I DITCH, I DITCH, I STITCH IN THE DITCH!!!

That's the song I'm singing lately. Stitch in the ditch, or, commonly known as SID to many quilters. Longarm quilters in particular do a lot of SID. Did you know that SID is one of the most difficult patterns/designs to do on a quilt for a longarmer? Why would that be? Well, you have to use a ruler/straight edge, or a curved edge, or some type of guide next to the hopping foot so that you can actually get 'in the ditch'. And on top of that, the piecer has, hopefully, pressed the seam in only one direction

and not flipped it in the middle.

Heaven forbid they have pressed it open!! because then you have no 'ditch' to stitch in!!

If I were to try to 'ditch' this seam, I would only be stitching over the thread that the piecer used to stitch the fabrics together. The least amount of pressure placed on this seam and it will be open and the batting will be falling out.............sort of like this 'fat roll' I have at my waist when my jeans are to tight.....

Now, don't think for a minute that I am really complaining about Stitch in the Ditch...although it is very tedious and consumes tons of time....it really has a very important place in the quilting world. Just one of those important places would be with 'show quilts'.

Yes, if you intend to enter your quilts in a quilt show and have them do well then this business of 'Stitch in the Ditch' becomes very important. The SID really sets up the 'bones' of the quilt. It offers a lot of definition to the piecing and the applique. It can define where you quilt, what type of quilting is going to occur, the density of the quilting, and it can carry the eye of the viewer around the quilt and they will never know it. But, if not done well, SID can really detract from the quilts overall appearance. As quilt judges say: "Stitch in the ditch must stay in the ditch". Many times too, it requires a different type of thread.

A different thread you say? Yep........... You really want SID to disappear from view. So, you either need to match the background and really stay in the ditch or probably use an 'invisible' thread to do all of this ditching with.

Not all of these 'invisible' threads are created equal. However, they are much better than they were 20+ years ago when I first started quilting. Recently I have been using Superior's Monopoly. However, on the last 2 custom quilts I have used YLI's Whisper Touch .004 thread in the top and my usual Superior Bottom line in the bobbin. I absolutely love the Whisper Touch. I can stitch all day with it and never have a thread break!! It's wonderful!! (no they don't pay me to say that) That said, don't be afraid to try different threads to see what works for you. I still like Monopoly. It's a very good product, but, YLI is a South Carolina Company   and I am a South Carolina native, so, I think I'll stick with them for now.

Back to the 'Stitch in the Ditch'..............this takes a LONG, LONG time to do. Working on a quilt and doing SID can actually take as long as the 'other' quilting. So, your longarmer has to charge you for that. I have to charge for that. I may ditch for 10 hours or more on a top before I ever do the first feather or continuous curve, or loop. So, keep that in mind as you take your quilt tops in for custom or custom show quilting. Please don't ask us to quilt these quilts for the bare minimum custom fee. You wouldn't do it, so why would I?

If you have questions about this topic, feel free to ask them. I actually don't know all of the answers, but, I will gladly share what I do know. However for now, I am going to do some 'ditch' quilting. Stay tuned and we'll talk about some other quilt related topics as we go along.

Have a great day!!

Quilt Retreat with One Loose Thread

Registration for 'Looking for Spring' 2018 is on going. This is a retreat that is open to all quilters from beginners to experienced professionals. Come join us for fun, food, fabric and friends.

Joyce Greer-One Loose Thread

Spring Quilt Camp!!! Registration is open!!

Registration form can be accessed at the top of this page. It includes other information and fees. 

Looking for Spring 2018

Gravatt Conference Center, Aiken, S. C. 

Thursday, February 22 – Sunday, February 25, 2018

This is a UFO event. You work on your own projects and just have a relaxing good time. Quilters of all levels from beginner to professional.
All meals are provided by the fantastic Gravatt kitchen!  No dishes to wash!!! 
Walking paths all over the camp so that you can get your daily exercise. Walk by the lake and just lose yourself in your surroundings.
Nothing is structured except meal times.
Your fee includes
Neat and clean lodging in either Cole Lodge or Our quaint cottages.
The rooms in Cole Lodge sleep 2 and have their own bathrooms.
The cottage rooms have adjoining rooms, each sleeping 2, with a shared bathroom.
All meals starting with dinner on Thursday night and ending with lunch/brunch on Sunday.

