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Nuggets of Advice for New Longarm Owners - Part 6

8/26/2017

 
I'm going to finish up this series talking about the ultimate blankets: charity quilts. When I bought my first longarm it arrived the week before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Alabama. You may remember that there was a huge quilt drive for Katrina quilts. I think that actually got really out of hand but I saw a great opportunity to practice on my new longarm and jumped right in. I bought a couple of quilt tops off eBay and got a few from my guild members.

I'm happy to tell you that I don't have any photos of those quilts. The quilting was pretty awful but they got done and I got practice! 

New longarm owners often seek out charity quilts for practice and that's a great thing but you have to be careful that your charity quilting doesn't start to overwhelm you.
​

Set some rules around your charity quilting.

I quilt a lot of charity quilts for my quilt club. We donate lap size quilts to the local VA hospital. We've been doing it for several years and finish about 60 quilts each year. I decided that quilting them would be my contribution to charity quilting in addition to making 2 QOV quilts each year. I quilt up to 40 of the veterans quilts each year and I'm able to do that because I set some rules. Before you accept your first charity quilt you need to set some rules too or else you will be set up for burn out.

Here are my rules for the quilters:
  • I quilt no more that 40 quilts each year and I do not guarantee that I do that many.
  • The quilt tops can't be larger than 48 x 60 because at that size I can quilt 2 quilts at a time on one width of wide backing
  • The quilts must be pressed and ready for quilting. If I get a wrinkled quilt that's how it gets quilted. 
  • I don't fix problems. I must get the quilt ready to be quilted.
  • No one has any say over the thread color I use or how I quilt a quilt. Sometimes I use a quilt to practice something but I never do anything that will take more than 2 hours for a quilt.
  • I don't quilt on a deadline. Sometimes I have a top for months before it gets quilted. The quilts get quilted when I have time and motivation to do them.
Does that seem harsh? No one has complained and our club members are always very appreciative and seem to love how I quilt them. 

Here are my rules for myself:
  • I spend no more than 2 hours on any veteran quilt
  • I quilt them 2 at a time and pair up quilt tops with backs so that I don't have to change thread between quilts.
  • I'm using the charity quilts to use some threads that I don't use on my own quilts anymore.

I don't have any problems with people trying to guilt me into quilting.  Several of our members make quilts for other organizations. I don't quilt those quilts. Occasionally we make a large raffle quilt and I don't quilt those either.  I've set the veterans quilts as my contribution. 

You cannot do everything. Maybe your contribution will be baby quilts for the local hospital or the one raffle quilt that your guild makes every year or pet pads for the local shelter. Find the cause that is meaningful for you and doable with your schedule and focus on that. Here's what you say to everyone else:

"I'm sorry, I have quilts to fill my charity quota for the year. Do you want me to put you on the list for next year? I can call you when I'm ready to take another if you still have it them."

"I'm sorry, I can't commit to that deadline. I do charity quilts when I have time between my customer/personal quilts. It could be as long as 6 months before I can get to it."

"No, I'm sorry, I don't custom quilt charity quilts. I select the design and thread. If you need a specific design you will likely have to pay someone to quilt it for you."

 It's also perfectly OK for you to decline to do any charity quilting. Do not let anyone guilt you into doing any quilt that you don't want to do.

Be firm about your rules to maintain your sanity. Remember that you are doing someone a favor. No one has any right to use your time for free without your full willingness.

I hope you've enjoyed the series this week. As I said Monday, this is a series that I've been wanting to writes for a long time. It's all the information that I wish someone has told me when I bought my first longarm in 2005. 

In a couple of weeks I'll move all of these posts over to the tutorial section of the web so that they will be easier to find. On Monday we will be back to regular programming!
Annick H.
8/26/2017 11:04:19 am

This WAS a great series! Thank you for taking the time to write it. I have also finally learned to say NO and do only the things that are fun and meaningful for me. Especially after I was criticized behind my back for the work I did succesfully for many years for a part of our quilt show. Now they are trying very subtly to recruit me again!!!! Well it is now NO and I will not cave in.

Jean
8/26/2017 11:18:56 am

Thank you for this series. While I'm not a longarmer I did enjoy reading this, esp. the one about blankets/quilts and this last one. I've had to say no to helping at the quilt shows as I just don't have the energy I once did, and I'm one of the older members. When you are past 85 it begins to take its toll on your body. I still do a lot of charity quilts and have sent a lot to Haiti with teams from our church, without batting, and I have fun doing it. I believe quilting should be fun.

