Longarm Virgin

I did it AGAIN!

2011-03-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Looking for me?

Well point yourself in he direction of

http://www.domesticanarchy.blogspot.com/

I have tried to keep too many plates spinning the in the air for too long and it is taking it's tole on me so I am stepping back, pulling down and recamping all of my loves at my main blog.

To celebrate this positive move towards simplicity I will be having a contest very soon.. it involves thread and fabric so I am sure you will want to be there so make sure to click on the follow button when you get there!

This blog content will be exported over to the new site in the next few days.. see you there!

At the Speed of Life

2011-03-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Can I say that I am STILL loving this quilt that I made a couple of months ago??

Can I also say that I have not been doing too much quilting lately?

Yes, sad but true.

I have been doing other things and if you want to keep up with those things you can either find me on Facebook or you can pop over to my life blog

http://www.domesticanarchy.blogspot.com/

I will still be here.. soon as I can get back to my machine.. I miss it so!

Quilting Your Truth

2011-02-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

I needed to bind a quilt yesterday... so you know what that means... mindless Internet surfing while I stitch! Yes I can sew and surf... and it makes binding less mind numbing to say the least!

So while surfing about on home-reno blogs I came to a small mention of a woman talking about her " type" when it came to her clothing colors and how she was applying that to her decorating. So like any good surfer this lead me down a deep rabbit hole into the world of ~ Dressing Your Truth~ ( you may choose to plunge down that rabbit hole yourself by clicking that link, but be warned you can just kiss the rest of your day goodbye!)

In a nutshell DYT is a system that helps people learn to dress and present themselves in a way that is most true to their core personality. The outcome being a more comfortable persona that is in harmony with your life and style. There are 4 types( styles) with help on colors (chromas).. There is much more to the system and some day I might even get around to doing it, but I am a Type 3.. that is clear from my rooting around and reading on different websites. This was not a huge surprise to me but did help me understand why some of the clothing choices I have made in the past have been mistakes ..no matter how much I have loved them they did not look right on me since they were not true to my nature.

This whole read-a-thon brought me to thinking about how color and style influences quilting and why we are attracted to certain colors and afraid to work with others. How we might try to work in one style and really want to do it because it's popular but it truly never resonates with us. The DYT concept makes it clear how color ( actually the depth and tone of color) and personality have a great influence on how we feel while earing them ( or quilting with them!)

In fact... learning how to

Quilt Our Own Truth! (my term)

I hope to have more time to think about this as the days pass and reflect more about it here... what do you think?... How do those colors effect the way you think or feel in your home or clothing or quilting? Do you see this in your life?

The Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild

2011-02-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

Today was the first meeting of the Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild. It was a wonderful 1st meeting and we have high hopes for many more equally great members over time. If you are interested in joining us at a meeting take a peek here: HERE

Load her up!

2011-02-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Ohhh it feels like an age since I have been able to dance with Sir Lancelot! But last night I loaded up an adorable customer quilt that I am really looking forward to doing. It is the hap-hap-happiest of little quilts and it makes me smile just looking at it. Not to mention how soft it is! I think this is a Moda flannel but for the life I me I don't remember which line. All hearts and flowers.. very girly and adorable.

The client has requested hearts and flowers quilting and I am happy to do that. Such a happy quilt does not need or even call for serious quilting.. it needs something that goes right along with the happy theme. As always my hope is that the quilting helps tell the story of the quilt and makes it even more than what it is as a pieced top.

The bright and cheery color choices in this top mean that the thread is not going to be a huge consequence since in no way would you want to compete. Often I might turn to a neutral like Lavender..but in this case I have a spool of rainbows in a variegated shading that blends very well so I am going to go with that on the front and back. This is going to be fun!

Batik Beauty- sewing with Batiks

2011-01-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Batiks, some people love them and as the saying goes, "some people hate them". I will admit that my love for them is a tad on the mercurial side but there is never a doubt that if I am going to like a batik it is going to be part of a Hoffman Bali Pop collection. Those people know how to blend their colors into some of the most yummy color collections of the planet!

This month I am locally teaching a class on making a a batik quilt as you go table runner than makes the most of the wide variety of colors in each pack. Each Balipop is made up of what at first glance looks to be a wide but cohesive family of colors but as you pull the "pop" apart you can usually group the colors into at least 2 strong color families. In the case of my class I have chosen the colors from the Zinfandel Balipop and broken them into the purple family and the blue family. Both are wonderful and 1 Balipop is enough to make 4 table runners!

Working with pre cut strips makes for a fast project but does mean that you will not be prewashing your fabric. While I have had little to no problem with my Hoffman batiks running i do make sure to wash my end project with Retayne which is a dye fixative that assures that nothing nasty will be happening with my hardworked treasure! When selecting a needle for use with batiks I often go with a sharp since as a general rule batiks have a higher thread count making them a bit harder to quilt and down right tedious to hand sew. For piecing like like a neutral shade of Mettler Metrosene that blends well with my fabric choices ( this is often a shade of gray..but that is just my personal preference)

For quilting I love to bust out my very favorite of all threads for the occasion -Variegated thread rules with batiks! If I wanting some shine I will always pick Superior thread Rainbows, if I am wanting something a bit more organic but still with a nice pop of color I will choose King Tut.

In the end batiks are nothing to be scared of.. and with the endless new colorways coming to market each season you could spend your life sewing them and never make the exact project twice!

Birth of a Quilt

2011-01-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

For me a quilt is really born after it has been washed. Of course art quilts are different but for everything else it's the process of the washing that brings out the texture and the warmth that I want in my quilts. Often i don't even pre-wash my fabric but in this case I did. The white fabric was 100% linen and it shrunk up like CRAZY but had a wonderful feel to it.. the other fabrics were not pre-washed and this was a calculated risk for sure since they could have bled but the fabric gods were on my side this time and the quilt came out just perfect. The photo does not do it justice, I am wishing for a sunny day to take some photos in the morning light!

All the quilting was done in liberated freeneedle style with monofiliment on the top and bottom as to not distract from the clean color play in the quilt.

I am happy with how this turned out.

Guess Who got a Tattoo????

2011-01-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

Sir Lancelot plucked up the courage and got his first tattoo today! He selected a racy pin-up that keeps his motor running. It is a totally custom job that I designed and printed on self stick vinyl. It went on smooth as silk making him the hottest looking longarm on the block!

Word Play Quilts

2011-01-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

Why yes, that is my quilting bookshelves you hear creaking under the weight of yet another awesome book! WORD PLAY QUILTS by Tonya Ricucci.

