Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

An “Extra” Hour…November so far

wendysquilting

My morning view… well it was actually dark out when I woke at my regular time though today it was now 6:30.

The view out the picture window shows the last of the tamarack needles that haven’t fallen against the bare trees and the evergreens. Well there are a few stragglers on the maple trees. It won’t be long before the view will be blanketed in snow…

It’s been a busy month so far in my studio. My Longarm has a new hook and has been freshly retimed…this is my third hook on my APQS Millennium. They do wear out after a while and the time it took to replace is so well worth the effort.

My Longarm is a faithful friend that doesn’t require a lot of care other that regular cleaning and oiling and replacing worn out or almost worn out parts.

I don’t often mention quilt backings…one of the services that I like to provide to my customers is to piece their yardage into backings. This complimentary service began shortly after I began quilting for others.

After trying to load a customer quilt with a queen sized backing that had been pieced and was in no way going to work I had no choice but to call and let her know that I wasn’t able to use the backing. She brought me a wide back instead. She explained that she found it really challenging to piece such a large backing.

Well I love piecing! This includes backings, thankfully I have the space and ability. I also know how I like a backing pieced in order to obtain the best result on my Longarm. Many customers bring their backings pieced and ready for quilting and many are so thankful when I let them know that this is a complimentary service that I offer.

I have mentioned before how much I love my Juki Haruka, have I mentioned that her name is Bella? Well Bella has a new friend in town named Agnes!!! I am really excited to see what she and her owner Deb come up with 😊 another friend and customer has added a Juki Haruka to her sewing room … not sure if she has a name or not.

One of the main reasons I had for wanting to add this straight stitch machine to my studio was my desire to learn to free-motion quilt on my domestic machine. I do love quilting on my Longarm, I use it primarily for quilting for others.

I began practicing about a month ago, an hour several evenings a week after finishing on my Longarm.

One of my first evenings of playing

And some of my latest play pieces:

Practicing doesn’t have to be perfect and either does quilting however practice does lead to improvement in your quilting.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Shattered Heart Quilt

wendysquilting

Actually called Exploding Heart, for some reason I have always thought Shattered and it’s maker recently referred to this pattern with the same name.

Made using Laura Pilands pattern for Slice of Pi Quilts . Using vibrant Kaffe Fasset fabrics for the heart with a white backing this quilters quilt is gorgeous!

The quilt maker found and chose the pantograph Two of Hearts to be used on her quilt which is how this pantograph made its way into my collection and onto other quilts.

I am always happy to order pantographs that my customers request for their quilt at no extra charge to them as I add the design to my collection….if you haven’t been to my studio…it’s an extensive collection.

I am not always a fan of using a dark or contrasting thread when quilting an edge to edge design as it can leave areas with partial design showcased that looks odd. However in this case that was not at all an issue with all of the white background that really showcases the quilting.

Oh and the backing! It’s one of Kaffe Fassetts spectacular designs!

This quilt is trimmed and ready for binding…

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Freehand Quilting and Practice

wendysquilting

This picture of a customer quilt from 2014 always makes me smile. I love the look of freehand quilting. There are many sources for learning freehand quilting now and at the time I quilted this quilt Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy was promoting her early books and inspiring many quilters.

This particular quilt was a lot of fun to put to use some of the techniques that I had recently learnt.

For the most part my quilting is done on my APQS Millennium Longarm which truly is such a wonderful machine .

However, I have always admired people who also quilt on their domestic machines and in the last couple of years have set goals for myself to work on that.

Another quilter who has inspired me is Cindy Needham and I have taken some of her classes over the years. She has some on Craftsy that I really enjoyed.

Lately after I finish working on customer quilts I will spend some time quilting using my Juki Haruka playing and practicing freehand quilting. I have been playing with small squares with 3” grids and loving the texture. These are some earlier examples of playing.

Just like when I was learning to quilt with my Longarm it takes what we used to call PPP practice practice practice!

My friend Ana Paula teaches so many amazing classes and one of them is freehand quilting if you want to learn and want a fantastic teacher I highly recommend her! She has also inspired me to spend time playing and growing in my freehand quilting fun.

http://www.canadapaulabrasil.ca

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Dancing and a Quilt

wendysquilting

Having a couple of granddaughters who are enjoying dance classes this recent customer quilt is a little more than inspiring. Time will tell.

We chose the pantograph two of hearts, which has been a very popular choice recently. The hearts really convey the love the maker Mom has for her dancing daughter.

The pretty pink fireside backing is a perfect match and has made this quilt perfect for snuggling as our temperatures continue to dip below freezing.

This quilt is trimmed and ready for binding.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Fun Kaffe Fassett Quilt

wendysquilting

For a truly fun splash of colour Kaffe Fassett fabrics can be truly depended on and this quilt was no exception.

Rhododendron was the pantograph chosen to compliment the lovely huge blooms in the centre of the quilt. An almost neon orange colour for the thread was a perfect choice.

