First, make sure you use the thread that your machine likes the best! Checking the thread tension on your machine to make sure the tension is right (you don’t see the top thread in the bottom or vice versa) is key.

We use both cotton and cotton/polyester blend threads when we sew our quilts and find that a 50wt thread is usually better. The better quality modern polyester threads are much better than they used to be (we stay away from the cheaper polyester threads as they tend to fray). Cotton thread can tend to dry out and get brittle with age or heat (dryer), so knowing how the quilt will be used can help with thread selection.

It depends on what type of delivery service you select. According to Canada Post guidelines, here are two of the more popular delivery services that our customers have selected:

"Small package air" is 5-8 business days

"Tracked small package air" is 4-7 business days

The fabric in our kits is NOT pre-washed. As cotton shrinks less than 1%, we follow the practice of NOT pre-washing fabric. Once sewn, quilted and bound, your quilt can be machine washed in cold water on gentle, line dry or or lay flat to dry or tumble dry on low.

When selecting backing and batting, you will want to match or reduce shrinkage:
*Cotton/Minky/Fireside) Backing, have 1% shrinkage so same as quilt top;
*Flannel backing, shrinks 3-5% so you will need to pre-wash flannel backing to reduce shrinkage;
*100% cotton batting it will shrink 3-5% and can cause puckering. (Some people like this old-fashioned look) . 80/20 (cotton/polyester blend) batting shrinks about 1% so about same as cotton top.

Fireside is a 150cm (60”) wide 100% polyester fabric with a soft, velvety hand that we offer as a backing choice for many of our kits.

It’s less slippery than Minkee, so some quilters find it easier to work with and provides that cuddly, soft quilt back.

Generally speaking, we like to use Hobbs 80/20 batting in our quilts as it has a 1% shrink factor, is great for washing and has a cozy soft feel.

NO, you would NOT pre-wash the cut pieces in the kit as they would fray and make sewing impossible.

The current approach in quilting is NOT to pre-wash fabrics, unless they shrink more than 1%. As cotton does not shrink more than 1%, you do Not need to pre-wash cotton fabric. However, if you are using flannel for your backing you should pre-wash as it can shrink between 3-5%.

Once sewn, quilted and bound, your quilt can be machine washed in cold water on gentle, line dry or or lay flat to dry or tumble dry on low.

YES - QuiltieSisterS is open for online orders during Covid-19. We have revised our shipping process to remain open and protect our staff.

We continue to ship orders twice a week -- Monday and Thursday mornings. All orders received by 9 am EST on Monday will ship to the post office by end of day Mondays; all orders received by 9am EST on Thursday will ship to the post office by end of day Thursday. We will also be adding “tracking” to every package so you will know where your package is at all times. We want to thank you for your continued business, and with social distancing resulting in more time on your hands……quilt on!