Leaderboard

Yes, Ron and Sharon are transferring ownership to Patricia Ritter. Ron is still making the boards but has stepped away from order fulfillment personally. The owners of Miracle Chalk have also sold their business to her. She is a force of nature and deserves all the success she has achieved. Surprisingly, both R&S and Miracle Chalk owners are here in Olympia---and members of my quilt guild. I'm rubbing shoulders with quilt legends!

I was fortunate to be able to quilt Three of these baby Quilts for the same customer. She Used the Pattern Mommy and Me. She used a white on White Fabric That had a 1" diamond grid printed on it for the Background in the center area as soon as I saw that that I wanted to practice some grid work . I just went for it what do you think do you practice on customers quilts? Hope you have a great Day.

Hello all, I relocated to Idaho and am in the process of building a home. I could not wait until a house was built to start quilting so I had a shed built. We finished the inside and this is now my very happy place. Jamie Bennett Quilts & Clay

As my daughter's school celebrated the 10th Anniversary of The History Channels, "Take A Vet To School Day" program. It is a program the media specialist brought to our school 10 years ago. Normally, we celebrate a day or so before Veterans Day, but with the school calendar, we brought about 100 veterans to the school to honor them for serving our country on 3 November. In honor of her service to our veterans, I made a quilt with messages of good will from the veterans celebrating with us last year. They signed on inkjet print fabric. I then heat set it a few weeks later. Below are some pictures of the quilt. She loved the quilt, and could not believe that I started working on this last year. The back was just a beige star covered fabric, and none of the quilting showed unless you are close up. I am rather happy with the way it turned out. Cagey Cagey

I did a little experiment at a retreat doing some improv curved piecing. I was using scraps from a fellow retreater they were cast off from a judy niemeyer quilt so odd shaped triangles mostly. I made four main clusters of curved pieces then added the putty fabcic to pull the pieces together Once they were sewn together the face emerged. A pleasant surprise. I then quilted it with a contrasting 40 weight thread. This piece was juried into the Canadian NJS that is in Ottawa this week. I did not win a ribbon but I have my quilt hanging with some very impressive quilts. I do not do this kind of quilts and stretched myself artistically to make it. I am pleased with the overall project. This piece is 20" x 20"

I haven't been sharing for a while. Here is a quilt Sharon W pieced and I quilted for our local hospice. I shared with Sharon a photo off of Facebook of a quilt made like this one and she made her own pattern. The two of us are a team and make 3 or more quilts each week 20190404_115445 by Dell Dunman, on Flickr 20190404_115451 by Dell Dunman, on Flickr

I know that I am one person who is thankful to be an APQS owner, and thankful to know that there are people with expertise and knowledge building these machines, and available to help me out. That gives me some confidence in jumping in to work on my craft. I hope that all of you who will be enjoying this appreciation day, know how much you are appreciated by all of us out here in sewing land!! Thanks for all you do!

I did a bit of thread work to enhance the printed panel of these dahlia flowers. The customer had added flange border around all the blocks so first off I sewed that down so it did not catch. then did loops and leaves in the narrow areas and feathers in the center thicker areas. this was fun to do.

Finished the first of Three Dinner Plate Dahlia’s. This color way is called “Summer in Cabo”. Although it takes almost 56 hours to quilt they are amazing. I don’t have a computer on my Millie so they are hand guided Enjoy the photos. I will post the second of the three in another post.

Hi Judy. I've successfully quilted many pillow cased quilts without any issues. Most of them are not too big, though... baby and lap size. What is the size of this quilt? If you are nervous about the rolling and maybe getting pleats, I suggest that you pin baste it every five inches... (doesn't need to be safety pins... corsage pins are fine)... and then roll it on the frame and unpin as you quilt. It should quilt just fine... don't pull or tug too much tension while it's on the frame. I've actually been brave enough to pillow case a baby quilt made of minkee on both sides (yes call me crazy) and I quilted several of these. Talk about hugging a cloud! Good luck!

Just want to wish you all a wonderful Mothers Day to all of you on this forum and to the staff at APQS.

My mother was a hoarder. Her favorite item was paper of all kinds. She died last November and we are slowly cleaning out her house. My sister who will inherit the house is in no hurry to leave Florida for the weather we are experiencing here (14 inches of snow, followed by another snow storm, and temperatures in the teens). For those of you in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Alaska, I can hear the "you weeny", LOL but I digress. Last week when cleaning out a drawer, I found a birth announcement for a childhood friend along with a picture of her in the hospital bassinet which looked like a wire basket. My daughter, who has been helping me, tells me it is like a treasure hunt. That's one way to look at it!

