Longarm quilting

[1] Typically, the table contains a flat region on which a layer of thin, clear plastic lies, on which patterns and other designs to follow can be placed.

[1] The sewing machine head can also come with a laser pointer, which can be used to guide the quilter along patterns, called pantographs.

A computer-guided machine head is hooked up to a computer system that allows the quilter to select the chosen design to be sewn onto the fabrics.

The frame of the machine consists of several rolling bars onto which layers of the quilt sandwich are placed.

On one side of the machine, two rollers, known as the feeder bars, are present with a muslin leader onto which the backing and the quilt top can be attached.

[5] The backing, quilt top, and batting are commonly basted together by a single-row of stitching, but can also be pinned together onto the muslin leader on the take-up roller.

Depending on the type of quilting work desired by the customer, the process can require additional time and resources for the longarm quilter.

Some sewing styles, like meandering, which entails an all over fill-in design, require less attention to detail and can be done quickly.

Other styles and designs, like feathers and motifs, require the longarm quilter to pay more attention to details and alignment and therefore can be time-consuming and costly.

[4] Ten or more major companies in Northern America currently manufacture and sell longarm quilting machines.

[5] A true longarm machine is generally defined by their 'throat' size, meaning the distance from the back of the 'sewing harp' to the needle.

Imperial measures are still strong in the quilting world though metric, such as in Australia, is also recognised and publications generally include both.