Longarm Quilting gets Better and Better !!!

 

Sally King, I have pretty much finished the backgrounds in these blocks. I have some fill work to do, but, Olivia Gammill has a trip to take. I will finish this up once she gets home.

I KNOW that my husband thinks his wife is so crazy and that she cries at the drop of a hat. Well, this girl and I have been dancing together for 10 years now. We have learned so much about each other and both of us have screamed a lot. So, as I undressed her this afternoon, the tears are flowing.......crazy.....I told you.

Tomorrow, Tracey and Jessie, from Bird House Quilts, will pick her up and take her to Georgia for major surgery. 

When she comes back she will be Olivia Statler!!! I am so excited for her and for One Loose Thread, LLC (that's me). It has become more evident to me over the last few months that my back, hips, and legs can't take too much more standing in place. So, I made the decision to retrofit Olivia to Statler. This will make things much easier for me to continue to give my clients the best possible product for a longer period of time. Of course, I can still accomplish the beautiful custom quilting that you have come to expect from One Loose Thread. That can be done with  Statler robotics or I release 2 belts and I'm dancing with Olivia again, or a combination of both.

At the same time, Bird House Quilts will be doing an annual service on Penelope Statler and giving her some updates too. Both machines will be be on the same level of computer system and I won't have to learn a whole new program. 

So, tomorrow will be a very busy day too. Right now, I need to start clearing that thread wall that you see behind Olivia, so that I have room for my computer and monitor. If I can figure it out, I might also hook it up to my smart TV.......then I can REALLY see the screen... 😃

Of course, none of this would be happening without the support of the FANTASTIC clients of One Loose Thread, LLC. Thanks to all of you for your love, faith, trust, and continuing support. Time to put in another 10 years to my second profession. That of being a longarm quilter.

Custom Quilting Costs WHAT!!??!!

THIS IS NOT A RANT    ........................ but is may sound like one. These are just some thoughts that I am having. As a professional, I really don't usually feel the need to explain my fees.

 Had a conversation today with a new client. We have never met and apparently she has never seen any of my custom work on quilts. We were discussing the cost of custom quilting on her absolutely beautiful quilt top. I explained that it would take me from 40 to as much as 80 hours of time to quilt her top and what that would cost...........I know she was somewhat shocked. You can hear that through the phone for sure. If I stuck with the lowest part of the quote I would make $7.50 per hour.............. if it were on the high side of the quote, it would be $10.00 per hour. This is far below what I would 'like' to make as an hourly rate (that quote would have been $800.-$1600).  Of course if it only took me 30 hours, the fee would be adjusted accordingly. She said that was more than she had anticipated. I told her to think about it and call me in a week or so and let me know whether or not to proceed.

I always quote my custom work somewhat high. I have to because I have no idea how long it will take or how 'custom' the quilt will insist on becoming. I don't want the client to be surprised at the fee.  For me, light custom is one design in the center of the quilt and a different design on the border. For each additional border, there is an additional fee. Once I am finished with the quilt, then the cost can be adjusted, usually downward, very rarely would it be higher without the clients knowledge. However for full custom quilting............it's all out design and stitch. 

Design........you know, that takes time too. With this particular quilt, I have already spent several/many hours just studying the quilt to see the most appealing way to quilt it. There are going to be upwards of 15 thread changes. There will be lots of 'stitch in the ditch'. These things I already know. By the time this quilt gets to the frame, I would have already put many design hours in so that I can start work. However, before I begin the actual quilting the entire quilt top will have to be basted to the backing so that I can move around the quilt with ease and roll it back and forth to try to reduce the number of times that I have to change thread.

So, now the quilt is on the frame and it needs my undivided attention. That reduces the amount of time that I can spend with edge2edge or light custom quilting. If I am not doing the edge2edge quilting, I am then not making any money, because I am only making $7.50 an hour on this custom quilt. I am in the BUSINESS of longarm quilting you know. This is my lively hood and my accountant, as well as the IRS expect me to make money with this BUSINESS. 

So, with all of this explaining/complaining, please understand that I LOVE MY JOB. And, I will happily make that $7.50 an hour and provide that client with a quilt worth thousands in the end. That is simply because it will make me happy to do so.

I just wish that we as longarmers could actually received the compensation we earn. As I type this, I am paying a painter to paint a couple of small walls in my kitchen. It will take him less than 2 hours and I am supplying the paint. His fee............................$300.00.............. go figure.

So, as you take your tops in for your favorite longarm quilter to work on, remember, she is a professional quilt artist and deserves proper compensation for her work. Most of you wouldn't work for $5.00 and hour...........why should we?

Have a great day and remember...........wash your hands and wear your mask.

