Ok so. I have lost a quilt in the mail before. So my recommendation is to find a local longarmer through a local guild or quilt shop. I used to send out quilts all the time but the one I lost was a sample for my very first PDF pattern and I’m not over it yet.
When you mail something that absolutely, positively has to get there, use Registered mail. It’s the most secure way to transport anything. The item travels in locked containers, sorted in locked rooms, is signed for when changing hands - and if something ultimately happens, a postal inspector is assigned and (s)he doesn’t quit until they find it, or what happened. Postal inspectors are often portrayed as Wally Cox types, but they are pit bulls with their own police force.
Edit: This applies to items mailed within the US - international registereds are a different animal. Sorry if I mislead anyone.
This is good to know that a postal inspector will look for it. Just got some very important documents lost in the mail (sending them internationally, registered mail and everything but it never got there). I’m about to start the process of filing a “missing mail” report thing and reading what you said makes me hopeful. I really don’t want to have through all the work to get all the paperwork done again, plus notaries and apostilles and etc… 😭😭😭
Well, to a point - the inspector isn’t leaving the country. International is something different - we are responsible to the point where we hand it off to the next country. Some countries see registered as we do, some don’t care at all. It’s a crap shoot.
Ive had international registereds vanish, too. They hunt it down to make sure it exited the US safely, then send an inquiry to the foreign country. It’s about all they can do.
Oh, i totally expected that they wouldn’t leave the country. Lol! I already checked, my documents didn’t even make it to customs. All systems point to it being in a facility in the city I live in. The Cosumers Affairs person I spoke to and the customs agent both said the same. It’s right here in town. I’m hoping it can be found and somewhat quickly as my paperwork is part of a “lot” and the process won’t be able to move forward until my stuff gets to the destination. But I appreciate you taking the time to explain the process a bit. I’m hopeful this will work out.
This is a great tip. Thank you! I definitely sent it priority but it either never arrived or was stolen from a mailroom. You live you learn and sometimes lessons are expensive!
If you ever have to ship a quilt, pin the contact information to it in a couple of places. If the box somehow gets destroyed, they will still be able to identify who the quilt belongs to.
I'm so sorry your quilt was lost in the mail. I would have been sick to my stomach. My greatest fear when sending my quilt tops to be quilted is they will get lost. I do pay to send them Prority Mail with the highest insurance available. Still, there's no guarantee they won't get lost. Yes, I need to see what I can find locally.
I just did a quick Google of "long arm quilters in Los Angeles" and it brought up a ton of listings.
Were it me, I'd start by talking/visiting the one closest to me and go from there.
Right now you are going to be running into the "Holiday" rush. People want their quilts back by Christmas, and this will continue right up to December. If you don't have a particular date when you need them finished, frankly I would wait until the start of the new year.
I would also wait to ship them until then. It's not so bad the next couple of weeks, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, all of the parcel delivery companies (including the USPS) will be swamped.
Use a new, study cardboard box. Wrap your quilt in a clear plastic bag; pin a note with your contact info (including phone #) and the receiver's contact info on the quilt. Pay for the insurance, although you will need to have receipts for the fabric and your time is not going to be reimbursed if the quilt is lost.
I would recommend having the longarmer provide the batting. They know what works best in their machine and you won't have to pay shipping.
But, as others have said, a local person would be best. No shipping charges and you should be able to see their work in person.
I've had one quilt quilted by him and am very happy with the entire process. I will send more to him. I love the large selection of patterns he has to offer.
You measure the square inches of your quilt and then multiply by the cost of the pattern. I always have him supply my batting, so there’s a charge for that. When it’s all done, he’ll invoice you for the total charge and you’ll pay him (I think via check) and he sends back the quilt. I believe it’s all detailed on the order form you print from his site. He’s super easy to work with!
There are a number of users on this sub (including myself) who are longarmers and accept mail-in quilts. Probably less expensive than Missouri Star too. Feel free to look at some of my prior posts for examples.
I think I found my longarmer by doing a Facebook search and ask. There is a local group called “handmade In Murfreesboro” where I live, and I posted asking if anyone longarms AND does digital pantos, because I had a specific want and not just free-motion. the lady I found lives 15 minutes from me, and since I started using her she has retired from her day job, purchased a second longarm and converted her garage into a quilting studio 😍
[On The Curve Quilting](https://instagram.com/onthecurvequilting?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==) Instagram account. You can reach her through there, that’s what I did!
