever “outsourced” to be quilted by someone else and I did so because it is enormous.  Deb planned the design she would use for quilting and presented her proposed design for my approval prior to quilting.  She did a wonderful job and put a lot of thought into the design and the quilt looks beautiful!  After being so impressed with results on my Vintage Moments quilt, I asked Deb to quilt the design on another quilt for me – Almost Amish.  Deb presented several options to me for the longarm quilting of the quilt.  We decided together which design would work best for the quilt and the right color of thread to use.  The quilt looks wonderful and I am so proud of my quilts and happy with her quilting!  If there are any other quilts that I need to have quilted longarm, they will go to Deb.  She does great work and it is very reasonably priced!” Mary G.

“Deb is an excellent quilter.  She has done two custom quilts for me.  After racking my brain, I just leave it up to Deb.  It’s never a disappointment.  They turned out better than my expectations.  She does an excellent job with a lot of thought going into each quilt” Sharon T.

Preparing Your Quilt Top and Backing to be Quilted

Quilt Top:

It’s important that the borders on your top lay flat and don’t have ripples in them. Ripples and fullness in a border can’t be “quilted out” – there will be pleats and puckers in the top when quilted. A small amount of fullness can usually be quilted out. If it’s best that the border be removed and reattached before being quilted, I will contact you.

Make sure seams are secure and all threads are clipped. You don’t want a stray dark thread showing through your light background.

Only press seams open if absolutely necessary. If a seam is pressed open, I cannot stitch-in-the-ditch.

If your quilt top has an outer border that is pieced, please stitch around the quilt top 1/8” from the edge of the quilt. This will ensure that the seams will not separate when being loaded or during the quilting process. If your border is not pieced, you can skip this step.

Press your entire quilt top.

If your quilt top is directional, mark the top by putting a safety pin at the top.

Do not baste the top, batting, and backing together.

Quilt Back:

If you are piecing your backing, make sure to cut off the selvedge before you sew the seam. Use a ½” seam allowance. This seam can be pressed open or to one side. Selvedges can be left on the outer sides of the backing.

The backing must be 4” wider than the quilt top on each side, top, and bottom. For example, the backing for a 60” x 60” quilt top should measure 68” x 68”. This extra fabric allows the backing to be loaded onto the frame and kept straight and square. If your backing is smaller than that, please contact me to discuss so that we can find a solution.

Press your backing. There will be creases from folding the backing but those will flatten out when the backing is loaded on the frame. If the backing is wrinkled and I need to iron the entire backing before loading it, there will be an additional charge for this service.

If the backing is directional, mark the top by putting a safety pin at the top.

Backings with blocks or panels are often a nice touch to the back of a quilt. I will do my best, but please know that it is impossible to ensure that the block or panel is exactly centered on the quilt.

If you are providing your own batting, it should be 3” larger on all four sides of your quilt top.

If you have any questions while preparing your quilt, please contact me – I’m here to help.

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