Quilted Joy

How to Piece a Block from the Blocked In Quilt | Sit n’ Sew With Angela Huffman

Rachel — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 22:34:13 +0000

In this episode of the Sit n’ Sew, Angela will show how to piece a block from the Blocked In Quilt made from Melissa Corry’s pattern, and she’ll share the link where you can get the pattern for FREE!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-5:34 – Welcome & Announcements
5:35 – Angela talks about Lillian’s garden (the quilt featured behind her)
13:29 – Secret Meadow Mystery quilt designed by Angela Huffman to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Love of Quilting Magazine
24:54 – Main Program (How to piece a block from Blocked In by Melissa Corry)
14:18 – New Arrivals & Wrap Up

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APQS Trade In Event

Angela — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:49:38 +0000

That’s right! Act now, and you can receive up to $7,000 off any new Millie30 or Millie when you trade in your old APQS longarm quilting machine. But we’re not stopping there; you’ll also receive $4,000 in FREE options (see below).

If you have a non-APQS longarm quilting machine and are looking to upgrade to an APQS longarm, we will give you up to $4,000 for your trade-in on a new APQS Millie30 or Millie.

Some restrictions apply- click here for more info.

Millie30 trade-in package includes:

Up to $7,000 discount for used APQS machines*
Free Quilt Glide – Value: $2,000
Free Quilt Advance – Value: $2,000
Deluxe Bliss table – choice of (8′, 10′, 12′ or 14′)
Lifetime Warranty

Package Retail Price: $32,000
Sale Price: $21,000**

Millie trade-in package includes:

Up to $7,000 discount for used APQS quilting machines*
Free Quilt Glide – Value: $2,000
Free Quilt Advance – Value: $2,000
Deluxe Bliss table – choice of (8′, 10′, 12′ or 14′)
Lifetime Warranty

Package Retail Price: $28,900
Sale Price: $17,900**

*Up to $7,000 trade-in discount for used APQS longarm quiling machine or up to $4,000 for non-APQS used machine trade-ins.

**Sale price based on full trade-in value for used APQS longarm quitling machine.

Don’t forget the amazing extras that come with APQS machines:

Lifetime warranty
Bobbin winder
FREE beginner class ($200 value)
Sample spools of thread
A starter pantograph
A package of needles
Extra bobbins

Must pay in full at the time of order.

Call the Quilt Fairies for more info: (502)718-7148 or send an email.

Why Buy from Quilted Joy?

Unlimited Beginner’s Class Access: Get the best possible start to your longarm journey with unlimited access.

2 For 2 program: Enjoy two free longarm class registrations at Quilted Joy year for the first two years of your purchase!

Pixie Playdate: Within the first year of your purchase you’ll get a special day to come hang with the Quilt Fairies. They will put your through our “Tension Troubleshooting Challenge” and watch over you as you finish a quilt of your choosing on our machines.

APQS Lifetime Warranty: Protect your investment.

Quilt Fairy Help Desk. Got a question? Need a helping hand? Our Quilt Fairy Experts are here for you.

Monthly Machine Quilting Tutorials: Each month you’ll enjoy a new tutorial in our online Quilted Joy Clubhouse meetings.

In Shop Guild Membership: On the first Friday of every month we host a machine quilting guild full of the nicest quilters around. Educational programs and Design Roundtables.

On Staff Factory Certified Techs: Get the service and support to get you along the way.

1) Add on a computer system to the APQS Millie Longarm machine.
2) Grab a cuppa.
3) Watch it quilt.
4) Smile from ear to ear.

There are two computerized systems you can add to your APQS Millie longarm quilting machine. Here at Quilted Joy we have both, use both and sell both. Looking for more information on the two systems? Drop us an email or call us at (502)718-7148 and we will send you some info to help you decide!

Intelliquilter, or IQ, is a robust intuitive computerized quilting system which will quickly expand your creative horizons. It is easy to use, incredibly powerful. Get ready to be WOWED!

The Quilt Path computerized quilting system runs off a Windows based tablet mounted to your APQS machine. Looking to have some edge to edge fun? Quilt Path is ready to help. What is the best quilting computer system for an APQS longarm quilting machine? Contact us and let’s chat about your needs!

Why Buy a Long Arm Machine from Quilted Joy?

Angela — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 00:55:38 +0000

There is a reason so many people trust the Quilt Fairies at Quilted Joy with their Longarm purchase!

Unlimited Beginner’s Class Access: Get the best possible start to your longarm journey with unlimited access.

2 For 2 program: Enjoy two free longarm class registrations at Quilted Joy year for the first two years of your purchase!

Pixie Playdate: Within the first year of your purchase you’ll get a special day to come hang with the Quilt Fairies. They will put your through our tension troubleshooting gauntlet and watch over you as you finish a quilt of your choosing on our machines.

APQS Lifetime Warranty: Protect your investment.

Quilt Fairy Help Desk. Got a question? Need a helping hand? Our Quilt Fairy Experts are here for you.

Monthly Machine Quilting Tutorials: Each month you’ll enjoy a new tutorial in our online Quilted Joy Clubhouse meetings.

In Shop Guild Membership: On the first Friday of every month we host a machine quilting guild full of the nicest quilters around. Educational programs and Design Roundtables.

On Staff Factory Certified Techs: Get the service and support to get you along the way.

A Simple Guide to Creating an Adorable Pillowcase

Melanie — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 18:40:01 +0000

Want to make something simple that everyone has but could always have another? Something that can be cuddled and loved while simultaneously being very useful? Do you want to add color or a little bit of comfort to someone far from home? Have you thought about a pillowcase? These handy simple creations can really brighten up a dorm room, a camp bunk, or a hospital bed like nothing else. And they are so simple to make. Let me show you how.

Begin by selecting your fabrics. You are going to need one fabric that will be the main body of the pillow case. Three fourths of a yard by the width of fabric(27” x 42”- 44”) will create a pillow case that fits most standard pillows. If you want to make a King sized or body pillow case you’ll need a full yard to a yard and half to fit.

There are some fantastic prints available, such as these Suzy Bee designs, that are perfect for creating your own pillowcases. To make the process even easier, we now offer ready-made pillowcase kits. These kits provide everything you need to craft your own beautiful pillowcases effortlessly

Now, choose a piece for the cuff, about 9” (a quarter yard) by the fabric width, to complement your main fabric. Whether you opt for a serene solid color or repurpose vibrant quilt blocks for a splash of personality, the possibilities are endless. Remember, this cuff will fold and only its outer beauty will show.

You also have the option of adding an additional fabric to add some pizzazz. This trim piece should be two and half inches by width of fabric. That added pop doesn’t even need to be fabric. You could add a ribbon, lace, or any other soft trim that you wanted. I used a 2 ½” x 44” strip of fabric pressed in half with the wrong sides together.

Once your fabric is prepared, it’s time to assemble them. Begin by laying the cuff fabric face up, fully spread out before you. The top edge will serve as the visible outer edge of the cuff. Place the trim face down along this edge and secure it with pins to the cuff. Next, position the main body fabric face down on top of the trim and pin it in place. Then, take the opposite end of the main fabric and roll it tightly toward the pinned edge. This roll should be compact enough to allow you to wrap the opposite edge of the cuff fabric around the rolled layers, pinning it face down alongside the other edges.