As I think everyone is well aware I am not a traditional quilter. I am of the Gwen Marston Liberated camp and was even before I even knew who Gwen was! Well Tonya is also of this camp and has taken Gwens great idea and given it a voice!

Tonya takes great pains to show you how to make your first foray into the world of liberated lettering totally successful. I had already played around with this idea and had overcome some of the trickier bits after multiple trips to the machine and then sessions with the seam ripper but had not taken it much further but after reading this book I am re inspired to say the least!

Word Play helps you get past those tricky bits with quite a bit more ease! Not to mention inspirational project ideas and some great examples of what not to do!

( Totally as important in my book as what to do right!)

I already have words dancing in my head.... I can't wait to see what becomes of it!

Quilted Thoughts

2011-01-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken"

Oscar Wilde

"Be true to your own style when you quilt, there you will find true happiness"

Maddie Kertay

Leader Grips ~vs~ Spotty Math Skills

2011-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Honestly I really do know how to use a tape measure so the fact that the backing on SnowCream came out to be an inch short was a bit of a kick in the knickers as I got to the bottom of the quilt and made the rather rude discovery. Lucky for me I am the happy user of Leader Grips for loading my quilts so while I will admit to some foul words I did not cry ( I am such a big girl!)

Leader Grips are an alternative to using pins and cursing at your longarm. With using Leader Grips and floating technique I can have a quilt ready to start stitching in well under 15 minutes. There is another similar product on the market called Red Snappers that work on a similar principle but are a bit more flexible and think they might be a superior product based on watching the video.. and I believe they might be a bit cheaper but in any case I think it is the fastest and most adjustable method currently on the market for loading a quilt onto a longarm machine.

ohhhh as a note I don't get a kick back or anything fun for letting you know about these two great products... not that I am opposed mind you.. it's just not part of the gig right now.

Anywhoooooo I took the quilt off the frame ( about 30 seconds) then sewed on some extra fabric to the back and then reloaded that baby and finished up the borders.. what would have been very ugly ended up being just a P.I.A, I can live with that.

If we can get even a minute of sun tomorrow I will shoot some pictures!

It Took 8 inches of Snow....

2011-01-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Well it seems that it takes Mother Nature giving my city a cold snowy blanket to get me back in the blogging saddle! Soon as I post this I will be racking up my newest quilt SnowCream and working some Handi Quilter Avante 18 magic on it!

As to not detract from the focus of this quilt I am going to be using mono filament on the bottom and top of this quilt. This can be a challenge for some quilters but I have had quite good luck using my Avante in this manner when I pay careful attention to how I wind the bobbin. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to bobbin filling and monofilament. Keep the stretch to a minimum and make sure to use your TOWA gauge to set the tension and you should be good to go!

Gnome for the Holidays

2010-12-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Yep... quiet here huh?

Sorry about that, going at full tilt for the holidays and trying to get some family stuff in order. Still stitching, and thinking lots of quilty thoughts.

Want to find me quick and see what is going on.. check out the Longarm Virgin FB page

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=104841322905004

Love the gnome?.. check out the rest of this artist's work!

http://zuill.us/andreablog/2009/10/

Ha!.. Fooled You! ( and a Quilty-Sin confession )

2010-11-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

I bet you had given up on me ever quilting again!.. and for a while it was getting a wee bit dicey I will have to say.. life just keeps getting more and more busy.. then you throw in a major holiday and then sick kids... well you get the picture! But LOOK.. I am sewing.. I am sewing wonky Ferris Wheels for a stash-busting quilt to put on my new sofa in a vain hope to make it better match the room. ( Some people also call this pattern spider web.. I don't like spiders... well i really don't like Ferris wheels either but I like them a WHOLE lot more than spiders... which in the end is a real kick in the the pants since on of my sons want to be an arachnatologist ~~eeeeeewwwwww~~ isn't that interesting! )

Ok..confession time

( it's good for the soul right?)

I need to come clean about something that might mean I get my tail kicked out of the ~real quilters~ club..and if it comes to that I will just have to deal...so here it is

I don't always match my bobbin thread to my top thread when piecing!.. there I said it! In fact I often use up odd colored partially filled bobbins when I am piecing.. just feeding them into the machine one after another as each runs out until I am rewarded with a whole slew of empty bobbins that are ready and waiting for fresh thread for my next project!

Ok your turn,

Confess your quilting sins!

Best Quilty-Sin gets a Charm Pack of Fabric from my stash!

UnCharted Waters...

2010-11-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Here I am back rowing the same boat... what I would not do for a local store that sold good threads for longarm quilting!!!... While having my wonderful time in Utah I got to play with some of the So Fine! thread by John Flynn for Superior. It is no secret I have it hard for ST King Tut, but had not had much experience with So Fine!.. but wow.. I really loved how it ran in my machine in the Handi Quilter education room so look forward to running her on my home machine. For stitches that become the fabric.. leaving just the impression of stitching not just the thread this is one to choose... but now how to choose which colors! Oh so difficult!

I might just have to buy them all!

Good Grief!

2010-11-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well I have to admit that I never dreamed of being gone so long.. and now here we are gearing up for the holidays so things are not looking good!.. and yet I wanted to pop in to say how much I adore each of you who writes and stops by each day to see if I have gotten off my arse and written a new post!

Oh Joy!.. today is the day for that new post!

and it's the day I have been cleaning up my crafty bookcases.

You see I love books... I love all books but sew/quilting/craft books hold the highest place in my heart. My sagging bookcases are tribute to that fact as well as my close relationship with all the sales staff at my local Barnes and Nobel!

Alas I have hit peak book over-load and it's time to find some of these books a brand new home! Starting today you can find my ~Book-Shelf~ page at the top of the blog and it will list the books that I have up for sale. Each will be priced at 1/2 of cover price or below and that will also cover media-mail postage to your home (USA only please)

With a little luck I will add a bit of a review with each book. These are ALL great books and I am not putting them up for sale because I think they are a "dog".. these are just books that I have fully taken in and experienced and I am happy to now share with you!

~~Each will be linked in my storefront~~. Sorry... change of plans.. the books are listed in the bookshelf but just drop me a note if there is one you want and I will use a PayPal invoice to make things easier on both of us. In most cases there is only 1 of each book so if you want it.. do it now before someone else does!

My bookcases thank you!

Learning curves

2010-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

It is not perfect by a long shot.. but I did really enjoy my first go at shadowed trapunto work. The HQ educators showed off two beautiful quilts that where done in this technique. Both were done with classic scroll work that was beautiful and masterfully done but not my style so as usual I had to put my own twist on things and that is how I ended up here.

