A New Blog in Town!

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I've started another blog! CRAZY! I can hardly keep my family fed and run to Provo every weekend let alone start another blog. But yes, that is what I'm doing!

The new blog is called "Basically Quilting". Why? When I already have this quilty blog already? Well, I've been teaching a beginning class on quilting and I've found that I keep forgetting to say something in this class, and another thing in that class. So I've decided to create a blog so that I can post all the helpful hints and Quilting basics that keep popping into my brain at the wrong time, mainly when class is OVER!!

So visit the new blog, leave your comments, add your tips, or ask a question and I'll try to find the answer, and links to where I find out great info and tips on quilting!

Another: I Love Moment

Sorry, just had to share again ;o)!

I really LIKE! I tried to not use the other L word again. I Like pre-wound bobbins. (I need to reign in my exclamation points, too. It's hard but I will try.)
I get my pre-wound bobbins from Superior Threads. Yep, you can order them online. The mongo big ones are M size bobbins and I use them in my Long Arm machine. Usually these ones are filled with Bottom Line. My favorite color is Taupe. It seems to go with so many colors and blends really well. The smaller L size I'm trying out for the first time in my Bernina Artista 170 and they are working extremely well. These bobbins have cardboard sides and you have to test them in your machine and see if they work best with or without the cardboard sides. You can peel off the sides and the thread doesn't fall off the spindle. I don't know how they do that, but they do. In my quilting machine, I leave the sides on. But in the Bernina I took the sides off because when I put the bobbin with sides on into the bobbin case and pulled on the thread tail, the thread didn't pull smoothly out of the bobbin case. (When I went to take the picture, the bobbin got stuck in the case! Classc sign that you need to take off the sides!!) So I took the sides off and VIOLA! It worked terrifically. It is SO nice to not have to wind a bobbin when one runs out! I just drop in a pre-wound and I'm off and sewing again. Especially on the quilting machine. Those bobbins are so big that it takes some time to get them wound, and I would rather spend those minutes QUILTING!!

Back to Quilt Stuff!

So yesterday was an all day quilt day!!! Well, at least for me it was. I went down to the LQS in Centerville and we had our 2nd Going to Pieces Quilt Club meeting. We have a morning group and an evening group. I took my "family give away quilt" because it needed to be bound and I was determined to have it done before I came back home.

Our morning group was small, but we had fun with Marilyn and Illene. We had to tweak our kit a bit because we don't have all the fabrics yet and a couple things got substituted, but all in all it went great. Check out the slideshow up top to see all the fun quilts everyone brought to show and tell. The heart runners were the project from January (I had to miss cuz of the 2.5 yr old's viral pneumonia). I was happy to see so many runners finished!

I promised the ladies that I would put a Nifty Notions ruler tutorial up here on my blog in case they can't remember when they get back to cutting etc. . . You know how it goes. Other non-important stuff just crowds out the important how do I assemble my block information. Niquie and I took a class 2 years ago from Kaye England and we're in love w/the NN rulers.


I have my 2 1/2" strips layed out, right sides together. I'm making half square triangles, 1/2 is black and 1/2 is white. The black is on the bottom. Make sure your NN 1/2 square ruler is right side up. You can read the Nifty Notions. Using the lower right corner of the ruler. Line up the squared edge of your strips w/the 2 1/2" marks. Cut along the diagonal line.

Now flip your ruler. Lift the right angle left corner. Let the diagonal edge stay on the table and lay the right angle down so it's now at the upper right. Line the green line across the lower point along the cut edge of the bottom of your strip. Line up the diagonal edge of the ruler w/the diagonal cut edge. Make your cut along the straight edge on the right.

Now to make the quarter square section of a flying geese. I have a 2 1/2" strip. And since I'm going to end up w/a pointy cut in the beginning. I just like to cut off a point w/the 1/2 square ruler. Yep it's extra, but I'm sure I'll find a place for it.

Then I put the 1/4 square ruler upside down, the 2 1/2" line along the upper edge of the strip. Cut the Right side diagonal line. Now I have to flying geese sections.

If you need more flying geese. Simple flip the ruler and cut another set. Continue flipping back and forth along the strip til you have all the flying geese you need.

If you have questions, please post a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP

Happy QuiLtInG!!

Music, Seams, Family

Bummer this is a day late for Lara's Talk about Tuesday. Oh Well.

So I was reading Seams to An End and Karen mentioned music. Probably not the same music subject I'm going to post about, but it made me think that I've been quilting to music the last couple of days and Loving it!!! I found this cool site Pandora Radio! You can type in an artist or a song that you like and it will find others like it, and you can create your own station. I currently have a Classic Station, a Disco Station (yes I was raised in the 70s!) and a New Age station. These may all be diametrically opposed genres, but Oh Well. I'm loving it! Check it out and let me know what you think.


So the Lemoyne Star quilt is almost done. See how removing the bulk in the seams has allowed me to stitch in the center of the star without problems. It's amazing how every block that has a bulky center always seems to need the stitching to come from the center. And if you intentionally avoid the center, it seems to poke up even more!
So, I've posted about my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I've been piecing by hand. Well, we took down the Christmas Tree (yes it's fake) on Saturday. FINALLY! and the 2.5 year old was helping w/the vacuuming. Yes, he's going to be OC like his Dad. We've decided it's a good thing! OK, so back to the quilting. Well, he's detached the vacuum head and just walking around w/the nozzle, and all of a sudden I hear, "uh oh". Guess what? He vacuumed up the block I was working on. Yep, it was almost finished! SWOOSH!!! Right off the table needle, pin and all GONE! My DH offered to go get it out of the central vac canister in the garage and I said "don't bother." Then I'd have to figure out how to get it clean w/o it getting all distorted. I figure it's easier to just get started on the next block!
This is the little table DH/Santa gave me for Christmas to sit next to my comfy chair and hold my quilty stuff for me. Wasn't that nice of him! Especially since we agreed NOT to get each other anything for Christmas, because our trip to Canada is going to be our Christmas! Yes, That's coming up soon. We leave in less than 3 weeks to pick up our missionary son in Canada!! YEA!!!


Happy Quilting! Lauri

I'm Back!

Just thought I'd post pictures of the finished quilting! I just did daisies and swirls and stuff. I love it when a quilt just calls for an all-over design. I'm not a pantograph gal, although I do look at some to inspire my all-over designs. However, mostly I go with what will complement the fabric. I usually come up with a design inspired by patterns in the fabric. Thus, the Daisy and swirls. I did use variegated thread from Superior Threads. Awesome stuff!!! I even had a bright pink pre-wound Bottomline bobbin from a variety pack I ordered!! Too GREAT!



I hope to post in the future tips and tricks to help you prepare your quilt to be quilted. For Example, the proper way to put on borders (at least according to your Long Arm quilter). It will help keep the borders from being a wavy mess and finish off your quilt. Also, binding, keeping your block square and any other trick I've learned over the years. So keep

checking back!!

Until then, Happy Quilting! Lauri