Custom Printed Panels
Custom printed panels are designs on fabric, ready for quilting, without the need for piecing or appliqué. The range available is exclusively designed by Aggie.
Printed quilt tops make quilting accessible to anyone who enjoys the quilting part of the process, but not necessarily the patchwork intricacies. I enjoy both but have fumbled my way through projects only to give up before putting the top together because I either get bored or get frustrated when blocks and pieces don’t fit.
The availability of printed quilt tops brings modern quilting to everyone’s home. And if you’re not a quilter, but would love a quilt in your home, a printed top can be given to a quilter to stitch through. Perfectly straight lines for ruler work that every quilter will love and no hassles with seams that are too thick!
Designing fabric and then printing it is another art form that compliments quilting, patchwork, and machine embroidery. Many of the fabric designs can’t be made with traditional patchwork or appliqué, so this is really adding another dimension to what we already enjoy doing.
We use two different fabrics for our panels.
100% cotton fabric printed using eco-friendly printing methods. The process is pigment printing that naturally loses its colour over time. Exactly the same happens with all quilt cotton fabric. The fabric is treated to prevent this as much as is possible, and proper care of the piece will ensure its longevity. I have a piece that I specifically printed and quilted, in 2017, to measure the changes and it is still in good shape.
We also use a lovely luxurious soft and silky fabric that is a polyester blend. It is more colourfast than cotton as it uses sublimation printing. Select this option as “silky” when ordering your fabric. It is beautifully soft, luxurious and feels like silk. I would spend all my time wrapped in it if I could! The only downside of this one is that the silky texture makes it more difficult to quilt on a domestic machine. Movable machines have the advantage of being able to lock the channels allowing us to stitch a straight line making it possible to load the fabric 100% straight and thus avoid distortion.
All panels that are printed are checked by Aggie before we send them to you. You can be assured that the fabric you receive has met her exact standards.
In the same way that you will take care of your patchwork quilt, you still need to take care of this panel.
But, it’s not a complicated matter, and there is no special treatment required to ensure many years of happy use of this fabric. It is durable and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Washing in cold water on a gentle cycle is all that it needs, and it can be tumble dried on low heat.
Every piece is printed on-demand, and this takes a few days. The panel is treated after printing and this must dry naturally before it can be handled. Depending on your location, you should have your fabric within 15 working days of order. Rural areas will take a bit longer.
International shipping is possible, but I will get you a quilt before you order. Let’s chat – contact me