I can't wait to try again!

I have a hair-brained idea to do a 12 days of Christmas theme!

I did the image above in free-hand and was thinking with just a bit of tweaking it could easily be a Partridge in a Pear Tree!...

Handi Quilter Batting Scissors... who knew????

2010-10-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

I knew I did not need them until I had them..

now you will have to pry them out of my cold dead hands.

enough said??

get them here!

BATTING SCISSORS of LUST

and even better.. the swell folks at Handi Quilter are going to let you get them with free shipping!

code

HQMaddie

(Now for the legal bits, the code is good only for items bought through the online store, good until 10/31/2010)

( hope I got that right Luke!)

Circle rulers RULE!

2010-10-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

As promised I am back to talk about the new Handi Quilter Circle shaped quilting rulers. Getting these was an AWESOME surprise since they are just now coming to market.. perhaps in Houston?

Like many I have the Handi-sized half circles and find tons of uses for them, but these new full circles.. these are really sweet!

In even numbers sizes from 2-12 inches these circles will make quick work of many of those projects that just beg for circles to set the quilt in motion! I had a wonderful time using them today on this funky windmill table runner that was still languishing in my un-quilted pile!

Of course the first step was to figure out which size circle to use and this chore was make easier by using a preview method that I will talk about in the coming days. Four inch circles were a bit too small, leading to the quilting being too busy, but the six inch size was just right.

The best hint I can ever give you when doing ruler work is to find a preferred method of giving your rulers a bit of traction. Some people like little sticky dots and some like those little sandpaper discs. I like a quick shot of 505 sprayto the back of the ruler. With one quick spray I was able to do this whole table runner. Some people worry about residue with this method but I have never had a problem and will stick by that until I do. ( Honestly I would think the only time it might be a problem is with a very light or white quilt but even then I would be tempted to give it a try ~ but I am daring that way!)

As for working with the rulers like anything else it takes time to get a feel for what is right and what is wrong when you first give them a spin. For myself I continue to refine the way I work with rulers and have found that when working with interlocking circles I have to do a bit of over stitching so that using a thin thread is of great help. In this sample I am using a 50 weight thread. I have highlighted the thread path with red stitch marks and am showing you that I use my water soluble pen to mark the area where I need to backtrack to so that I will get an accurate circle intersection.

Holding tight to the ruler can be difficult at times and there is more than one bobble in this table runner. I can personally deal with that so will not go back and rip out those stitches but do find that if I talk myself around the circle I tend to be more accurate in holding tight and smooth to the curves of the shape.

I personally "address" my circles going in a counterclockwise fashion.. I have NO idea why.. it's just works for me. As I am going around I think of myself pushing or pulling towards the circle. ..

If you saw inside my widdle brain as I did each circle.. you would see... push push push... pull pull pull.... .. around and around, but then I am easily distrac... is that a puppy???

Ok.. back with you..

And here we go... not perfect by a long shot but I have full confidence that after washing none of the slight bobbles will show. I selected a photo that showed the worst section of the runner and soon as I get it bound and washed I will post another photo so you can see how it compares.

All in all I am enjoying the Handi Gadget Circles more than I would have dreamed and would not hesitate to recommend them to any longarmer out there!

Quilters Preview Paper - love this stuff!

2010-10-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yet a bit more of the swag that came home with me from my HQ trip!

This is Quilter's Preview Paper

This is a wonderful product developed by Suzanne Hyland of Quilter Touch that enables you to ~solve your quilting problems visually~ by seeing what your quilting will look like before you even put a stitch to that work of art!

This product has it all over using plastic wrap or floral cellophane for doing perview work.

It is reuable
It is a perfect weight for saying where you want it.
It is printed with guide borders so you don't mark off onto your quilt top by accident!

HQ was so gracious as to send us each home with a generous supply of this product but I am going to place another order very soon since I think it will make a wonderful Christmas gift for many of my quilting peeps!

Want some for yourself???

Even better, want it with free shipping????

Good through 10/31/2010 and ONLY at the on-line HQ shop

( yes, that means it is NOT good at any of the quilt shows)

Click

HERE

and use the code

HQMaddie

for free shipping of your Quilter's Preview Paper!

Pactise makes perfect

2010-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Or at least it makes you a lot better.

I spent today working totally in manual mode since while I started in manual mode when I got my machine I was lured to ~~dark-side~~ regulated mode quickly but still believe that most really good longarm divas have deep mastery of manual so I wanted to get back into that groove.

Here I was just goofing around with some pebbles but the stitches are choppy at 35% in manual.. the next sample I did was much smoother at 47% ( but of course I am a goober and did not shoot a photo of that!). I really should have put in an object reference.. the square of fabric was 4x4 inches so each of those circles is about 1/2 a dime size give or take a bit. The large circles were me doing the tension test for with my circle rulers which I will be posting about in the next days soon as I get one little matter worked out in my little surprise for you :)

HQ Rules!

2010-10-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Over the next couple of days I am going to be showing off some of the most wonderful HQ longarm rulers that were gifted to us while working with the educators in the HQ studio. For those who don't know, Longarm rulers are very different from rotary cutting rulers in that they are much thicker so that they don't ride up under the hopping foot and get caught under the needle in normal circumstances. Please note that if you are a ~~big mouthed blabber fest~~ distractable it is possible to break a needle while in class and take a small chip out of your ruler, so eyes on the prize folks.. not time to get chatty when you are doing ruler work!

Featured above are the some of the newest and coolest of the Handi Quilter rulers that I am going to be playing with tomorrow. I feel so special being one of the first to play with these, my whole group was gob-struck when they gave them to us to try out. Like a said.. what a generous company.

Tomorrow... CIRCLES!

and

SURPRISE!

Home again, home again...

2010-10-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

jiggity jog!

I am home from my days with the wonderful folks at Handi Quilter. The trip was a dream come true and I don't think there could have been one thing that those marvelous people could have done to make it any better!

I am struggling to download photos from my iphone but in the mean time I will share some other parts of my adventure with you!

We were greeted at HQ with a wonderful Silly-String snowfall and getting to see all the faces of the people who make Handi Quilter the great company it is. During the greeting we were given a bag with some goodies and best of all a sew-out done with our names. Did you know that each machine is run for 20 solid minutes of real person quilting before it ever gets to your home? Each machine is put through it's paces so they are confident the it will work for you! We got to see the folks in the assembly plant doing this as the machines came out of the inline testing.. it was very interesting!

