Custom Quilting

 This quilt is now on the front cover of a pattern for a designer she loved feathers and asked for them to be a standout on the top.  I had a very wide border to play in, I used the paisley shape from the backing fabric as the spine for these Feathers.

APQS Dealership

 I have had my APQS Millenium machine since February 2008, and am very happy to say that I am now one of the New Dealers that have been appointed for Australia.  If you are thinking of purchasing a longarm machine and would like to try one out, please let me know as I would be happy for you to come and have a play on "Good Golly Miss Molly".

More information on APQS machines can be found at http://www.apqs.com/

She has had a few things attached to her since I got her, but they help my job of quilting.  The handiest thing I find is the pin cushion on the handles and the magentic clip I place my scissors on.  There is another pair of scissors at the back so I am never searching for scissors.  The thread catcher on the top is well used.  Once it is full I give the threads to keen embroiderers who use them for "something".

Serenstar

As I am classified as a Professional Quilter (yeah right!) there is only one category I can enter my own quilts in Queensland Quilt Show and this category only has one prize.  Unless I want to do Textile Art or Pictorial quilts - they are art works not quilts!!!!

 So I decided that one of my class samples this year I would quilt on my Janome 6600.  This is the resulting quilt.  Sample of an 8 pointed star.  Called Serenstar as Seren means Star in Welsh and this is a double star!!!  I knew I bought my longarm for a reason.  It is very tiring on the back and shoulders quilting on a table top, but it is completed and I love the back!

Afternoon Clouds

As I took out the rubbish this afternoon I looked up to see these beautiful cloud formations in the east.  They had more of the setting sun colours in them just before these shots, but I had to go back inside to get the camera.

What's on My Machine

I have had this customer quilt for too long, knowing that it wasn't due until May.  May it is, so I am slowly working on it.  Stitching charcoal on black hasn't made it much easier so it is definitely a day time task.

Amish type blocks and the customer prefers heavy quilting.  I hope I have it right.

The back of the whole quilt taken with the early morning sun shining from the side.  Otherwise very hard to photograph charcoal thread on a black backing fabric.

Half Square Triangles

When I started quilting I stated that I didn't like making quilts with triangles and squares. I spent two days of instruction with Marti Michell in Sydney and came away with a love of her templates.

Great for accurate piecing and accurate cutting.  Never did figure out how to cut your strips 7/8" bigger than your squares cut your triangle and sew that bias seam neatly and without stretching it etc.  Plus the triming of the dog ears!

So Marti's templates have you cut your strips the same width as your finished squares,  the corners are trimmed on her templates, so no ear trimming and if you put your two fabrics right sides together they are in pairs to take straight to the machine.  Hence the reason Featheration stitched so quickly (well the large stars).

But students don't always have the same gadgets I do so, to cut half square triangles from a jelly roll or a strip the same width as you cut for squares, you can use a normal square.  Etch a line from the 3/8" mark on the left hand side of a corner to the 3/8" mark on the right hand side of a corner.  The first picture shows this with some Omnigrid Glow Line tape.

You then line up the edge of the tape with the edge of your fabric strip.  The 45 degree line of your ruler goes on the vertical line of the fabric. ( Maybe I should have cut this on the example to show you.)

I have also shown the Easy Angle Ruler, all three rulers are doing the same thing.

If you trim the ends of your bindings before joining them this way, it takes all the guess work out of which way do I hold this to join them , or the joins not being straight.

Long Time Between Posts

It has been a long time since I posted as my Husband and I drove to Melbourne so that I could see my "Featheration" quilt hanging at the Australain Quilt Convention (AQC) with the 'best of the best'.

Only five quilts from each state are chosen to represent their state at this show.  There were other exhibits on show as well but I didn't linger long after I had seen my quilt.

The vendor mall was small compared to Houston.  I suppose every vendor mall will be small after that one!

We enjoyed spending extended time with family and friends even Hijacked a Donkey so that it could meet a gorilla.

So if my son ever realises it is missing he may know where to start looking.
 My daughter knows which bed it spent the most time on and  it is happy to be spending time there again!

Almost 5000km in 12 days but well worth the drive.

Got to spend  my daughter's  birthday with her and Easter with my grandson.  Was great to be able to wander the paddocks with him, always on the look out for snakes though.

He enjoys being outdoors and the cows on the other side of the fence fascinate him, as do the birds he constantly chases.

Now it is back to work, to complete a lot of quilts for customers who are hanging them in the Gatton In May 2011 show.