Tag: Longarm

Warm Four Patch Fun Quilted

Warm Four Patch Fun trimmed
Warm Four Patch Fun trimmed

Like its twin, Warm Four Patch Fun  is now quilted. 

Warm Four Patch Fun on the longarm
Warm Four Patch Fun on the longarm

We actually quilted this one first and I am so pleased with the way it came out. I went in knowing that I wanted to quilt it with circles. Laura had a great design, which I used for both quilts. I am really happy with the way it came out.

Warm Four Patch Fun - quilted detail
Warm Four Patch Fun – quilted detail

I have always been anti-pantographs, because I want the quilting to go along with the piecing. I don’t want the quiltikng to overshadow or ruin the piecing, as I have seen on quilts in some shows. As mentioned, I am not sure that this design is a pantograph. It was on Laura’s computer and we loaded it into the machine. Laura was able to stretch the design to make a larger version. The key was that I was able to see how the design would look on the quilt, not on the piecing exactly, but the size vs the size of the quilt. I was also able to see, and influence, the size of the design. The size we chose for the design will make the quilt super drapey, which I like for kids quilts.

I think the circles are pretty noticeable in the photo, above left. I was thinking about circles the same size as the blocks, but I like this design in this size better for these blocks. It looks less ….messy… or fussy, maybe. More open, definitely.  

I had to trim both quilts myself, which is also an unfamiliar experience since Colleen usually does that for me. Now on to binding!

Cool Four Patch Fun Quilted

This quilt was prepared to go to Colleen’s, but I just haven’t been up for the drive and was sick of having this quilt hanging around. I was so thrilled when Laura said she wouldn’t mind quilting it on her machine.

Cool Four Patch Fun trimmed
Cool Four Patch Fun trimmed

A few days ago, I went over to Laura’s for a visit and we quilted this quilt on her Bernina Q24. I am so grateful that she was willing to do it. Cool Four Patch Fun is the second quilt that we quilted. The process was so fast! I was amazed. I helped, but Laura is the expert and did  most of the work. I loved how she walked me through the process with a lot of patience twice .

Cool Four Patch Fun on the longarm
Cool Four Patch Fun on the longarm

Yes. Twice.

I am not sure if the process is so unfamiliar despite the training I did back in the dark ages that I can’t get it lodged in my head or if I am starting over so new to it. It could also be that the process is different on Laura’s machine. I don’t know. 

The machine was amazing and I was really interested so see how the computer part works within the process. This was the first time I had used a computer generated design – a design created to be used on a longarm. I am not sure if it was a pantograph or if that is something else, but it wasn’t custom quilted. That is new for me.

We weren’t rushing and we were chatting the whole time, but we quilted both quilts in less than two hours.

 

 

Triumphant Return

Triumphant ready for binding
Triumphant ready for binding

When I took the Patchwork Palooza quilt to Colleen, I picked up Triumphant and Gelato #2.

 

Triumphant feathers from the back
Triumphant feathers from the back

 

 

 

 

I was ecstatic to see the final quilting on Triumphant. I wanted feathers in the background and Colleen did a masterful job. 

Triumphant detail
Triumphant detail

She did a great job on the other triangles as well. 

Now on to binding!

Triumphant Stitching

Triumphant on the longarm
Triumphant on the longarm

I got a peek at Triumphant the other day when I went to pick up Chain Link. Colleen had it on the longarm and let me take a look.

I was really pleased to see it in process. I had hoped to have it back by now, but I don’t really need it so it is ok. 

Triumphant feathers
Triumphant feathers

I wanted feathers in the white space and Colleen is doing a great a job at fitting them into the odd spaces created by all of the HSTs.

Click on the photos to see more stitching detail.

Triumphant feathers and background
Triumphant feathers and background

Day Out with Quilts…Again

Julie and I made the pilgrimage to drop off quilts with Colleen the other day.

Four of my quilts and Julie’s City Sampler are all in the capable hands of Colleen. I also left a small panel quilt of my Mom’s there. That was a mess. It had no backing or binding. Colleen had some perfect backing fabric and I will send her a binding in a few days.