The facility is bright, open and very inviting with quilts on many surfaces all displayed in an attractive fashion showing off the work of the employees and others who's work is featured in the halls and classrooms. One piece that was exciting to see was a nice piece by Karen McTavish as well as many other quilting stars who's names you would recognize! I fully expect that someday quilts of our 2010 group will be hanging in these same places as the company grows through the years! I was seriously blown away by the people I shared time with... you all were wonderful!

At every turn we were gifted and educated to the point that I thought than many of us would fall over dead from excitement or brain overload.. I am not sure which would have come first!

and did I mention the gifts? Oh baby!

This is only part of the wonderful stuff I brought home. In this photo you can see just a peek of some of the fabric.. videos made by the HQ educators ( did I mention how great they were?) thread, snips, rules..lions and tigers and bears..oh my!

I will share more in the coming days along with tips and tricks that I learned ...but I will have to say that the best thing I learned is that Handi Quilter stands behind it's products and they are there for me and anyone who buys one of their machines. This sort of personal caring is what makes me oh so glad that I picked my HQ Avante18 over all the other machines on the market, and did I mention that they bought us fabric??

Squeeeeee!!!!

Easy Does it...

2010-10-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on for my trip to Utah to the Handi-Quilter HQ... hahahah the HQ, HQ~... ok.. sorry, I really cannot be blamed. Honestly it's true, I have come down with a doozy of a cold and am up to my nose getting ready to go out of town so I know you will understand if things around here are quite for a bit. I hope to do at least a bit of remote blogging but if you don't hear from me for the next 10 days do not despair.. it just means I am super busy!

In order to identify my other HQ peeps I have created an image that can be printed and then glued up to make a tag to hook onto our bags and luggage so we can spot each other at baggage claim!

Just download the page HERE it's PDF- so you will need Acrobat to open it.. use your best printer setting and then glue it up back to back or laminate it if you want it a bit more sturdy. Punch a hole, string it up and tie it to your bag... see you in Utah!!

Following the Rules

2010-09-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

My precious gift stash of Katie Jumprope from the darling Robyn at Coffee and Cotton has been transformed into this darling runner for my kitchen Island. I used quilting it as a time to learn more about Ruler work on my Handi Quilter.

At first I was frustrated beyond belief.. how did anyone ever do this??? But them I remembered the hint from one of the Internet longarm shows.. it talked about making the back of the ruler sticky.. so I used some 505 embroidery adhesive and a whole new world was opened up to me! While by no means am I great at ruler work given that I have only done it one time so far ( example above).. but i can see how as a long arm skill it will be one that I will want to develop for certain situations!

Cut ups

2010-09-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

Lots of blocks, lots of color. This piece is actually already together and ready to go on the frame..I am still unsure how to quilt it but I am thinking pebblework since that stone color of the gray fabric really makes me think of rocks!

I am thinking of using something bit heavy on it for the pebble work.. maybe a KingTut ??? Hmm but what color?...decisions decisions!

Fitting it all in. Finding room for your Studio cutter.

2010-09-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Anyone with a sewing obsession knows that finding room for all stuff that goes with it can be a real challenge. I am blessed to have very large room all to myself.. in fact my studio takes up 1/4 of the ground floor of our house, and yet I still am searching for more space with the addition of Sir Lancelot which takes up a BUNCH of room!

So when thinking about getting a fabric cutter I dithered back and forth if I should get the portable cutter which is the GO! or the Studio. While the cost difference in the two units is substantial it was not the cost that kept me dithering it was the size. Like a lot of people I worried that I did not have the space for the bigger machine and maybe it was " too-much" machine for what I wanted to do.

I can say now that I do not regret getting the larger Studio version. It fits in a 2x4 foot area and this gives plenty of room underneath for storing my dies. To show how I have done this I made a small video

Another week draws to a close...

2010-09-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

When a new quilting idea grips me it's like an all-out assault on my brain that I need to get down on paper.. this one is inspired by a slide of an exploding ball of heavenly gas that was part of a talk a I went to this week. I am adding more to it as I am going along and of course I HAD to check out what sorts of fabric might be available to work with!

Well 22 fat-quarters and a couple yard later I made it home with some of the MOST delicious fabrics! Most of them are batiks and hand-dyes so they are just right for the feeling I am going for.

But in a promise to myself I needed to get the Blackbird finished up and and I did {happy dance}.. so all it needs is it's binding! With a little luck I will have photos of it very soon!

So with a quick cleaning of my studio I will be ready to start on the

Mother Star

In the mean time I am looking at threads for this project... I suspect it's going to be really thread intensive so I want wonderful threads that just about glow.. to my first stop is going to be checking out the new line of silk threads from Superior. I have not gotten to try them yet.. but I have high hopes they are going to be just right!

Having fun...

2010-09-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

It can't all be about quilting, sometimes it needs to be all about the party!

These pennants were cut on my Accuquilt Studio with the Pennant Die, the dots are from the Penny Rug die. It could have not been more fun or quick!

A little something extra!

2010-09-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

I love it when I can do something one time and it serves me for two of more times. Like chopping up stuff for lunch and getting to use part of it for dinner?.. love that! Saves me time and makes life so much easier. The same goes for sewing and quilting. When I can do something that yields the preparation for two projects.. well that is just wonderful. In my case it helps to have two projects that are complimentary, in this case making wrapped baskets/hot pads and quilting. These two projects dovetail into one action when using my Accuquilt Studio cutter.

Wrapped baskets and trivets use lots of fabric strips and cutting them can be a pain. That pain can be made much easier with the Accuquilt Studio 1.5 inch strip die. But with a bit of planning you can have strips from all of your fabrics that you cut with your machine ( Studio or Go!)

By just buffering a bit of fabric past the edge of any strip die you are using you can end up with loads of strips that are perfectly acceptable for using with the wrapped basket technique!

To make it a little more clear I have made a small video ! Enjoy!

Birds on a line

2010-09-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ever had a project that your liked so much that you are scared to see it done?.. Scared that the next step will mess everything up?

This is that one for me. I am so happy with how the quilt is coming out that each step seems to be way too close to the end of the process and yet also churns up all sorts of fear that I will mess it up and not like it after that! Yes, ~quilter's angst!~

The photo is not the best but my design wall is over a large glass door that was getting lots of light at the time.

Birds on a Wire is a totally original piece directly from the depths of my mind. It's been so much fun to do and now its time for the quilting!

