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I had a marathon quilting session on the Easter weekend (April 3-6). I successfully long-arm quilted two queen-size quilts and one king-size quilt in 2.5 very long days. There was a push for me to finish these all as we were visiting my mother-in-law who has a king-sized frame (mine only holds up to a queen) and since I had 4 days up there I decided it was the perfect opportunity to focus and complete these quilts. The downside was that after 13 hour days my arms started to hurt. Turns out I gave myself “tennis elbow”. I have been

I volunteer my longarm quilting services for Project RED, an organization that makes quilts which are then given to local agencies such as Grand River Hospital Pediatrics and Children’s Aid, as well as those in need around the world. This time I received two panels to make up. It was great practice for my new pantograph “Modern Twist”. The first quilt is a Mary Engelbreit piece. You can see the quilting very nicely on the back. The second is a tractor. Do you make crafts for charity and, if so, what do you make?

On Saturday I took my first quilting class by Karen Kay Buckley where we learned how to machine applique. Karen was gracious enough to snap a photo with me after a long day of learning and sewing: Karen Kay Buckley & I In addition to learning and playing with a machine applique piece, I also went shopping at her display. I bought an adjustable square which I am sure will save me a lot of time and money on individual rulers. This gives me as small as 4″ and as large as 24.5″ to square up my quilt! Here is

I recently discovered podcasts. I love how you can search for any topic and find a plethora of shows. When I first started I discovered “Canadian Quilt Talk”. Brandy Lynn has a way of asking just the question that I’m thinking as the guest is discussing their expertise. “Canadian Quilt Talk is a weekly online podcast that aims to inspire quilters and fibre artists alike with tips, tricks and the latest products.” (source) It is with great pleasure that today I am the guest speaker on Brandy Lynn’s show, discussing tips for quilters who are considering taking their quilt top

In November 2013 I created this commissioned baby blanket with the German version of the “Three Little Piggies” poem inscribed in thread on the outer borders. This is one of the first quilts I made on my long-arm machine and frame using a free-motion loop pattern. Read more about this quilt here Photo Credit: More Than A Mom I’m sharing at these blog parties.

I was nominated on Facebook to show three works I have made for 5 days. I have already posted some on my More Than A Mom blog but I thought the subject was interesting and I want to share them with The Ruthless Crafter blog also. You may enjoy reading about my quilting journey as I increase the complexity of techniques and as the sewing machines I use have evolved. This queen-sized quilt was made for my cousin Diana​’s wedding in November 2010. I believe it was the second quilt I ever made. I used a walking foot on my

Many quilters I know (including myself) find the binding bitter-sweet. In some ways it is wonderful knowing that once complete your project is done. In other ways making and attaching the binding fabric is quite fiddly and time-consuming. Heather, from The Sewing Loft has created a picture tutorial “Quilt Binding Made Simple”. Credit: The Sewing Loft blog

I am starting to get quite a lot of scraps from my quilt and sewing projects. What to do with them? Make a scrap quilt. Sometimes I find scrap quilts are “messy” looking. This Scrap Jar Star quilt from Gigi’s Thimble is stunning and doesn’t look very scrappy at all. Visit her blog for a FREE tutorial on creating this lovely piece of art (and scrap eater!!).

I had the pleasure of long-arm quilting this purple and green chevron baby quilt for Irene B. of Bear Hug Quilts. The pantograph used is Mod Dotz. This is just off the long-arm frames so the binding still needs to be complete. The flow of the swirls versus the hard lines of the chevron really captivates me. The back view of the quilt. I’m sharing this post at these linky parties.