Optional: Mystery Quilt designed by our own Beth Karr (everyone will receive the clues)

A 6 foot table all to yourself as your work area
Ironing surfaces furnished by One Loose Thread
Raised cutting surfaces
Snack Area

Massage available
Lots of Laughter
Of course, a few surprises will be thrown into the mix. 
Any Questions should be directed to:

One Loose Thread Quilting, 630 Planters Drive, Columbia, S. C. 29209

630p@bellsouth.net

Questions? Call 803-776-5801---the Studio

#OLTQuiltRetreats, what I have learned and other things

The monthly meeting of the Devine Quilters, Inc was held last night. Jordan was the speaker for our program and her topic was Social Media. Which is a really good one for those of us that use this platform for communication. That is those of us, over a certain age, that are trying to use this platform for communication. I did learn alot from her discussion. Hashtags are still confusing to me, but, I am going to keep trying. I have decided that every time I post about Quilt Camps or Quilt Retreats that I will use #oltquiltretreats and send the postings on to instagram.....................Eventually, I will figure out how this stuff works.

Did you know that you can actually have political discussions and they NOT be in your public forum on Facebook. Thank goodness that can happen....now, if it just would happen that would be fabulous!!

Yes, I'm just sitting here typing (keyboarding) away and I should be loading one of the last quilts for a client for Christmas. I'll do that later. We really haven't had a nice post in a while, so let's see what I can come up with.

This is Loosey. The top photo was her 'head shot' from Team Stinky Kiss. The one on the bottom was taken by me in July of this year. She has now turned a year old!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOOSEY!!! No, her behavior is the same. This girl is showing no signs of slowing down. Rocky is just tolerating her.....at least that's what he says, but I know better. They think I'm not looking when they play and snuggle.

Mr. OLT is doing well at this point. (Don't tell him I mentioned him..he hates it) He starts treatments on Thursday and then once a week for 6 weeks. Then, once a month. After that once a year for the rest of his life. He has been working on getting his stamina back so that he will have a little easier time with these treatments. I just hope all goes well.

One Loose Thread Quilting has been going steadily along. Thanks to all of my faithful clients both new and not so new. I will finish all of your Christmas quilts by my December 1st deadline and then I can work on some of mine. For those of you waiting for tops that you gave me months and months ago, thank you for your patience. I will be working on those over the next few months and if they are Edge to Edge quilting you will see them very soon. To my custom clients, progress has been slow, but, you will have your show quilts in time for their completion and entry.

If you are planning on having me quilt one of your custom quilts in 2018, then now is the time to get on that list. I am already scheduling into April and May for custom quilting. You know I am very slow at that, but, so far, we have all been pleased with the results I am getting.

 However, if edge 2 edge is what you need, I can normally turn those around in 2 weeks or less.

I have really gotten behind on posting quilts to the blog too. I'll work on being better with that in the New Year. Can you believe that it is almost 2018?? I sure can't. I don't know where time goes, but, I do know that this computer 'sucks up' a lot of it.

 So that said..................be on the look out for Spring Quilt Camp #oltquiltretreats to post on December 1st. As registrations come in they will receive a number and when I reach a certain number, registrations will revert to a waiting list. I'm looking forward to and already planning surprises for February Camp.

I'm going back to work now!! We'll talk soon.

GO SEW SOMETHING!!!

WE Have a Winner!!!

Marolyn Floyds quilt won Best Machine Quilting at the Aiken Quilt Show this year. I am so very proud to have had a part in working on this beautiful piece.

Customize your own slideshow design

If you have time, check out the show at the Aiken Museum.

I HATE RUMORS!!!!!

Yes, I do hate to hear rumors. Especially when people can 'go to the source', ask the owner of the business and not depend on hear say.

So, here we go, as it appears that I need to set some people straight!!

#1.   One Loose Thread is not, I repeat NOT, discontinuing quilt camps. 