Proceed to sew along the length of this rolled bundle, penetrating through all five layers of fabric (cuff, trim, trim, main, cuff), securing them together.

The unsewn edges might not all match if your different fabrics weren’t all the exact same width to begin with. That’s okay. The next step is to trim them, but first we need to turn and press them. Grab the main fabric just inside the open end of your bundle and start to pull it out from the surrounding cuff fabric. Once out, press it all to create that decorative outside edge of your pillow case. Using a rotary cutter, trim the un-sewn edge of your pillow case so that all the fabrics are flush and straight.

Using a rotary cutter, trim the un-sewn edge of your pillow case so that all the fabrics are flush and straight.

Fold this in half, wrong sides together (you read that right!) so the right side of the fabric is out. Be sure to match the cuff with the cuff, trim to trim, and main fabric to main fabric. Sew the two unfinished edges (side and bottom) with a narrow seam allowance (⅛”- ¼”). Turn the pillow case inside out and press the seam flat. Now sew it again, this time right sides together with a generous seam allowance (⅜”-½”). This will enclose the raw edges inside the seam allowance and give you a clean finished edge inside and out of the case. If you have a serger, you could also just serge the seam and be done.

All that’s left is to turn everything right side out and press again. Voila! You have a lovely pillow case to use or give away to the loved one of your choice. I like making matching pillow cases to quilts that I create with the leftover fabric from that quilt. It’s a great way to keep and store your quilts as you can tell which quilt it is from the matching fabric in the pillow case.

The next time you have a loved one going far from home like to school, camp, or a hospital stay, give them a little love in the form of a pillowcase. It can brighten their room and their day.

How to Quilt a Loopy Heart Sashing Design | Quilted Joy Clubhouse February 2024

Rachel — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:21:41 +0000

Angela is kicking off a year of Sassy Sashings In the Quilted Joy Clubhouse with a “Sweetheart” of a design to show you! This month, Angela will show you how to machine quilt a loopy heart sashing design, and we’ll take a peek into Stephanie Barber’s bright and spacious sewing & quilting studio during our “Looky Loo” tour

Meeting Highlights:

00:11 – Welcome & Announcements
12:02 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Loopy Heart Sashing Design)
9:35 – Stephanie’s Looky Loo Studio Tour
28:21 – New Arrivals
31:48 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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How to Piece the Hang Time Block | Sit n’ Sew With Angela Huffman

Rachel — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 19:47:59 +0000

In this episode of the Sit n’ Sew, Angela will show how to piece a block from the Hang Time Quilt made from Melissa Corry’s pattern, and she’ll share the link where you can get the Spin pattern for FREE!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-15:50 – Welcome & Announcements
15:51 – Main Program (How to piece a Hang Time block)
51:02 – Wrap Up

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January Renter Round-Up

Rachel — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 16:33:14 +0000

January is usually the month when things calm down after the holiday rush, but this year, the month is sprinting ahead with boundless energy! We’ve already been treated to some absolutely delightful quilts. How about your new year? Is it off to a fantastic start like ours? Let’s share our stories and compare notes!

Stitched Together: A Quilting Couple

First up, we have one of our regulars, Craig. He embarked on his quilting adventure to transform his wife’s beautifully pieced tops into something even more magical, a true testament to the wonderful collaboration we often see in quilting couples. Their latest masterpiece? The “Simply Serene” quilt, a charming creation by Diana Beaubien from Pleasant Valley Creations. They went with a delightful blend of purple and blue flannels, a choice that’s close to my heart—I just love it! For the quilting magic, they used the Intelliquilter computerized system, choosing the “Whisper” design. It’s like a gentle breeze of playfulness, bringing a sweet, lively touch to the quilt top. Such a charming and inspired selection!

Starting a Longarm Quilting Adventure

Up next, we have a delightful piece from Kris, one of our rental certification students. She cleverly stitched together leftover fabrics into a charming four-patch quilt top. I must confess, scrappy quilts have always had a special place in my heart. For the quilting, Kris chose the “Lorien’s Phoenix” paper pantograph, which has this whimsical paisley vibe that complements the quilt’s scrappy charm perfectly. She’s done a fabulous job for her first whirl with the machine, wouldn’t you agree? It’s just so playful and full of life!

A Cosmic Canine Quilt

Rounding off our quilt parade this month is McCall’s special project. She made a lovely quilt for her dog, Laika, using a fun two-fabric pattern. In a nod to Laika’s namesake – the first dog to orbit the stars in space – she selected the “Star Dance” pantograph, a perfect fit for its celestial theme. McCall thoroughly enjoyed the process, and the quilt turned out wonderfully, a true testament to her creativity and affection.

This month has been a whirlwind of stunning quilts, and we’ve only shared a sprinkle of the wonders that have graced our studio! How about your quilting journey? Any fabulous pieces you’ve finished? We’re super excited to see your works of art! Come, share them with us on Facebook & Instagram and join in the fun over at the Quilted Joy Clubhouse. Learn More about our Rental Program and most of all, Keep on quilting with joy and a dash of sparkle!

A Brand New Year! What’s Coming in 2024 | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:39:46 +0000

In our first Quilted Joy Clubhouse Livestream of the year, Angela will be sharing a sneak peek of the exciting lineup of quilting tutorials, piecing tips, and techniques she has planned for 2024. Plus, she’ll be picking a quilt top from our Facebook group and showing us how she would quilt it. Expect surprises, fun, and so much more!

Meeting Highlights:

00 – 7:42 – Welcome & Announcements
7:43 – Whats coming in 2024
11:10 – Annette’s Looky Loo
21:38 – New Arrivals
25:26 – How would you quilt it?
36:02 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Renter Round-Up: The Year in Review

Melanie — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 01:31:13 +0000

This year has just flown by for us at Quilted Joy. Between shopping for new locations, finding one, getting it ready and moving to it, we’ve had our hands full. But all that hullabaloo did not slow down our renters any. If anything it sped it up some. We saw so many quilts this year, and each of them lovely. I wish we could show you them all, but that would take just way too long. So here are a few of our favorites!

Stained Glass Perfection

We may have shared this one before, but it deserves repeating. This is a quilt from Karen that she made with paper piecing from a book called Foundation Pieced Stained Glass Quilts by Liz Schwartz. Doesn’t the batik just make the stain glass pop! She quilted with the IQ using a baptist fan pattern. I already bought my copy of the book, so feel free to find a copy of your own.

Patriotic Carpenter's Star

This patriotic carpenter’s star was made by Caroline for herself. She wanted a light weight summer quilt, so this doesn’t have traditional batting, just a layer of flannel. This was quilted with a pantograph on the Intelliquilter called Ticker Tape Parade. Isn’t it fun! This is going to be a great quilt for staying up late and watching the fireworks. I’m jealous.

The Truth is Out There

Here’s a quilt to tickle your funny bone. This is a panel from Riley Blake from their Legends of the National Parks series. Summer’s husband wanted a quilt that he could curl up with in his chair. What a choice she made. She also used the Intelliquilter to quilt a pattern called Forest. The all over trees makes a nice addition to the wilderness theme of her top. Lucky man!

