Showing posts with label apqs millenium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apqs millenium. Show all posts

Monday, January 04, 2016

You Inspire Me To Quilt


I'm sure you have all heard by now that Cheryl Arkison has a new quilting book out.  I am really lucky that I live in the same city as her - we have tea from time to time,  my kids get attacked by bees in her back yard.  She cooks with real butter.  She's just a really good soul.  And she can quilt.  
Sheesh, can she quilt. 

When we talk, I love the soul and passion she has for her writing -  she really wants people to get into their creative zone.  We bounce ideas off of each other. She doesn't want to write just another pattern book and pump out the patterns.  Her books give you inspiration,  ideas to jump from,  and wonderful stories that give us a glimpse of real people, and real quilters' lives.   You can read her books with a cup of tea.   
Her new book, You Inspire Me To Quilt , is a cuppa tea kind of book:


I was pretty shocked when Cheryl approached me to contribute to this book.   
First off -  ME?  Have you SEEN my 1/4'' seams?   
Next -  uh...does this mean I have to have my photo taken and write a bio?  LOL.

Her theme and vision for the book -  has someone ever asked you to make a quilt for them?  
What was the experience,  the process,  the outcome?  
Take me through your creative process from start to finish...

So,  I thought it was a great time to finally make that Hockey Quilt for my husband.  The one that I've dreaded for so so long.  The one where he would love to just have Montreal Canadiens cheapo fabric spewed all over the top.   The one that I just could NOT have in my portfolio.   So I made something different.  

It is not regulation sized, nor is it totally to scale.   But it is Canadian themed...hockey themed,  and my man is over the moon about it.   You can read more about my story,  the process of the idea becoming a quilt,  my husband and my sarcasm in the book.  There are many more photos of the quilt as well.....
And you can even make your very own hockey quilt too!     
hand guided quilting by me on my APQS Millennium 
 The book includes several well known contributors and outlines individual process- how do we take that IDEA and transform it, document it , massage it to finally become a quilt.  And yes, there are patterns in the book!

Cheryl Arkison is having a giveaway with prizes!   Who Inspires YOU to Quilt?  Post your photo on twitter or instagram with the hashtag  #youinspiremetoquilt  and you can win!   




Thursday, May 14, 2015

Traditional quilted with a modern flair

Josee brought me this gorgeous quilt to work on.
  I'm not going to lie...I may have been a wee bit terrified.   
It's more traditional in piecing, design and colours.   
And then she told me:  I want it quilted more modern.  

And then I knew I could do it. 
 I started with figuring out the top border design -  I applied these ghost designs in the cream sections and that really set the theme for the rest of the quilt.  I knew I wanted to show that texture of the border - so I densely quilted the cream background,  medium quilting in that medium brown, and then light quilting in the darker brown/black so it showed that wrap around effect 
Again, keeping with the theme of making the piecing pop,  I densely quilting some areas (the cream) and let the darker colours pop. 
The border around the medallion echoed that 'ghost' shape...
 And in the medallion itself, I added a few subtle hints of that ghost shape again.
 The pebbling and the echoing around the piecing makes the medallion pop.   
 In some of the other areas, I did simple stitch in the ditch, pebbles, ribbon candy
figure 8's.


blocks with that 'ghost' shape again...
 I also did a straight line quilting around the middle border to soften the other quilting.  The piecing on this quilt was so precise that it was fairly easy to get those lines accurate!  

Quilt size:  83 x 104'' 
Batting: - provided by Josee - not sure
Thread -  Superior Magnifico in Medium Brown and Cream
Decobob thread in brown and cream in bobbin







Friday, November 28, 2014

Modern Bargello Quilt

I have a new tutorial up at Moda Bake Shop!   Check it out here
I have always loved the Bargello Quilt. This is a version of a simplified bargello - one with sashing to break it up a bit and give it a modern flair. 

We started with lots of practice on curves -  using graph paper.    My son loved helping me with this part.  


 Although the technique isn't quite the same as using the 'tubes' of fabric,  it still gives the practice of how you want your curve to flow.  

While I was planning the bargello I actually changed up the design many many many times.   I just wasn't happy with the look.    I think if I had a different set of fabrics or colours, I may have gone with my original design.    So, I simplified things again and went to my computer.  I used microsoft excel to create a basic idea of my bargello. 