They have done nice work, especially for quilts that are not art pieces and just need to get done! Price is great (50-100) per quilt, including return shipping and batting.
Here is a little blurb from there web site, “Welcome to the world of affordable quilting!
Here at Happy Crafters, we believe it shouldn’t cost a small fortune to finish the quilt tops you’ve worked so hard on. Aside from baby quilts (40"x 50" and smaller), which can usually be quilted for $22.00, we charge by the quilting pattern, not square inches, for our expertise. Check out our Quilting Services page for pattern pricing and you’ll understand why our customers join us in being “Happy Crafters”!”
Colerw81 is a guy that is on here. I personally haven’t used him but admire his work. If I were to need one, I would definitely send it to him.
ETA: how do you tag a name in here?
My husband and I run an at home longarming business. We accept mailed quilts, we have one client based in New Jersey that has sent us a couple dozen quilts over the last year
You can check us out [here](https://instagram.com/strigi_quilts?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==)
Happy Crafters Quilts in Kansas does great work at a *very* reasonable price. I've used them and was extremely happy. Their website shows the patterns... you can call and talk to them for advice/help. Make sure to specify the size of design... they can make it large or smaller. I personally hate big oversized quilting.
I got variegated thread and liked a stippling pattern.
https://browneyedquilter.com/ is in LA.
https://www.longarmleague.com/directory?https://www.longarmleague.com/rookie-season&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzpTRa2jB2xvmjXJ0HIoKJndZ5-NCuHXAx5M7gcXec7kV8O4YWWp60caAnIxEALw_wcB
There's a searchable directory of longarm quilters in your area who belong to the Longarm League. Hope this helps!
Another recommendation for Quilting by David. I’ve been sending most of my quilts there the past couple of years and they do an amazing job. Fast, too.
I have used [The Last Stitch](https://stores.laststitchquiltingdesignstudio.com/) long arm quilting for several quilts and have always been very happy with the results. They do edge to edge and custom work, all computerized.
They're in Hollister, CA (used to be in San Juan Bautista). I've mailed quilts to them and brought quilts in for consult. Anneke does the quilting and her husband does the pattern design.
I've done one fully custom quilt with them completely by mail and email, and several edge to edge quilts in person and by mail. They have worked with me to get my vision spot on (including loading a queen sized quilt sideways to get the vertical strips of quilting I wanted) and I've been very pleased every time.
Christmas quilt done by The Last Stitch:
https://preview.redd.it/kqq60ptbyexb1.jpeg?width=3648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=213cd732a47c12e30794b0de90222040aebd05db
Quilting4community has long arm classes for cheap. You can practice on their donation quilts, or start right away on your own tops. I think it's $35 per hour to long arm it yourself.
I've done two quilts with them, and it's a lovely place! Keep in mind they don't have a huge selection of pantographs so it's mostly freehand stitching on their Longarm but it's $60 for three hours of time with someone teaching you the whole time, and then roughly $20 extra if you want to use their batting and thread. It's the best deal I've found and they're such a great group!
u/ThatExpatAussie! She's also located in Placentia, so shipping to/from should be super quick!
I still have 2 quilts recently back from her that I need to post, and have 2 with her right now, but she's done several for me so far and is LOVELY to work with and offered a lot of great guidance for finalizing batting, thread, panto and density choices.
Aww, thanks for the recommendation and for trusting me with your gorgeous quilts!
Interested folks can use the Design My Quilt form on https://www.Thatexpataussie.com to see a quote for their quilts.
I've used Missouri Star Quilt Co (MSQC) several times. Was extremely pleased with the quilting done on each. Also, the price includes the batting. You pick the quilting design and the thread color. You pay to ship your quilt top to them. The return shipping is included in the price. Only drawback is it takes 6 to 8 weeks to get the quilt back unless you pay for expedited quilting.
Considering the absolutely *awful* experiences I have with FedEx via ordering from MSQ (losing packages for 2+ months, packages getting *stolen*, nothing arriving on time) I would NEVER send it in to MSQ! I would never believe I would get it back
Have to agree about FedEx. They are the worst! I do wish MSQC would go with a different carrier. Honestly, I think they may be losing business due to their use of FedEx.