I learned from making the pilgrimage with Tim that I have to plan a lunch break. We stopped at Black Bear Diner because the area is a mecca of chain stores and restaurants. Fortunately, they have gluten free options, so I indulged in a BLT and ate the french fries.

Bay Quilts, July 2025
Bay Quilts, July 2025

On the way back, we stopped at Bay Quilts. They close at 3pm during the week! We only had about 15 minutes to shop, but we both found a few things. I like that shop. It is big and they have good fabric.

The two background fabrics I purchased are from the same line as the fabric I used for the Triumphant background. I didn’t realize it until the clerk was cutting the fabric. 

I also finally indulged in that color set of fat quarters. I have been looking at it for a year at least. I need to find a good way to use it. 

Half Hexie Star Returns

Half Hexie Star - quilted, not bound
Half Hexie Star – quilted, not bound

As mentioned yesterday, I got the Half Hexie Star back from Colleen finally. It is just in time to bind it and have it ready to give as a wedding gift. I am also pleased that I was able to show it at the guild meeting yesterday.

Colleen did a great job, as usual, quilting this. She said the binding of the two ends was the most challenging. I am really glad she put the first side of the binding on the quilt by machine for me. It will make the handwork much easier and get it done faster.

Half Hexie Star - quilting detail
Half Hexie Star – quilting detail

She used flowers and leaves as the quilting design. I am pleased with how it looks.

 

Three Quilts Off to be Quilted

I ran out of time before I left for vacation and decided that I would just send three quilts to Colleen. The three Diagonal 9 Patch quilts are off and in the queue to be quilted.

I printed out some photos and drew what I wanted quilted on them, but giving Colleen leeway to make changes. This is the first time I have mailed off quilts without having a discussion with Colleen, but I am sure it will be fine.

Even More Donation Quilting

Blue Improv Donation Quilt quilted
Blue Improv Donation Quilt quilted

Surprisingly, I have more donation quilting to show. Tim is on a roll and, the other night, sent me a photo of the finished quilting on the Blue Improv quilt.

With the Purple Strip donation quilt, this one makes two this week! I am thrilled for a couple of reasons: 1) I have something to write about and some donation quilts about which to feel good and 2) I haven’t been working on any donation anything so these finishes are a bonus.

Blue Improv Donation Quilt quilted - detail
Blue Improv Donation Quilt quilted – detail

Tim quilted swirls into the top. The quilting is hard to see with everything going on with the piecing. He sent me this detail and it looks good, which is no surprise.

I don’t know who he has to bind it.

More Donation Quilting

Purple Strip Donation Quilt - quilted
Purple Strip Donation Quilt – quilted

Tim sent me some photos on Saturday of the purple strip donation quilt I finished back in March of 2019.

I really like the skinny rectangle motif he used for the quilting. I think it echos the strips I used.

Purple Strip donation quilt quilted
Purple Strip donation quilt quilted

It took him awhile to quilt this. I think he was having a hard time getting inspired. I can understand. I blame the pandemic.

He’ll get someone to bind it or maybe I will next time I visit; we’ll see.

Blue Strip Donation Quilt Finished

Blue Strip Donation Quilt finished
Blue Strip Donation Quilt finished

It wasn’t too long ago that I helped Tim put this quilt on the machine. The other day when I visited, he showed me the finished piece. It was even bound by Sue S! That made it a true group quilt. I was really pleased at how well it came out.

I finished this quilt in March of 2020, right after the shelter-in-place order, so this one is getting done much faster than the Purple Strip Donation quilt I talked about the other day.

Tim said that he doesn’t really like yellow, but this quilt was just cheerful. That comment made me super happy. I really love making cheerful quilts.

The quilting is a lot of swirls, which looks really nice. I am not sure  how he decided what to do, but I like what he usually chooses. Also, Tim is quilting these for free so I am not complaining.

