Professional Longarm Quilting Services
This is another one of Joan’s quilts. It’s batik fabrics really pop off of the black fabric doesn’t it. When discussing the quilting she mentioned that her Grandson might like it for his dorm and so requested the quilting not be floral or feathers.
The pantograph is a favourite of mine. It was designed by a friend from my early long-arming days when a group of us regularly chatted on Longarm Chat. It’s called Star Swirl and is by Michelle Wyman.
I continue to slowly work on these blocks. The softer colours that I chose to work with a year ago are pretty but soft they will make for a pretty spring quilt.
I am still slowly working on my blocks for this quilt and haven’t decided how many more I will do. Piecing has always been something that I really enjoy and for the most part like to take my time as accuracy is my goal.
This morning I finished block 37. I had been procrastinating a bit as joining square in a square blocks can be a challenge. This morning I remembered seeing a tip on a utube by Edita Sitar and it sure worked well.
First of all though I made my little blocks using my Simple Folded Corner Ruler.
When joining these units I use a pin to match the corner points on the inside square and once aligned I very carefully place the join under the needle of the machine having removed the pin first. By hand I lower the needle just before the centre of the points and sew the rest of the seam.
Joanne approached me about quilting a quilt that she was just starting. It was for her Granddaughter and was different than her usual more traditional projects.
When she finished the top and brought it to me, she left the quilting to me. I immediately fell in love with the colours and the backing that she chose.
I love orange and this backing made me think of flames. The top was perfectly pieced and fun to quilt. This was one that was hard to give back.
I was approached late last year about basting quilts on my Longarm. I had heard about this technique before so I did some research and offered to give it a go.
I have friends who use some of the basting sprays instead of pinning. I am leery of not only the glue but the fumes and what they mean for our health.
Maureen brought me three projects and reported back that the basting worked well.
Well that was a January! It’s seems to have flown by, we were fortunate for the most part to enjoy mild weather though one week was a lot colder than I like.
I meant to share these pictures from December earlier however life has a way of moving quickly…
February is off to a mild start.
Such a fun way to play with fabric or to make something that is fast and easy to finish are table runners. Every so often I am asked to help finish these projects. Fay sent me these pictures of her completed runners.
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.
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!
As a Longarm quilter I have met many quilters, some are brand new at this art and others have being making quilts long before I knew about them. I have always loved my friendships with women who are ahead of me on this life Journey. Lorraine is a true treasure she is now well into her 80’s and many times has said that this is her last quilt…not long after she will call with just one or two more.
Lorraine moved into a retirement home a couple of years ago, she had told me then she was finished quilting. Not long after she called and said that all the people there talk about is their age and health troubles. So she set up her utility closet as her sewing room and got busy. While she has been a wonderful customer she has also blessed me with so much of her wisdom. Despite many health issues she continues to be a very bright light and her friendship a true gift.
I hesitated to share the following picture on my blog but in many ways it helps describe January 2021!
We are once again in lockdown in Ontario, though this one seems a little easier for some and more challenging for others. Winter here is not always easy, thankfully for the most part we have had surprisingly mild weather.
I am blessed with family and also the ability to help as needed. It has been a busy month but also a rewarding month. We had a health scare in the family and this week received good news such a huge relief for us all.
So one day a week or so ago I was tired, and feeling like I hadn’t had any me time…I also had a whole day to myself! I made the most of it and played with my toys and made a mess. I rarely do any paper piecing but I did enjoy making the love block and it inspired me to keep going on the Moda Blockheads quilt that I began a year ago.
Wendy’s Quilting and Life 