Kristin F
8/26/2017 12:28:15 pm

I admire your fortitude. In the 2 guilds I have been in there are people who try to lay guilt trips on members regarding the charity quilts.

Becky in VA
8/26/2017 04:34:23 pm

Great series, Vicki!

Suzanne
8/26/2017 04:34:55 pm

Thanks for the series. It has been a good source of information. Thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge.

Beth-near Louisville KY!
8/27/2017 07:28:27 am

This was a great bit about the longarm.... getting started, quilting (what and how to learning and practice) and the final piece... about saying NO!!! Thank YOU for saying so much of it outloud.

Carole link
8/27/2017 08:20:23 am

Yes, you do have to say no. I fully agree with your guidelines. I only do pantographs on charity quilts, no custom, and I choose the thread and the panto to do. I do split my charity work between groups, doing 12 for QOV in a year, plus a few for the local hospice and one raffle quilt a year. So, I do fewer than you do. I don't want to get to the point of doing 40 a year, LOL!!

Marsha
8/27/2017 08:39:25 am

I enjoyed this series very much. I had researched longarms years ago and your personal email to me was of great value. More recently, a couple of years ago, I was getting ready to purchase a longarm. I signed the papers and had one night to think it over. I sat bolt upright in bed that night after having a dream and knew this was not for me. Your series reenforced my decision and I thank you. Even though I have to book months in advance, I am happy to rent the time at our local quilt shop and longarm my quilts there. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

Hedy
8/27/2017 10:06:53 am

I think your comments about having rules for long arm sewing is for any request. A relative guilted me into making a very difficult quilt from Crown Royal bags. I had to design the quilt too. Never again will I make a quilt for someone else to give away. I really enjoyed reading all these guidelines.

Susan Ulrich
8/27/2017 10:07:31 am

Thanks for this series Vickie! It's great advice and spot on!

patty
8/28/2017 09:19:25 am

Even though I don't have a long arm, I have enjoyed reading and learning about what long arm quilt entails. Some of the information was applicable to quilting on a home machine too. This post about the charity quilts was great. I don't belong to any quilt groups anymore so I don't get the pressure of making charity quilts. I do like to send you a few quilt tops for the VA hospital and I now have done a Harley Davidson raffle t-shirt quilt for a charity poker run two years in a row now. That is enough charity quilting for me. I am getting better at saying no. I was begged earlier this year to do an alteration for a lady I had told that the last dress I fixed for her was the last alteration I would ever do. I have to give her credit for trying but I said no. I will sew for my nephew for things related to the band or if my brother needs equipment covers or quilts, but mostly I am out of the alteration business.

Quiltdivajulie link
8/28/2017 11:06:06 am

RIGHT ON!! Set those rules for what you will and won't do and stick to them. Terrific series!


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    About Vicki

    I'm Vicki Welsh and I've been making things as long as I can remember. I used to be a garment maker but transitioned to quilts about 20 years ago. Currently I'm into fabric dyeing, quilting, Zentangle, fabric postcards, fused glass and mosaic. I document my adventures here.

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        • Black Swan Quilt
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        • Batik Crossroads Quilt
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        • Cathedral Window Quilt
        • Time In Place Quilt
        • Shaken Not Stirred Quilt
        • Pleiades Quilt
      • 2014 >
        • Spinning Stars Quilt
        • Fractured Spiral Quilt
        • Autumn Leaves Quilt
        • Sea Dreams Quilt
        • Woodland Star Quilt
        • Zombie Ball Quilt
        • Innova Angles Quilt
      • 2013 >
        • Murder For a Jar of Red Rum Quilt
        • Patroitic Quilts
        • Red Sunset Bedding Quilt
        • The Infamous Fish Quilt
        • Gratitudes Quilt
      • 2012 >
        • Illuminated Blocks Quilt
        • Kims Wedding Quilt
        • Crossing The South Anna Quilt
        • Coming Home Quilt
        • See Reverse Quilt
        • Overboard Quilt
        • Floras Fans and Modern Crumbs Quilt
        • The Patriot Quilt
        • On Point Quilt
        • Grinch Quilts
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        • Strength Quilt Pattern
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      • Painted Shower Curtain Tutorial
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      • Curing Metallic Fabric Paints
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      • Leaf Printing Tutorial
      • Printing On Fabric
      • Life of MX Dye Concentrates
      • Testing Soda Ash in fabric dyeing
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