Then I started messing around and adding my first idea -  just vertical sashing.   Wasn't pleased with that, so I added horizontal sashing in random places:   

I liked this idea, and will try it again in the future.  But for a tutorial I thought, how on earth am I going to keep this simple and doable for someone new? 

So I changed it to consistent sashing with rectangular blocks:
which I liked a lot too...but the squares seemed to work best this time!

I quilted the quilt with just wavy lines.  It was so freeing.   I was going fast, I wasn't measuring or marking.  Just 'driving' the machine.   So unlike my usual quilting.  I loved it. 


I love the watercolour effect of this line by Zen Chic called Figures.   It really worked well together.   The colours are gorgeous -   I love that salmon/coral!  


I used 'Suzie's Magic Binding' to create interest in the binding.  I think it looks fantastic!!!  


Quilted on my APQS Millennium using Hobbs 80/20 batting,   Superior Magnifico (navy) and Wonderfil Magnifico Decobob in the bobbin.

If you make one, I would love to see your version of it!    Enjoy your week!












Wednesday, February 20, 2013

LongArm Quilting Machine Delivery


This is a pretty boring post - but for anyone who ever purchases an APQS longarm  and anticipates how much, how large the delivery...here goes.  

MILLIE IS HERE! SHE'S HERE!!!  SHE'S REALLY REALLY HERE!!!

That being said....

It was uneventful.  It was deflating.   I pictured this large semi truck coming up the street.  The shipping email said expect a 24-48 foot tractor trailer!  Traffic being tied up, neighbours looking out their windows,  cars being scraped from the wide corner turns...
 ya.  Nope. 

The shipping notice you get says 8 boxes.   So I'm envisioning PALLETS of goods arriving on my doorstep.  How on earth is it going to fit in my garage!!!???

This is the truck that came to my house:

See?  Deflating.

My delivery was the only one inside the truck.  The boxes must have shifted and they were kind of everywhere in the back of the truck.  eep.

 Alas, this white shining box was coming out -   see how it says Gentle Hands?   not so much when you look at the rest of the photos.  :(    

 The box is awesome though - it says "Contents may cause excessive hugging, squealing, jumping and fist pumping"
 I really did feel that way, but my delivery driver was kind of straight laced and just didn't understand my need to photograph the event.   HI CHRIS THE DELIVERY DRIVER!!!  I bet he went home and told his friends that quilters are young and wacko.  


Here's the lot of boxes -  definitely not as cumbersome as I imagined.  The 12 foot pole boxes on the floor are heavy though!  Everything else appears easy to move.   Notice the boxes with FRAGILE? and the arrows in a certain direction.  ya.  I don't think those were regarded.  Maybe they read them as FRAH-JEE-LAY in Italian or something...



Here are a few worrisome photos -  the boxes were damaged and opened.  This one had a part breaking through the side of the box and exposed.  I hope it isn't bent.  :(


You can see how the boxes are opened and in all directions.  Hopefully there isn't anything to worry about.

The 12 foot table pole boxes, as sturdy as they are got beaten up really well too.  


 These are the two that have me worried the most - Millie's box was torn and punctured in quite a few places on one side of her box.   Hopefully she's well insulated and has mega protection inside.


I'll let you know how unpacking and assembling goes.   I'm really hoping that the packaging has protected Millie and all parts are in fine form.   If you only knew how much I  spent for shipping this setup  - you too would be a little unsettled to receive your package this way.  

JUST A NOTE:  I DON'T THINK THIS REALLY HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH APQS, BUT MORE WITH THE FREIGHT TRANSPORT/DELIVERY PROCESS.In no way am I trying to convey a bad message about apqs - they have been a phenomenal team to work with so far!

I'm excited to get her into my basement and set up.   From the size of the shipment, I think it will be a little easier than I thought.   ( I really did think I was receiving pallets, and I was researching ways to reuse wooden pallets in my garden.)  
My electrician is coming this afternoon to put lighting in my studio, hooray...and then I can set my girl up!

I'll be sure to document that as well.  Hope you don't mind.   There just were no posts about this whole process, so I want others to be able to see what it is all about!