Who is
Zeffie ?
Zeffie was my grandmother; and
yes, that was her real name! She was a quilter, but I never had the pleasure of
learning my skill at her knee. She passed away when I was about four years
old. I don't even own a little scrap of one of her quilts, but I think I
inherited her love of quilts and quiltmaking. For this reason, I have named my
machine Zeffie and thus the name of
my business is Zeffie 's Quilts. I feel
honored when people refer to me as Zeffie
but really my machine is Zeffie and
I'm sure that Grandma Zeffie is
smiling down from heaven every time we finish a quilt together! By the way,
that is a real picture of Zeffie when she was about 17 years old.
Why does it take so long?
Zeffie
quilts each top that is sent to her; there is only one
Zeffie and she can only do one
quilt at a time. Each quilt is watched carefully and gets individual,
undivided attention throughout the quilting process.
Zeffie's philosophy is that the quilt she is
working on is the most important quilt in the world. Since only one quilt at a time can be quilted,
sometimes the wait list can get rather long.
I've heard of a new longarm machine
that is run by a computer, what is that?
You heard about the Compu-Quilter
or the Statler Stitcher machines. Both of these machines are very high
tech in that they
are programmable and can run independently without human hands guiding them.
Who will be handling my quilt?
Your quilt is totally under
Zeffie's control while
it is here. Zeffie
does not send your quilt out to another quilter for finishing nor will she work
on more than one quilt at a time. Since Zeffie finishes all
of the quilts that come to her studio, sometimes her turn-around time is longer
than other quilters. But, you can be assured that your quilt arrives at
Zeffie's front door, it stays in the studio,
is quilted by Zeffie, and then returned
directly to you.
What is edge-to-edge quilting?
Edge-to-edge
quilting is applying a pattern that does not necessarily follow
the pieced pattern of the quilt top. It is a design that is applied
in separate or interlocking rows from left to right; top to bottom.
What is Freehand Overall Quilting?
Freehand overall pattern is also
edge-to-edge but is a freehand design that
Zeffie applies without the aid of a paper pattern or marking the quilt
top.
What does "Hand-Guided Machine Quilting" mean?
Zeffie’s quilting is by hand-guided
machine. This machine is basically a huge sewing machine on wheels
(see a picture)
. There is no computerized modules or set patterns. All the
stitching patterns are created by my hands moving the sewing head over your
quilt; thus the name "hand-guided". The stitching looks very much
like the average sewing machine stitch. It is very sturdy and will not break
with ordinary wear and use. The stitch lengths vary slightly due to the change
in the speed of movement to create the pattern you choose. You should be able to
enjoy your quilts through many years of wash and use. To see some stitching in
actual quilts look at the patterns pages.
How big of a quilt can
Zeffie handle?
The limiting factor on "how big" is your quilt's width. The quilt
cannot be wider than the leaders that hold the quilt on the machine.
Zeffie can handle most quilts up to
100
inches wide. Length of the quilt isn't limiting because it is just
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". Zeffie will try very hard to avoid tucking fullness
or a wrinkle so that your quilt will be as free of these nasty little
boogers as your piecing will allow. Choosing the right quilting
pattern helps with this problem. If you want to disguise fullness, then
choose meandering over the whole quilt. This pattern has no quilting lines
that cross and will allow the fullness to be distributed between the quilting.
If there are lines that cross in the quilting pattern and there is fullness in
the piecing, there will be tucks without question! If this is your first
quilt and you are reluctant to have it finished because of the piecing,
meandering is the answer to your prayers. Don't take all those seams out,
it will look fine with this pattern on it and you will have your first quilt to
look back at in the years to come.
How is my quilt attached to the machine?
The quilt backing will be pinned at the top to a leader on the quilting
machine and again at the bottom to another leader. These leaders are
attached to rollers which pull the fabric from top to bottom. Your quilt
top and the batting are basted at the top to the already loaded backing fabric
and then the bottom edge of your top is pinned to a third leader on the machine.
This allows the top and backing to be pulled tight (not stretched)
independently. The sides of your quilt are pinned or basted through all three
layers so that they are stable. The side clamps are applied
only to the backing fabric and pulled gently to keep the quilt tight
side-to-side. This way there is no stress applied directly to your quilt
top. Zeffie does not stretch your
quilt, but pulls it only enough to keep it taut for the quilting process.
What is included in the quilting charge ?
The quilting charge does not include batting, backing fabric, binding, or
other extras. Use the handy calculator link at the bottom of each pattern
page to get an idea of what your quilting charge will be. You will find
the other charges listed on the price list page.
What if I don't have my own backing?
Zeffie has 108 and 120 inch wide bleached and
unbleached muslin as well as prints in 108 inch width, all at a reasonable
price. You can see these
fabrics on the WIDE Backing page.
What if I don't have my own batting?
Zeffie carries many choices in batting at
competitive prices.
100% cotton; 100% wool; cotton/poly blend (80% poly 20%); 100%
polyester
Can you give me some advice on choosing a batting for machine
quilting?
When selecting
your batting, please do not purchase "Unbonded"
batting. It is very fragile and cannot be put on the machine.
The best batting choices are:
bonded and/or needlepunched polyester, cotton with scrim binder, or bonded cotton-polyester blends.
