DSM, Table-top LA, LA on Frame: a comparison

My dear friend Phyllis, asked me which I preferred for quilting: my domestic sewing machine (DSM), a sit-down long-arm (the HQ Sweet 16 I test-sewed) or a long-arm on a frame. I replied, in a perfect world, ALL 3!


So how about a comparison? I will start with the DSM.
PROS: Well, I already own 2 Viking Sapphires, which have a large throat for FMQ. They are portable (while really heavy) can be used anywhere, and stored away (as if I would do that!). Needles and threads can be easily purchased. The DSM can be used for a variety of sewing. I am very accustomed to these machines!
CONS: Even with a larger than normal throat, the area around the needle is short, and visibility is not great, I have a variety of tables arranged to hold my quilt as I work on it, but the quilts can still be heavy to move. Quilts need to be basted.
STILL: I like the ease of moving my fabric to create my stitch paths.

On to the Sit-Down long arm. These are the new "it" machines in the Quilting world. Gammill is bringing theirs out this year. Handi Quilter makes the Sweet 16, and Baby Lock has the Tiara (which are actually the same machines with different name badges). Bailey, Tin Lizzie and APQS have sit down machines as well. I have used both the HQSS and the Baby Lock versions. And WOW! I love the visibility!
PROS: The LED light ring around the needle, coupled with the height of the arm means you can see very well. That additional height and the width of the arm mean there is plenty of space for your quilts. These machines come with a custom table and do not take up a tremendous amount of space. For me, the quilting is the same as on my DSM: I move the fabric under the needle, so the learning curve of quilting on this is minimal.
CONS: table extensions (which are needed to hold your quilt) cost extra; these are specialized machines and the learning curve can be steep. You have to learn how to maintain the machine as well as learning how to operate it. Some can be adapted for use on a frame, others can not. Quilts need to be basted.
STILL: the movement of fabric is the same as with the DSM, so that is a plus!

The long arm on a frame. My line is: I will have a long arm when I grow up!
PROS: quilts are pinned to the frame, so any size quilt (depending on the length of frame rails) can be quilted easily, longer and higher throat to accommodate quilt bulk and enhanced viewing. Most come with optional stitch-regulator which can keep your stitches even as you learn. CAN use pantographs (pre-marked stitch paths)
Quilts can be basted on frame if needed.
CONS: Take up a lot of space, NOT cheap (although prices range from maker to maker and with or without bells and whistles), completely different from free-motion with a DSM or Sit-Down machine as you move the machine over the quilt. Learning curve for pinning on frame, tension, moving machine is steep, not impossible, but it does take practice. Needles, threads and supplies may not be easily and/or locally available.

The stitching on a long-arm on a frame vs. the stitching on a sit-down machine are distinctive, while they accomplish the same goal, the appearances are different. As a quilter, I really enjoy the quilting as well as the piecing, but it has taken years to feel confident with my FMQ. I know that going to a long-arm will frustrate me as I work to master the movement of the machine over the fabric, however, I still want one. We have a king-sized bed, and although I have FMQed king-sized quilts, they are heavy and basting on the floor is hard on my body.

I am planning on attending a quilt show in a few weeks to test drive as many as possible. Hope I will be adding a long-arm to my stable in the near future!

Please share your thoughts and experiences! I really appreciate the information!

reconnecting

Bonnie and I grew up attending the same church. There was a slight age difference, she is 3 years ahead of me, that when you are younger seems greater.
Our parents have remained connected, but life happened and we each grew up going our own ways.
Last year, at a local quilt show, we ran into each other. "I didn't know you quilted!" we both said. And we were delighted to start talking quilting. We exchanged email addresses with a promise to get together.

Life happened again, her mother fell into ill-health, her father passed away.
We ran into each other (yes, at another quilt show!) and again, promised to get together. Well, this time, we kept the promise to each other.

Last Sunday, I paid her a visit (we only live 15-20 minutes apart!). I arrived, and when I next looked at a clock, I had been there 4 and a half hours!

I feel like I have been given a huge gift! It is so great to reconnect and feel the love and the commonalities of deep friendship.

We talked quilting, of course! Bonnie has been sewing and quilting like me, but she had taken the plunge and purchased a sit-down long-arm, an HQ Sweet 16.

She invited me to play on it.

Ya'll (as we say in here in the South), that machine ROCKS!

Bonnie also shared with me, her summer hobby, marquetry. Look at this beauty:

She quilts with wood!!!

What a great Sunday!

 Neat coincident: she and her husband attended an event this week, and met my husband.

"Stellar" class

I was asked to teach a class for my "Stellar" quilt. That meant writing a pattern. A pattern that made sense! So I set forth doing so.

I am fortunate to have a "master quilter" as my Mother, and a dear friend (& second mother, also a "master quilter") who graciously proofed my pattern and offered excellent suggestions.

Then 2 days of class. With 4 awesome students. I am always amazed at how much I learn through teaching. I had 4 students with 4 different sets of skills, and all 4 created amazingly wonderful quilts.

With my pattern (giggle)!