The batik backing completely complements the quilt top.

The quilt is trimmed and ready for binding.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Forest Floor Quilt

wendysquilting

I spent some time playing in the leaves with our 4 year old granddaughter yesterday.

We have 3 maple trees in the front yard that supplied several leaves in different colours for a fun project…that we made by sealing the leaves between two sheets of wax paper.

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the project or endeavour. I do however recommend the project if you have little ones, hanging the project on a window the leaves truly glow in the daylight.

Back to quilting… I chose the pantograph Forest Floor for this recent quilt. The leaves in this design have such a beautiful flow and is a fun design to guide along a quilt.

All of my quilting is hand guided and I love working with my machine and the beautiful results that I can achieve with my APQS Millennium Longarm.

I always offer Hobbs 80/20 quilt batting that I carry on the roll for my customers… as I find it provides such a lovely loft and feel in finished quilts. I also quilt with other battings and often customers will provide their own and I am happy to quilt with almost all battings that have come my way.

I do like to have batting on the roll available, first of all because I do my best to source the best price and then am able to share that with my customers and also because I can cut just the right amount from the roll for each quilt with very little waste. At this time I am charging $15. a yard for Hobbs 80/20 I calculate the customer price by how much is used for the quilt.

I love this flannel backing and how beautifully the stitching shows up.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Family, Houses and Joy!!

wendysquilting

I love this picture, as much as I love quilting…and believe me I do…well if you really know me you know that to be true. However being a Grandma is the best!!

This sweet little one is our 8th grand baby and she brings such joy. My favourite pictures of myself always include our grands these days.

The quilt in the background is a personal favourite of mine, it is Winter Village by Edita Sitar…I always mean to replace it seasonally and that never seems to happen. Maybe I need to make a Summer Village. I do love quilts with houses.

Being safe, warm and at home has a lot of meaning to me and I am truly blessed in that department. I love that I also work from home and with that I have the flexibility to say yes when needed to help with our grandchildren, I also have the ability to work my own hours.

My heart has been deeply touched by the work of Carolyn Karle of the DEK Foundation and the many people who support her vision and work in so many different ways.

Two years ago Carolyn received news that no parent should hear and that was the news of her beautiful daughters death due to an unintentional drug overdose. She has turned her grief into an absolutely amazing mission of helping others who struggle with addiction.

I have often thought of how she has in many ways become a Mom to many who have experienced her kindness and generosity.

Her main goal is to open a home for women who are recovering from addiction.

When I first met Carolyn I told her that I would love to donate a quilt for a fundraiser at some point, and now Carolyn has taken me up on my offer and I have chosen the quilt that I made using the pattern Dwell by Camille Roskelly as my gift.

If you live locally watch for opportunities to purchase tickets, or attend the Christmas Tea December 3rd, 2023. 11-4 at Roots Community Food Centre.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Quilty Walk Down Memory Lane

wendysquilting

Last Sunday morning my daughter and I were texting back and forth and she sent me a picture of her view. She has lived in Texas for the last dozen plus years…

I had to ask which quilt that was and was reminded that it’s one of my early Longarm quilts made with a fabric line called Wuthering Heights. I love to see quilts being used and loved.

She also shared pictures of the other two quilts that live in her living room.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Binding and Notions

wendysquilting

It’s not often that I find a new notion that I really like and want to share. I also know that these have been around for a long time, however I never really needed or felt that I needed help with threading needles.

I love using tulip needles they are beautifully made and really glide easily through the layers when I am binding however the eyes on these needles is small.

Well, this needle threader from Clover is in my opinion well worth the investment!

Another well worth the investment, especially considering it is now a couple of years old is this floor lamp from Verilux that I purchased from Amazon. The lamp has different light settings both types of light and amount of light. I use the daylight setting and when stitching at night and these days early morning it’s light is invaluable.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Farm Quilt

wendysquilting

It’s no secret that I love quilts, also I have never been able to settle on only one style of quilts.

So many beautiful quilts have entered my life through my Longarm quilting business and many have inspired me in my personal quilting life.

This recent quilt by Karen was so much fun to have in my studio, I told her that it was really hard to give back!

Here’s the story….

Karen’s son in law requested a quilt. Having grown up on a farm it was decided that a farm themed quilt would be perfect.

Using her book by Lori Holt, Farm Girl Vintage 2 for many of the smaller blocks and the Barn from Farm Sweet Farm pattern along with some of her own personal designs the Farm quilt came to be.

I love that scarecrow! All the tiny piecing always draws me in!

We chose the pantograph popcorn with its soft cloud like look that took the secondary spot on this super fun quilt

The flannel used for the backing with the plaid design similar to a work shirt is a perfect fit.

As hard as it was to part with her quilt, it was picked up trimmed and ready for binding!

Let me help you bring your quilting projects to completion!