The Grinch

When Christa came in with this one, her first words to me were, “You’re going to hate me.” She loves the Grinch. So when she saw this panel that had all his faces, she knew that she had to make a quilt with it. But she also decided to include green fur. Long FUR! We had the perfect pantograph for it. Bah Humbug is a repeat of the Grinch’s hand holding an ornament. We had a few places where the fur bound up around the hopping foot and had to be cut out, but we managed it. What a treat for the family member she gifted it to!

Welcome Gnome to the New Year

Last but not least is this sweet large gnome from Elizabeth. She made this for a friend who loves gnomes. This is why she intentionally chose fabrics that were not Christmas related. She wanted this to be a quilt for year round, not just the holiday season. She used the Intelliquilter to quilt a pattern called Cotton Candy. It’s just a bumpy type of meander. For someone who likes gnomes, it’s perfect!

So that’s a sampling of what the year brought us. I look forward to seeing what next year brings us. I expect there will be quite a few. We’d also love to see what you’ve been working on. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Happy quilting, and Happy New Year!

Video: How to Piece the Path to Grandma’s House Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman December 2023

Rachel — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 19:13:04 +0000

In this episode of the Sit n’ Sew, Angela will show how to piece the center house block from the Path to Grandma’s house Quilt by Charisma Horton, and we’re sharing the link where you can get the pattern for FREE!

Customize your little house however you’d like! Being the cat mom that she is, Angela personalized hers with cat fabric of course! She plans to make her’s into a throw pillow. Did you know the roof portion of the house is paper pieced? Follow along with Angela as she shows you step by step how easy it is to put together!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-10:08 – Welcome & Announcements
10:09 – Main Program (How to piece the house block)
48:27 – Wrap Up

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Video: How to Quilt an Ornament Block | Quilted Joy Clubhouse December 2023

Rachel — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 17:15:29 +0000

In this episode Angela is continuing her series on common quilt blocks, with new ways to approach them. This month, Angela will show you how to machine quilt an Ornament block, and we’ll take a peek into Virgie’s amazing two-story sewing & quilting studio during our “Looky Loo” tour

Meeting Highlights:

00 – 7:38 – Welcome & Announcements
7:39 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Pinwheel Block)
14:27 – Virgie’s Looky Loo
26:20 – New Arrivals
31:00 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Video: How To Piece a Pumpkin Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman November 2023

Rachel — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 16:06:25 +0000

Angela will show how to piece a pumpkin block from Maria Dzreeva’s Harvest time quilt, that’s perfect for fall. Get the pattern for FREE!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-15:37 – Welcome & Announcements & New Arrivals
15:38 – Main Program (how to piece a pumpkin block
47:15 – Wrap Up

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Video: How to Piece a Woven Illision Block | Quilted Joy Clubhouse Sit n’ Sew October 2023

Rachel — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:27:34 +0000

In this episode of the Sit n’ Sew, Angela will show how to piece a Block from Heidi Kaisand’s Woven Treasures quilt, and she’ll share the link for the Free Pattern

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-15:35 -Welcome & Announcements
15:36 -Main Program (How to piece a woven illusion block)
38:52 -Wrap Up

Featured Products:

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Quilted Joy Grand Opening Celebration

Rachel — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 22:14:11 +0000

Thank you to everyone that made our Grand Opening Celebration a HUGE success!

Our recent grand opening was a day filled with genuine warmth and joy, as we welcomed so many of our quilting friends into our new space. Seeing the shop come to life with many familiar faces, and the buzz of new connections being made, was deeply touching. The laughter, the stories of projects past and plans for future creations, and the supportive nods of understanding about this art that we so love—it all created an atmosphere of family and friendship. Each person who walked through the doors wasn’t just a guest but a cherished member of our community, contributing to a day we will remember with fondness for many years to come. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our grand opening truly grand

Angela gave a Looky Loo Shop Tour with special guests Sara Gallegos & Bethanne Nemesh!

A huge shoutout to Sara Gallegos, co-host of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting, and the renowned Bethanne Nemesh for their amazing appearances. We’re incredibly grateful! Explore all the nooks and crannies of our quilting paradise, and see what has our community buzzing with excitement. Join the celebration and let the creativity flow!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for our Online Prize Drawing! We randomly selected 4 winners. Congratulations to Julie from Henryetta OK, Jean from New Freedom PA, Marsha from Mt. Pleasant SC and Heather from Rochester NY

Video: Stitching a Straight Line Design in a Plain Block | Quilted Joy Clubhouse October 2023

Rachel — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 01:01:40 +0000

In this episode Angela is continuing her series on common quilt blocks, with new ways to approach them. This month, Angela will demonstrate how to machine quilt a line design in a plain block. Tackling plain square blocks can sometimes be challenging, but Angela’s tutorial will make it easy. We’ll also take a peek into Jazmines’s sewing & quilting studio during our “Looky Loo” tour, plus so much more!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 – 12:32 – Welcome & Announcements
12:34 – Main Program (Quilting a Straight Line Design in a Plain Block)
21:23 – Jazmine’s Looky Loo
27:22 – New Arrivals
32:42 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Joanna D. | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 20:21:55 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Joanna’s beautiful and spacious creative space, that’s a converted front porch. Watch the video below to see Joanna’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Joanna Dickhaut's sewing and Quilting Studio

We wanted to get to know Joanna a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I Have been quilting since 2006.

How have you grown your skills?

Videos and Longarm groups on social media. And APQS!

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

Trying to make an old quilt top to machine quilt without the ruffles at the end or borders. Old quilt tops are never squared!

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

My quilting space is my new sewing studio at the front of my house! I’ve added a new room to the house with a door for customers.

What do you love about your quilting space?

My Honey Comb wall and lighting.

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

More aware of the placements of outlets.

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

I chose an APQS machine because the bars are all one piece and not bolted together and they are 100% American made.

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

Yes! I do not have to be perfect in my ability of quilting.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

Take a class, and practice a lot! Don’t think you know or understand until you practice many times.

What quilting project are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on an antique top that is paper pieced onto 1940’s newspaper.

How would you describe your quilting style?

I would describe my style as average. I use a lot of pantographs for customer quilts. There’s not enough time for quilting for me right now.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

I use Glide thread and I’m working on changing out my other threads too. I love Glide for both embroidery and sewing! As for batting, I like 80/20 cotton. No particular brand.

Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

I do quilt for others. I can be found on Facebook

Thanks again to Joanna for letting us look around!

Renter Round-Up: Crafting Magic with Mystical Quilts

Rachel — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 18:53:21 +0000

As we transition into fall, we’ve been treated to some incredibly fun quilts lately. With folks gearing up for Halloween or wrapping up projects before the holiday season, this month is all about the world of mythical creatures. We’ve got Bigfoot, Monsters, and Unicorns to share with you today. Let’s dive right in and celebrate the changing seasons!

Spooky Stitches: Dana's Halloween Quilt

Earlier this month, Dana brought in an adorable panel Halloween quilt for her house this season. This is Halloween Ball from Henry Glass. She made it from a pattern you can download for free from the Henry Glass website.

