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!!!