Longarm Rental Guidelines

  • Rentals are usually Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm or 2 pm to 5 pm. You are welcome to book full days, and payment is due at the time of booking. If you run out of time, you may need to unload your quilt and rebook a session to reload and finish your project. If there is time available at the end of your session, you can add additional time in hourly increments for $30/hour. 
  • Depending on complexity, most projects can be completed within 3-6 hours. On average, a twin-sized quilt can be done in one session. For larger projects it is recommended you book the day. 

  • If this is your first time using a longarm machine, about an hour of your first rental will be instruction on how to load and use the machine. Topics covered include bobbin winding, loading a quilt, threading the machine, thread tension, basting your quilt, using a pantograph, tying off the threads, advancing your quilt, and finishing the last row. A smaller project is easier to manage when you are beginning than a larger one.
  • If you have used longarm machines elsewhere, 15 to 30 minutes of your first rental will be a quick run-down on how to use our machine. This is a great video to watch for a refresher on how to load a quilt onto our machine.
  • We are more than happy to help with issues when they arise, but please keep in mind that renting our machine is expected to be self-directed.

  • We will supply Aurifil 50 wt cotton or King Tut 40 wt cotton thread for use. We have many colour choices available. If you would like to use something else, please bring it with you.

  • Please feel free to browse our pantographs, you are welcome to use any you like, so long as they are not currently used by our quilter for another customer.
  • You are welcome to use our kitchen, which has a fridge, microwave, kettle, and water cooler while you are quilting with us, so please bring any food, drinks, and a water bottle.

  • We also have a dedicated parking lot behind the store for our customers.
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Jumpstart Service | $30

If you would like us to load your quilt, thread and pantograph before your session, please drop off your prepared top, backing and batting, and choose your thread and pantograph no later than one business day before your appointment.

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PREPARING YOUR QUILT: 

Prepare the backing and batting – They should be 4” larger on all sides to make your quilting experience easy. 

Press the seams – Ensure your quilt is well pressed, with seams as flat as possible and creases removed. If you have a seam on the backing, consider pressing it open. You can fold your top, back, and batting individually and place them over hangers.

Stay-Stitch the edge – If your quilt has seams around the edge, you can baste around the quilt about 1/8” from the edge to keep the seams from pulling apart during quilting. 

Trim loose threads – cut stray threads from the quilt top and backing. You can also trim the ones you see on top while advancing the quilt.