#2.   The OWNER of One Loose Thread......that would be ME.............can determine when any event is a sell-out. No one else makes these decisions and I should NEVER have to explain myself to anyone as to why a particular decision is made...........THIS IS MY BUSINESS. If I want to 'sell out' an event at 10 people, I could do that. If I want to wait and 'sell out' an event at 40 people, I could do that. This is MY decision to make. There is so much thought and preparation that goes into something like this that it gives me nightmares sometimes.

#3.    As it stands right now, I will continue the same number and dates of events through 2018 and beyond. IF and I really mean IF I decide to cancel one, add one, shorten one, lengthen one (which I have done) You, the Frayed Knots, will be the first to know. I have always said that I would continue Quilt Camp as long as it was fun. Please people, don't make it 'not fun'.

#4.   All of my clients and the 'Frayed Knots' know that they can come to me at any time and discuss policy, make suggestions, criticize, or heaven forbid, tell me I'm doing a good job. I will listen, evaluate, and do what I think is the right thing for me and MY BUSINESS. 

BUT KEEP IN MIND, I am always trying to make your experience at camp fun and different. So, quit talking behind my back and come to me if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks. I will now get off of my soapbox and go sew.


ONE LOOSE THREAD

REGISTRATION FOR FALL QUILT CAMP IS NOW OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    

Fall Quilt Camp with One Loose Thread

Gravatt Conference Center, Aiken, S. C. 

Tuesday, November 7 – Friday, November 10, 2017

This is a UFO event. You work on your own projects and just have a relaxing good time. 
All meals are provided by the fantastic Gravatt kitchen!  No dishes to wash!!! 
Walking paths all over the camp so that you can get your daily exercise. Walk by the lake and just lose yourself in your surroundings.
Nothing is structured except meal times.
Your fee includes
Neat and clean lodging in either Cole Lodge or Our quaint cottages.
The rooms in Cole Lodge sleep 2 and have their own bathrooms.
The cottage rooms have 2 adjoining rooms, each sleeping 2, with a shared bathroom.
All meals starting with dinner on Tuesday night and ending with lunch/brunch on Friday.

A 6 foot table all to yourself as your work area
Ironing surfaces furnished by One Loose Thread
Raised cutting surfaces
Snack Area

Massage available
Lots of Laughter
Of course, a few surprises will be thrown into the mix. 
Any Questions should be directed to:

One Loose Thread Quilting, 630 Planters Drive, Columbia, S. C. 29209

Attention: Joyce Greer

630p@bellsouth.net

Who/What is One Loose Thread?

My name is Joyce Greer and I am a retired dental hygienist. I practiced dental hygiene for 42 years and loved most of it. I'm married with 2 grown 'children' and 3 grandchildren. Rocky and Loosey are my constant companions and supply most of the humor in my life.

My business, ‘One Loose Thread’ is basically 2 parts. First and foremost (to pay the bills) I am a longarm quilter and have been for about 7 years. I do both digital and hand guided quilting for my clients. I do live in Columbia and work out of my home.

One Loose Thread conducts 4 retreat per year and mostly at Gravatt Camp and Conference Center just outside of Aiken, SC.  I limit attendance to no more than 40 as that gives all of us room to 'breathe' and work.That also splits us into two buildings to give us space.

The February retreat features a mystery quilt designed by a friend and is totally optional for the campers. Everyone receives the clues but you don’t have to work the quilt. We try to arrange them where you can work on any of your UFO’s and complete the mystery top at the same time.

May Mester happens in mid May and is a teaching retreat. For the last 6 years I have had a Certified Judy Niemeyer instructor teaching Quiltworx patterns. This year I had one group working with her and another group working their UFO’s in another building. One year I brought in 2 teachers and we had two different classes for the weekend. In 2018 I know that I will have my CI Karen Conley back to work with the Judy fanatics, and I am currently working on the possibility of having something different taught in the other building.

Summer Camp is held in August and is the longest of my camps at 5 days. This is a total UFO retreat for the campers. Periodically, I will throw in a charity project for all of us to work with, but, that is totally optional.

Fall Camp Is held in November and is a ‘mid week’ camp from Tuesday until Friday. This is also a UFO retreat. It gives us a chance to complete many of our Christmas presents or start a new project.