For the back I have chosen to step out of the norm and go with some black ultra suede for it's yummy soft brushed hand and deep color play. To quilt it I am going with some variegated Rainbow Thread from Superior. The color play in the thread is delicious transition of oranges and blacks that I think is going to look wonderful on the quilt ( cross your fingers for me ok??)

So Handi I could just faint!

2010-09-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

They called, I squeeled, they talked, I just about fainted!

I am one of the winners of the Handi Quilter story contest!

On October 10-11-12 you will find me is beautiful Boutiful UT at the HQ, hq! ( hahahahha) doing an inense 2 day workshop and other such business having to do with being a story contest winner.

I am still in shock!!!

I know.. I know...

2010-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

ACK!.. life is moving so fast that I have had very little time for quilting for just little old me, but that has not stopped me from thinking and doodling free motion quilting ideas or for that matter obsessing about tracking down Katie Jumprope fabric.

Mind you this quilt did not help.. this one was spotted at the Sisters Quilt Show which I am Oh so hoping to go to next year!

But tonight I quilt... its just me and the Bunny Bum Quilt( thank you Erin, it now has a slightly more refined name!) I am thinking of doing a rather new stitch.. so watch for photos tomorrow!

BFF - 2.5 inch Strip die and Ruffler = love forever!

2010-08-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

It's easy... take the Accuquilt strip die, 2.5 inches.. and cut a nice long strip of wonderful straight fabric then add this

A ruffler for your sewing machine

and what you get is this!

Oodles of wonderful ruffles!

The special trick is that the widest a ruffler can deal with is the center of 2.5... so the AQ die is perfect for churning them out by the yard! Love that!

I see some seriously ruffled quilts in my future!!!

Videocast #1

2010-08-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here we go!!... make sure to make it to the 7 minute mark when my cat really gets in on the act!

It's all about the Fabric

2010-08-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

New fabrics totally drive my inspiration when it comes to quilting and right now I don't think we have ever lived in a time with more fabric or choices. < insert giddy sigh>

Anybody who knows me knows that I am HUGE supporter of local shopping but sometimes you just can't get what you need locally so you turn the the wonders of the World Wide Web to find what you need.

Online I am looking for the same satisfaction that I get in my local store and have found it at Hawthorne Threads. I could not be happier since I just found a great deal on the colorway of Meadowsweet 2 that I was looking for ~happy dance~

I am going to quilt myself a chair... stay tuned!

Also... I am looking for a full fatquarter collection of Katie Jumprope.. anybody have a lead on that?

Playing Dress up with my Accuquilt Studio

2010-08-23T18:30:00.001-07:00

I have been saving this fabric forever.. and no, I did not mug Marsha Brady to get it. It is a cheery little island of color in my white walled studio.

All Bunny Butts, All the Time!

2010-08-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

With a bit of time between charity quilts I wanted to do something fun and fast. A snowball quilt fit the bill! Using a layer cake and 1 yard of solid fabric I was able to quickly put together a "charming" little quilt. Charming = a quilt with whimsical bunny arses all over it!

The one problem with any pre-cut is that in a larger print it can be catch-as-catch-can when it comes to what you see in your 10x10 piece of fabric. I happen to have been ~blessed~ to get a layer cake pack chock full of the tail end of many silly rabbits... not a full rabbit in the bunch and as it would happen my quilt will feature not just 1 but 3 rabbit butts!!!!

I know you are jealous, please try to contain yourself!

Fast cutting of the corner pieces courtesy of " The Mother Ship".

Number 2 is done and out the door!

2010-08-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Guess I am quilting faster than I am living these days since this quilt is already done and out the door. It was the number two quilt sent in by the wonderful Ms. Ebony Love. It was the first time I had worked with quilting batiks.. they respond differently than other fabrics.... where other fabric heal ( close in?) around the needle hole the batik had a little tin punch look to it due to the stiffer nature.. I suspect that will change when she washes it so I am anxious to see how it behaves for her.

I also had my first brush with the dreaded eyelashing when making curves on the batik but not on the yellow sashing... anybody want to explain that to me???

The Quilt is DONE!

2010-08-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

I racked it up this evening, then rocked out to some great music while I added my own touch to Erin's most wonderful quilt!

A playful ~snail-trail~ freehand design makes it's way across this darling eye-spy style quilt....LOVE the fabric with the glasses and the colors are so happy.. and the bestest part? the back is a road and hill theme play mat!...how cool is Erin?

As an extra surprise for Erin, I have quilted 3 random hearts into the quilt.. 1 to represent each one of her darling toddlers.. yes.. three toddlers.. she is a super-mama! So while her little sweethearts look at all there is to see.. mama can search out those hearts :)

Erin, your quilt will be back on it's way home Monday morning!

Next quilt... Ebony Love's

BEAUTIFUL!

I can't tell you how ~~nervous~~ flattered I am to be able to do one of her quilts

She is one rock'n quilter that is for sure!

Singing the Praise of a Good Needle.

2010-08-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I never gave much thought to needles.. I either had one, was looking for one.. or had to go buy some. When I had to buy I just grabbed a pack at my local sewing mecca store, as to size I guessed, getting it right more often than not, but with no real rhyme or reason.

But after being introduced to really really good needles all of that has fallen to the way-side. I am a firm convert to the good hand ( and machine) needle in the way I am a convert to good fabric. Once you have had it good.. it's hard, if not impossible to go back.

My new love is the Straw Needle, long, thin and perfect for sewing binding onto my quilts. I was turned onto these Straw needles by a ~~quilt pusher~~ woman at my favorite quilting store. They GLIDE through he fabric making binding a dream.

The John James needles can be hard to find but the ladies at my quilt store would be happy to send you some.

SEW BEE IT

John James Straw needles number 10

Here we go...... Quilting for the Cure

2010-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

The first quilt is in the door... and ready to go on the longarm. Sorry for the rather crap-tastic photo.. I pulled it from my Facebook so not sure what's up with it. It's an adorable quilt and I can't wait to get it on the machine! More BETTER photos tomorrow.

To keep you distracted....

2010-08-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

To distract you from the fact that I am going to spend the day playing with my new STUDIO fabric cutter I give you an awesome site for inspiration with your quilting. This gal does not do longarming that I know of but her free motion work is the stuff of inspiration. As I watch the videos I use my Freestyle doodle sheets to take note of techniques I want to replicate using Sir Lancelot.

Have fun!

The Mother-Ship has Landed!

2010-08-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

My Accuquilt Studio Arrived this evening so not much else was done but open all the boxes and put it together ( easy) and take her for a spin!..

