Catching up with Longarm Quilting

Yes, I was out of the studio for a full week, so, yes, I am really behind. I had a great time at the Myrtle Beach Quilt Party and I now understand why many of my friends have been attending these last 29 years. I'll certainly go back.

However, now to get back to work.

The first of this week I was working on the border of this Dinner Plate design and I kept having severe thread issues. I contacted Fil Tec (Hab+Dash) and they have replaced that thread. It was delivered today and I should be back to using the 60 weight thread by Monday. In the meantime, I have been working on the red areas of the quilt. I have arrived at the middle!!!

Obviously, you can't see the quilting in this picture, but, trust me, it is there. Tomorrow I will continue down the quilt and will hopefully finish the red areas and start the black areas. I am actually going to hold off on going back to the borders until the full interior of the quilt is completed.

What is shown here in the red is all of the quilting that has been done this week. It does not show the weeks+ stitch in the ditch that was done before I went to the beach.

I love every piece of this quilt. Carol had told me that she felt as though a lot of these quilts are done heavy in feathers, and I agree. What appears as 'feathers' on this quilt are what I call 'bat wings' and the swags are some type of leaf. They don't have the curve of a feather and I just love them.

This quilt has an 'edgy' feel to it, so there are a few curves, alot of spikes, plenty of lines, and there will even be some circles....

I've got a long way to go on this project, but, a very hard deadline that I am seriously trying to make. We'll be up early and work late over the next few days trying to make that deadline. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great weekend!!!

A day in the Life of a Longarm Quilter

OK, so this was day 2 of stitch in the ditch. Day 1 was totally unsuccessful and nothing was accomplished. I had thread breaks, skipped stitches and nothing but frustration.
Well, I spent 36 hours reading, studying, dreaming and problem solving with my brain and a few hundred longarm quilters. I figured there were several problems.

First: This is not the way that I loaded the top. I had originally loaded it where it rolled on the inside bar. That caused tension when I moved Penelope. The quilt rolled too 'fat' and caused some drag. So, when I started this morning I unzipped it and rolled it on the outside roller. That really helped alot.

Second: I really loosened the quilt sandwich. Not so sure it was to tight, but, that couldn't hurt.
Third: I cranked the tension back down on the primary tension disks. Then I really loosened the tension at the intermediate tensioner.
Started stitching and would you believe.................It's perfect........well, almost. I am still seeing some of the dark gray bobbin thread pull close to the top of the quilt, but, not so much that I'm concerned.
Long story short...........I quilted for over 6 hours with 1.............I repeat ....1 thread break. And, I went back to using Superior Monopoly on top.............It has been a glorious day!! PLUS the sun was shining outside!!!
I did not get to the half way point, but, things are moving faster, so hopefully tomorrow I can finish this part.
That's it for tonight...........I'm off to try out my new Air Fryer. We'll see how that goes. Now that things are moving along, I know I'll sleep better. So, until tomorrow!!!

The Story of a High Custom Quilt and the Life of a Longarm Quilter

It is January 2, 2019 and I have finally loaded this quilt on my frame. I am starting the quilt with it on Penelope Statler. I have had this top for over a month, but the client knew that I would not  be in a position to start work on it until now. I have also just received the digital designs for this quilt. Most of what I will be using is from Laurie Thomas of It's a Quilt Thing. I will use a few others from other designers and let you know what they are and I will also be doing some freehand work on the quilt.

The first decision that I needed to make was whether or not to add additional batting. My client wants Dream wool and that is a really good choice. However, I feel as though this quilt needs the additional stabilizing that a thin cotton, poly or blend black batting on the back would offer. So, I have added a layer of Hobbs 80/20 next to the black batik backing.
I have those on the frame and now comes the quilt top. Perfectly pieced by a Certified Judy Niemeyer instructor. It is the new Technique of the month, Dinner Plate Dahlia and it is beautiful (even though it is done in Georgia red and black------or Carolina garnet and black). Insert evil laugh and a big tiger paw!! It is also 100% batik fabrics. Not just the top, but, the backing too.
It took 5 hours to load and baste the quilt top on and now it is time to stitch.

January 3, 2019:
Well, I have spent the entire day with this quilt. To say it has been frustrating is an understatement. Bull Bat time could not get here fast enough. I am working on the stitch in the ditch that is really necessary on these tops. I started with a medium gray bottom line bobbin on a black and gray batik backing using first Superior monopoly smoke. Well, I was having thread breaks every few inches and when it wasn't breaking I was getting skipped stitches. Talk about frustration!!! So, I unquilted what I had stitched. Next it was Dark Gray in the bobbin and Clear Superior Monopoly on top............same thing. So..........I tried YLI clear thread with the dark gray in the bobbin......same. I also stopped plotting for the Statler, dropped the belts, put on the extended throat plate and started hand guiding the machine.........no change.
Finally, I decided I was exhausted from fighting with the process for the day. So I shut down and turned off the lights.
I have poured a glass of wine and I'm sitting here talking to you. I think that I have also decided to try Superior Microquilter tomorrow instead of invisible. Microquilter is 100 weight thread and should work well. Notice I said 'should'.
Once I get these 'bugs' worked out, things will begin to go smoother and faster. It is still going to be quite a journey. So, you are on board and we'll talk periodically to let you know the progress. So, what does the quilt actually look like? Well, this is a look at part of the top:

Remember, as I go forward with this, that this top is 100% square and perfectly pieced. Any problems that arise are typical of some that longarmers have, but, that are not usually known by our clients. I just thought you might be interested and it might also go well for you to understand why we charge what we do for our quilting.
Have a good evening and remember that 'Tomorrow is another day'..........