Tag: APQS

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Thunder Bay Quilt Guild Quilt Show 2025 (part 1)

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It was an amazing Quilt Show last weekend! It’s always fun to see all of the quilts and so many quilters at the shows.

Our city and area have so many talented quilters and it never ceases to amaze me how many different quilts there are!

Ana Paula Brasil is always a delight to spend time with! Her incredible talent of not only quilting but also her ability to teach and share her talents and Joy in the art is contagious!

Visitors were greeted a very fun quilt which was made in collaboration with Janette Dann another amazing local Artist! How fun to have a picture in front of it!

I am sharing a small sample of the fun!!

I had so much fun Quilting Maureen’s quilt for her, I am a scrap quilter myself and I loved this one! Some quilts are so hard to part with and this was truly one of them!

Evelyn’s version of a Bonnie Hunter Mystery was another one that was full of small pieces…another joy of mine as I love working with tiny pieces!

Karen is an increasingly talented artist and her quilt was a true show stopper with both piecing and her quilting that truly made the quilt! She tucked in all kinds of little surprises throughout the quilt…butterflies, dragonflies etc…all on her domestic sewing machine!

Gayle was beginning her quilt journey when I met her many years ago, her talents have continued to grow and her quilting is no exception! I was mesmerized by her domestic machine quilting!

Cathy’s quilt was so beautifully pieced and a true joy to quilt for her! I wish that my photography was better to truly capture her quilt!

Another quilt of Evelyn’s. She quilted this one herself. I love her colours, quilting and especially her border!!!

Cathy A. Had me quilt her sampler for her with the design Daisy Swirl. This was a quilt that APQS asked to feature on their IG after I posted it. It’s a wonderfully pieced quilt and was a lot of fun to work on!

The show was so well done and so full of inspiration!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Reading Quilt

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This was a fun quilt to add my quilting and hand stitching to! I love the messages about reading which made me smile as I advanced each row!

We chose the quilting design Jitterbug with its playfulness adding more joy to a fun quilt!

The important message for us all in the center of the quilt.

The backing required piecing, which is always a complimentary service that I provide, which also includes matching the pattern whenever it is possible.

This quilt was also bound and ready for use at pick up. Yes I do hand stitch bindings for my customers.

I offer Professional, Quality Longarm, Quilting Services. Let’s work together to complete your quilting projects!

wendysquilting@gmail.com

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Farmhouse Quilt

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I am so appreciative of all of my customers to entrust their quilts to me to be completed. I have many quilters whom I have been quilting for many years!

This customer has relocated to Manitoba and we have still found ways to work together!

We chose the quilting design Star-swirl for this King sized quilt. It measured 114” square which I was able to easily accommodate on my 12 foot frame! Have I mentioned how much I love my APQS Millennium before?

The backing is a perfect match to the pink in the batik fabric that is in the top and looks amazing together in person.

We had an extremely cold week here and I was grateful to have to spend some of my time hand stitching the binding on this quilt!

So not only was this quilt trimmed and ready for binding it was completely finished and ready for gifting with plenty of time to spare before the wedding is taking place.

I offer Professional Quality Longarm Quilting Services!! Let me help you finish your quilts!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Elegant Star Quilt

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All this Christmas gift needs now is the binding!

The Pantograph Ground Cover was chosen as the quilting design by its maker and it flows so beautifully over the quilt top and compliments the backing as well.

The batting is Hobbs 80/20,which I always carry on the roll and sell just what’s needed for each quilt to my customers. Thankfully I have a fantastic batting source that continues to offer the best price that I can find and am happy to give my best price to my customers.

Choosing the right thread colour can be a challenge when there is a lot of contrast, in this case I went with white as I knew that it’s contrast with the dark fabrics wouldn’t be as distracting as it would had I chosen a darker colour.

The backing fabric is a lovely match! There are so many wonderful wide backings to choose from!

This quilt was picked up this week trimmed and ready for binding!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Choosing a Quilting Design

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Many of my customers ask me to choose the quilting design for their quilts. More often than not as soon as I look at a quilt top I know how I want to quilt it.

My initial thought was wow, I love all of the colours in this quilt, how fun!! On closer inspection of the fabrics…all batiks had various shapes ranging from bubbles, dots, curls, swirls, flowers and leaves and more.