My first offical cuts on my own Studio were made using the Rose of Sharon die and some Kaffe Fassett fabric. I can totally see these being the fodder to the back of the jean jacket I am working on for the Fall... so keep an eye out for that!

I got a BUNCH of dies but can already see that i am going to want more.. they are so wonderful and so well made.. I was really blown away by the heft of these dies and of the machine.. it's a monster.. but in a good way!

Everything was packed just right and Beth my customer service rep gave me good advice and made sure that my dies and my plastics mached up just perfectly! I made some video while I was opening the boxes and hope to get that into edit sometime tomorrow...in the mean time.... I think I am going to go cut some fabric!

Quilting for the Cure!

2010-08-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Once again I am partnering with my husband as he runs the Susan Komen Race to help fund finding a cure for Breast Cancer. To help him meet this goal this year I am offering to longarm quilt up to 10 quilts for a minimum pledge for $20, but more will gladly be accepted!

Please read the details carefully and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. This opportunity is only open for 10 quilts and I will be assigning numbers as the pledges come in and posting updates on my blog as I near the total.

I will accept quilts no bigger than 60x42 and you must include the backing fabric and the batting with your quilt top. The quilt top and back must be pressed and ready and the batting must be either cotton,wool or thin poly ( no puffy stuff!) I will select thread for the project from my selection of King Tut or other Superior threads including monofilament. The backing thread will be a solid color offered in the SuperBob collection. I will edge to edge quilt in a freehand all-over stipple, floral stipple, or twirly swirl depending on the style of the quilt top. I WILL NOT put on biding (I am crazy, not insane)

If you are shipping the top/batting/backing to me please enclose a check for equal postage so I can send the quilted piece back to you! My goal is to have each quilt in and out the door in less than a week, but depending on how many quilts I get in it could be 2 weeks so please be patient and I do promise to keep you updated as to the status of your quilt.

To register your quilt in the que contact me at maddie6@bellsouth.net and I will assign you a number, you will then log on to my husband's race page to fund your donation ( remember $20 or more) to my husband’s run at which time I will send you your confirmation and form to fill out and send/deliver with your quilt.

Questions? Feel free to call me at my studio 423-364-2971 or email me at maddie6@bellsouth.net

Don’t have a top to quilt but have an embroidery machine? Check out www.freshstitches.blogspot.com for my other fundraising efforts this year!

Stick it to me - Longarm Pinchushion Tutorial

2010-08-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Wow... so many different ideas to explore! I am loving all the intense learning I am doing with my new HQ18, it's been such an exciting adventure so far. I will have to say that the machine has behaved like a champ and anything that has gone wrong ( very little) has been totally operator error.. I have my 7th quilt done and will soon be taking a the leap into a bit of art-quilting!

Like most new longarmers I am feeling my way through different techniques for racking my quilts, and while am am dabbling with alternative methods, pins will most always be around in one form or another so keeping track of them is important! I have one of those handy wrist pincushions but that was not feeling quite right so I had been messing around with other ideas, when like all really great ideas this one came to be when I least expected it!

I had just finished making cushions for the long benches that go with our harvest table.. due to their odd size I ended up with some extra cuts of the Nufoam that were laying around my studio. One ended up sitting on the rails on Sir Lancelot and was so well placed that the idea seemed totally obvious that is would make a wonderful Longarm pincushion. With it's dense makeup but light over all weight .. it's ability to hold it's shape but flexible nature it has proved to be perfect.

If you would like to make one just follow along with this quick and painless tutorial.

Nu-Foam comes by the yard at most fabric stores ( find it back with the foam and the batting).. but you only need about 6 inches.. so you only need to buy 1/4 of a yard ( this is smallest size they sell the foam in a my shop).. and this will make you 2-3 of the pin cushions due to the width ( yeh.. it's ok.. make one for your longarm guild and give it so someone you like there!), you will need some tight weave fabric, thread and a needle.

Cut your foam to a size that you feel comfortable, mine was already this size since it was as you will remember a scrap from making the bench cushions. For reference mine is 3.5 x 14 inches. Lay out a piece of really cool fabric and cut it in a way that is generous enough to wrap the foam ( if you can wrap a gift you can do this!)

Wrap it up just like a gift.. but instead of tape use a couple of pins to hold the fabric in place until you whip stitch it closed.

Treat the ends in the same way.. fold under the excess and whip stitch it closed.. easy peasy!

When in use it sets right on the rails pretty as you please.

When not being pressed in to action it sits on top of my machine with the help of two small velcro dots - simple and effective.

Now go make one! Then send me a photo and I will post it up!

Happy stitching.

All a buzz!

2010-08-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

wow.... loving this ... so fanciful.... I saw it when watching a clip from a Jamie Wallen thread fusion Cd... anybody have any of his other cd's ? I would love to know what you think of them.. I am very tempted to get some of them!

I would love some freed back on this.

Too much time on my hands.....

2010-08-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

or yet another reason I need to get back to piecing another quilt!

Yes it's true.. I have taken to quilting my furniture! and honestly I am tickled pink with how it came out. Currently we do not have a sofa in our living room but do have a very large bench which I padded and then have gone from there to make a quilted slipcover for it. I just love these fabrics and it quilted like a dream on my sweet new HQ18. It's hard to see but I freehand quilted around the large floral print and then I did pebble working that far strip that is hard to see under the pillow.

Officially the oddest thing I have quilted so far..

What is the oddest thing you have quilted???

Playing the waiting game...

2010-08-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Once again I am waiting.. this time for a phone call that my Handi Quilter accessories have come in... I am SUCH an impatient thing! I ordered the ruler base, the versi-tool and some circle templates and I want them NOW! ( told you I was impatient :) but in the end I am not sure how much I will use them but look forward to giving them a spin.

Until then I am working on all my freehand stuff.. I feel a real affinity to a looser style of quilting.. very organic and free form. It's weird.. but I feel it flow out of me.. like a connection between me and the quilt as to what it wants and needs.

My love is progressive ( modern) quilting which is not overly well represented in the longarm world at this time. It is gaining a foothold and I see more to come ( yah!) as the modern quilt movement gains an even stronger fan base in my local fabric stores but for now.. I search and doodle.. make samples and even have already been asked about doing a quilt (yikes)...oh yeh.. and shop for fabric :)

My life is SOOOOO hard.