Massage is available at each retreat with the exception of May Mester. Smoking is not allow at anytime during a One Loose Thread retreat and we also don't allow political discussions. These are the only hard and fast rules of my events.

Costs for each retreat vary depending on time of the week, whether or not there are classes offered, and type of accommodations.

Fees include: All food (and it’s really good too), lodging in either a motel type of room or a cottage type of room. I furnish a 6 foot table to every participant and I also furnish all electrical from the wall to the sewing pod. One Loose Thread also furnishes the raised ironing and cutting surfaces for the groups. There are also a lot of surprises included in the mix.

Everyone who attends a retreat with OLT becomes a ‘Frayed Knot’. I have a fabulous and diverse group and we welcome everyone.The dates for upcoming retreats are:

Fall Quilt Camp-November 7 - 10, 2017

Looking for Spring- February 22-25, 2018

May Mester - May 17 - 20, 2018  May 17-20 or 22, 2018

Summer Camp - August 8 - 12, 2018

Fall Quilt Camp - November 6- 9, 2018

If you are my 'friend' on Facebook or 'like' my business page then you will always know when registration begins for each event.

Registration for Fall Quilt Camp 2017 will begin within the next few days, so, stay tuned!

Loosey!! LOAD THE TRUCK!! IT'S TIME FOR A QUILT RETREAT!!!

This has been a very busy day and I'm still not ready to go yet. But, let's see what I have accomplished.
1. All of the name tags have been printed. They are not yet in the holders, but, I'll get that in a bit.
2. Tablecloths are washed and folded
3. The centerpieces for the tables have been cut and are ready to go.
4. The favors for Saturday night are made, they just need to be wrapped.
5. I have cut 100's of 5" squares for us to make coasters for the QSC Spring Meeting
6. I have printed one of the patterns for the QSC Presidents Challenge and gathered several bolts of fabric to be used for that purpose.
7. I have the important wine purchase done.
8. All of the quilts that I have to deliver are bagged and ready.
9. The Electrical cords have been counted out for each sewing area.
10. The cutting mats are packed

I could go on and fill a full page of what has been going on, but, you could easily get bored with that.
Now, what projects am I taking to work on?
Well, The first thing on the list is to finish Bonnie Hunters mystery for this year, 'EnProvence'.

This one is Bonnie's----not mine.

Well, that was the one we started in 2016, so I'm not really behind yet. All of the units are ready and all I need to do is put them all together.........I think.
The second project I am taking is my English Paper Piecing bag with Dear Jane and Patchwork of the Crosses in it.

This is the pattern for 'Patchwork of the Crosses'. I am doing a BOM of this using 30's reproduction fabrics.This will provide me a change from machine stitching.
The third project is my Judy Niemeyer quilt from May Mester 2017...Vintage Rose.

 I only have a few units of that complete, so whatever I get done this week will be wonderful. It won't get finished though. This is my choice of colors for this quilt. Of course, Purple, orange and white. GO TIGERS!!!

This is one of my longer retreats. Everyone arrives on Wednesday afternoon. We sew, we eat, we laugh, we cry. We go shopping since there are 2 quilt shops equi-distance from Camp.

My massage is scheduled for Friday morning, and I know I'll really need it by that time. Brandi is so good to us and makes us feel so much better. Without her, I don't think I could sew for 5 days in a stretch.

We will all pack up to go home on Sunday. It's always a sad time and I really hate to see everyone leave. But, I know they'll be back. Some will return in November. Many I won't see again until February. And, there are those that only come in for May Mester. Then there are a few that can't come back until next August. I'll miss everyone, but, that's the nice thing about the internet and Facebook, we all keep in touch and when we are together again...........it's like we never left.

I'll try to post some pictures as we go though the week, but, I won't promise because I stay pretty busy,especially since we are sewing in two seperate buildings.

Have a great week and LET'S GO SEW!!!

Quilt Retreat Preparation

Shame on me!! I did not take the first picture yesterday and it was an epic day!!

In the studio it was a 'sweat shop' to get the favors ready for Summer Camp. I always try to give everyone something handmade. Pat is the one that usually make these things for me, but, this year, the project I picked was a little to time consuming and I didn't leave her enough time to get them done. So, yesterday, Pat, Alexis ( my granddaughter) and I worked to complete a totally new project. Piper was invited, but, her mother said that she had other things to do and would not be interested. We really missed her.