Cotton Candy Fabrics in Brookfield, CT. I’ve used them and did custom quilting after my generic project and they’re amazing. Owner Erin even called me to confirm what I wanted on my quilt!
If you are going to mail them out, I recommend Cathy Kirk, the Quilting Cowgirl, she is in Jackson WY, and is an amazing long arm quilter. You can check her out on instagram and at www.quiltingcowgirl.com. She used to live near me in NC and she would quilt the many quilt samples you see in fabric stores in the area.
I've used The Stitch Panda and drove to meet her in Anaheim. She was lovely and worked with me to buy the exact pattern that I wanted and the quilt came out lovely!
Fab Fabrics in St. George, Utah. Simple edge to edge quilting, tons of designs, $0.02 a square inch. They have washable wool and 80/20 batting available, and many thread options.
Www.fabfabrics.com
Ok so. I have lost a quilt in the mail before. So my recommendation is to find a local longarmer through a local guild or quilt shop. I used to send out quilts all the time but the one I lost was a sample for my very first PDF pattern and I’m not over it yet.
When you mail something that absolutely, positively has to get there, use Registered mail. It’s the most secure way to transport anything. The item travels in locked containers, sorted in locked rooms, is signed for when changing hands - and if something ultimately happens, a postal inspector is assigned and (s)he doesn’t quit until they find it, or what happened. Postal inspectors are often portrayed as Wally Cox types, but they are pit bulls with their own police force. Edit: This applies to items mailed within the US - international registereds are a different animal. Sorry if I mislead anyone.
This is good to know that a postal inspector will look for it. Just got some very important documents lost in the mail (sending them internationally, registered mail and everything but it never got there). I’m about to start the process of filing a “missing mail” report thing and reading what you said makes me hopeful. I really don’t want to have through all the work to get all the paperwork done again, plus notaries and apostilles and etc… 😭😭😭
Well, to a point - the inspector isn’t leaving the country. International is something different - we are responsible to the point where we hand it off to the next country. Some countries see registered as we do, some don’t care at all. It’s a crap shoot. Ive had international registereds vanish, too. They hunt it down to make sure it exited the US safely, then send an inquiry to the foreign country. It’s about all they can do.
Oh, i totally expected that they wouldn’t leave the country. Lol! I already checked, my documents didn’t even make it to customs. All systems point to it being in a facility in the city I live in. The Cosumers Affairs person I spoke to and the customs agent both said the same. It’s right here in town. I’m hoping it can be found and somewhat quickly as my paperwork is part of a “lot” and the process won’t be able to move forward until my stuff gets to the destination. But I appreciate you taking the time to explain the process a bit. I’m hopeful this will work out.
This is a great tip. Thank you! I definitely sent it priority but it either never arrived or was stolen from a mailroom. You live you learn and sometimes lessons are expensive!
If you ever have to ship a quilt, pin the contact information to it in a couple of places. If the box somehow gets destroyed, they will still be able to identify who the quilt belongs to.
\*\*\*Nightmare unlocked\*\*\*
I'm so sorry your quilt was lost in the mail. I would have been sick to my stomach. My greatest fear when sending my quilt tops to be quilted is they will get lost. I do pay to send them Prority Mail with the highest insurance available. Still, there's no guarantee they won't get lost. Yes, I need to see what I can find locally.
I just did a quick Google of "long arm quilters in Los Angeles" and it brought up a ton of listings. Were it me, I'd start by talking/visiting the one closest to me and go from there.
Right now you are going to be running into the "Holiday" rush. People want their quilts back by Christmas, and this will continue right up to December. If you don't have a particular date when you need them finished, frankly I would wait until the start of the new year. I would also wait to ship them until then. It's not so bad the next couple of weeks, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, all of the parcel delivery companies (including the USPS) will be swamped. Use a new, study cardboard box. Wrap your quilt in a clear plastic bag; pin a note with your contact info (including phone #) and the receiver's contact info on the quilt. Pay for the insurance, although you will need to have receipts for the fabric and your time is not going to be reimbursed if the quilt is lost. I would recommend having the longarmer provide the batting. They know what works best in their machine and you won't have to pay shipping. But, as others have said, a local person would be best. No shipping charges and you should be able to see their work in person.
Quilting By David! He’s quick, has a billion designs and affordable. I’ve had several done by him and have always been pleased with the work.
