Author: wendysquilting

Professional Longarm Machine Quilter in Thunder Bay Ontario.
Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Swap Blocks … and a few new things

wendysquilting

My paper piecing adventure has finally begun..it started with the paper and then I decided I wanted the ruler!

I have paper pieced before but it had been years…so I did spend some online time refreshing my memory and also discovering new tools etc…

Carol Doak taught the first quilt class that I took…she was teaching at Quilt Canada and a new friend suggested that we take a class… that was in 1991! I never finished the project, however I met Alva in that class who really took me under her wing and mentored me for years.

I highly recommend Carols paper, I know that there are other ways and means but her paper made it easier.

I watched a YouTube video by Berene Campbell on the appliqué portion of this project which was well worth the time. As a long time Longarm quilter I have a pretty good stash of thread so found just the right colour and weight.

I thought that I would start out with mine to make sure that I knew what I was doing before I embark on the blocks for the seven others in my group. It was fun and will be on the table this week to complete.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Liam and the Brownie Experiment

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While we wait for an opening on Grandmas Longarm to quilt Liam’s quilt we decided to try a different project.

The schools so far will re open on the 19th which I think is a good thing… Liam misses being in school with his teacher and friends. We both needed to come up with something fun and even silly to do.

I suggested that gym class would be going down to the pantry and that he could search for the boxed brownie mix that I had bought for this purpose. Oh did that hit his humour button!

We also decided that the language lesson would be reading the instructions, math would be measuring and science would be in the experiment of using the waffle iron.

So, I will admit that we both agreed that our first attempt was a colossal fail! I will also admit that it was my fault and should have suggested we research our project a little further…it turns out that you don’t just follow the directions on the box…so we added a couple of eggs to the batter.

The next one was for the win!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Piecing Backings and Blocks etc…

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The days seem to fly by! It’s been a busy Month of quilting and piecing in between Liam’s school and day to day responsibilities.

This quilt back took a little more time to piece than most as it had a larger motif and called out to be matched. I enjoyed the challenge and feel it was well worth the effort. The quilt is on the frame is close to being completed. More on that soon.

The pineapple blocks have been so much fun! I have a plan for them and a pattern on its way that I am looking forward to jumping into. I will make my sisterhood blocks first and send them on their way!! The papers are printed and ready to start.

Maybe some sewing room tidying is in order as well! I often joke that I am a bit like Jillian Jiggs a story that I used to read to my girls…she would start cleaning her room only to find something else to play with!!….Oh also the fabric to finish my blockheads 3 is on its way, along with some other goodies. Life is so good!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Anne of Green Gables Quilt

wendysquilting

How sweet is this customers quilt. She used a Dick and Jane panel along with fabric purchased and saved from a trip to Prince Edward Island.

It will be for a grandchild and I am sure will be cherished.

This quilt arrived with the backing pieced and the exact size of the top. Thankfully my customer also provided more fabric and I was able to expand the backing. In this case I added a strip of the gingham fabric by cutting the existing back 1/3 rd if the way top to bottom and also added borders to the top and bottom.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Specialty Quilt Rulers…. Drunkards Path

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In preparation for an upcoming class through the Thunder Bay Quilt Guild that I am taking soon. We will be using a drunkards path ruler set so I went looking through my collection….

I am so fortunate to have not only collected rulers myself but have also inherited many.

Some of my rulers came from a good friend and mentor of mine who also included tutorials in each pkg… she loved to teach and for many years would offer a tutorial before each guild meeting.

This set is just a little too big compared to the supplied print out. it does remind me though that it’s time to hang my Wheel of Mystery quilt though.

How interesting is this set, it might work and will be played with now that I have had a good look at it.

Now this ruler from 1994 designed by Virginia A Walton might just work. It will be another one to play with for sure.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Liam’s Quilting…part 2

wendysquilting

All of the rows are sewn! Liam really mastered the 1/4” and towards the last rows he was edging up closer to the rabbit setting on the machine and really controlling the foot pedal.

He was really proud of how well the first two rows came together.

He said to make sure to send these pictures to his parents!
Grandma’s brag haha…well look at those matched seams! We started with pins however changed to clips which worked much better. He is really looking forward to trying out Grandma’s Longarm!
Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Liam’s Quilting part one

wendysquilting

Liam joined me in my studio yesterday afternoon and we decided that it was time to use up the fabric left over from his baby quilt.

It was announced that the schools won’t open again until April 19 so we decided to start a new project.

Our project started out when he found the stuffed puppy below and wondered why I had it. It will be part of a donation for Christmas Cheer through the Thunder Bay Quilters Guild called Teddy Bear Quilts.

Thankfully I still had a good stash of the Max and Whiskers fabrics along with other coordinating fabric. Liam mastered ironing. We worked on using the rotary cutter but both agreed that this time Grandma would finish the cutting.

We laid out the blocks together

And made a practice piece…machine set to turtle mode as he tried out the hare and it was a little too fast!

He mastered the 1/4” and sewed 3 rows.

By the time we were finished for the day he was already talking about his next quilt!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Scraps and Life

wendysquilting

Today will be an at home all day kind of day. The last two days involved helping family with appointments along with my grandson and school. I read this morning that the schools will not open next week. That’s life these days…I am very thankful that I am able to be there for family when they need me.

I will soon have more customer quilts to show. The sunshine quilt is finished, as I bound that one by hand for my customer.

Hand stitching really is relaxing and I should make more time for it. I have been on the lookout for a good floor lamp for evening sewing.

My friend Betty gifts a lot of her scraps to me which bring me back to my childhood sewing and the excitement of a bag of scrap fabric to create with. So with a recent large assortment given to me on top of what a I already have and a new to me creative grids pineapple ruler…it started with making a block for my blockheads quilt.

It is not one of the official blocks and although the mistake glares at me I have left it for the time being or maybe for all time.

The ruler is fun at least for me to use. So over the weekend I let myself play…

It amazed me once I got started, how many scraps of fabric I have!
Those kitties left over from Minka’s quilt keep popping up!
These are at the point where I decide to stop and make the blocks finish at 4” or to grow them another inch which I am considering for a quilt that is on my mind. How cute is that little mouse, I did cut into a Fatquarter for that but other than a few Fat-quarters so far the rule has been only scraps…
Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Happy International Quilt Day 2021

wendysquilting

It seems in my life anyways…every day is a quilt day! If I am not actually quilting …a customer quilt or working on one of my own I am thinking about quilting often.

36 years or so worth of quilting and a lifetime of sewing as I can’t remember not sewing even if it was just playing with Moms notions stash or her machine oh I loved readjusting those settings. I suppose that she had me to thank when her Kenmore just was never working right and she then upgraded to her much loved Pfaff!

My Longarm not only brings me joy but enables me to bring joy to those who for the most part just want to piece quilt tops.

I also finish vintage tops! Carefully sewing fabrics of days gone by into backings and finished off with the final stitches of bindings.

I have often found patterns and ideas online and just have to make it, sometimes just because I know how I would like to quilt them.

Quilts like this one that I just couldn’t get off of my mind so it found it’s way to my design wall and later the Longarm.

And of course my wonderful customers that just let me do my thing with their tops!

Oh and of course there are friends that share their scraps instead of tossing them that cause me to play with more ideas! If you have ever read the book Jillian Jigs you can imagine what that play does to my sewing room!!