Amish Quilting Service: About Quilting

Excellent handquilting
Three qualities of stitching make fine quilting: 1) Evenness of stitches. This means maintaining the straight line if it is meant to be straight and a curved line, if meant to be curved. 2) Consistency of stitching. This means maintaining the same size of stitches and distance between stitches. 3) Size of stitches-- the small the better. Six to ten stitches to the inch makes a quality quilt if all other standards are also met. All three standards of quality are met by our quilters.

Average amount of quilting
You can expect the quilting to average about 2 inches apart. Often it will be closer and depending on the design of the quilt, it will be farther apart in places. You may opt for more than an average amount of quilting; the actual cost for your particular quilt will be determined when it is returned from the quilter. The cost will be an extra $50 or higher, depending upon your wants.

Marking
We have hundreds of stencils to choose from to mark your top. The stencils chosen will be complementary to the design of your top. Also you may indicate the type of design you wish us to use (cable, rope, twist, feathers, flowers, straight lines, etc,) or send us your stencils to use. Your stencils will be returned. Marking is done with quilt marking pencils, #2 lead pencils, whatever type marker will show up on the particular fabric. Or we will use your markers if you choose to send them. No water soluble or chemical markers are ever used, unless you choose to provide them.

Batting
We supply Mountain Mist traditional weight polyester batting. Or you may send any batting you choose. The best stitching can be done on light or medium weight batting; extra thick batt will result in larger stitches. Because of the difficulty of quilting on cotton batting that you would send, add an extra $15 for twin, double, queen: add $20 for king.

Backing
We supply a 100% cotton, bleached or unbleached muslin. If you supply the backing, it needs to be 8 inches wider and 8 inches longer than your quilt top. Please do not supply bedsheets. The thread count is too high to allow fine stitching.

Binding
We prefer to cut and make a French bias binding. You may provide the fabric if you wish; we will use muslin if we provide the fabric. A French bias binding is made from strips cut 2 1/4 inches wide, folded double right side out, sewn by machine to the right side of the quilt, turned and hand stitched to the back of the quilt. This provides a strong reinforced edge that will wear well. The finished binding measures about 3/8 inch. A straight binding (not bias) can be made from left over backing.

Twelve weeks
From the time your quilt is logged in with us to the time it is shipped to you is about twelve weeks. This includes time for marking, quilting, binding, if required. King or oversized quilts, or quilts requiring more than an average amount of stitching will require more time.