I cut everything out on the Studio cutter and then we all got together and ironed, stitched, turned and counted until all of them were complete. Pat still has a few more to turn and they will be ready.We had a blast!! I love it when my Grandchildren are in the studio with me. Alexis loves it when she can sit and stitch with her Aunt Pitty Pat and me too.

So, that part of the prep is ready to go. I have been working on this project this week.

I promised Mary that I would have it ready for her at Quilt Camp and I believe it will be ready to go. If all goes well today, I will finish it by tomorrow afternoon (Sunday). Just in time for me to start getting everything together for camp.

Mr. OLT is home this weekend and thanks to a great surgical team and all of your prayers, he is doing well. We will be looking at additional surgery in the weeks to come, but, for now he is in a recovery stage. The future is bright, but please keep those prayers coming. He, Dusty, and Austin are working on a project here at the house that needs to be taken care of so that will take up their day while I work on the pachyderm.

Mr. OLT had a birthday yesterday. Many family members gathered for pizza, beer, and birthday cake. It was so good to have so many of us together in one place. Those who could not attend, were missed.

OK, enough of this for today. I'm off to stitch!!! I hope your day is full of smiles and giggles. Just don't let anyone steal your JOY.

LET'S GO SEW!!!!

Mr. One Loose Thread Quilting

Ok here goes:

Many of you know that 'something' has been going on at One Loose Thread. Well, the news is good and bad. Notice I put the 'good' first.

Several weeks ago Mr. OLT was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Now wait, this is not a death sentence!! The feeling has been if the tumor had not penetrated the bladder wall then this could be treated with either chemo or radiation. The tumor was removed Wednesday, June 28. All went well and we were told it would be at least a week before the pathology results were in. Mr. OLT received a call from his surgeon last night. The borders of the tumor are CLEAN!!! That's the great news. However, he wants to go back in in a few weeks and have another look around. Apparently there was so much bleeding that he could not see a particular area of interest. So, that is where we are with that currently. Keep praying please that we continue to get good news on this front. Mr. OLT meets with the surgeon again on July 12th and we will know more about that then.

OK, so that was the first hit.

Secondly, Mr. OLT, at the sametime was diagnosed with cancer in the lower lobe of his right kidney. This is also not a death sentence. Once the dust has settled from the bladder situation then he will have that lobe of the kidney removed and everyone expects a good outcome from that.

Mr. OLT is a 35 year cancer survivor. At the age of 35 his surgeon walked out of the operating room and said, "Mrs. Greer, if your husband had not been so young, I would have just closed him up and not removed his right lung." Dr. John Brown was a wonderful surgeon. Mr. OLT had the right lung removed due to lung cancer. He went through weeks of radiation and that was the end of that, until now. We have been so lucky and we certainly hope that God continues to smile on us.

So, there ya go. I appreciate all of your prayers at this time. If you call, I'll just cry, so just understand that I have a hard time with sympathy. I have good days and bad days, but, everything so far is looking really good. Please just keep praying and I'll keep you posted. For now, we just stay the course and look to the future.

SO................Let's go sew!

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR SUMMER CAMP 2017!!!

Summer Camp!!!

Gravatt Conference Center, Aiken, S. C. 

Wednesday August 9-Sunday August 13, 2017
There is also a 3 day option available!!

This is a UFO event. You work on your own projects and just have a relaxing good time. 

All meals are provided by the fantastic Gravatt kitchen!  No dishes to wash!!! 
Walking paths all over the camp so that you can get your daily exercise. Walk by the lake and just lose yourself in your surroundings.
Nothing is structured except meal times.

Your fee includes:
Neat and clean lodging in either Cole Lodge or Our quaint cottages.
The rooms in Cole Lodge sleep 2 and have their own bathrooms.
The cottage rooms have 2 adjoining rooms, each sleeping 2, with a shared bathroom.
All meals starting with dinner on Wednesday night and ending with brunch on Sunday.