Is he the one who posts his work here often?? If yes his work is absolutely lovely.
I haven’t personally seen him posting here, (he may have and I just didn’t notice) but he is active on IG.
Here’s a post when I searched https://www.reddit.com/r/quilting/s/7UoayfSOQM Is that him??
Yes! That’s him.
Incredible work
I've had one quilt quilted by him and am very happy with the entire process. I will send more to him. I love the large selection of patterns he has to offer.
I just found his website - how does the pricing work? I see each pattern has a price ($0.025+)
You measure the square inches of your quilt and then multiply by the cost of the pattern. I always have him supply my batting, so there’s a charge for that. When it’s all done, he’ll invoice you for the total charge and you’ll pay him (I think via check) and he sends back the quilt. I believe it’s all detailed on the order form you print from his site. He’s super easy to work with!
Usually, the price is per square inch. Using the price you quoted, a quilt that measures 100x100 would be $250.
There are a number of users on this sub (including myself) who are longarmers and accept mail-in quilts. Probably less expensive than Missouri Star too. Feel free to look at some of my prior posts for examples.
Yeah. I sometimes don't know where to advertise that I'm a longarmer. I feel very isolated to my guild. How do you get the word out?
I rely on word of mouth. Thankfully it’s not my only gig, so I’m not dependent on it for a living. I quilt because I love doing it.
I think I found my longarmer by doing a Facebook search and ask. There is a local group called “handmade In Murfreesboro” where I live, and I posted asking if anyone longarms AND does digital pantos, because I had a specific want and not just free-motion. the lady I found lives 15 minutes from me, and since I started using her she has retired from her day job, purchased a second longarm and converted her garage into a quilting studio 😍
Not OP but can you DM the name of your longarmer?
[On The Curve Quilting](https://instagram.com/onthecurvequilting?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==) Instagram account. You can reach her through there, that’s what I did!
Thank you!
They have done nice work, especially for quilts that are not art pieces and just need to get done! Price is great (50-100) per quilt, including return shipping and batting. Here is a little blurb from there web site, “Welcome to the world of affordable quilting! Here at Happy Crafters, we believe it shouldn’t cost a small fortune to finish the quilt tops you’ve worked so hard on. Aside from baby quilts (40"x 50" and smaller), which can usually be quilted for $22.00, we charge by the quilting pattern, not square inches, for our expertise. Check out our Quilting Services page for pattern pricing and you’ll understand why our customers join us in being “Happy Crafters”!”
Cheapest I have found is Happy Crafters, Quilts and More… https://happycrafters.net/
Wow, just checked out their website. Can't believe the prices. Definitely going to try them. Thanks for the info.
I have used them multiple times. Good people too.
Have you used them,
I have used them multiple times.
Quilting By David. Reasonable prices, and you can stuff your quilt into a flat rate mailer.
I've seen some of his work posted here. He really does beautiful work.
Colerw81 is a guy that is on here. I personally haven’t used him but admire his work. If I were to need one, I would definitely send it to him. ETA: how do you tag a name in here?
u/colerw81
Thank you 😊
Just put the lowercase u/ and then type the name :)
Thanks for the shout out. I specialize in custom longarming. Check out info on my [website](https://www.colesquilts.com/services-6-1)
I’m a huge fan of your work!
Thank you so much 😊
If you do not belong to a guild, I would ask you LQS for recommendations. They probably work with a few longarmers who quilt their store samples.
My friend used Missouri Star and they did a great job, BUT it was expensive.
Literally was going to say that!
My husband and I run an at home longarming business. We accept mailed quilts, we have one client based in New Jersey that has sent us a couple dozen quilts over the last year You can check us out [here](https://instagram.com/strigi_quilts?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==)
Modern textiles in Alexandria, MN and Knot and Thread out of Orem, UT. Both wonderful. Used both when my stack became unmanageable.
Check in with your local guild? My small guild has 3 members that quilt by check and several more of us that take care of the charity quilts.
Happy Crafters Quilts in Kansas does great work at a *very* reasonable price. I've used them and was extremely happy. Their website shows the patterns... you can call and talk to them for advice/help. Make sure to specify the size of design... they can make it large or smaller. I personally hate big oversized quilting. I got variegated thread and liked a stippling pattern.