Maribeth: I've been quilting for over 10 years now. Started with a KenQuilt stretched 622. moved to a P17.(a Singer 201 based stretched machine), and then to a Gammill Classic, and a year later added my APQS Ult 2. I've had the Ult 2 for nearly 9 years. Having had a couple of "lesser" machines, I really appreciate the design and quality of the Gammill and APQS. I do the occasional commission quilt as well as most of the quilting for our sewing group, and have probably quilted about 1000 quilts over my quilting "life". I'm happy to share some of the insights I've gained as a result of my experience, and hope my thoughts are helpful to the folks here on the forum. Jim

Ok, as it is the backing, then the bobbin tension is winning. Thus you have to tighten the top tension or loosen the bottom tension. A technique I have learned is to write your name in cursive in the overage areas of the quilt sandwich to check your tension settings. You normally have to change directions when you write your name, and you have already learned the muscle memory to write it well.

Purchased in 2014, this machine was only used lightly. APQS Millie with Bliss Track System and the motor that turns the rails. Purchased everything for around $21,700. Price reduced to $12,995 (Feb 16, 2019)

2008 APQS Millennium with Quilt Glide and Thread Cutter (Serial Number A 05272) Fly Wheel Cover 12’ Bliss Table with Plexiglass and Lexan table tops Turbo Bobbin Winder Original Owner’s Manual and DVDs Roller Brake (purchase price $59.95) Interchangeable Foot Kit: "Clog" foot, "Flip Flop" foot, "Sneaker" foot ($299 purchase price) ¼” hopping foot ($140 purchase price) Scoop Foot ($65 purchase price) Micro Handles ($199 purchase price) Hartley Base Expander, With Thread Cutter ($170 original purchase price) RulerMate ($149.99 purchase price) Original owner: The machine was purchased for personal use has been well maintained. A new hook system has been installed by owner. The machine is easy to maintain and time. I recently bought a 2019 Millennium which is a testament to the reliability of this brand of longarm quilting machine. The machine has been disassembled and can be shipped using a commercial carrier such as ABF. The approximate cost of shipping is $400-500. Located in NE Ohio PayPal

Thanks Jim and Shana. Jim -- I don't use my channel locks as I advance but I will start doing that. By just eyeballing it along the way it appears OK, but I don't see that gradual shift happening until but obviously it is. Shana -- thanks for the good instructions on the canvas leaders! I give this a try after I have my QOV quilt off the frame. I appreciate all suggestions!

"Beautiful in Orange" because it is!! gorgeous.

Thanks all, I guess I've been doing it right! Good to know. Thanks, sometimes these quilts are just too friendly!! Kathy B.

I talked to Quilters Dream customer service and one suggestion they had was lay batting out on bed and wack with a yard stick. Sent pictures but haven’t heard anything else. Next time I will be a wacking !

Just wanted to show everyone my new thread shelves. They were very inexpensive, $5.49 per shelf plus about 50 cents for the dowels to hold the bobbins. Each shelf holds 16 cones across, two deep. I added tiny dowels in front of each cone to hold the extra bobbins. I could, and may, put the shelves a little closer together and add a 6th shelf. I painted them red to match my new painted stairs. So far I love them.. I had the cone storage racks but always had to be very careful taking the cones off so I wouldn't knock off other cones.

When I get loops, it is usually because there is something wrong with the upper tension. Try tightening and see if the problem goes away. Jim PS: because Tut is cotton, check your bobbin case for hidden lint.

Wow! That is stunning. Love it!

Naming quilts is one of the things I struggle with. a couple of the cool names I have been given are "a Flutter of Orange" Orange you glad we have Butterflies" Butterfly Sunset

wow.....custom would look great.....give the board a hint on what your skill level is and they might be able to come up with some ideas......I am not at the level of being able to do custom for that quilt yet....I would have to come up with a simple plan.....my normal quilts are "busy" prints so my free hand meander, edge to edge doesn't show the mistakes so much.....

Amazing quilting. Congratulations on being juried into the show.