We both laughed about the bats in the corner. We weren’t sure if they were upside down or not. With bats, I’m not sure it matters. Don’t you just love that pumpkin fabric? She quilted it with a paper pantograph called Square Spiral, which was pretty close to spiderwebs. So cute!

Summer's Legendary BigFoot Quilt

Summer brought us a panel quilt from Riley Blake’s Legends of National Parks collection featuring BigFoot. This quilt is for her husband and his dog to cuddle in. This was a pattern from Keepsake Quilting by Rebecca Craven. It is super cool. I really like the trees in the borders and the stars in the corners.

To quilt it, Summer used a pantograph called Forest which is just an outline of trees. We used a medium grey thread which I think reads well on all the colors and doesn’t ruin the panel. What a fun quilt for her hubby!

A special Unicorn Quilt for Margot

Our last mythical creature is the unicorn. This was a quilt made by Debbie and quilted by Angela. This mother and daughter duo came in to get certified to use our machines. This one is embroidered with her granddaughter’s name on it.

Aren’t the unicorns so sweet? We all agreed that the Star Dance paper pantograph was the perfect match for this quilt. I think Margot is really going to like this to snuggle with. The fact that it was made for her by both her mom & grandma makes it extra special!

We’ve had a truly magical time being surrounded by the whimsy of these mythical creatures, and we’re excited to see more wonders of the upcoming fall season. If you’ve been crafting quilts, we’d love to see them! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to share your creations. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on!

Tutorial: How to Make Scrappy Binding

Rachel — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:16:21 +0000

Finishing a quilt is often an afterthought. We can become so focused on the top and quilting, that we forget there is one final step before it is done. But how it is bound can have a huge effect on the final product. Some of the options you have is to use premade binding, make the binding from a fabric in the quilt, or use the backing to make binding. But what if there is no premade binding the right color? What if there isn’t enough backing or top fabric to make binding? You may still be able to make scrappy binding.

We recently made a quilt we named “Strawberry Strudel”. It was made from a jelly roll and white backing fabric. We wanted to use up our left over 2 ½ inch strips, so we made scrappy binding. I think the finished effect is perfect for this quilt and it really wasn’t difficult to do. Why not make your own Strudel quilt? It can be any yummy flavor you choose. Simply download Mavis Reynolds’ free Strudel pattern, or get the Strawberry Strudel Quilt kit we’ve put together. It includes everything you need to make your own Strawberry Strudel quilt top!

What you will need is strips of fabric, cut on grain or bias. The width is not terribly important, though I wouldn’t want them to be less than maybe 1 ½” or larger than maybe 6 ½”. If the strips are too thin, you’d end up with a lot of seams that could end up overlapping and making the binding bulky. If the strips are too thick, the changes could become too infrequent to really get the scrappy feel we are looking for, though the binding would still work. The length the strips would work best if they were uniform, but the exact measurement is not as important. The strips pictured are from the Expressions Tjaps Batiks Jubilee 2 1/2″ Rolie Polie.

Once you have all your strips ready you will sew them together along the long edge. But don’t start with the ends matching. You will be cutting these at a 45 degree angle, so there needs to be a square of fabric before each new strip is added. Fold the corner of a strip down until the left outside edge is aligned with the bottom edge forming a 45 degree angle. Start the next strip on the edge of that angle.

You can now cut your 2 ½ inch (or other width) binding at a 45 degree angle across the sewn strips. All the seams will now be at an angle to help prevent them from being too bulky once you are finished. Sew these strips together and press in half lengthwise to finish your binding. You can now apply it as you are accustomed to doing.

Ta Da! Scrappy binding and not as hard as you might have thought. You can use up a leftover jelly rolls, or just scraps of fabric from your quilt. Use all the same width strips, or mix it up. It’s up to you. Imagine the possibilities! Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to see what you come with!

Video: How to Quilt an Argyle Design | September 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:50:45 +0000

This month, Angela will demonstrate how to machine quilt an Argyle Design! She will also be sharing her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment, plus, we’ll take a peek into Joanna’s Bright and bee-utiful sewing & quilting studio during our “Looky Loo” tour. You won’t want to miss it, so be sure to set a reminder to watch the livestream on Facebook or YouTube!

Meeting Highlights:

00-10:43 – Welcome & Announcements
10:44 – Main Program (How to Machine quilt an argyle design)
20:33 – Joanna’s Looky Loo
30:00 – New Arrivals
32:25 – How Would You Quilt It?
38:40 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Exciting News! Quilted Joy is Moving!!!

Rachel — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:27:44 +0000

We’ve got some BIG news to share – we’re on the move! After an extensive search, we’ve finally found our new home! It’s only about 2 miles away from our current spot, so we’re not going very far! Our new facility is a whopping (!!!) 10,000 square feet, which means we’ll have plenty of room to play and create. We’re especially excited about the fantastic classroom space and a dedicated area for our longarm machines and fabrics. It’s going to be amazing!

For those familiar with Louisville, our new location is off Shelbyville Road in the Middletown Shopping Center located at 12316 Shelbyville Rd, 40245. Our shop on Bluegrass Parkway will be closing on September 16. We will be re-opening at our new location in Middletown Plaza on September 26. We can’t wait to show you around once everything is set up!

Our Online Shop will stay open during our move! Please be aware that our shipping will be delayed until at least Friday September 23 since we will be moving our warehouse as well.

Online Orders must be placed before September 13 or after September 23 to avoid shipping delays

If you need to place an online order, please do so before September 13 to avoid shipping delays. After that date, we’ll need a bit more time to get your orders out as we transition our warehouse to our new location. We anticipate everything in our warehouse should be back to normal by September 23. Also due to the move and all the logistics involved, we won’t be able to host our usual September Sit n’ Sew Livestream. Our Quilt Fairies will be busy packing and organizing, so please bear with us during this exciting transition.

If you’re in the area or planning to visit Louisville, we encourage you to come and check out our new Quilt Fairy headquarters! Our grand opening is scheduled for November 1, which just so happens to coincide with our November Clubhouse Livestream. More details on that coming soon! Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what’s new in our quilty (and busy) little world. We’ll be posting some sneak peeks of our new space, and you never know what magical surprises the Quilt Fairies may be planning, so stay tuned… We’re incredibly excited about this new chapter and all the possibilities it holds. We just can’t wait to celebrate with you all in our new space!

Transforming Our Space, One Stitch at a Time

Exciting changes are underway at our new retail space today! Were having swanky new floors installed! It’s only a matter of time before we will start setting up all of our new fixtures and displays! The quilt fairies have created some really cool displays made from up-cycled furniture and decor. It’s going to look sooo good!

Meanwhile… in our current retail shop, Our Quilt Fairies have been busy packing and finishing up customer quilts. Things are definitely looking a little bare as they have begun packing up all of our quiltiy goodies for transport to their new home.

Tomorrow, Saturday September 16 at 4:00pm we’ll be closing the door at our little shop on Bluegrass Parkway for good. As we bid farewell to our retail home of nine amazing years, it’s bittersweet. This space has witnessed our growth, our struggles, and our triumphs. It’s where dreams were nurtured, and friendships forged. While we’re saying goodbye to these familiar walls, we’re embracing a new chapter in a much bigger, brighter location. The memories we’ve made here will forever hold a special place in our hearts, and they’ll fuel our journey forward. Here’s to new beginnings and cherished memories. Thank you all for being a part of this incredible journey

Flash Sale- 2 Lennis and 1 Larry APQS Long Arm Machines!