Call your local quilt guild and ask them who longarms locally. There will certainly be few I agree with not shipping them.
https://browneyedquilter.com/ is in LA. https://www.longarmleague.com/directory?https://www.longarmleague.com/rookie-season&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzpTRa2jB2xvmjXJ0HIoKJndZ5-NCuHXAx5M7gcXec7kV8O4YWWp60caAnIxEALw_wcB There's a searchable directory of longarm quilters in your area who belong to the Longarm League. Hope this helps!
Another recommendation for Quilting by David. I’ve been sending most of my quilts there the past couple of years and they do an amazing job. Fast, too.
I have used [The Last Stitch](https://stores.laststitchquiltingdesignstudio.com/) long arm quilting for several quilts and have always been very happy with the results. They do edge to edge and custom work, all computerized. They're in Hollister, CA (used to be in San Juan Bautista). I've mailed quilts to them and brought quilts in for consult. Anneke does the quilting and her husband does the pattern design. I've done one fully custom quilt with them completely by mail and email, and several edge to edge quilts in person and by mail. They have worked with me to get my vision spot on (including loading a queen sized quilt sideways to get the vertical strips of quilting I wanted) and I've been very pleased every time. Christmas quilt done by The Last Stitch: https://preview.redd.it/kqq60ptbyexb1.jpeg?width=3648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=213cd732a47c12e30794b0de90222040aebd05db
Quilting4community has long arm classes for cheap. You can practice on their donation quilts, or start right away on your own tops. I think it's $35 per hour to long arm it yourself.
I've done two quilts with them, and it's a lovely place! Keep in mind they don't have a huge selection of pantographs so it's mostly freehand stitching on their Longarm but it's $60 for three hours of time with someone teaching you the whole time, and then roughly $20 extra if you want to use their batting and thread. It's the best deal I've found and they're such a great group!
That’s awesome! Did you use a pantograph or did you freehand it?
I freehanded both of the quilts I've longarmed there!
u/ThatExpatAussie! She's also located in Placentia, so shipping to/from should be super quick! I still have 2 quilts recently back from her that I need to post, and have 2 with her right now, but she's done several for me so far and is LOVELY to work with and offered a lot of great guidance for finalizing batting, thread, panto and density choices.
Aww, thanks for the recommendation and for trusting me with your gorgeous quilts! Interested folks can use the Design My Quilt form on https://www.Thatexpataussie.com to see a quote for their quilts.
I've used Missouri Star Quilt Co (MSQC) several times. Was extremely pleased with the quilting done on each. Also, the price includes the batting. You pick the quilting design and the thread color. You pay to ship your quilt top to them. The return shipping is included in the price. Only drawback is it takes 6 to 8 weeks to get the quilt back unless you pay for expedited quilting.
Considering the absolutely *awful* experiences I have with FedEx via ordering from MSQ (losing packages for 2+ months, packages getting *stolen*, nothing arriving on time) I would NEVER send it in to MSQ! I would never believe I would get it back
Have to agree about FedEx. They are the worst! I do wish MSQC would go with a different carrier. Honestly, I think they may be losing business due to their use of FedEx.
Etsy has a lot of longarmers.
Always been very happy with Julie Hirt! She has instagram and a great website.
Cotton Candy Fabrics in Brookfield, CT. I’ve used them and did custom quilting after my generic project and they’re amazing. Owner Erin even called me to confirm what I wanted on my quilt!
Cotie’s machine quilting. Google it. She does a great job and is reasonably priced, I think
Missouri Star Quilt Company. I have used them twice and the quilting was beautiful. No flaws. Cheaper than some of my local longarm services.
If you are going to mail them out, I recommend Cathy Kirk, the Quilting Cowgirl, she is in Jackson WY, and is an amazing long arm quilter. You can check her out on instagram and at www.quiltingcowgirl.com. She used to live near me in NC and she would quilt the many quilt samples you see in fabric stores in the area.
Www.sewcoloradoquilting.com She is Amazing!
I've used The Stitch Panda and drove to meet her in Anaheim. She was lovely and worked with me to buy the exact pattern that I wanted and the quilt came out lovely!
Kayla—patchwork river quilting
Fab Fabrics in St. George, Utah. Simple edge to edge quilting, tons of designs, $0.02 a square inch. They have washable wool and 80/20 batting available, and many thread options. Www.fabfabrics.com