Longarm Virgin scrap pack

2010-08-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry, late night iphone camera photo.. so not exactly something to overwhelm you with it's stunning color.. which in person it really does. I hope to get it quilted today.. I have a swirling pattern in mind.. and loosely going around the leaves.. the maybe some veins... it's all going to be about texture so I am going to have to get Sir Lancelot set up to run monofiliment so this will be a new adventure that I will be sure to report on.

In the mean time I have a bag full of a BUNCH of extra leaves that are all ready with the fusible on the back ( just peel off the paper).. some of the trunk fabric.. well actually everything except background fabric.. so you could make a tree just like it. and it's free to the first person who wants it. Just leave a comment with a way to get a hold of you and it's yours! I free hand cut everything so there is not pattern, but I am pretty sure Mother Nature is equally as loose :)

King Tut

2010-07-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong that each time I pick up a cone of my favorite thread that I think of THIS and not of the actual Egyptian? the song.. it will not get out of my head!

Lucky for me it's the thread that my machine LOVES.. I swear, I have tried a few others and have to do some major twiddling with the tension.. but put on the Tut.. and the machine purrs. Luckily with all the colors I don't think it will be a problem!

oh.. and as a note.. I use the SuperBobs in the bobbin since I am ~~lazy~~ focused on saving time and having consistent stitch outcome.

We have a DORK....errrr WINNER!

2010-07-31T04:41:00.000-07:00

Winner of the book... That Dorky Homemade Look by Lisa Boyer is

KATHY D ,

who can be caught quilting and dancing in her studio, feel free to take silly pictures of her.. she will not hear you since she is wearing her Ipod ;-)

Kathy.. leave a comment here and then drop me a note at Maddie6@bellsouth.net and I will get your book into the mail!

Here's to hoping....

2010-07-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

That random and somewhat extravagant free-hand quilting can distract from the fact that my drunkard's path looks like I was drinking when I pieced it!

What do you think?

I am a Dork

2010-07-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

The fact is that I am a dork.. I like things that a great deal of the world thinks are stupid. I like to take perfectly nice pieces of fabric, cut them up and put them back together again. I like to sit on the sofa and sew miles of little strips onto the back of quilts with itty bitty stitches and going into a good fabric store makes me more than a wee bit excited. I have been known to ~~plan~~ divert vacations in the direction of well known fabric meccas.

I am a dork, but I like to think i'm a dork of the best kind, I am a fiber dork, a friendly fiber dork. I don't sneer at other people's attempts at quilting and I don't get out a protractor to check that their angles are perfect. I will never be a quilting judge since it's the feeling that the quilt gives me not it's perfect stitches that make it art in my heart.

For that and many reasons the book That Dorky Homemade Look by Lisa Boyer really resonated with me and if you are like me I think you would enjoy her book too! I happen to now have two copies, one I bought myself and one a gift from a friend who knows what I dork I am and loves me anyway.

So this means I have a copy that I would like to giveaway!

It's going to be simple, leave me a comment on what makes you a fabric/quilting dork and from those comments I will draw a winner on Saturday!

Please make sure that you log in or leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

Doodle Day

2010-07-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well today was way more about getting my studio knocked into shape than about quilting, but it was on my mind the whole time. So much that by the end of the afternoon I had a stack of 20+ postit notes with quilting motif ideas that were springing to my head that I just HAD to get down on paper to free up some of my gray-matter. ( I find as an ADD person that if I can write it down I can let my head drop it knowing that it's now down on paper.. otherwise it just keeps swimming around trying to stay in the front of my brain so I don't forget it!)

20 post-its don't make for a tidy desk space so I had to come up with another idea and this is what I ended up with. I have printed off a smack load of them ( used the back of other paper to conserve a few trees) and then hole punched them for a binder... this way I can keep all my ideas together to look back over when I am ready for a new project!

I am not sure if this would be a help to anyone else but in case it would be I have converted it to a PDF file and am happy to share it with you!

CLICK HERE

( not on the image.. it's not high res enough to print)

To download my FreeForm Doodle Sheet.

Enjoy!

Dear Sir Lancelot,

2010-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's only been a bit over 24 hours but I miss you already. I must admit that this evening during moments when I could have been with you I was keeping company with another machine.. but know that you are always first in my heart, but there are times I need the support of a machine with feed dogs and zig zag stitch. I know it's not your fault and you can't be everything to me at every moment. Know that have big plans for us tomorrow and sleep tight knowing that I am thinking of you.

All my love,
Maddie,

Long day but no quilting

2010-07-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Does is count that I thought about quilting today? That I pondered on DVD workshop classes and other such things I want to get while I spoke with MILLIONS of people about their choice of homeschooling math curriculum? Well I did... and I do.. and tomorrow is another day.

Thread hysterics

2010-07-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ok.. I placed an order but just for some very basic basics..and also ordered color cards.. i started breathing into a paper bag when thinking about which colors to get and then i gave up. With embroidery thread I just ordered every color the line made ( 370+) and that made it easy. Guess I might have to do that with the King Tut too! Suggestions? Advice???? Handholding?

My first!

2010-07-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well it's out of the wash but needs to be bound. (yes I know we usually bind then wash.. but a glass of tea was spilled on it so I quickly serged all the edges and threw it in the wash)

This is a shot of the back.. I did lots of free form scribble quilting on it. In fact the whole family got into the act so it's verrrryyy uhhhhh ~~freaky~~ original to say the least but it was a great way to know my new machine.

Oh.. did I mention that I named my baby.... He is here by known as...

Sir Lancelot!

Oh.. and I am placing my thread order today...squeeeee!.. I am so excited!

Thready Thoughts

2010-07-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

With a new machine comes new thread! Or should I say more and different thread. I have spent tonight looking through my Superior catalog making choices about thread for my new HQ18 Avante. I was really happy to see that my machine came with some samples of Superior Threads great products since I have long thought that they make some wicked good thread not to mention their new product Texture Magic ( click here while I toot my own horn with some Texture Magic)

Of course one could go blind and dizzy looking at all the options and I am dying to try them all in my new baby... hint hint Bob, but for now I do know that I will be ordering a gross of the SuperBOBs.. but do I go assorted.. basics... ohhhhhhhh so hard to decide.

I have long had a love with prewound bobbins and have been using them for embroidery since the dawn of time ( aprox 14 years ago!).. back then we lived with dire warnings that they would be the ruin of our machines and yet to this day I am thrilled with the long lasting consistent quality of prewounds and the samples I tried today are no exception.

The SuperBob I used today just went on and on compared to the bobbins I could wind myself and it made me a fast convert to the idea of also using them in my new longarm.

