Quality Considerations and Project Outline

Step 1: Planning
It is important for you to try to decide if you are interested most in preserving your ribbons or putting them to use. Also, you should have a clear idea of how many ribbons you have and want to use: when I am quilting I use only the streamers with gold writing and count them towards what color they actually are (ex. colored ribbons with a white center streamer count towards the total number of white ribbons).  You should be able to answer some basic questions…

1. Roughly how many ribbons do you have?
2. How long are most of your ribbons?
3. Which colors do you have the most of?
4. Do the ribbons have a gold-printed satin center button (usually printed with the show's logo)?  If so, I can incorporate these to nice effect as the center of the quilt squares or in the border of star wall-hangings.

I have had numerous questions regarding how to calculate square footage (length’ x height’ = total square feet).  For example, if you want a small quilt, roughly 4’ by 5’ then 4’ x 5’= 20 sqft.
The following table should help you to determine how large your quilt can be based on the number of ribbons available and how much it may cost.  This can only be an estimate and cannot be used for the purpose of a direct quote because the pattern selected can result in tightly packed ribbons, or because this table is based on 2 x 8 ” ribbons, yours may be longer, adding to the square footage of the finished quilt. Kaleidoscope and star patterns typically result in greater square footage (and increased cost) than what is indicated in this table.

Custom Quilting - Wall-Hangings are usually custom quilted to follow the pattern created in the top of the quilt to accentuate the over-all pattern.

Commercial Quilting (stars) - Quilts and Hangings greater than 20 sqft are sent to a commercial top quilter and will have an all-over pattern for greater durability.

* PLEASE DO NOT IRON*
I simply cannot predict what would happen to the gold writing on your ribbons if they are ironed, even on a low settting; and, I'm not optimistic about the longevity and durability of your quilt if the ribbons have been ironed. I have found that ironing makes the ribbons brittle and fragile and prefer to quilt without ironing. Please, trust that they will be fine, even after years of storage, once they have been smoothed by hand and sewn flat.

If you have specific questions or want to speak over the phone prior to shipping, please feel free to call (7a-9p), but please read all the resources available through this site and print a copy of the order form.

Step 2: Shipping
After you have selected a product and a pattern you will send your ribbons to me (via UPS, please) using the address provided on the order form. Tuck your order form and any notes you have for me with the ribbons inside a bag and then a sturdy box; don't be shy with the tape - you don't want the box bursting open! Please, no packing peanuts or bubble wrap - ribbons are precious but they are not fragile. You will only increase your shipping costs, make a mess of and take up precious space in my shop. I will call to inform you of their safe arrival. During their time with me, your ribbons will be carefully handled in my smoke-free home so as not to get wrinkled or dirty until used.

Step 3: Waiting
Sadly there are many more gals earning ribbons than staying at home sewing ribbon quilts. The wait from when I receive your ribbons to beginning your quilt is 2-3 mos. (I have 22 orders in my studio right now waiting in one form or another - only 4 of which haven't yet been opened).

Step 4: Execution
I will call you a couple of days before I begin so that you can review the website, make changes to your order, and to discuss my recommendations or concerns and your opinions and any further thoughts you have on the project.  The ribbons are then carefully cut and sewn one-by-one so that no more are destroyed than will be used in the project. All unused ribbons will be returned along with rosette tops if you require them for decorating the finished quilt.

Step 5: Deposit & Completion
After the top has been created you will be notified that a photo has been posted to the ShowThrow website. You will have to pay half of the estimated total cost and may be asked to make some decisions about the finished project. If your quilt is under 6.5 square feet (~$150) you may be asked to pay in one payment (these take only one day for me to finish and prepare for shipping if I haven't already) - if you fail to pay in one payment I may presume that you are under some financial strain and will hold them until my next billing cycle (about a month).

 

Step 5: Final Payment
Once your deposit has cleared it may be 2-8 weeks before a final bill and photo are sent depending on the size of the quilt . Small quilts are finished in my studio while larger ones are taken to a quilt shop, both are finished ("bound") with blue or red folded ribbon. Lastly the projects are returned home via USPS priority mail or UPS (large boxes going west of the Mississippi), if other arrangements need to be made please put this in the notes section of your order form.

Care and Use
Ribbon quilts should never be washed, dry-cleaned, or ironed; they can be spot cleaned gently with a soft cloth. As with all handmade, heirloom quality quilts, they should never be stored in plastic for the long-term because of the harmful chemicals emitted by all plastic materials and because plastics do not allow the fabric to breathe. When storing any valuable quilt long-term use a cotton pillow case and place in a cedar box or trunk someplace where the quilt will not experience extreme heat (not in an uninsulated attic!) or dampness (ruling out wet basements!). To keep the colors from fading they should not be hung or placed in direct sunlight. All handmade quilts are made to higher standards than any commercial quilt on the market but, in order to last multiple lifetimes (as a family heirloom) they should not be sat on (especially while in use on a bed) because knees and elbows stretch and strain the threads, fibers in the ribbons, etc. Finally, if you spot a loose thread snip it carefully - don't pull it.

If you want to put your quilt or pillow to work at horse shows, on the couch, or any other place where it will experience wear, that is fine from a structural standpoint, but it cannot be expected to retain the gold writing for more than a few years and will begin to show structural wear from 5-10 years depending upon how heavily it is used and the age and quality of ribbons used to build it. The only real concern I have with using a ribbon quilt is that I sew with extremenly tiny seam allowances in order to show off as much of the writing as possible (1/16" or 1/8" vs. the standard 1/4") and this will certainly hinder the quilt's ability to absorb the strain of knees and elbows.

Just like a new cotton quilt the "fabric" is stiff for a while but will break in over time and be quite soft.

Project Order Form