What to Expect at a Longarm Quilting Consultation (Plus Prep Tips!)

My First Longarm Quilting Consultation: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Today I dropped off my Thread, White, and Boom! quilt, table runner, and door hanger to be longarmed—and I left feeling even more excited (and a whole lot more confident) than when I walked in.

These three pieces—a quilt, table runner, and door hanger—are going to be photographed for the cover of my pattern, so I want them to look their absolute best. If you want to get a head start on your own patriotic sewing, you can grab the Thread, White, and Boom! quilt pattern here. And if I’m being honest, I also needed some expert guidance: this is my first major appliqué project, and I wasn’t totally sure what quilting would complement the appliqué without competing with it.

This was my first longarm consultation. In the past, I’ve used a longarmer by mail only, and in that case, I wrote out what I wanted before and hoped it would be a good decision. I was always happy with my results, but it always felt like guesswork. This consultation was different.

If you’ve never taken a quilt to a longarmer before, I’m going to walk you through what the consultation looked like, the decisions we made (thread + quilting design), and a few practical tips I’m glad I did before I showed up.

The Sweetest Longarm Consult in Blairsville, GA

I took everything to the new APQS store in Blairsville, Georgia, and I’m so glad I did. The shop is run by Sheridan Kay (the quilter) and her daughter, Amy, and they were both incredibly friendly and welcoming from the moment I walked in—with a sleeping 3-year-old in my arms, no less.

The store itself is beautiful—lovely quilts hanging up everywhere, plus three longarm machines. They officially opened in Blairsville in January 2026, but Sheridan has over a decade of experience from her previous store in Hendersonville, NC (she moved to be closer to Amy). You can feel that experience the second you start talking shop.

If you’re in North Georgia (or even just passing through), this is the kind of shop that makes you want to linger: inspiring quilts to look at, and people who make you feel delighted to share your work with.

“Well Come On In Then!”

Yesterday I called Sheridan just to get some info, but I waited until my table runner was completely finished before I scheduled a consultation. Amazingly, I actually finished it today, and when I called her back, she asked when I could come by.

And I said, “Actually… I’m going through town right now, and I have it all with me if you’re available.”

Without hesitating she said, “Well come on in then! See you in a minute!”

That right there set the tone for the whole experience. It felt like walking into a place where people genuinely love quilts—and love helping other people make theirs look amazing.

And as I mentioned, I have had quilts longarmed before—but always by mail, choosing options on a form, and never actually talking to the quilter. Going into a shop, spreading everything out, and discussing the designs and thread choices in real time took the whole experience to the next level.

Seeing Sheridan’s thought process (and being able to ask “what if…?” questions on the spot) made me feel so much more confident in the choices we made for these pieces.

Thread Auditioning: The Surprise Winner

One of my favorite parts of the consult was watching Sheridan audition thread colors in real time. She unwound a couple feet from each spool and laid it right across different fabrics so we could see how it would “play” over the whole quilt—navy stars, bright whites, and everything in between.

We tried:

• White (my first instinct. I thought it would hide on the white stars)
• Silver (a strong contender)
• Light blue (Sheridan said, “Let’s just try it out and see.”)

I truly did not expect to choose light blue—but it was hands-down the prettiest on the quilt. The white was much higher contrast than I wanted on the navy, and while silver was a strong contender, the light blue won because it mostly blended and it picked up the light blues in the border and the white sparkler background. Sheridan said “You gave us some hints” with those blender prints.

It was one of those “I never would’ve thought of that on my own” moments, and exactly why I wanted someone with lots of experience to weigh in.

Quilting the Quilt: Movement Like a Flag

For the quilt itself, Sheridan and I agreed that a wavy, flowy line would be the best match—something that creates a little “windy” motion, like a flag in the breeze.

We also chose a 3" repeat on purpose so it wouldn’t perfectly match the quilt’s 2" stripe section. That way, if the quilting doesn’t land exactly on a 2" repeat (because real life!), it won’t look “off” or like something was missed. That reasoning was so helpful—and she could clearly explain why certain choices would or wouldn’t work.

Picking Pantographs for the Runner + Hanger

We flipped through a book of pantographs for the table runner and door hanger. I wanted something that would add texture but not distract from all the appliqué.

I chose a swirly pantograph called “Hot Cocoa.” It’s pretty, it has movement, and it won’t fight the design. It’s abstract—while I can see why it’s called “Hot Cocoa,” it’s not going to make you think “Hot Cocoa” on the runner!

We also made a very intentional choice to use a non-directional, non row-based pantograph for the runner and hanger, because I wanted to quilt them together on one backing. (More on that in a second.)