Of course after that I looked at the Kingtut and the Lava and the So Fine... oh baby! I have been quite happy with the spools of KingTut for my Bernina 830 but now it's going to be time to step up into the cones for the new machine.. again, picking is going to be hard and I see some serious thread buying in my future!

Too late for too many words

2010-07-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ever seen a quilt that is so ugly that it's sort of beautiful? Well this would be the one. It's a quilt top that I got at GoodWill for $1.. yep.. one dollar.. and possibly worth maybe 1/2 that much! But in my eyes it's beautiful.. a beautiful victim that is. It will be the sacrificial lamb of this longarm virgin.. oh my goodness.. this will be my ~first~

I could not bear the idea of racking up anything that I had just pieced.. I want those!.. so this my ~~victim~~ candidate!

Here I am exuding my obvious natural midnight beauty as I finished pinning the backing to the leader. The backing was another lucky ~~victim~~ candidate from the thrift store... 1970's harvest gold percale.. it's going to be a match made in heaven made even better by the poor quality batting the I dug out of the cabinet... I can tell you are jealous.. quit drooling on the keyboard.. it's my first quilt and you can't have it!

Running a tension test on the side strip right before the cat ran in and tore a big hunk out of the batting that was hanging down ( i call tell that the cats are going to be a HUGE help)..

but now it's time to go to bed.. can't even focus on the screen... more details tomorrow.

P.S. Sorry about all the typos last night.. I should NEVER post at 1am!

Oh Bill!

2010-07-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo.. it was a long day waiting and I am not very happy with UPS right now but my hand dandy HQ put-it-together guy has my new part and is putting in on my new machine this very moment!.. photos soon as I am able!

A new day dawns...

2010-07-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well HQ did their part ( yeh HQ!) and the part is with the men in brown again.. but there was bad weather during the night so the part was slowed coming across the US. It's only 2 real hours from me according to the scans but I don't know what that will mean in real time so I will just have to be patient!

In the meann time something sort of cool.. a diversion if you will!

As many of you know I am am embroidery designer and that love dovetails quite well with my new found love of quilting. This is a sneek peek at the first of three wall hangings that are started in the hoop the jump into the world of quilting to be finished. The center web quilts it's self onto the back ground via embroidery mchine in the hoop then the rest of the pieceing goes on from there. But what really makes this even more fun ins adding the Hotfix crystals to the project!

For that I drag out all my Hotfix supplies, and this time that was made so much easier by getting this snazzy storage container by Plano ( yeh.. the tackle box people!)

With the deep storage on top and the divided containers on the bottom it's just perfect for organizing lots of differnt small things. I bet it would be perfect for jewlery work and I did test it.. it fits sewing machine feet just perfectly with the exception on my ruffling foot, but with a bit of minor box surgery even that would fit just right!

Houston we have a problem

2010-07-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

ARGH!.. there is a broken part on my HQ!.. it's the metal litle arm that the thead goes under after it goes through the spring. I am so sad but HQ has promised to send it out by overnight service so it should be here tomorrow and Bill will come back and put it all right. In the mean time I will watch the dvd and drown my sorrows in a bowl of ice cream... check back tomrrow for more details!

Seriously wonky

2010-07-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's all coming together pretty well.. but given this old house there is a serious wonk to the floor so we are having to shim under the frame to get it level. Level is super important when it comes to this machine so that you are not fighting the machine while you quilt.

My 12 year old is helping with the assembly.. Mr. Bill is a great teacher.. maybe G will grow up to be a Hq dealer some day!

It's happening!!!

2010-07-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

1 dude + 1 frame = 2 happy!

What to do while waiting..

2010-07-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

Make Pillowcases!!

These are for an Charity Challange put on by another wonderful blogger and quilter ( you should see her stuff.. it rocks!).. SO I am making pillow cases and maybe a few small quilts for the event. I sure hope they make someone very happy!

Good Day Sunshine!

2010-07-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

The weather man calls for rain but i don't see anything but blue skies since in 11 hours the HQ dude will be here to assemble my new frame and machine !!!!!! Honestly I am sure I could have done it.. I mean we built the addition on the house ourselves and I know my way around tools.. and it's been a killer not to peek in the boxes.. but I thought that having them do it gives me more assurance when talking to them if things are not working right.

Lordy I'm excited!

Happy Dance!

2010-07-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

6:10 pm

6:15 pm

How will I ever wait till Monday when they come to put it together!!!

So near but so far!

2010-07-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Oh be still my beating heart... she is here in town.. riding around with a strange man dressed all in brown... she is hot, ( he is not bad either!) maybe a bit dusty.. but she is in my town just waiting to come to home to me... oh UPS man.. come to my door!

Oh UPS Man... drive faster!

2010-07-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

They say that good things are worth waiting for...... but oh it's hard!

Location Date Local Time Description

LENEXA, KS, US 07/15/2010 7:25 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN

07/15/2010 1:13 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

SALINA, KS, US 07/14/2010 9:56 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN

07/14/2010 8:15 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

COMMERCE CITY, CO, US 07/14/2010 10:10 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN

07/14/2010 6:03 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

SALT LAKE CITY, UT, US 07/13/2010 2:34 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN

SALT LAKE CITY, UT, US 07/12/2010 7:20 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN

US 07/12/2010 6:38 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Tracking results provided by UPS: 07/15/2010 1:51 P.M. ET

Delivering my baby...

2010-07-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Bet you did not know that the friendly men in brown are also into obstetrics! Well they are since they are the ones who will be delivering my brand spaking new Avante 18 to me this week! Well to actually be totally clear they will be bringing the rails and handles, my machine is here in town just waiting for me.. like a baby that has not been brought home from the hospital. I feel a great need to drive by and see it every couple of days and today I broke down and even gave it's box a little ~~sobbing overlong hug~~ pat with a promise that it would be home very soon.

I desperately hope that my other babies Big-Girl and Mama's Girl are not jealous and understand that I have enough room in my heart for all of them. In fact I am already dreaming of the beautiful music that we will all make together!

In the mean time I am working on getting my studio ready for such a large addition! Given the square footage I have and the way it's set up I could not figure out a way to open the Avante up to it's full 12 foot table and rail set-up without removing a wall so when its set up next week I will have it set at 8 feet which is more than enough for most of the work I want to do.

Now if you will excuse me I need to go obsessively check the tracking status on the UPS website

Welcome!

2010-07-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Please pardon the dust as I set up house in the place where I will speak in candid tones about my ~~mis~~advantures in the world of owning a new Longarm quilting machine. Come learn along with me!