Angela — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 22:16:54 +0000

We are having a FLASH sale on Lenni and Larry but we only have two Lenni’s at this price and one Larry at this price. Call or email right away if you would like to chat about these machines! (502)718-7148

NEW 2023 APQS Lenni 22″ Long Arm Machine

Legendary APQS Lifetime Warranty

22″ throat with Multi Positional Front and rear handles

Horizontal Channel Locks

“L” sized bobbin- change to “M” sized bobbin for $500 upgrade

Quick change hopping foot. Ruler foot included.

Standard Bliss Table your choice of size 8′, 10′, or 12′

Stand Alone Bobbin Winder

Free APQS Beginner’s Class

SOLD!!!

NEW 2023 APQS Larry 18″ Mid Arm Machine

Legendary APQS Lifetime Warranty

18″ throat with Multi Positional Front handles

“L” sized bobbin- change to “M” sized bobbin for $500 upgrade

Quick change hopping foot. Ruler foot included.

Standard Table your choice of size 8′, or 10′ (upgrade to 12′ for $500, Add Bliss for $1500)

This is a freemotion machine. (Upgrade to Pantograph package to add rear handles, panto shelf and laser light for $950 more)

Stand Alone Bobbin Winder

Free APQS Beginner’s Class

SOLD!!!

Video: How To Piece a Strudel Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman August 2023

Rachel — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 18:53:45 +0000

We had so much fun in this episode of our Sit n’ Sew! Angela demonstrated how to piece The Strudel block from Mavis Reynolds’ Strudel pattern, and she even shared the link to the FREE pattern! We’ve also put together an exclusive Strawberry Strudel quilt kit featuring a yummy batik jelly roll so you can bake up your own strawberry flavored strudel quilt in no time!

The Hypotenuse Problem

Our viewers were quite intrigued about the beautiful quilt behind Angela during our broadcast. The quilt, officially called Snowy Spring, has been featured on the Love of quilting TV show. What stands out most about it, is its stunning braided border, which as it turns out, posed a pretty complicated mathematical problem. There’s a reason why Angela calls it her quilt of regret. Read more about How To Make a Braided Border: The Hypotenuse Problem

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-3:30 – Welcome & Announcements (audio difficulties)
3:31–14:06 Announcements & New Arrivals
14:07 – Main Program (How to piece a Strudel block)
54:50 – Wrap Up

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Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Jim R. | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 19:17:25 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Jim Rexroat’s bright and beautiful creative space, above his garage. Watch the video below to see Jim’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Jim Rexroat's sewing & quilting studio

We wanted to get to know Jim a little more, so we asked him a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I’d been looking at getting a longarm for a few months, and on one sleepless night about 14 years ago, I called the APQS Dealer in Texas on the business number at 3:00 in the morning to leave a message that I was interested in learning to longarm. Much to my surprise and embarrassment, Connie Keller picked up the phone. I had obvious woken her up, so I told her “go back to sleep, I will drop by tomorrow to chat”. I went to her studio inside Quilt Country in Lewisville, Texas the next afternoon and I started renting longarm time from her within the week. Once QuiltPath released, I was 100% completely hooked on getting my own longarm. I love to freehand quilt, but sometimes I really wanted to something intricate, something beyond what I can do freehand. The computerized quilting adds that ability. BONUS, I can piece another top and quilt at the same time! I finally got around to purchasing my own longarm, an APQS Lucey about 2 years ago, right as my partner and I were moving to Michigan.

How have you grown your skills?

Growing skills is constantly on my mind, “How could I do this better?”, “What else can I incorporate into my next quilting design?”, “How can I overcome my fear of feathers?”, “Why did I start quilting this king quilt so densely?”. The biggest hurdle I had when I first started as a longarmer was self-imposed… perfection. Fortunately, I was taught the “Galloping horse” method: If someone passed by on a galloping horse, would they notice? Once that really sunk in, I let loose. I stopped focusing on perfection, let go of that mindset, and after a couple more quilts, everything fell into place! To continue to grow skills in the present, it always comes down to determination, time, and practice. While donating quilting time to charities is a great way to help others, it also helps the quilter both emotionally and skill-wise. Doodling is always a great way to practice spacing, tempo, new designs and embedding the muscle memory to duplicate the same on a quilt. Then, on to the next improvement!

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

The most challenging part of longarming is when the quilt doesn’t speak back to me. I’ve had a couple dozen times when I think I know what the quilt needs to finish it off. I get it mounted, squared, and tacked into place on the backing and batting … and the quilt refuses to let me start quilting. I will let it sit on the frame for a spell and if it doesn’t start talking back, I move on to the next one and come back to it. I’m sure that will sound strange to those who do not quilt, but I think I am in good company, and I hope I am not alone in experiencing this phenomenon. I liken it to gathering fabric for a large paper-pieced pattern… where you get the first 28 fabrics pulled together in about forty-five minutes, but the 29^th fabric refuses to be found. You put it all back on the shelf and the next day you try again with all new colors, and you get all 29 fabrics pulled together in 15 minutes. It ends up not being anything close to what you thought you wanted… but it ends up being perfect!

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

My quilting space is a 27-foot x 22-foot room above the garage. The room used to be an open second story patio when the house was built in 1964, but the previous owners had it refinished as a large office. The two end walls are primarily windows, and the ceiling slopes front to back so at the backend the ceiling is about 6 foot high, and it is about 14 foot high at the front. Wall space is a little limited, but it has an incredible amount of space and storage, enough to afford me the ability to have a 14-foot frame on Lucey. The sheer amount of natural light and the ability to open all the windows is probably my favorite thing about my crafting spaces. The only thing I think I would change are the walls. They are currently a stained tongue-and-groove pine, which tend to reflect a yellow-orange tone on everything. I would love to remove the pine and design a modular wall system for storage and quilt hanging and shift it to a neutral color.

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

I chose APQS for many reasons. The lifetime warranty, the quality, the customer service, the people who make APQS what they are. They are people that will bend over backwards to make sure you are completely happy… not 99% happy, but 100% happy. I’ve seen APQS do things for customers that were well beyond expectations. I have tried a few other manufacturer’s offerings, but I always came back to the APQS machines, and for good reason, they are the best for me.

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

I do have Intelliquilter on my Lucey, and I love it. It allows me the freedom to plug in a design, load the bobbin, and click GO. Then I can walk over to the design table and work on something else at the same time. I also like the flexibility and repeatability of a computerized longarm.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

For the new longarm quilter I would like to offer only two pieces of advice…. 1) Get out of your head. Just quilt, don’t think, and see what happens! 2) Understand the excitement and value of “It’s off the floor!” Only a longarmer will understand the delight in that phrase.

What quilting project are you currently working on?

Currently, I have several projects underway. I’m working on a Sassaman-style patchwork quilt, Dinner plate Dahlia, Carnival Flower, a new bag design, and a stack of three dozen quilts that need binding. I truly do not like the binding process, so I tend to make a huge pile of completed quilts and spend two weeks doing nothing but binding.

