Tag: Quilts

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Liam’s Quilting part one

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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

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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

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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!!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Baby it’s Cold Outside…Quilt

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Winter comes to a close later this week as far as the calendar is concerned that is…and now this fun and happy king size snowman quilt is off the Longarm and will be heading home before spring!

The quilting is a mixture of ruler and freehand quilting.

It is always such a good feeling when a large custom job is off the machine!!
Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Pretty Stars

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I have always been drawn towards soft colours for quilts maybe because there is a gentleness to them. This recent quilt of Joan’s is so pretty.

The pantograph chosen is called Chantilly and added another element of elegance.

Swirls and small feathers
Such a pretty backing that really showcases the quilting design.

Some of my customers like me to prepare their binding for them, I enjoy adding this little touch to help them complete their quilt.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Paper Piecing… and some Sunshine

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So I started some practice pieces for the sisterhood swap. I haven’t done any paper piecing in years so it was a practice in patience. I also realized that It will be easier to use my printer instead of tracing so this morning I ordered Carol Doaks papers.

That will make the project a little easier. Also by the magic of online ordering the paper should be here on Friday just in time for some weekend sewing.

I am also contemplating making the 12” block to add on to my Moda Blockheads 3 quilt. I am very close to calling that project done and moving on.

On the quilting front…I am currently working on a customer quilt that is of her own design. She has been using up some of her Mothers stash to make her quilts. This job makes me smile and because it’s large I really get into the zen mode while running my machine over it.

I have my grandson with me during the days, due to virtual learning so I quilt while he is in school. This week seems more challenging for him and he is not as happy to do school as he was last week. I suspect it’s not as much fun as being with classmates and teacher in person and also not easy for a 9 year old boy to sit for so long.

We made plans to go out on our trails this afternoon and check for animal prints in the snow … and maybe use up some of his built up steam. then some pizza for lunch 😊

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Summer Blossoms Quilt

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Joan’s quilt brightened up the room as soon as I opened it up. I always press quilt tops before loading them onto the Longarm.

I also prepare quilt backs. Many of my customers bring yardage as I offer free piecing…I use a lot of pins which always give me nice even and flat seams.

How bright is this back!
It’s hard to see the stitching on the back.

Trimmed and ready for pick up. The majority of my customers choose to have me trim their quilts. I use the table on the back of my Longarm which is 12’ long making the process much easier.

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.
Longarm quilting Thunder Bay, Quilting, Thunder Bay Quilters Guild, Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

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.