A Practical Detail That Saved Me $40

Because the table runner is oriented horizontally and the door hanger is oriented vertically, if I had chosen a directional pantograph, each piece would’ve needed to be loaded separately on the machine, in each appropriate direction. That would have meant paying a second minimum loading fee—$40.

But since we chose a non-directional design, Sheridan can load the table runner and door hanger onto one backing and quilt them side-by-side, all at once. Because they’re small enough, the total cost by area for both runners was under the minimum, so I’m getting both done for $40 rather than $40 each, if loaded separately. I should also note here that I thought this was the case before I went, and therefore I did NOT cut the backing apart for each runner, and I’m so glad I didn’t!

I love when the pretty choice is also the practical choice.

Longarm Drop-Off Checklist

Here’s what I dropped off today:

• Quilt top + batting + pieced backing, each at least 4" bigger than the quilt top on each side
• Table runner + door hanger, plus one backing and one batting big enough to quilt both pieces side-by-side
• Labels safety-pinned on each piece with my name, what it is (or which piece it’s for), and my phone number

And here’s what I forgot: my binding.

Next time I’ll check to see if they offer attaching the binding to the front. Some longarmers do and it saves a ton of time!

Quick Prep Tips for Your First Longarm Consultation

• Make sure all threads are buried or trimmed on the front. If you don't, they can get trapped in the quilting. Dark threads can show through light fabrics on the quit top, so keep that in mind, too.
• Label everything (name, phone number, what the piece is). It took me a few minutes and made me feel instantly more organized. It can help the longarmer in case it's a couple weeks before they get to your pieces, too.
• Give yourself margin on the backing/batting. 4" over on each side is standard for longarming. I always include 4" overage in my backing fabric requirements for all my patterns.
• Finish what you can before the consult (in my case, I waited until the runner was done). That way you can get it all done at once and in fewer trips. If you can put everything on the same backing, you may even be able to avoid a separate loading fee!
• Piece your backing. Some longarmers may offer to do it, but it's so simple to do on your own, I personally don't feel it's worth paying for.

Hot Tip: And one more practical thing I love: I measured my batting straight from the roll stored under my DIY Cutting Table With Batting Roll Storage. If you’ve been wanting a better way to store batting (and keep it easy to measure), you can grab the plans for free! I just pull the batting up over the edge of the table, lay the quilt on top, and cut. No actual measuring necessary!

My backing print is busy and non-directional, so I went with the lower-yardage, no-waste horizontal seam option.

Turnaround Time + Cost Confidence

Sheridan is expecting about a two-week turnaround, which was comparable to two other shops I called.

My quote was around $155, with the note that it could vary slightly depending on the final measurements (actual vs. what I estimated from the pattern) and how many bobbins it ends up taking.

The Best Part: Feeling Confident

I walked in excited—but also unsure about what would work best on an appliqué-heavy project. I walked out still excited, but now with that calm, confident feeling that comes from making choices with an experienced quilter who can explain the why behind them.

The Finished Quilt Reveal: Seeing the Thread, White, and Boom! Pieces Quilted

They’re back! After the two-week turnaround time, my three pieces are finished and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The consultation choices paid off perfectly:

• Light Blue Thread: The color choice suggested by Sheridan was the absolute right choice. It blends beautifully into the white and light blue fabrics while giving the wavy line pattern the perfect sense of "windy" movement.

• "Hot Cocoa" Pantograph: This swirly, non-directional design adds beautiful texture without distracting from the appliqué on the table runner and door hanger. The decision to quilt them on one backing saved me the $40 second minimum loading fee, which is always a win.

If you’ve ever had a quilt longarmed (or you’re thinking about it), I’d love to hear: do you feel like it’s nervous guesswork or do you naturally feel confident in your quilting choices?

Looking for a Longarmer?

I had a few choices for longarming in my area, but I’m genuinely glad I chose Sheridan Kay’s APQS shop. I love supporting a new quilt studio, and I feel really confident giving my work over to someone with over a decade of experience who is clearly passionate about what they do.

If you’re looking for a longarmer in the Blairsville, GA area, I can wholeheartedly recommend Sheridan Kay and Amy at The Quilt Studio (APQS Blairsville). They were warm, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable—and the consultation alone helped me make better decisions for the finished look of these cover pieces.

And if you’re not local: Sheridan also accepts quilts by mail, so no matter where you’re quilting from, I highly recommend reaching out.

Ready to Sew Your Own Version?

While you wait for your own fabric to arrive... you can start planning your own festive project. The Thread, White, and Boom! pattern includes layouts for the quilt, table runner, and door hanger, making it the perfect festive addition to your home. And if you want to make on just like mine, there are 2 quilt kits left (at the time of this writing) over at Fieldstone Fabric.