In my experience, the best manufacturers of battings suitable for machine
quilting are: Hobbs; Warm & Natural; and Quilter's Dream for cottons and
blends and for polyester batting, Hobbs; Quilter's Dream; and Fairfield (needlepunched).
This is a difficult question to answer because there are many factors to
consider. What is the life of the quilt? Is it for a child? Will it
only be displayed? Will it be hung on a wall? Will it be washed a
lot? Do you want a light quilt or a heavy quilt? Is warmth a factor?
Will it be used as a tablecloth? I like to put cotton in a child's quilt
because of fire safety, but many people use poly because it has a little bit of
loft. Either one is pretty light weight and the child can handle it fine.
If the quilt will be displayed over a rack etc. you will want to use a batting
that drapes well like Fairfield poly; or Quilter's Dream cotton or poly; or
Hobbs 80/20 blend or Hobbs wool. If you will be hanging the quilt on a
wall, use Hobbs cotton with scrim or Warm & Natural cotton because these
battings are very stable with a scrim binder and they will not bunch up, plus
they hang straight. For that old fashioned look of Grandma's quilt, use a
100% cotton batting. For a smooth look even after it's washed, use 100%
polyester. Just about all these battings mentioned above can work in a
light to medium weight quilt. If you want a heavy weight quilt use
Quilter's Dream Deluxe batting. QD makes this weight (deluxe) in both
cotton and polyester. For warmth, I recommend Quilter's Dream Deluxe or
Hobbs 100% wool batting. For a very thin batting as in a table cloth or
quilted clothing, use Quilter's Dream Request cotton or poly. If you want
a "fat batting" like a comforter; consider using the Hobbs wool batting which
poofs nicely, but isn't obnoxiously lofty; or look at Hobbs poly down batting.
What if I have my own backing and/or batting?
Zeffie does not charge you extra to use
your own materials. She does ask that you make your backing and batting 5
inches larger on all sides to accommodate loading it onto the machine.
Zeffie can seam and square the backing for
you if you want to send yardage. If you want to seam your own backing,
please make sure it is trimmed even and straight on all edges.
Make sure you cut the selvages off the seam allowances that are going to be
inside the quilt, because they can pull the backing unevenly and cause puckers
during the quilting process. You may leave the selvage on the outer edges as it makes a very stable edge to pin to
the leaders and they will be trimmed off later when you put your binding on.
Zeffie prefers seams in a backing to run across. This gives a much more
even pull to the seam than if it runs from top to bottom, however, she can
accommodate either seam direction. For some instructions on how to make a
backing, go to the Quilting Classes Online page.
Do you have any advice on
making a backing?
Measure the quilt and make the backing at least 5 inches larger all around.
This means add 10 inches to the measurements of the quilt and that should be the
minimum size of your backing piece. Make sure you cut the selvages off the seam allowances
that are going to be inside the quilt because they can pull the backing unevenly
and cause puckers during the quilting process. You may leave the selvage on the
outer edges as it makes a very stable edge to pin to
the leaders and they will be trimmed off later when you put your binding on.
Please make sure your quilt is trimmed even and all the edges are straight.
Zeffie prefers the seams to run
across from side to side. This gives a much more even pull to the seam
than if it runs from top to bottom. Also, keep in mine that
Zeffie
requires the extra five inches all around to aid her in mounting the backing
fabric. To find out how to make a nice backing with one seam, go to
Zeffie's online classes page.
Check the Quilt Classes Online section
to see how to make a perfect back quickly if you need only one seam.
What type of binding will
Zeffie do?
Zeffie will do a straight grain
binding with mitered corners.
Finishing can be by hand or machine (see price list for
charges) or Zeffie will just attach the
binding and you can hand finish it . Please send 1 yard of fabric to make the
binding. Any unused
portion will be returned with your finished quilt. Bias cut and
scalloped edge binding
carries an additional charge.
Can you quilt a Tee-Shirt quilt; denim or double-knit?
If you are doing a
T-Shirt quilt, please use a good non-woven iron-on stabilizer on the back of the
shirts. The cotton knit fabric is impossible to quilt without adequate stabilization.
Because these quilts are challenging to keep tucks from forming,
Zeffie will only do
meandering on them so that the quilting process can be closely
watched to prevent problems. These quilts usually are going to a
college dorm and you will be very happy you have a good sturdy quilting stitch
like meandering on it after it has been washed over and over. (See
a Tee-Shirt quilt)
Zeffie does not quilt denim or double-knit polyester. If you are using
a cotton-poly blend fabric, that is fine; or if you are using a woven polyester
fabric that isn't stretchy like double-knit, that is okay.
What about shipping my quilt?
Please read Preparing Your Quilt For Shipment
before you ship.
What is turn around time?
Turn around time is the time span from when the quilt arrives in the shop to
the time it is mailed back. Turn around time varies with the number of
quilts on hand. For messages about turn around time, please see the home
page banner.
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How is payment made?
Payment
may be made with your VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal
account, personal check, cash (not by mail) or Money Order. Make checks payable to
'Zeffie's Quilts'.
If paying by check or money order,
Zeffie
will email you an invoice with the charges itemized and you can mail your
payment before the quilt is shipped back to you.
If paying by Credit Card,
Zeffie
will email you a link to her secure payment page where you can enter your
personal information and payment. There is no need to send any of your
personal charge card information ahead of time. When your quilt is ready,
you will receive an email with your itemized invoice and payment instructions.
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