Who will be quilting my quilt?

Your quilt is totally under my control while it is here. I do not send your quilt out to another quilter for finishing. If you are considering sending your quilt to a large company, you may find that your quilt is "farmed out" to sub-contractors.

Often their "hand guided" "custom" quilting is nothing more than hand guided pantographic tracing from behind the machine. They do this to keep their turn around time to a minimum and to process as many quilts as possible.

Since I personally finish each quilt that comes to my studio, my turn-around time is sometimes longer than that of other quilters.

As I mentioned on my "Services" page, 95% of my quilting is hand guided--from the front of my machine, looking intently at where each stitch will go.

What is turn around time?

Turn around time is the time span from when you make your reservation or your quilt arrives in my studio to the time it is shipped back. Turn around time varies with the number of quilts on hand. I do take reservations in advance of your quilt arriving. I do not do "rush" quilts. I feel that this is unfair to those who already have quilts with me to be done. If you have a quilt that needs to be done for the holiday season, make your reservation early as I book up quickly for this season.

How big of a quilt can I send to you?

The limiting factor is the width of your quilt. The quilt cannot be wider than the leaders that hold the quilt on the machine. I can handle most quilts up to 125 inches wide. Length of the quilt usually isn't a limiter simply because the quilt is rolled up on the machine.

What if my quilt has fullness and wrinkles? Will that quilt out?

Wrinkles and fullness pieced into a quilt top will not "quilt-out". I will try very hard to avoid tucking fullness or a wrinkle so that your quilt will be as flat as your piecing will allow. If you want to disguise fullness, a 100% polyester batting works the best.

How is my quilt attached to the machine?

I baste your quilt before it is put on the machine. Besides stabilizing the pieces, this allows me to look closely your quilt before quilting and identify any possible “problems” that may be present. After your quilt is basted it is attached to leaders and the leaders then zip onto the quilting machine rollers.

What is included in the quilting charge ?

I include batting, thread, basting, and return shipping and insurance in the listed fees. Shipping beyond the lower 48 states will require additional charges.

What if I don't have my own backing?

I do have a selection of printed quilt backings available that are 108” wide. I can also provide other backings that will coordinate with your quilt top. There is an additional charge for quilt backings that I provide. Email me for more accurate quotes.

Can I send my own batting?

Yes, you can, but note that the fee will be the same as if you had chosen 100% polyester batting on my fee schedule. Don’t send batting that is over a 3 ounce weight.

Can you give me some advice on choosing a batting for machine quilting?

100% polyester is a good batting to choose if your quilt doesn’t exactly lay flat and has some puffiness to it. It is also good for quilts that will be washed many times, such as baby quilts. It is usually considered to be allergen free.

Hobbs 80cotton/20poly is very rugged, washes and holds up well. It is not as puffy as 100% polyester, but gives many of the qualities of 100% cotton. It is an excellent choice for a long lasting durable quilt.

100% cotton is usually best for quilts that lay very flat as there is little fullness to it. It is a much thinner batting and breathes very well. It works well in summer quilts and is usually chosen by quilters for heirloom quilts that they wish to hand down over the years or for that old quilt look.

What type of binding will you do?

On binding that I make for you I cut 2.5 inches wide. I will join the strips together in the same manner as you have pieced your borders, end to end or mitered. I then will press the binding in half. The binding is stitched to the top of your quilt with a 1/4th inch seam. If I am stitching the binding to the back of your quilt, it will be done by hand and not by machine.

Can you quilt a Tee-Shirt quilt?

Yes, I can. You need to use a good quality light weight woven iron on stabilizer on the back of the T-shirt. If you don’t use the stabilizer, the t-shirt will shift and pucker and there will be nothing I can do about it when I quilt it. If you are doing a T-Shirt quilt, please use a good woven iron-on stabilizer on the back of the shirts. The cotton knit fabric is impossible to quilt without adequate stabilization. Even with stabilizing it is impossible to keep all the tucks out when I quilt them. I will try to stay off any heavy plastic or ink that may be on the t-shirt, but this is sometimes unavoidable. I usually use a monofilament thread and a free hand pattern when quilting these quilts so the t-shirts are not overpowered by the quilting.

Do you quilt denim quilts?

Yes, I do, but realize that I can’t quilt through the flat felled seams or on pockets. Also, be careful not to use stretch denim as it will not stay put and you will have tucks in your quilt top.

How is payment made?

Payment must be made before I ship your quilt back to you. I accept personal checks, money orders or bank transfers and credit card payments through Pay Pal. Please contact me for more information on PayPal. It usually works best if I send you a PayPal invoice via e-mail so you do not have to figure out how to use the system. Checks not from my immediate area must clear my bank before I can ship your quilt.

What will happen if my backing is too small or won’t work?

I will contact you so we can work out an alternative. I do carry backing fabrics in several colors, 108” wide if you need them.

What if the backing I choose is a completely different color than my quilt top?

I will choose thread that matches the top. My first concern is your quilt top. I may contact you to discuss your backing choice. I usually use the same color thread on the top and the bobbin. I can do some variations, within the same color intensity, but you may get “pokeys” on your backing.


Feel free to contact me if you have any questions not covered here or to make a reservation.

The Quilted Cat
Kay Kimball
3151 E. 29th Ave.
Spokane WA 99223

e-mail: quiltedcat@thequiltedcat.net


Telephone: (509) 448-0263
(9 A.M. to 6 P.M. Monday through Friday, Pacific Time)

FAX: (509) 535-8854

You may pay by Check or Money Order. I also use PayPal for secure transactions with credit cards, BankTransfer or E-check.