A New Customer
Being connected to social media and a local quilt guild recently gave me the opportunity to acquire a new customer. A message was posted on the quilt guild’s page asking for recommendations for a longarm quilter. One of the guild members posted a list of known vendors. My name was included in the list. Once my name was tagged a message was instantly sent to my inbox.
Wasting no time I jumped on the message board and posted my location. The other vendors were quick to reply as well. In the end I was selected to work on the project. Out of pure curiosity, I asked why my name was chosen over the others. The potential customer shared that she had visited my website and liked my style of quilting.
A Visit
The quilt, an adorable, handcrafted, square in a square, child’s sized blanket was fashioned using multiple shades of pink and tan. To obtain possession, of the quilt, special arrangements were made to pick it up at the creators home. On a gorgeous day in April I traveled twenty plus miles to retrieve and discuss her quilt.
Taken with me on the visit was my iPad. To assist me in planning the quilting design I used a program on my iPad. This feature allows me to draw free-hand designs. Having the capability to share this app with my customer made it easy to document her wishes. Of course a pen and paper would have been suitable as well but the ability to electronically save the drawings made them easier to keep track of.
Time To Begin
The quilt, after traveling to my home, waited several weeks for its turn on my machine. When my schedule finally had an opening I gave the quilt a quick massage from my gently warmed iron to smooth out any creases. From the ironing board the quilt and its accompanying companions, the fabric backing and batting, went directly to my longarm machine. Each piece was securely fastened either with T-pins or a basting stitch. Once everything was snug in place I began the process of artistically stitching the quilt sandwich together.
Special Care
Quilts of this size are obviously much less time-consuming than a king size quilt. The care I take to handle each quilt is the same though. Whether it’s a table runner, wall hanging or bed sized quilt they all get the same special treatment.
The Final Outcome
After only 2 1/4 hours the last stitch was applied. As I slowed my machine to a stop I glanced up at the completed design and smiled. Once again I had successfully conquered a customer’s quilt and I was quite pleased with the final outcome. The real test of its beauty would be when I revealed the item to the customer. I’m always a little bit nervous about the possible reactions but to-date the expressions and comments have far exceeded my expectations.
Let me present to you the quilt I call Pretty in Pink!
Vital Statistics:
- Quilt Size – 54″ x 74″
- Time Spent Quilting – 2 hours 11 minutes
- Number of Stitches Applied – 71,358
- Thread Used – Perma Core Eggshell
Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting