Death Star Mini in Progress

Six days and counting until Christmas!  Woohoo!  Many of my long arm quilting pals have already finished their final quilts for the year.  I have another Border Creek mystery identical to the one Jane sent me a few months ago loaded up and will be working on that over the next week or so, likely into the new year.

As for personal projects, I still have a half dozen or so in progress.  My red and tan quilt hasn't been touched as I have just been too busy with other projects.  I did start a death star mini in honor of the new Star Wars movie though!

I found the pattern and printed it from quirkygranolagirl.blogspot.com...just in case you'd like to make your own.  :)

I didn't follow her directions but instead opted to print out a main pattern, and a second on Stable Stuff stabilizer.  This stuff is pretty cool as it's actually made to stay in your quilt.  I cut each piece individually using my paper printed pattern as a guide for the colors (I wrote on each piece what I planned to use - dark, medium, or light fabric) and turned each piece using a glue stick.  I have already begun hand stitching the tiny pieces together in rows using black and white Invisifil.  I haven't chosen a background yet but I'm thinking solid black as I chose all calico prints for the blacks in the death star itself...so I think there will be enough contrast.

When I'm finished I will just wet the project and leave the stabilizer inside.  Water is supposed to dissolve whatever it is that makes this stabilizer stiff...and leaves a thin polyester fiber behind.  Kind of cool!  I will share a little more of how this process goes later on.  I have heard it is also wonderful used as a stabilizer for paper piecing!  I particularly like how it has the potential to leave fullness in applique that you might not get otherwise...or without adding some kind of trapunto.  Oh how we quilters love possibilities!

In other news that I am super excited to share...I finally got a Gravity Quilt to work on!  Woohoo!!!!  I'm so excited about this one.  It belongs to a semi-local gal who discovered me through my neighbor.  Well my oh my she's a modern quilter who has an affinity for Jaybird Quilts patterns so I'm pretty excited to see what more she has to send my way.  I get a lot of traditional quilts...which I absolutely love...but it's always fun to play around with something different too!

If I don't get a chance to before the holiday - have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Lots of exciting things to share with you in the next year...and I cannot wait!

Until then...may the force be with you on your quilting journey!  :)

Long Arm Quilting Policy Amendments

The new year is fast approaching and after nearly three years in business I am finally making a few policy changes to keep quilting for you at an affordable rate and run my small business more effectively! 

Changes to note are:

Effective February 1st, 2016 New Thread Fees

- $5 flat thread fee for all edge to edge free hand or pantograph quilting will remain the same.
- $10 flat thread fee will be instated for all custom quilts with unlimited thread changes for in house thread.  This may include anything from Bottom Line, Glide, Omni, and some specialty threads already in house.
- Specialty thread fee will be quoted individually for quilts requiring special threads not normally carried in house.  These threads will include but are not limited to Invisifil, metallic, variegated threads, and silks.

Effective Immdiately
Quilting schedule will be limited to custom quilting only. 
Because the majority of the quilts on the current schedule are custom quilting orders I will continue to schedule quilts in this fashion.  For most customers in this regard nothing will change.  If you have an edge to edge quilt you may schedule to drop off or ship out immediately and it will be completed on a first come first serve basis as there is availability in my schedule.  Because time frames for custom quilting are estimated and not guaranteed (unless specified in your contract) I often have "dead time" in between quilts.  To avoid this I will accept edge to edge quilts to fill out the schedule and improve wait times.

If you prefer to send a batch of quilts all at once on a scheduled time frame you may still continue to do that.  This helps folks who like to quilt during the year and send a box to me at the end of the year.  I will not require a deposit to put you in an estimated time slot, and reschedules/cancellations will not be penalized, but I do please ask that you give advance notice if you will not be sending your quilts as scheduled.  The schedule currently provided will continue to be used as a tool to prevent a large back log of quilts in house and to help both client and quilter plan ahead.  If you are late to ship your scheduled quilt please note that another may be loaded in its place and your quilt will be worked on at the soonest availability upon its arrival.

Rush quilts will now be accepted based on availability in my schedule for a $50 fee.  Contact me directly for more details.

Thank you so much for your continued support and business!  Many of you have been with me since the beginning of this amazing quilting journey and I am thrilled and honored to still be your chosen machine quilter.


Happy Quilting!