A 6 foot table all to yourself as your work area
Ironing surfaces furnished by One Loose Thread
Raised cutting surfaces
Snack Area

Massage available
Lots of Laughter
Of course, a few surprises will be thrown into the mix. 

Any Questions should be directed to:

One Loose Thread Quilting, 630 Planters Drive, Columbia, S. C. 29209

Attention: Joyce Greer

630p@bellsouth.net

Additionally, If the registration form (check out the top of this page) does not print out on one page....email me and I will send you a nice PDF of the form. I can't seem to figure out how to do that on Blogger.

What a DEVINE Weekend

Well, it's Monday morning and I am in 'reflection' mode. Our guild held its inaugural Studio Tour just this past Saturday. This is an event that I have wanted to happen for years. How nice it was when someone stepped up to the plate and took on the job. Sally and her committee set out to have a very professionally done event and they accomplished their goal. It was a year in the planning and, just like Christmas, was over in a flash.

The committee named the tour 'The Needle and Thread' tour so that in the future other types of studios can be added. Those of us whose studios were on the tour spent the last year getting our studios ready by cleaning (never get all of the dust) and adding organizational elements to share with our friends. I wish I had photos to share of the other studios, but, I was busy here and didn't get to any of the others. Hopefully I can visit them over the next few months. However, Here are a few photos o
f my studio and studio annex.

This is where I store some projects on the top 2 shelves. Now, on the bottom shelf I have bobbin storage.

I use athletic shoe boxes from 'The Container Store' with dividers. I use only Superior Bottom Line Super Bobs, so I now have every color neatly at my finger tips.

My new thread wall, in the Annex, is my latest 'favorite thing'. It is 4' x 16' of slat wall and it is slowly filling with my favorite threads. I currently have all of Superiors Omni, Sew Fine and I am building my collection of Magnifico and Fantistico and MicroQuilter. That's on one end and the other is my collection of Fit-Tec Glide....I still have a long way to go with that one. My wall of Sew Fine is in the Studio where Olivia Gammill resides. Since I use her for most of my custom quilting, it is readily available there.

The other nice aspect added to the Annex this year was my Accucut corner.

Now I have all of my dies off of the floor. They are labeled so that I actually know what I have and no longer order duplicates. They are laying on shelf brackets so that they don't have to lay on top of each other which is not the way to store them. I also have my heat press in that corner. It is only used for T-shirt quilts so it is out of the way, but, accessable when I need it.

During the tour Penelope Statler worked very hard and managed to quilt 3 Quilts of Valor. She stitched from 8 that morning until about 5 that afternoon. NOT ONE THREAD BREAK!!!! through the entire time. I'll put the binding on those today and be ready to turn them over the next time I see Anne Mixon.

Well, that's it for now. I am in the Studio for today and then tomorrow I am off on a retreat with my Sister and some friends. This has been a very busy month and things won't slow down until after May Mester (that I have not cut the first paper on my project yet). Thankfully my clients are very patient with me and have not yet started complaining. I will spend June, July and most of August catching up on my clients custom quilts. The edge to edge quilting just rolls right along and I am still in that 2 week window of turn around.

So, I'm off to work. Hope you have a pleasant day?

May Mester 2017 registration is closed.

Registration for May Mester 2017 has closed

Sorry to miss you this year. Maybe some other time.

Stay tuned for more fun times with One Loose Thread, LLC. Summer camp is coming up in August. Registration will begin in just a few months.

Longarm Quilting and My Home Quilt Guild

Only about 6 weeks until the 'Needle and Thread Tour' with the Devine Quilt Guild in Columbia, S. C. and there are 7 studios involved. We are in three different areas around Columbia and NO THEY ARE NOT ALL LONGARM STUDIOS. Buy your tickets and spend a Saturday with us in beautiful Columbia, S.C. visiting these studios. Get ideas to use in your own sewing space. The studios range in size from a small room to half a house, so there is a lot to see. Enjoy a light lunch on the grounds of one studio and learn about the charities that Devine supports with their quilting efforts. Visit a large quilt exhibit in one of the premier retirement communities and shop at several of the local shops. It will be a fun 'girlfriend' day and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

All of us are 'sprucing up' just a little and trying new ways to organize and store threads and fabrics, just so we all get some new ideas. Feel free to share your ideas with us too so that we can get more use from our sewing spaces.

