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Hi all, I'm Mary and I am new to both GoodReads and this group. Obviously, I love to read and I love to make quilts! I'm hoping to pick up some sewing tips as well as suggestions for some good books.


So...free-style quilting--anyone here into this technique?

Hi Mary
Tell me what free style quilting is. I may know it just not by this name. I am a reader and quilter too is there anything else in life really. Well yes for me but thats neither here nor there.

Hope to talk with you soon
Jennifer

Free-style quilting--maybe I should've said "free-motion"? It's a machine-quilting technique where you lower your feed dog so you can create curvy patterns, like plumes or wreaths or Baptist fans. Does that make sense? I am just loking for some tips if anyone has experience with this type of machine quilting.

Ahhh! Yes Free Motion. I am familiar with that. I have done some on a few quilts. Most of my quilts are big so I have to give them to a long arm quilter but I take care of the smaller ones. The best book I have ever seen on Free Motion Quilting is "Machine Quilting" "A Primer of Technique" By Sue Nichels. She really goes into great detail and gives you great patterns to trace on to fabric and practice on a quilt sandwhich.

Hope that will help you get started with something.
Thanks
Jennifer

Thanks so much for the recommendation!! I have tried the random jigsaw puzzle-type design but I'd love to experiment.

I need to find someone in my area who has a long arm machine! Instead I just struggle with huge masses of fabric and batting as I feed my large quilts through my poor little sewing machine. Needless to say, my usual quilting is "stitch in the ditch" and other straight line designs. It gets boring.

The best way to find long arm quilters is to find your local quilt shops and go from there. They usually are aware of all the long arm quilters in the area and some of the long arm quilters will teach you how to use their machine for a minimal fee. I know what you mean about the straight lines and all I feel the same way when its a big quilt. I can handle the wall hangings but the big stuff is just too much. You can always use my long arm quilter you can ship to her and then when she is finished she will ship it back if you do not find anyone in your local area. She does that for alot of people. She is reasonable with pricing and is very talented.

Let me know how you make out with that.
Jennifer

Welcome, Mary. I recently discovered some DVDs by I don't know. They're called Fast and Free, I think, and are about free-motion quilting. I ordered the first one and watched it the other day. I do my own quilting, mainly stippling, on anything twin size and smaller. I think after watching this, I can do larger pieces and do some different designs. I've ordered the rest of her DVDs. Oh, I got them from Amazon.

Hi, Libby
I have an interested in quilting and misc fiber arts. I live in Oklahoma.

Hi, I'm Regina I have just joined this group after my son showed me. I typed in quilts and found you. I live in north Queensland Australia, where it's hot.. I know what your thinking why is she making quilts, well what can I say...I just love quilts. I use cotton wadding to make them cooler and they look wonderful on my beds in summer. Plus you can lie under or on top while you read that book. Now all I have to do is learn how to add pictures

Welcome, Regina! Good luck with adding pictures. I still haven't figured out that one! Others, however, have figured it out, and I'm sure they'll tell us how. :-)

Welcome Mary and Regina! Our group is growing and that's wonderful.

I am not the best free motion quilter. I tend to quilt things in straight lines OR have my long arm quilter do it for me if it's a large print.

Quilting is definitely a love of the craft and has nothing to do with the weather outside! We're in the 90s most of the summer and that hasn't slowed me down one bit!

Let us know what you are reading and working on!

Mary wrote: "Free-style quilting--maybe I should've said "free-motion"? It's a machine-quilting technique where you lower your feed dog so you can create curvy patterns, like plumes or wreaths or Baptist fans. ..."

Mary all of my quilting is free motion quilting. I love it. Though I really need practice on feathers...

Hi, My name is Barbara and I am new to this group and new to Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ too. I am a quilter who is still learning and a reader. I have made several quilts and once used a long arm quilter, and I was addicted but haven't been able to for a long time.

Welcome to the group Barbara. We are so glad that you are here. What quilt projects are you working on? What are you reading. I am reading one of the earliest Jesse Stone books by Robert B. Parker. I always picture Tom Selleck as Jesse now that he has made so many of the movies of the books. I must say he has aged well. :)

Quilt wise I have been working on a Denise Russart wallhanging that I got free from her website.

I am reading Mother Father God by Lucia Greenhouse. It's a memoir about growing up in a Christian Science family. I have had things in storage for a long time and when I find my rotary cutter I will be working on a Christmas quilt. I decided to get back into quilting easily and I am doing a piece of fabric that had Christmas scenes pieced together in such a way that it looks like the person who made it pieced it too. All I have to do it put on the border, back, and binding and then quilt it.

Welcome, welcome, welcome Barbara and Marge. Barbara and I are friends since grade school and just reconnected in the last couple of months. She lives right here in Wenatchee. Where are you from Marge?

Sheila - love the wall quilt...those seem to be my passion of late, wall quilts. Aren't they great, they go together quickly and are such fun to put together.

Kathryn, I've been making those wallhangings all year and have almost been keeping up. Meaning I finish the previous month before the next one is posted. Right now I'm about a month behind though. Too much reading.

Sheila wrote: "Kathryn, I've been making those wallhangings all year and have almost been keeping up. Meaning I finish the previous month before the next one is posted. Right now I'm about a month behind though..."

I love that, too much reading. It is difficult sometimes to balance quilting and sewing!!

I'm from San Diego too, but live in Colorado now...I really miss the quilt shops there especially The Country Loft!

Welcome Barbara and Marge! Our group is, indeed, growing! I'm having the same problem as some of you - "too" much reading and not enough quilting. Oh well, winter is coming!

Amidon was pretty good, close to my mom's old house in Scripps Ranch...I grew up in Mira Mesa and my BFF lives in PQ still. I get a little overwhelmed in Rosie's too much to see, but I managed to buy a few things when I was there in August vacationing. My friend just opened a quilt shop in our small town in April and it has been a godsend for my quilting, but terrible for my budget!

I've been reading too, and didn't have a rotary cutter, but I bought one today on sale so now I can work on my Christmas quilt. But I finished a great book in the meantime.

Hi Marge,
Welcome to the group. I'm also in San Diego, out in East County. I work in La Mesa and walk over to the Country Loft at lunch. Rosie's isn't far down the road. The library is across the street in the other direction. Great work location! Tomorrow I'm taking a "Fabulous Folded Bag Make it and Take it" free class at Cozy Quilt Shop. Cozy's did a demo at the SD Quilt Show. Should be fun. Again Welcome.