I live in Henderson, Kentucky, and would like to sell my 2011 Lucey. She has been used for my personal quilting only and has quilted around 30 quilts ranging in size from small wall hanging to queen sized bed quilt. A Hartley Base Expander model BE-101, a Leader Grips system, a bobbin winder, the manual and instructions in printed format and on DVD, and some miscellaneous supplies are included. My Lucey uses the small L bobbin. I have enjoyed using Lucey for the past several years but am now planning to move to smaller quarters that will not accommodate her. I am asking $7200.

Beauty!

Beautiful quilting, love the modified cross hatch.

Stunning work by both of yoU!

Gorgeous! You make a great team! Carol

Beautiful quilt, and the quilting is perfect.

ORN: I think Nolting will install an Intellistitch regulator on a Discovery, if that's what you're trying to get. They are expensive, the one on my Ult 2 cost me $3200 back in 2011. If you're just wanting a robotic machine, then if this Discovery has needle positioner, it would be a good candidate. If on the other hand you want a stitch regulated machine for hand guided quilting, you're probably better off looking for a machine that is already regulated, unless you can buy the Discovery really cheap. Jim

I am so sorry for the loss of this special quilt friend....what a wonderful friendship you must have had.

Beautiful story. So sorry for your loss. Hugs

I'm not sure where I got this idea, and might have been from Sharon, but I just sewed a double layer of fabric together and put a hem at the end to put the dowel rods and just used my clamps to attached. I made two sets, one is as wide as my quilting space and the other is the ones in the picture. I love this set up, and I don't have to use the curtain rods. I guess you could if needed, but this keeps my ruler base away from my quilting. Hope this helps

I am with Sharon, I love my scoop foot. It glides over the humps, it doesn't catch and flip the edge if I happen to go a bit too far and it doesn't hang up on my appliques, which I do a lot of.

6.5 inches

I would give that one back. I prefer working with t-shirts that are 100% cotton and using a woven stabilizer. I have found that the dry fit t-shirts don't work very well either. As stated by InezR, sew slowly over the designs. I like t-shirt quilts that have a little fabric around the blocks, not just blocks of t-shirts to add contrast and interest. A friend of mine used a "water" fabric as the base for her daughters water skiing t-shirts. Adorable! Here's one of mine:

I thought I'd share my experience and the response I rec'd from Quilters Dream regarding the wool batting bearding through the lion quilt I made for my son. I used black fabric and a darker red and the bearding was DREADFUL on both front and back of the quilt after washing/drying. I was devastated and emailed the company with the photos. I purchased one of those sweater shaver things and used that over the entire quilt - front and back. It helped quite a bit, but it will never be the same as when I made it I'm sure. :-( There was no bearding on any of the gold fabrics. Below the photos is the copy/pasted response from QD Customer Service. "We have found that many high quality fabric manufacturers use a sulfur-based chemical in their dyeing process (especially when dying dark and vivid colors like reds and dark blues). The sulfur is very good for fabrics because the sulfur molecule is five-sided, which causes a strong bond and makes the colors very color-fast. The disadvantage to the “attraction” created by having 5 sides is that more surfaces promote static electricity. (When you wear dark colors or a very vivid print, have you noticed that pet hairs and fuzz balls seem to stick to you? It isn’t your imagination – the sulfur has caused a static charge making everything stick.) In quilting, the combination of motion, handling, and weather (especially dry climates, machine dryers, or dry winter heating) will increase the static, causing the fibers of batting to ‘stand up’ like the hair on our arms and be drawn to the fabric. The solution is to break the static charge. You can use an anti-static spray, such as Static Guard both on finished and unfinished quilts. If you don’t have an anti-static spray, put a few anti-static dryer sheets in a spray bottle with water and sprits both the fabric and the batting (or the finished quilt). This will not cause the fibers to pull back in, but it will prevent more from bearding through. You can use a sweater shaver or lint roller to remove the batting "balls" from the surface once you have thoroughly sprayed the quilt with anti-static spray. When you wash your quilt, use fabric softeners in the washer and anti-static sheets in the dryer. It is also helpful to remove the quilt from the dryer before it is totally dry and hang it. Do not store the finished quilt or your quilts-in-progress in regular plastic bags as this really promotes static electricity. Using a humidifier in the workplace not only cuts down on static, but is great for your skin! The anti-static spray really works well in my own experience - a dark purple quilt that I had problems with completely stopped bearding after I sprayed it. I hope this information is helpful and that you will not run across this problem ever again – it is truly the exception."