Casey created a gorgeous purple and blue on white:

Betty used bright greens and solid yellow with a gray/white pin dot background:

(She got it put together, but my picture file was corrupted)

Donna loved my patriotic version and set out to create a similar one (her first quilt!):

(She had hers 80%completed)

Colleen's is a gorgeous riot of color on muslin:

(Colleen probably has hers completed now!)

Aren't they all AWESOME? I am so proud of these quilts and so excited by their enthusiasm!

I am so grateful for these ladies, and their perseverance and patience. I teach this again in October and I am looking forward to seeing the quilts those students create!

And they have asked me to develop a pattern, and teach Monolith!

Hand Quilting Lives!

Here is a beautiful quilt made by a friend for my dear mother-in-law.

A traditional basket pattern, using traditional calicoes.

The kicker? All by hand! Look at those even quilting stitches.

My MIL's friend, Janet made this. She still makes all her quilts by hand. This is such a beautiful treasure, made even more dear by the personal connection to the quilter. And this quilt is just 2 years old. 

Hand Quilting LIVES!

Cool link about one of my quilting inspirations

Denyse Schmidt from the Wall Street Journal

Her book, Denyse Schmidt Quilts: 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects,  is one of my favorites, for the yummy photos and the awesome "how-tos". 

Mid-week peek!

Lucky me! When I dashed into the City Quilter yesterday, not only was I amazed at their newly expanded space, I was delighted by their exhibit of art quilts by Carol Taylor! The show is:

“Explosions of Color” at the ArtQuilt Gallery, NYC

The show opened on Sept 8, 2011 exhibiting 37 of her quilts on display.

It will run until October 29, 2011. The gallery is located at 133 West. 25th St. NY, NY.

AWESOME!!!!! More pix to come! I can not wait to get home to SEW!!!!!

Scrap therapy part 1

I have been sewing the scraps I worked so hard to sort and trim. Having them ready makes it easier and convenient to use them up. Here is the first project I am using them on:

This is not a 'true' charm quilt. 
Charm quilts are not supposed to have more than 1 piece of each fabric. 
I can't stand the thought of trashing half (nor do I have enough for a second quilt) so I guess this is a double charm. 
Another instance of me bucking the system. 

New Quilter Crushes

Seems to me there is a lot of new talent and inspiration in our Quilting World of late. Or maybe its just that I am really tuned into it! Since I am not much farther along on my king-sized Christmas quilt to have new pics to post, today I am gushing over some of my fave Quilters!

First up, Raymond K. Houston of Nacho Grandma's Quilts. I found Raymond while looking for "quilter men" in order to inspire my Dad to join us. Well, Raymond's intriguing tile designs captivated not just me, but my Mom as well! And to top it off, not only is he talented and inspiring, he is incredibly nice as well! Check out his site, his blog and his book. Guy knows his stuff!

Next, Leah Day of Day Style Designs and 365 Freemotion Quilting Filler Designs. She is posting almost daily, freemotion designs as well as making a DVD, managing her online store and being a mom! Don't know how she does it and still comes up with new stitches. She has taught me a lot and the improvements in my own free motion stitching shows that!

Winding up with Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! She has such a clear, fresh sense of color and I could just gaze at her Paintbox quilts for hours! She takes marvelous photos and writes clear tutorial on her projects.

Check out these peeps at their links. Makes me proud to be part of the Quilting Tribe! (Nope, I am not being compensated, I just am giving a shout-out to 3 awesome and inspiring artists/designers!)

*In other news: my Dad will be having a cardiac catheterization on Monday, Feb 8. Our hope and prayer is that this goes well so the brain surgery can be quickly rescheduled as the tumor is still there and growing. Thank you so much for keeping Dad in your thoughts and prayers. I believe this little detour is a blessing, since he has had no symptoms of any heart problems before.

Piece On!

Granny Joyner Quilts part 3 (Random Fans)

Today's Granny Joyner quilt came to me from my MIL, Mary Wood. She gave it to us when we got married, as an extra quilt to keep us warm. This is a pieced fan block, made from clothing scraps. The sashing was feed sack cotton. Parts of this quilt have worn away so you can see the old cotton batting inside. The back is a rough burgundy feed sack and she quilted it in here fan pattern with a coarse cotton twine called "tobacco twine". It was primarily used for tying the tobacco leaves together but also used as utility thread as needed.

All the Granny Joyner quilts are completely hand sewn. She was a tiny little woman who would speak her mind. She was stooped over in later years from osteoporosis, but would sit either in her living room or on their poarch and sew.

This is one of the good things about blogging: I am getting these quilts and their stories documented for my son!

My Old Quilts, Granny Joyner part 2 (Sailboats)

Today's Granny Joyner quilt is so cute! It was onee I found in her attic. It had never been used, she had made it and put it away for future use. I call it (obviously) "Sailboats".

 

The colors are still as bright as they were when she made it. Being packed away in the attic kept it from fading. The bright blocks of color look very current. Granny made the top wonky, I have no idea why.

Several of these fabrics were shirtings and dress fabrics.