Tickets are available for purchase here on a secure site:

DEVINE NEEDLE AND THREAD TOUR TICKETS

Now, as to what I am working on:

I am spending an hour or two each morning working on my English Paper Piecing project of Dear Jane. I have a grand total of 3 blocks completed, but, you know what they say about being 'slow and steady'.

Also under my needle with Penelope Statler is a beautiful Double Wedding ring quilt I am custom quilting with some beautiful digital designs and maybe some freehand ones too.

Olivia and I are working to finish a wool applique quilt after I un-stitched the border that I didn't like. I also have a few corrections to make on a quilt that I finished before camp. Just a couple that will only take a few minutes. I love having that quilt back in the studio...who knows, I just might have to keep it for display during the tour??? Maybe.

That's a few of the things going on at One Loose Thread,LLC this week. Hope this finds you well and in a place where you can apply needle and thread to fabric.

Have a great week,

Longarm Quilting

This has been a really fun type of weekend. I had a bag of Quilts of Valor tops to dig into and so, I did. A few weeks ago I did 3 tops. This weekend I quilted another 3 tops. Today (Sunday) I put the binding on all six (6) of those tops. So, I really feel as though I have accomplished something. I'll post pictures of these later. Tomorrow, I'll load another client quilt on Penelope Statler and work with that. I have some corrections to make on some custom client quilts, so, that will be the focus for Olivia this coming week. Pictures of all of this later this week. Have a great start to your week.

Longarm Quilting

I haven't actually written a post in many months. That is one thing that I used to do at the end of almost every day. I am going to try to do better with that. So, let's go back several months and see what's been going on.

These are a few of the quilts that I worked on last year. It was an interesting year and it seemed that I had a lot more custom quilting than I had in previous years. In the last few weeks I may have discovered why that is happening.

You see, I have been told by several people that they understand that I am so busy that I am not taking in any new clients!! THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT TRUE!!! I stopped taking in Christmas Quilts in October because I knew that I could not get them done in time for Christmas. However, that did not mean that I was no longer taking client quilts for delivery after Christmas. Without edge to edge quilting, a longarmer cannot stay in business. That is the bread and butter of the longarm business.

Then I have clients, old and new, that tell me that they will bring me their custom/special quilting and take their edge to edge quilting to someone else. Why?........because they have been told that I am to busy to do anymore edge to edge quilting. THAT IS NOT SOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Therefore, let's set the record straight. I am in the business of longarm quilting. I have 2 machines. One does edge to edge with computer assistance and the other is hand guided and I use that one strictly for custom quilting. Both machines can run at the same time. I can multi-task. I am accepting new clients. My prices are posted on this blog and they are baseline prices. I have pick up and delivery at Pieces & Patches Quilt Shop in Lexington, SC. I will meet with clients in my home studio. Many clients mail their tops to me for quilting and that works well. I have been known to drive to Aiken, Summerville, and other areas for pick up, delivery and lunch. I love my job.

So, there you have it. That's where I am right now. I have hosted a total of 70 or so quilters at two retreats since November of 2016 and I have Maymester 2017 coming up shortly. I still have a couple of spaces for this wonderful Judy Niemeyer weekend under the direction of CI Karen Conley. Retreats are going well and I am into my 10th year of conducting these retreats. Normally I have 3 UFO retreats and 1 teaching retreat. I am currently in discussions regarding a teacher for 2018 so if you have any special requests, let me know. CI Karen Conley has been with me for 5 years??? and we have discussed the possibility something different. Of course, everytime we do that, the 'Frayed Knots' talk us out of it and schedule Karen for another class. It is possible to have 2 teachers at MayMester and I have done that before and may try it again.

I do have a new addition to the studio:
Meet 'Loosey'

She came to live with us on Christmas Ever 2016 at the ripe old age of 3 months. She really has her hands full keeping Rocky straight, but, she is up to the task. Loosey is part Lab,spaniel,beagle,and some other stuff...but, the real part is that she is a sweetie and she is training us very well.

I guess that's it for now. Want to see a couple more quilts?

Hope you have a great weekend,
Let's go sew!!!