Awesome! What a cool set up!

Just off my quilt frame this week, "Surf Song" bargello. From the book Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts by Eileen Wright. Needed a king size quilt for my bed and instead of adding borders to make a king sized "Surf Song" I kept building the bargello to the edges. I quilted it with IQ and the panto Ripples by Lorien Quilting. I will make coordinating batik pillowcases and of course still need to bind the beast!! Robin in MT

It must be picture day today! I just finished binding this quilt I finished quilting right before Christmas. Yesterday was finally dry enough with a little break through light in the clouds so ran outside for pictures. This quilt is a takeoff of the SKOW Moroccan Vibe, enlarged to fit our bed to 96”x 117. This was the quilt I asked so many questions here about double batting and hopping foot height etc. It was certainly a learning experience in so many ways. Quilted on Lenni.

Hello Everyone, Yesterday, I received a package from Himself (a.k.a. RitaR's husband, Roland). Imagine my surprise when I found a ribbon and evaluation form, along with a letter from Roland. Here is what he had to say: Dear Betsy, Pray you and your family had a joyful and present Thanksgiving. Mine was enjoyable, spent with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids. Our quilt guild was in need of more quilts for our quilt show, so decided to enter the one you gals made for Rita. I was using it on the bed. It won a ribbon, so I'll send it on to you. I'm enjoying looking at it and reading the writing on it. I thank you gals again for making the quilt. She enjoyed when she first saw it, and was wanting to see it again later, but just never got up the strength to do it. Pray you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Rita's quilt won second place! I had tears in my eyes when I saw the ribbon and read Roland's letter. Wasn't that nice of him to send that for all of us to see? I know this was a group project, but I hope no one minds if I keep the ribbon. I never expected to have a quilt with my work win anything, and this means a lot to me.

Bedford Springs, a pattern by Wendy Sheppard, using Mary Koval's Simply Red fabric line, was pieced by a customer of mine. She added the inner red border and the corner stones in the outer border. The original pattern does not have an inner border. So Fine on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Hobbs 80/20. She wanted feathers and stippling around the inside of the red border. Bedford Springs (2) by Libby G, on Flickr Bedford Springs (3) by Libby G, on Flickr Bedford Springs by Libby G, on Flickr

Just finished my 2nd custom quilt with IQ. It is Deck the Halls by Claudia's Creations. The redwork is done with the Deck the Halls machine embroidery CD, The quilting is all done by IQ. I had this posted in Computer Aided Quilting but Gator thought I should post it here too so more people would see it. I added IQ in July 2016 and am loving it so far! I learned so much on this quilt but don't get much time to quilt on my own stuff, and do mostly panto's for customers, so I hope I can retain some of what I learned by the time I get to custom quilt again! Thanks for looking! Robin in MT

Just finished my 2nd custom quilt using IQ. I have had my IQ since July 2016 and have been doing panto's for the most part as that is what I do for customers. This quilt is called Deck the Halls and it is designed by Claudia's Creations. I did the redwork with Claudia's machine embroidery CD and I used my stash of Sentiments by Moda for the pieced blocks. I did all of the quilting with IQ. I learned so much that my head hurts!! and I hope I can remember it all by the time I do my next custom quilt. Thanks for looking! Robin in MT

This is a quilt we worked on this week. I'm very pleased with how it came out. Neila Kobloth made the quilt and I got the pleasure of quilting it. Quilt path and I did a great job if I have to say myself.

I went to the creative needle web site and purchased a different pattern. Thanks for the inspiration and information.

So Joann, do you quilt for others plus piece tops? Just curious..went to you web site and checked it out. I would say your prices are very reasonable. I have a full time job and do quilting as an hobby and make a few dollars to buy more fabric, but more out of a passion for quilting. Plus it is so-o-o-o much fun to get others hooked on quilting. I teach an adult ed quilting class so it is fun to watch them get excited about quilting. I do have a George and quilt a bit for others, but do not want to advertise the quilting part. I have 13 or so of my own that are all spray basted and ready to quilt and can't seem to find the time to do them. Had one lady ask if I wanted to quilt hers because she did not want to pay what the LQS charged--do you think that made me a bit mad? I told her I charge the same. Old bitty has enough money she could afford to pay full price anyway. Heck if I want to do it for nothing, I'll do my own. Any way, it is so nice to run into someone who feels the same why I do. Thanks a bunch!!!! Have a good day.