How would you describe your quilting style?

I’d like to say that my quilting styles defies being defined as any one particular approach. Each quilt is its own adventure, and although I would love to say that I know exactly what I want to do when I see either a pattern or a completed top, I never know until it is mounted on the longarm. In the moments right before starting to quilt I let myself be completely at the mercy of the quilt itself. I will say that if a quilt is very structured, I prefer to longarm with the intent to give the quilt “motion”. On the other hand, if a quilt is very active or busy, I prefer to quilt more subdued and let the quilt take the lead. I don’t want the quilting to compete with the quilt design itself.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

My favorite batting and threads have both changed over the past 2 years due to availability and shipping costs. In Dallas, I would use nothing but Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 (preferably black). Since moving to Michigan and the skyrocketing prices to ship rolls of batting, I have started to use Quilter’s Dream, which I can get relatively locally. Both have their advantages, but I might stick with Quilter’s Dream for the foreseeable future. For threads, I have moved over to Omni for both top and bottom threads. The thread I started quilting with originally became difficult to source during Covid and I had just purchased my longarm and had to stock up. For domestic, I use Aurafil or Connecting Threads Essentials. I love Aurafil for its low lint properties, but at 2-3x the cost of the Essentials, I have no issues with cleaning out my bobbin case more frequently. For handwork, Tire Silk thread is my favorite to work with, and I use InvisaFil when doing English paper piecing.

Do you quilt for others?

I have done quilting for a very limited number of other people, and I am working expanding that offering as soon as I get my website reopened and do all those icky business things to get started. It’s currently under redesign and can be found at http://www.thecraftybastard.com! It’ll be a few weeks until it is ready to reopen.

Thanks again to Jim for letting us look around!

Video: How to Quilt a Snowball Block | August 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 00:36:49 +0000

The focus of this month’s livestream is how to machine quilt a Snowball Block! Discover design ideas to fill negative space with beautiful motifs! In addition, Angela shares her creative ideas for quilting a beautiful quilt top that’s been shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse. This special segment, “How Would I Quilt It?” promises to be full of inspiration for your own projects. But that’s not all – we’ve got even more excitement in store! During our “Looky Loo” tour, you’ll get an exclusive sneak peek into Gail’s perfectly organized crafting, sewing, and quilting studio. It’s bound to be a treasure trove of great ideas and tips for organizing your creative space!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 -2:45 – Welcome
2:46- Louisville Nimble Thimbles Cuddle Care
6:24 – Announcements
9:35 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Snowball Block)
21:24 – Gail’s Looky Loo
30:48 – New Arrivals
32:51 – How Would You Quilt It?
49:13 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Quilting for Charity with the Nimble Thimble Guild

Angela — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 21:30:10 +0000

Do you have a charity close to your heart that you love quilting for?

My local guild, the Nimble Thimbles, makes quilts for our local children’s hospital. Throughout the year all of the members piece tops that will snuggle a child in a hospital environment with love and comfort. We call our program Cuddle Care. Don’t you love that!?!

Every July all of our friends from the Nimble Thimble guild descend on our shop and take over all of our APQS long arm quilting machines to quilt all the tops from the year that have been made.

We load an entire bolt of backing fabric on each of our five longarm machines and each machine has a team of quilters dedicated to stitching as many kiddo quilts on the frame as possible.

Each time one quilt is finished, you’ll hear a happy dance from the crew as the finished quilts start piling up! Can you believe these amazing ladies completed 63 quilts?! What a productive day!

Of course, knowing that a child who may be having a tough day in the hospital is going to be given a snuggly quilty gift is the best part. And, we also know that the family around that child is going to be under a great deal of stress as their child undergoes treatment in the hospital. My guild hopes that a quilt from our Cuddle Care program can make that load a bit more bearable because they’ll know our town’s community is standing with them.

Many of our customers here at Quilted Joy support Quilts of Valor, Project Linus and make items that can be auctioned off for their charity of choice. What charity do you like to support?

If you are looking for a good quilt pattern to use for your next charity project don’t miss our three yard quilt books. You can make a wonderful quilt from just three one yard cuts that is the perfect size for a charity quilt. We even have curated three yard cuts that we know will look great together. Our newest one is very popular with our Quilt Fairies… it is from the sweet Forest Fairy line!

Video: How to Quilt a Christmas Tree Block | July 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 17:03:03 +0000

In this episode of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse, Angela is celebrating Christmas in July! Watch as she demonstrates how to machine quilt a delightful Christmas Tree Block! Angela also shares her quilting ideas for the Celestial Spin Quilt during the “How Would You Quilt it?” segment. Additionally, take a virtual tour of Jim’s spacious sewing and quilting studio, complete with a stunning view, in our “Looky Loo” segment!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 – 13:20 – Welcome & Announcements
13:21 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Christmas Tree Block)
18:20 – Jim’s Looky Loo
24:10 – New Arrivals
31:10 – How Would You Quilt It?
40:50 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Video: How To Piece a Celestial Spin Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman June 2023

Rachel — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 18:12:39 +0000

In this episode of the Sit n’ Sew, Angela will show how to piece a block from the Celestial Spin Quilt made from Peta Peace’s Spin pattern, and she’ll share the link where you can get the Spin pattern for FREE!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-3:05 – Welcome & Announcements
3:06 – Love of Quilting Signed with Love Quilt
8:30 – Main Program (How to piece a Celestial Star block)
30:31 – Wrap Up

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Video: How to Quilt a Framed Pinwheel Block | June 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:55:23 +0000

In this episode Angela is continuing her series on common quilt blocks, with new ways to approach them. This month, Angela will show you how to machine quilt a framed pinwheel block, which is a variation of a traditional pinwheel. She will also be sharing her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment, plus, we’ll take a peek into Vickie’s spacious basement sewing & quilting studio in our “Looky Loo” tour.

Meeting Highlights:

00-6:33 – Welcome & Announcements
6:34 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Pinwheel Block)
20:27 – Vickie’s Looky Loo
26:42– New Arrivals
29:06 – How Would You Quilt It?
36:18 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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May’s Renter Roundup

Melanie — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:58:32 +0000

Summer is upon us and most of our renters are enjoying the sunshine! But now is when we see what everyone was up too before during the dark winter months. Some really lovely quilts came into the shop this month and it was hard to choose just a few. I love the colors in all of these quilts as well as the patterns. You might even recognize a few. So let’s get into May’s Renters Roundup!

Sheila's Chandelier

The first quilt is from Sheila. She loves to create quilts and then gift them. And she seems determined to give a quilt to everyone she knows. This was made for a friend that loves these colors. I can see why!

This is a Chandelier Quilt that you can find multiple patterns and tutorials for on the web. What really made us happy is we found the best quilting pattern for the fabric she used. It is called Jacobean Flower, available to our Mail-in Quilters, and it was perfect. They looked just like the fabric pattern!

Stained Glass in our Renters Roundup

The next quilt is a real favorite of mine. So much so, that I found the book she used and bought it. It’s out of print, but you can still find it out there. Karen made this, as well as other quilts from the book by Liz Schwartz and Stephen Seifert called Foundation Pieced Stained Glass Quilts.