There are some places where the fugitive dyes have migrated to adjacent colors. Granny quilted this in a fan pattern, which she used as her standard quilting design.

My Old Quilts, still digging them out of storage! (Bow Tie)

A while back someone asked me how many old quilts I have. I answered "I don't know"; after this exercise of photographing and blogging them, I will have a count! 

Today I am showing another "Granny Joyner Quilt", it had been on my husband's bed before we got married, so the quilt came with him!

This is a "Bow-Tie" made mostly from wool scraps. And let me tell you, it will keep you warm.

These scraps seem to look like they came from old coats, possible old upholstery. There are also several pieces of velvet used. Complete hand-pieced and quilted with tobacco twine.

This quilt is extra crinkly, having been machine washed and dried. 

It is going back to school with my son. The high yesterday in Boone (he's at ASU) was 12 degrees. I believe it will be a welcome addition for him!

My old quilts, continued (Velvet Strips)

I hope you are enjoying seeing these. I am enjoying it! I had packed them away so it is nice to air them out and fondle them again. Additionally, quilts need to be refolded so the fabric will be evenly stressed. I am washing these as well. We still need to sell our house so, I will have to pack them back up, but at tleast they will have been loved this week! I fully intend to have them out in our new place.

This quilt is one of several I have that came from my husband's maternal grandmother, Granny Joyner. (I love how they call the grandparents "granny" and "pa"!) Her name was Ruth Joyner nad she lived on a farm in Iredell County NC. I was fortunate to know Granny and Pa Joyner. They were lifelong farmers who had made it through the depression, raising my MIL, Meme (Mary) and her brother, Harold. Pa and Granny raised tobacco to sell and all there own food. Granny taught me how to chop and make saurkraut. I never liked saurkraut that came from the store, but homemade kraut is delicious!

Granny made quilts for warmth, but she also enjoyed the handwork aspect. She would quilt with any materials that came her way (as you will see!). I acquired most of my Granny Joyner quilts after helping to clean and organize their tiny house when their health began to fail. Granny had quilts packed in the attic and mice were beginning to eat away at them. Granny knew I loved them and gave me the pick. Other quilts were given to other family members as well.

This is my very favorite Granny Joyner quilt. I call it "Velvet Strips". It is made from various scrap velvets, handsewn together, back with a rough feedsack fabric and tied instead of quilted. I think it looks quite contemporary!

Some of the velvets have worn away, but that adds to the vintage charm!

Lovely!

my old quilts (hearts and flowers)

I am in an in-between place right now quilt-wise. I have 1 top ready to quilt, another top on my design wall (the blocks are complete, I just need to sew them together), my machine is in the shop for its yearly service and I need to work on my lesson plan for my upcoming free-motion class. I am also going to work on rearranging my sewing studio/sweatshop while the machine is away, but I don't want my blog-buddies to forget about me! So I am going to post my quilt collection.

I am starting with a quilt given to my husband and me as a wedding gift by his Great-Aunt Minnie. Aunt Minnie passed on about 4 years ago, but she was a strong personality and an avid quilter and definitely not forgotten! This block pattern she called "Hearts and Flowers". She hand-appliqued each block, machine stitched them together and hand-quilted it on her quilt frame that would be suspended from the ceiling in her living room. I love the colors. We have been married 26 years, so this quilt is close to 27 years old. There are parts where the navy floral are a little faded, but we have used this quilt! It is large enough to serve as a spread for a full bed, and as a bed-quilt on a queen. I like knowing that her strong hands blanket-stitched each applique piece, and took each even quilting stitch. 

A detail shot:

Beautiful work and a family treasure!

Great gift ideas for the quilter on your list

If there is a quilter in your life, you may get a quilt for Christmas. But what to get the quilter?  Here are some things I like!:

Wicked cool tshirt from Crafty Gear.

The Juki TL98Q is a Single Needle, Lockstitch Machine for straight stitching and quilting. Not sure if it is perfect,but seems close to it!

A Gammill Longarm. MMMMMM.!!

More later!

New quilter friend

What a whirlwind week, and a great Friday to cap it off!

Some backstory: my son is a student at Appalachian State University, just up the mountain from here, in Boone, NC. He transferred in this semester and as a transfer student was required to take a seminar class. His professor, Dr. Layne McDaniels based her curriculum on the changes in the textile industry and has used the book "Travels of a T-shirt" as a text for this class. This is a great book and follows a t-shirt from the cotton grower in Texas to the manufacturer in Asia back to the retailer in the US. My son told Dr. McDaniels that I am a textile designer, so she asked me to come share my experiences with her class.

Needless to say, I was excited to talk about my job. And quite intimidated by a PhD.

But boy, was I so very pleasantly surprised! Not only is Layne a very intelligent woman, she is also a fantastic QUILTER! (and a new friend) Makes me feel really good about the quality of the educators at this institute of higher learning!

We played show and tell with our quilts and she graciously allowed me to photograph and share some of her quilts:

What an incredible collection of work! I had the best time getting to know Layne and sharing our love for quilting. I feel like I have discovered a hidden treasure!