Edge-to-Edge quilting entails a single design that covers the entire quilt top. It is sometimes referred to as an all-over design as well. An edge-to-edge design can be very intricate and even span the entire width of your quilt, but it repeats the same design for each row. This is most definitely the most affordable type of quilting, since the quilter can set the machine to quilt a whole row on its own, without supervision or additional labor. She only needs to reset the machine when it has finished another row. This means that she can work on other projects while the machine completes the current row of quilting. Turnaround time for an edge-to-edge quilter is usually between 10 days and a month. Prices for edge-to-edge quilting general range from .015 – .02 cents per square inch, which means an average quilt top will cost between $60 and $100 total. Many quilters prefer this type of quilting because it is often less conspicuous and distracting from the quilt top than custom quilting.

Custom quilting is just as is sounds—customized quilting for each quilt block or pieced shape on a quilt top. This technique has the potential for much more technical and creative designs than edge-to-edge quilting. It can be done by machine or by hand. This type of quilting is most often used when a quilter has pieced a very intricate quilt top, and she wants a design that works well with and compliments the quilt pattern. The quilting pattern can be customized to quilt around or with the design of the quilt pattern. This can make for some extremely intricate and creative quilting designs. The biggest downside of custom quilting is most definitely cost. It’s not unusual for custom quilt projects to start at .03 cents per square inch, which would mean the total cost of an average project would be between $120 and $150.

The difference in price is because the process of setting up the machine to stitch the quilt (or quilting by hand) requires much more time and effort from the quilter. This also means that the quilter is usually scheduled much further out than an edge-to-edge quilter. In fact, I’ve heard of custom quilters being scheduled out as far as six months!

So, the main factors you’ll want to consider as you decide between edge-to-edge and custom quilting are: intricacy, turnaround time, and price.

Currently, for my own business, I’m only accepting edge-to-edge projects and not custom quilting projects. However, if you’re in the market for an exceptional custom quilter, I would wholeheartedly recommend Natalia Bonner of www.piecenquilt.com. She is incredibly talented and has a unique style that I really admire. She uses creative patterns that I’ve never seen used before. She is also gracious enough to share her quilting knowledge and has some incredible quilting books that are packed full of inspiration and ideas.

If you are in need of an edge-to-edge quilter, I would be more than happy to discuss it with you. If you’d like, you can browse my selection of designs, see projects I’ve worked on in the past, read some frequently asked questions about my service, or submit a request to have me work on your quilt.

Happy quilting to you!

XOXO

Kait