Wendy’s Quilting – Page 19 – Wendy’s Quilting and Life

Most of my customers ask me to choose the quilting design for them, when I first began my long-arming career…almost 20 years ago this would often cause what was referred to as the stand and stare!

Back then I was a member of a chat group called LACHAT and we used to joke about how we would clean house instead of settle on a design. We also really worked together sharing ideas with each other and would post quilt pictures for suggestions.

It didn’t take long before I learnt to trust myself and my creativity to make my decisions.

This recent quilt of Joan’s was so much fun to work on! I decided to let the circles in some of the fabrics guide my choice and quilted it using the pantograph Bubbles.

The solid backing really showcases the quilting doesn’t it?

I usually prepare Joan’s binding for her and this quilt was no exception.

Let me help you finish your quilting projects!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting and Life Autumn

September 23, 2023 wendysquilting

It’s official, the Summer has passed and our home is now filled with the sweet aroma of apples from our trees being made into juice!

We had to be a little creative and purchase a new canner that would work with the induction range and thankfully it’s all working!

My Longarm and I are busy as usual and as always I continue to accept tops for quilting.

My 2 1/2 squares project is almost ready to become a quilt top and has made a fun project to look at on the design wall.

And….playing with these squares has inspired me to start a new project to play with…a postage block quilt!

This one will take a lot longer…more to come!

Thunder Bay Quilters Guild held the first meeting of the 2023/24 season this week. Also the first in person meeting after 2 years! The meetings will resume on zoom over the winter months and back to in person in the spring.

Ana Paula http://www.canadapaulabrasil.ca and I have collaborated on a fun project for the Teddy Bear Quilts program for the guild this week. These quilts are small and fun and will be gifted with a stuffed animal from Santa Claus for Christmas.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Welcome Autumn!

September 23, 2023September 23, 2023 wendysquilting

As much as I love the beautiful soft greens of spring…the blazing reds, orange and yellows of autumn always amaze and inspire me!

Cathy’s fun Autumn quilt left this week, quilted using the pantograph Star Swirl played on the brewing storm in this moonlit scene. The fire orange fireside backing really showcases the quilting design as well.

I have some fun projects brewing in my studio, what are you working on?

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Interconnected Pattern

September 20, 2023 wendysquilting

I absolutely fell in love with this recent quilt that I worked on for Cathy. Her fabric choice of Linen along with the print and solid were a perfect fit for the Interconnected Pattern by Brooke Shankland.

Maybe I am aging myself a little here but the flower colours reminded me of the Kitchen Appliances of my childhood…in the 70’s.

Many of Cathy’s quilts are backed using fireside and this is one is no exception. Fireside is a product of Moda and is soft and cuddly and easy to work with. The quilting leaves an indentation in the fabric instead of easily visible stitching.

We chose the pantograph Rhododendron which added such a fun softness to this beautiful quilt.

The quilt left my studio trimmed and ready for binding.

Let me help you complete your quilting projects!

For Professional Quality Longarm Quilting Services contact me at

wendysquilting@gmail.com or 1-807-251-4261

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting, Life and the Changing Season

September 17, 2023 wendysquilting

The leaves are changing colours and after a very full summer life is feeling quieter.

Its always a shock to the system as the days get shorter, well they don’t really get shorter of course, however the sun disappears earlier.

Living in Northwestern Ontario it takes us a split second to get used to the long days of sunlight beginning in June and the warmer temperatures.

After a deep clean of my Longarm studio, I noticed the light catching these two recent quilt jobs catching the light just right! Both quilts have fireside backings which will be perfect for snuggling under as the days get shorter and cooler!

Mummus Rug really adds to the Autumn feel doesn’t it!

Our summer feels like it flew by, though taking time to reflect it was full with many fun filled days with grand children, friends and family. Working on outside project (mostly Erik) and of course quilting.

I almost always allow for an hour of play in the evening after turning the Longarm off. Lately it has been with a large pkg of 2 1/2 in squares of scrap fabric gifted from a friend.

What are you working on?

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Police Patch Quilts

September 17, 2023 wendysquilting

I am often contacted about the Police Patch quilts that I have made and my previous posts about them are often visited both here and on Pinterest.

Several years ago I was contacted by an officer who had an amazing collection of patches and wanted a quilt made with them for a friend who was retiring.

If you are interested in making a quilt like this…I started by choosing the largest patch and making the blocks 1 1/2 “ larger than that patch. Each patch was centred and stitched down (around the edges) using clear thread though I might choose a 60 or weight now that blends.

The block colour was as close as I could come to match the officers uniform. For fun, I used solid colours pulled from the patches for the corner stones and the fun binding.

I used my Longarm for the quilting though it could have been quilted on a domestic machine as well.

Not long after making the above quilt I was commissioned to make a second one for another officer.

After posting pictures on this blog I was again commissioned to make another patch quilt.

Do you have a patch collection?

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Butterfly Quilt

September 4, 2023 wendysquilting

This is a recent customer quilt that left my studio quilted, trimmed and ready for binding.

At first glance, it would seem that a butterfly pantograph or quilting design would be the perfect and easy choice for this quilt. It would have been a fine choice of course. Though a closer look shows the pieced flowers on the top and then there’s the backing to consider.

With dragonflies gracing the backing…I chose a fun simple floral pantograph to work with the piecing on the front which really didn’t compete with the back.

Many of my customers leave the choice of quilting designs to me, which is such a fun part of the process. Some customers choose their quilting design with me from my many many pantographs and some request pantographs that I don’t yet own that I order for their quilts…(at no extra charge to them)

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

August Fun!

September 4, 2023 wendysquilting

We have had a great summer filled with fun filled days of Grand Parenting!

One super fun activity has been when Kaija comes over and asks to sew! Her last visit involved making a card and gift for her Moms Birthday.

Kaija loves digging into my scrap basket and I love both watching her and letting her decide what to use. For this project she chose the outside fabric because Mommy loves rainbows! The bright yellow lining made her smile and she knows where my zipper drawer is and chose pink.

We spent some time looking through my threads and she chose an almost fluorescent pink for the quilting.

I of course took care of the cutting and most of the pressing…she loves to push the buttons on my sewing machine and push the pedal while we sew and quilt.

The soft wavy quilting using the walking foot is a great and fun way to show a child how to quilt. Some of the steps she watched and helped.

After adding one of her favourite stickers she wrapped her gift and card…

I am planning to find a platform for my sewing machine pedal for her next visit and will plan a simple project that she can sew on her own.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting

August 26, 2023 wendysquilting

Summer is so short here and this summer has been busy, we try to make the most of the nice weather and time with the grandchildren and family.

Some days I quilt early morning but in the Summer it often waits for the evenings! This was a recent quilt that will be going to its piecers friend who loves dogs.

I used the pantograph Popcorn for the quilting.

The quilt is trimmed and ready for binding! (The backing was also made with yardage that I pieced which is another complimentary service that I offer my customers along with trimming)

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Heading Home

August 26, 2023 wendysquilting

One of the things we really enjoy when on a road trip is staying off of the interstate highways as much as possible!

Driving home along the Mississippi in Wisconsin allowed for interesting sites and finding fresh corn for sale at the end of a farms driveway…no pictures but wow you can’t beat fresh corn!

The roadside stops were interesting and this was at one of them…the guys really enjoyed using it!