Blue Strip Donation quilt back - finsihed
Blue Strip Donation quilt back – finsihed

The back is pretty basic, nothing fancy in terms of piecing, but it looks good. also, cheerful.

Purple Strip Donation Quilt Redux

Purple Strip Donation Quilt on the longarm
Purple Strip Donation Quilt on the longarm

I visited the Tim the other day. I had some things I wanted to give him (no quilts this time), so I stopped by. While I was there I saw that he had the Purple Strip Donation Quilt on the machine. I finished this top and back in March of 2019, which made me very happy.  I know he’ll finish it soon and I can’t wait to see it.

Traffic Jam Quilted

Traffic Jam Quilt quilted
Traffic Jam Quilt quilted

Tim sent me a text last week showing that he had quilted the Traffic Jam quilt. Yay!

I really like this pattern and it looks great quilted. Looking at it makes me tempted to make one with a red background and fabrics for the foreground that were mostly white with pattern. I don’t know how it would look, but the idea intrigues me. I definitely want to make another one of these quilts.

Traffic Jam Quilt quilted - detail
Traffic Jam Quilt quilted – detail

Tim quilted flames. He said he had an idea which didn’t come out the way he hoped. I think it looks great anyway and these donation quilts are a good place to practice quilting and other skills.

Quilting the Blue Strip Donation Quilt

Blue Strip on the longarm
Blue Strip on the longarm

I went to retrieve a piece of fabric that  Tim quilted for me. I will be making bags for our dining room table leaves. Because making quilts and never showing them in person is not fun, I brought some of the donation tops I have made since March. Tim has a number of my donation quilts to quilt. I told him I just wanted to show him the quilts, but he insisted on keeping a couple of them to quilt. Tim kept the Traffic Jam quilt, the Plaid donation quilt and this one.

 

Blue Strip quilting detail
Blue Strip quilting detail

I didn’t argue with him, but I insisted on helping him load one of the quilts, the first Blue Strip donation quilt on the longarm. I made this back in March. Since then it has been languishing in my ‘going to guild’ bag. I was just about to ask if anyone wanted to quilt some quilts. I will still do that for the 2 Spiky 16 patches I have, but I have many fewer to try to pawn off.

Blue Strip on the longarm
Blue Strip on the longarm

If I help him get a quilt on the machine, he quilts it relatively quickly. It is also good practice for me, so we pinned this piece to his leaders, he tested the stitch length and did a bit of the quilting to test out the machine and the pattern. I am pretty excited that these quilts are out of my bag. I told Tim I would be back to help him get another quilt on the machine.

 

Longarming Again

Last year I bought fabric to make a Christmas mat. The intention is that we will lay this mat on the floor and put our Christmas tree on it.

HQ Amara
HQ Amara

I was supposed to work on it and finish it last year, but stuff happened and I didn’t do it. I was able to use a friend’s longarm last week and I got the thing quilted. It isn’t finished.

My friend has a new HQ Amara on a large frame. I was excited, but also apprehensive as it has been a long time since I longarmed anything.

Quilting the Christmas Mat
Quilting the Christmas Mat

My intention was to free motion, but I ended up decided on a computerized pattern. Since the fabric is just one length of yardage – no piecing it didn’t seem necessary to spend a bunch of time on it. I thought choosing a computerized pattern would make the process go faster. Overall it took us about 2.5 hours to quilt a 41 x 44 inch sandwich. My friend is still learning and the software isn’t as intuitive as I expected it to be*.

Quilting the Christmas Mat
Quilting the Christmas Mat

We both worked on it and I was finally getting the hang of moving the quilt from a finished line of quilting back to the right to start the next line (no, it doesn’t do it itself) when we finished. I was glad to finish, because it was exhausting. I am VERY grateful to my friend for helping me quilt the thing and also for just getting another project quilted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*SIL n.2 and I have discussed how longarm computer software manufacturers don’t have the market to make really great software. If longarm software sold as much as something like Microsoft Word, then there would be more development, but the market just isn’t that large. It is a shame, but business is business.