The fabrics she chose really glow as if there is actually sunlight shining through them! Definitely a quilt that looks good with batiks. We decided a nice traditional pantograph design would look best. She choose a baptist fan.

Van Gogh would be proud

Our last quilt is from Piper. She made it to be auctioned off as a fundraiser for a dog agility organization. It is fabric foundation pieced, so there is an additional layer of muslin under the bright fabrics. This helps when you have bias on the edges like this quilt would have. She made it with a jelly roll that was inspired by impressionist artists like Monet and Van Gogh.

I just love the brightness of Piper’s quilt! It has the balanced, put together feel of a quilt made from one line of fabric. The lovely and busy nature of the fabric gives it a comfortable scrappy feel as well. It’s quilted with an old pantograph of ours called Rosey Posey.

There were a lot more quilts that we saw this last month that were gorgeous, but there simply isn’t time to show them all. I can’t wait to see what June has in store for us. Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook and join our Clubhouse group to be able to see even more lovely creations from all over the US and beyond. We’d love to see what you’ve been working on, too!

Video: How to Piece Banded Flying Geese | May 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse + Q&A

Rachel — Tue, 30 May 2023 14:53:55 +0000

In this episode of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse + Live Q&A, Angela will show you how to create the beautiful banded Flying geese seen in her Sea Glass Star Quilt!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-3:45 – Welcome
3:46 – Announcements
8:19 – Comments & Questions
9:35 – Angela’s Kentucky Derby Experience
12:27 – Main Program (How to piece Banded Flying Geese)
48:39 – Wrap Up

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Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Marina B. | May 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Fri, 12 May 2023 12:52:34 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Marina Barber’s beautiful multi-level sewing and quilting studio in sunny Florida. Watch the video below to see Marina’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Marina Barber's Sewing and Quilting Studio

We wanted to get to know Marina a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I have been quilting with my APQS Millie longarm since march of 2020

How have you grown your skills?

I have grown my skills by Taking the APQSCertification class, Angela’s longarm lecture, a Myrna Class, and ofcourse, practice, practice, practice!

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

The most challenging part of longarm quilting for me is getting the tension just right. I’m also learning how to use rulers right now.

Where is your quilting space?

My quilting space is inside my home. My APQS Millie with her 12′ table is in my living room, and I have seperate sewing and cutting rooms as well.

What do you love about your quilting studio?

I love the large area and maneuverability. I also love being able to spend time with my hubby in the same room while I quilt!

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

I am happy with my swing room as is. I wouldn’t change a thing!

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

I chose my APQS Millie because it is much more smooth and comfortable to use compared to other brands.

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

I have an Intelliquilter. I love how easy it is to use and there is so many patterns to choose from. And it’s so simple to transfer new patterns on to it. Most of all I love having the computer right in front of me!

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

There’s nothing better then practice, practice, practice!

What quilting project are you currently working on?

I have many projects I’m working on, but I’m most excited about a modern quilt I’m working on called Night Song.

How would you describe your quilting style?

My quilting style is more contemporary.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

My favorite batting is Hobbs 80/20 and my favorite thread is Glide

Do you quilt for others?

Yes, I do quilt for others.

Thanks again to Marina for letting us look around!

Video: How to Quilt a Secondary Block | May Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Wed, 10 May 2023 20:18:14 +0000

In this episode of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse, Angela is continuing her series on common quilt blocks, with new ways to approach them. This month, Angela will show you how to machine quilt secondary block. A secondary block is typical of a quilt that has a large center focal point, such as a medallion quilt. See Angela’s quilting ideas for Christine’s adorable toucan quilt top on the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment, plus, take a peek into Marina’s multi level sewing & quilting studio in our “Looky Loo” tour.

Meeting Highlights:

1:31 – Welcome & Announcements
10:56 – AQS Paducah 2023
23:13 – NEW! APQS Larry
25:38 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Secondary Block)
42:49 – Marina’s Looky Loo
48:39 – New Arrivals
51:33 – How Would You Quilt It?
57:41 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Video: How to Piece an Ohio Star Block | April Quilted Joy Clubhouse + Q&A

Rachel — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:39:50 +0000

Angela just got back from Golden, Colorado after recording the 4200 series of the national PBS show Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting, and she can’t wait to share some sneak-peeks and behind the scenes stories from the set! She will also be continuing her series on common quilt blocks, and will show you how to piece an Ohio Star Block!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-4:53 – Welcome
4:54 – Batik fabric opinions & tips
6:32 – Announcements
8:19 – Behind the scenes from the Set of Love of Quilting, Golden Colorado
15:34 – Sea Glass Star Quilt designed by Angela Huffman
21:56 – 2023 Fons & Porters Reader’s Choice Awards
22:45 – Main Program (How to piece an Ohio Star Block)
42:53 – Wrap Up

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Video: How Would You Quilt It? Tina’s Lamb Quilt

Rachel — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:23:15 +0000

The quilt that I chose for March’s Clubhouse meeting made me laugh out loud and squeal! I knew that it was the one I was going to have to go with. I absolutely love Love LOVE IT! Isn’t it cute with all those little lambs?! Let’s take a look at Tina’s quilt, and how I would quilt it if it were my quilt.

Stitch in the ditch

The first thing that drew me to Tina’s quilt was the texture I could add to the little Lambs with some free motion quilting. To get started, you’re going to want to stitch in the ditch around each lamb.

When we do free motion quilting, it’s going to be a little dense. Having your little sheep all nailed down, will keep things stable as you’re filling up the wool area on your Lambs.

3’s and E’s

Let’s add some texture by adding a curly-Q design to the bodies of the little lambs to make it look like wool. To do this I’m going to use a quilt pattern called “3’s and E’s”. The reason it’s called 3’s and E’s is that those are the two shapes that you’re going to use to make the curls in the wool. To start, I’m going to stitch the shape of a 3, and then I’m going to tuck the bottom of that three way in. Next I’m going to stitch the shape of an E, coming out and tucking the bottom in, and I’m just going to keep changing direction each time.

The key to this is to really tuck that tail way in, so that it gives you room to move around. Stitch 3’s, then tuck, stitch E’s, then tuck, and just keep repeating that. When you get back to where you started just reach up and touch it to combine it. If I get stuck somewhere, and I’m like, oh! I don’t have any room! Well, there’s a little magic super highway around the lamb where you stitched in the ditch, that you can zoom down and then duck back in and fill. It’s not a big deal if you get stuck in a corner, you can always get yourself out! If you’ve never done 3’s and E’s, get some paper out and play! You’ll find it’s a really fun and easy filler. Aren’t the little lambs just so cute with their curly wool?

Snoots & Boots:

Let’s move on to those snoots and boots on the cutie pie Lammie Lamb! For the lamb faces, I started out by connecting the area right below the ears with straight lines in a chevron shape

Towards the bottom of the face, I would repeat the chevron lines and that would give the lamb a cute little nose. Repeat this for the little hooves, using smaller chevrons.