To Sew or Not to Sew

Well, today is Tuesday, July 14, 2020. I am not going to post this today, but, will probably post it sometime in the future.

The last 5 months have been horrific for all of us. This Covid-19 virus has taken it's toll in lives, relationships, financially, and in ways too numerous to mention. I have lost sleep so many nights trying to work out the future in my mind. I like to be able to plan and then execute my plans and this virus is not allowing that to happen. I am sick to death of hearing 'social distancing' and 'quarantine' and 'isolation' and 'NO HUGS'!!! I want to hug my Grandchildren so bad it hurts. I know that I'm not the only one thinking that either.

We have probably taken this even farther than many in that we have severely limited our interaction with our Grandchildren. Our lockdown happened just as Austin was returning from Basic and AIT. I think we have seen him twice since the end of February. Conversations outside in South Carolina in the summer weather are anything but cool. Add to that the fact that our adult children are out and about all of the time and who knows what they have been exposed to and we can't be in the same place at the same time. What really scares me here is that we are not exposing ourselves to the everyday germs that help to ward off future illness. While I was working outside of the home...I never got sick, due to alot of natural immunity. I know that I am loosing that as I keep myself closed up in this studio without outside interaction with people. I think that makes me more afraid of what might happen when we can finally be around people again.

Mr. OLT has been home for almost a year. He is still employed (thank goodness and MBI), but he has been fighting the cancer battle on another front while here. Now, he is busy with home improvements as we look into the future with out home.He is sooooo ready to go back to real work in Virginia and that will happen before the end of the year. Exactly when, we are not sure. We have just been so blessed to have him here and somewhat healthy for this time.

I had to cancel our spring Quilt retreat due to the virus. That has hurt my business quite a bit as I depend on profits from retreats to make capital improvements for One Loose Thread Quilting. This years plan was to add Statler to Olivia Gammill. Now, Summer Quilt Retreat may have to be cancelled and that will be another big blow to OLT. So, it looks as though there will be no capital improvements here this year. I just have to try to keep my quilting business afloat so that I can stay in business. I am so very thankful to those of you that continue to bring in quilts for quilting. Please do keep that up as this really is my source of income.

Many people think that we have a really high profit margin for what we do. Let me assure you that we don't. Many of us 'try' to make maybe $20.00 an hour. ( Serious rant removed by One Loose Thread. Totally non-productive from the first word to the last.)

Gravatt Conference Center has been working closely with me over the last few months to try to get us back for retreat. We truly believe that we have planned as well as possible for this retreat. Still, nothing can be assured on Covid-19.

Well, that's enough complaining for today. I'm going to hit the save button for now. I'll come back to this draft another day and we can see how things are going then. Until that time remember--WASH YOUR HANDS--WEAR A MASK-- and  --- STAY 6 FEET AWAY FROM ANOTHER PERSON!!

Today is Tuesday August 18, 2020 and a lot has happened in the last month:

Summer Camp Quilt retreat DID HAPPEN AND IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!!! I reduced the number of attendees by half. Increased the available sewing, cutting, ironing space and everyone had a private room. Gravatt worked their magic to give us amazing food as we spread out in the dining hall for meals. Everyone was really good to 'mask up' when close to others and as we went through the line for meals. I had hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE!!! We all maintained a good distance between us and Gravatt staff, so everyone felt comfortable and we enjoyed some much needed quilting/girlfriend time. There was also no discussion of politics or Covid numbers while we were there and many of us needed that break for sure. All of us needed that change of scenery and there is no better place to do that than Gravatt.

I will release information regarding November camp and begin registration for that the first week of September. Many of the same procedures will remain in effect. I will, once again, limit the number of attendees, so it will be first registered gets first in. Once I hit the 'magic number' I will start a waiting list. We have no idea how this Covid stuff will be affecting us in November, but, we will just 'go with the flow'........as they say.

I am going to go ahead with my chosen 'capital improvement' for this year. As I had one machine down for 2 weeks over the summer, I realized how important having the use of 2 machines really is to One Loose Thread Quilting. So, to that end, I will be sending Olivia Gammill off for a retrofit to the Statler system the end of this month. I'm not sure how long that will actually take, but, when she gets home she will be ready to FLY!!! Penelope Statler will be having a spa day when they pick up Olivia. She is getting some new belts along with other new stuff and with this latest software update, will be 'rocking and rolling' to help have your quilts ready for Christmas............... which is on its way...

That's it for now. Stay tuned for further updates as we go through the next few months. I look forward to seeing everyone. Feel free to stop by the studio. Just let me know you are coming, wear a mask and stand 6 feet away............we can still talk and I'm still taking in quilts for quilting.

Thanks for all of the support you are giving me and I look forward to seeing you soon.