I have thouroughly enjoyed my time as an Island Batik Ambassador this year. The monthly challenges have been good for me in "expanding my borders" and getting to know other quilters and designers has been inspiring. The fabric from Island Batik, needles from Schmetz, dies and cutters from AccuQuilt, thread from Aurifil, batting from Hobbs… Continue reading Medallion Quilt
Category: Long Arm Quilting
Backings and Bobbins
Food for thought. Recently I read a post on a Long Arm Facebook group that started me thinking about my backing choices and the bobbin threads that are going to appear. A customer of the person posting had wanted this long armer to match the bobbin thread with her backing fabric not with the top… Continue reading Backings and Bobbins
Threads, Threads, and More Threads…
so many how do you decide what thread to quilt a project with? Do you just always use such and such? I recently saw on a FB post someone questioning why a particular thread was so good, was it worth the cost. . . then the opinions flew "I only use X, I only use… Continue reading Threads, Threads, and More Threads…
The Journey
"The Journey", is a quilt designed for my son-in-law when he entered medical school. It was his dream to become a doctor of medicine from the time he was a little boy. When he was accepted in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) it was the beginning of a long awaited for… Continue reading The Journey
Doodling or Drawing?
Do you doodle or do you draw? How seriously do you take the need to draw to improve your quilting? Recently I took a class from Jamie Wallen who challenged us to draw three or four times a week. Jamie said that drawing for 45 minutes is like three hours of machine quilting,… Continue reading Doodling or Drawing?
The Quilt Top is Finished, Now What?
So the quilt top is done, now what? I have my bag of tricks, multiple designs, some I have learned by some great quilt instructors, other designs I have created by doodling. I have picked up some quilting designs looking at architecture, tiles or antique plates or trays. I've seen new designs in someone… Continue reading The Quilt Top is Finished, Now What?
Hurricanes, Puppies, and a Drippy Sink
It takes a lot to get me to stop quilting to organize my quilting space, let alone my home. A few months ago Hurricane Hermaine came through causing a lot of damage as trees fell down on neighborhood homes. We were very fortunate to not have any real damage. We did, however, lose power for three… Continue reading Hurricanes, Puppies, and a Drippy Sink
It’s the Value that Counts
I get so excited in those "ah ha" moments which I had just the other day. I had a quilt hanging over the kitchen banister. It was one I recently quilted and had tried all kinds of new ruler and free motion designs to the point of overdoing it a bit. That's not what caught… Continue reading It’s the Value that Counts
When is it enough?
Do you ever start your quilting thinking I will just keep this simple and then.... It's always a process for me. I start with a simple idea, but it just doesn't look finished and so... and so.... and so. This is the case with what I am working on now. I thought a simple design… Continue reading When is it enough?
Gail Renna 