The pantograph Waterworld came to mind initially which surprised me to be honest as it’s one that I often use on baby or children’s quilts.

The more I thought about it, as I prepared the quilt for loading onto my Longarm, (which involves pressing the top and in this case piecing the backing) the backing colour confirmed my choice.

The next decision was thread colour, the fabric used in the border and sashing initially read black but it is actually a very dark blue with hints of a softer blue, choosing a baby blue thread worked perfectly.

The thread plays really well across all of the colours, there is some contrast on the border and sashing however it isn’t enough to jump out at you.

Joan’s quilt is trimmed and ready for binding.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting Decisions and Star Swirl

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I am often requested to choose the quilting design by my customers.

When I first began quilting for others in 2006 I remember feeling nervous making the decision…however over time it became easier to read the quilt and less intimidating.

Of course I also gathered information about who the quilt was for, its purpose as well as my customers preferences.

This sweet winter themed quilt gave me a few ideas, I could have used the border print and played on the theme of the holly or birds or pine cones. The backing fabric also had holly. However, I wanted something that would be complimentary to the animals and chose a quilting design that would play in the background giving a bit of windy movement along with perhaps a starry night…yes I have an imagination 😊

The quilt didn’t need me to replicate what was already there ie birds, pine cones, holly but instead it needed something to softly tie everything together.

Star Swirl is a wonderful pantograph for its soft density and easy flow.

Although the backing has a Christmas vibe to it, by adding more of a swirly starry theme with the quilting this quilt becomes a Winter Quilt.

I never tire of looking a the beautiful stitching I can obtain with my Longarm!

This quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Wildlife Quilt

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A wonderful gift for an outdoorsman, that my customer has pieced for her brother.

We chose the pantograph Leaf Pile as the quilting design, with its medley of different leaves it was a fitting choice for this wildlife quilt.

I really enjoy quilting this particular design, it doesn’t have a lot of repeats like some pantographs do.

Her quilt is trimmed and ready for binding!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Pretty Variation of The Seed Packet Quilt

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February is off to a great start!

I love this bright beautiful quilt made with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, it’s a variation of The Seed Packet quilt.

After piecing and loading this quilt I chose the pantograph Rhododendron which plays on the lovely large blooms in the quilt. I am often requested to decide on the quilting designs for the quilts that I work on.

More often than not, I have a quilting plan within minutes of seeing a top and if not an idea will usually come to me not long after seeing the top.

The backing fabric adds another layer of bright with its pretty pink, but has a soft easy to look at design which beautifully shows off the quilting stitches and design.

Trimmed and ready for binding, this quilt will soon be completed and ready for snuggling under.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Football Quilt

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In reading the news this morning I realized that it was for some yesterday was a big day football wise!

Betty’s Football quilt was on my machine over the weekend.

We chose the pantograph new wave playing on the curve of the ball. isn’t it amazing how just the right straight angle teases the eye to see curves when they don’t actually exist?

Choosing a thread colour on a quilt like this isn’t always easy, in a case like this I chose a silver grey so that the stitching wouldn’t jump off of the lighter areas of the quilt showing only fragments of the design. Of course is takes a bit of braveness to quilt light thread on navy!

Betty’s quilt is trimmed and ready for binding.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Jo Anne’s Quilt Story

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My first quilt was made about 38 years ago, I was 22.

Quilting was on my mind though for many years before that! I loved making things as a child and my Mother and other sewers provided me with scraps of fabric to play with!

It was when Quilt Canada was held in Thunder Bay in 1992 that I discovered there was a local Quilting Guild! I was really excited that I could meet like minded friends…though the first time I went to a meeting and saw that everyone appeared to be much older than I was I chickened out and didn’t attend!

Thankfully I met my new friend Alva at the fabric store and told her and she convinced me that those ladies would be more than happy to welcome me, and welcome me they did! They mentored me and my skills and love of quilting grew!

Jo Anne is one of the founding members of our guild and one of the women I remember welcoming me. It has been my absolute pleasure to quilt for her over the years!

Here we are in front of her quilt at this years show.

On a fun note, that day I attended the show with my friend Betty Maki…the two of them chatted and Jo Anne commented that she is the younger one by a year! My friend Betty is 88 1/2 and isn’t afraid to admit it 🥰