Category: Quilting

Quilting, Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Welcome to March

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Our days are getting brighter…so they feel longer which is very welcome. February seems to have flown by. I was busy with customer quilts, family and a little of my own projects. Our area began another lockdown today due to rising covid cases which feels discouraging. I will have my grandson with me as the schools are back to virtual learning. I plan to start planting some seeds with him this week.

So many of my friends and customers have told me how thankful that they are for their quilting as many of us get lost in our work which makes the days pass more easily.

Laura’s Care-bears.
Care-bear quilt back

Laura’s Care-bear quilt was a pleasant surprise as most quilts arrive to the door these days and the quilting decisions are left to me. I raised my daughters during the Care-bear era and I couldn’t help but think how much the world could use those bears these days 😊

It was a fun cheerful quilt and it was quilted using a tried an true pantograph called popcorn which gives a cloud like appearance.

This tulip quilt is also a reminder that spring will arrive.

The reason that we no longer grow tulips
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Susan’s Alaska Quilt

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I have been quilting for Susan for several years now and her quilts never cease to amaze me. Her piecing is spectacular and this quilt was no exception! I think the best part of quilting for customers are the friendships that begin with our love of quilting.

When she first saw Edita Sitar’s pattern Alaska, she knew that she wanted to make it! She had begun piecing it pre covid lock downs and delivered it to my deck and left the quilting decisions to me.

Susan’s Version of Edita Sitar’s Alaska Quilt

I used Bethanne Nemesh’s pantograph grande feather.

Susan’s Alaska Quilt back.
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Wolves and Quilts

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One morning while sitting quietly having my coffee something caught my eye out the window…a wolf sauntered out of the bush and for a short time stood in the yard before me…all I could do was sit and look, it didn’t occur to me to take a picture. I was just in awe.

I recently finished this customer quilt. I loved the colours in the panel along with the piecing. It called for northern light type of quilting which is why I chose the pantograph, Kindling.

This quilt that I pieced and quilted in 2013 was a gift for one of Eriks daughters who loves wolves. It was a kit that I found online from a shop in Alaska. I remember that it was fun to make and that I entered it into our guilds quilt show that year.

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Winter 2021

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This winter some of my customers who normally head south for the winter have made the choice to stay put. Jeanette also decided to get some of her projects from the past completed.

Jeanettes Stars.
I chose the pantograph called Here and There, the hearts on the backing played a part in that decision. I love the perfect density in the quilting.

Another Block of the Month quilt of Jeanettes from years ago. She commented how much nicer today’s cottons are for quilting. Still this quilted up beautifully and will be used instead of just blocks in a box.

Jeanettes Block of the Month
Rhapsody is one of my most popular pantographs

I always offer to trim my customers quilts at no extra charge. Using my 12’ table on my Longarm makes this task a quick and efficient task.

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Joan’s Kaffe Quilt

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Joan’s quilt was the first customer quilt of the year. I quilted it during a very grey cloudy week. The brightness of the Kaffe Fassett fabrics with the white background and oh the backing was just the ticket to light things up a bit.

I chose the pantograph by Bethanne Nemesh, called Nemesh Feather Grande which to me really suited the quilt. I also love stitching this out and that particular week I needed some relaxing stitching which it provided.

Joan’s quilt

Unfortunately, the sunlight did not reappear before the quilt was picked up and the only picture of the finished quilt was before it was trimmed. Joan will bind it with the solid green that is in the top.

Oh and check out the backing!

Quilting, Wendy's Quilting

New Years Eve

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Last December 31st I spent the day working on my Winter Village quilt adding the Silhouettes. With the plan to quilt the top New Year’s Day. I actually met that goal. 2020 was off to a great quilting start!

Winter Village

Like most years I had some ideas of what I wanted to work on over the coming year and was looking forward to a couple of retreats I had planned to attend.

Retreat meals are the best, it’s like being a child called to dinner! No decisions of what to make, food is ready and no dishes afterwards. Just yummy food and good conversations.
The morning view from the retreat house looking over Lake Superior.

do hope 2021 will once again allow for retreats!

The best part of course is spending time with other quilters and hours upon hours of sewing and being inspired and encouraged by like minded friends!

If some one had told me that the spring and early summer would involve making hundreds of masks!!!
One for Erik!

Due to heavy duty mask making, a machine a friend had mentioned she wanted to sell was added to my collection

I love having a truly heavy duty machine that sews through many heavy layers without pause!

As a treat this machine also joined in!

I have been wanting a Juki for years and this one just happened to find her way here!

Most of my 2020 sewing/quilting was spent on baby quilts and masks some Moda blockheads 3 which I will continue to putter on and see where that takes me.

My Longarm has been busy this year. As always I have been so thankful for the ability to help others finish their quilts!

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Heather’s Quilt

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Heather’s quilt really showcased her fabric choices which are bright and fun to look at. I chose to quilt it using the Hearts and Bloom Pantograph.

My customers will often ask me to choose the quilting design which is fun for me and maybe a little overwhelming for newer quilters. I carry many different designs and am always more than happy to add to my collection when a customer would like something that isn’t in my collection.

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Becky’s Quilt

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Becky used the Basic X Block Ruler and gorgeous Batik fabrics to make her quilt. It was quilted with the Pantograph Swirl of Thorns And Glide thread.

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Millie’s Quilts

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Millie has been entrusting her quilts to me for several years now and it’s always a pleasure to quilt for her. These recent two quilts were a lot of fun to quilt.

This first one was quilted using the Pantograph Shasta Daisy, it always makes me smile when I see it.

Her second quilt also perfectly pieced called for a floral Pantograph so I chose Rhapsody. I have customers that like to choose the designs for their quilts and I will order new Pantographs for them if I don’t have what they have in mind, however many people tell me to choose and enjoy being surprised when the receive their quilts back. I have recently added to my Pantograph collection and am looking forward to trying them soon.

Millie’s backing for this quilt was so soft and vintage looking a perfect fit for this sweet quilt.

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Quilting with Friends

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I just returned from my second quilting retreat. It is so much fun to quilt with friends and to not only see what they are making but also to share ideas and new notions and techniques there that others have found.

These retreats also allow for hours and hours of sewing uninterrupted by things like errands, cooking, cleaning etc… this particular retreat includes meals that eliminate the need to even decide what to eat! The major bonus is that every meal there was fantastic! So fantastic that I really need to take walking breaks next time.

I chose to work on my Winter Village quilt that I hope to have ready to hang up in January.

Do you sew with friends? I also quilt with friends almost every Thursday evening if you live in Thunder Bay and would like a group to quilt with even if you are a beginner and would like to learn more let me know and I will share more information about a new group!