Framing the Lambs:

There’s this interesting space around where the rows of lambs come together, but they’re not totally equal. Because it’s asymmetrical it gives you some interesting options! What I decided to do is stitch diagonally on the intersection of the middle seam. It creates diamonds that have an interesting tiled effect that I thought was really kind of cool!

Then I thought, I’d really like to do that again to really frame it out. I would do this by creating a double frame to go around each of those little inset areas we just created. I would just repeat this around the outside area next to the flower border, all the way around the quilt. To travel across, stitch the top 1/2 of the first square, then travel straight across, over to the next one and stitch the top 1/2 of that square. Repeat for the next square, travel over and up and then come back the other way and that’s how we get these tiles. I think it looks pretty, like it’s almost beveled.

Inner flowers:

Each of the inner flowers are pieced in a floral fabric, and have asymmetrical grids that are built into them. My thoughts were to create an elongated medallion in the center of each grid using a series of bunny hops. I think this would be very pretty, and it would also give me the chance to repeat it in the border.

Because the floral fabric in the border is busy, the quilting is not going to show very much. It’s best to keep things simple here, so I don’t want to do anything fancy like feathers, as they would get totally lost. Extending the square lines out to the border creates visual continuity by linking everything together. The final thing I would do is bring in that same flower shaped elongated medallion we made, and repeat it around the border.

And that’s how I would quilt It! Of course Tina, you can quilt your amazing lamb quilt any way you’d like and we’d LOVE to see it regardless! When it’s done, be sure to add a post to our Facebook or Instagram so that we can all see what you choose to do!

Renter Round-Up: See 3 Inspiring Quilted Creations From Our Talented Customers

Rachel — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:19:51 +0000

If you’re a quilter, then you know that there’s nothing quite like seeing a beautifully crafted quilt up close. As someone who rents out machines to quilters, I am fortunate enough to see countless stunning quilts daily, and I have to say our renters have truly outdone themselves! In fact, I’m so excited about some of the quilts that have recently come through our studio, that I just had to share a few of my favorites with you. Take a look!

Kristen's quilt with a unique backing

We absolutely love the beautiful colors and perfect symmetry in Kristen’s quilt. She created it as a gift for her father and his wife, who picked out all the colors themselves.

what I really like about this quilt is the pieced back. Kristen tackled the challenge of a pieced backing fabric using a clever design approach. She created a single row of blocks between larger solid strips of fabric, which extended off the quilt on either side. This not only prevented any tucks or puckers but also made it simpler to ensure that the quilt was straight on the stripe.

The quilting pattern she chose, called Fern, is a beautiful, leafy design with lovely symmetry. The flowing design really complements her quilt flawlessly. It’s clear that Kristen’s beautiful quilt will be cherished by her family for many years to come!

Stacee's Heartwarming Scrap Quilt

Next up, we have a quilt from Stacee that’s just bursting with color and charm! She created this beauty for her niece using a pattern called A Scrappy Kind of Love by J. Michelle Watts, which is perfect for using up scraps and jellyrolls.

Stacee did not hold back on the scraps! She incorporated leftover fabrics from many different quilts, as well as a jellyroll, to create a fun and eclectic look.

Stacee used a pantograph called Cadence for the quilting. This fleur de lys pantograph is the perfect match for our city of Louisville, and it also adds an extra touch of elegance to this already stunning quilt. It’s clear that Stacee put so much love and care into this gift, and her niece is one lucky gal to receive such a delightful treasure!

Carol's Yellow Rose of Texas Quilt

Carol’s gorgeous quilt is truly unique. While the block design is simple and classic, what makes this quilt one-of-a-kind is the fact that every block features a beautiful yellow rose designed by Carol herself!

Inspired by her granddaughter’s birthplace in Texas and her love for the song “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” which she often sung to her, Carol set out to create a very special quilt for her granddaughter. However, after struggling to find the perfect yellow rose fabric, Carol, a talented art teacher, decided to paint her own watercolor design. She then uploaded it to Spoonflower.com, where they printed it on fabric for her to create a perfectly unique Yellow Rose of Texas quilt.

The result is an awe-inspiring heirloom quilt that showcases the endless possibilities that come with a little creativity and ingenuity. Hats off to you, Carol!

We can’t wait to see what other amazing creations our renters will come up with! If you’re in the Louisville area, we invite you to come and learn to quilt with us and show us your finished masterpieces. Even if you’re not local, we still want to see your work! Connect with us on Instagram or Facebook and share your latest quilting projects. We also invite you to join our Facebook group, Quilted Joy Clubhouse, where you can connect with other quilters, share your projects, and get inspired by the amazing work of fellow quilters. We hope to see you there!

Video: How to Quilt an Ohio Star Block | April Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 22:18:08 +0000

In this episode Angela is continuing her series on common quilt blocks, with new ways to approach them. This month, Angela will show you how to machine quilt an Ohio Star block! She will also be sharing her quilting ideas for a quilt top in a special throwback edition of the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment, plus, we’ll take a look back into one of Angela’s favorite quilting studios for our “Looky Loo” tour.

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 – Welcome & Announcements & New Arrivals
4:12 – Main Program (How to Quilt an Ohio Star Block)
16:30 – Adrean’s Looky Loo
33:54 – How Would You Quilt It?
47:22 – Wrap Up

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Quilt By Mail: A Step-by-Step Guide

Angela — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 20:24:47 +0000

We are SO excited to offer Quilt by Mail services, but we also understand that it can be really scary to send your quilt (what feels like) a million miles away. Rest assured that the Quilted Joy quilt fairies are here to make the process stress-free and easy peasy.

Step 1: Tell us all about your quilt!

Every single stitch in your quilt top has a little piece of you sewn into it. We want to honor this by making sure we quilt to your exact specifications. To do this we need to know details such as size, quilt pattern, and batting. Simply fill out your details on our quilt by mail page and we’ll handle the rest!

Step 2: Check out & submit your order

After you’ve filled out all your details, add the quilt by mail product to your cart. Proceed to check out as usual. After your order has been paid for and submitted you will recieve an order confirmation.

*For a limited time only use code MAIL15 for 15% off & FREE shipping on quilt by mail services!*

Coupon valid until June 1, 2023.

Step 3: Send your quilt to us!

Pack up your quilt top for it’s journey!

Step 4: Your quilt arrives! (YAY!)

Upon arrival we will immediately let you know your quilt made it to us safe and sound! The standard turn around time is around 4-5 weeks. We also order an expedited turn around with priority service for an additional charge.

Step 5: Our quilt fairies work their magic!

Now the fun part! Our expert quilt fairies will work their quilty magic. We want creating the quilt of your dreams to be easier than your ever imagined!

Step 6: Ship your quilt home to you!

When all the work is done, and every detail has been double and triple checked we will ship your quilt back to you via Fedex or UPS. We also offer a signature required delivery for an additional fee.

Step 7: Snuggle and show off your beautiful quilt!

Yep! It’s that easy! Be sure to schedule your order today and get 15% off plus FREE shipping on our Quilt by Mail Service! Offer is valid until June 1, 2023

What Our Customers Have to Say:

My quilting guild spent the day quilting at Quilted Joy and had an excellent experience. All of the staff are friendly, competent, and made our experience joyful. I cannot give higher recommendations to the shop and establishment. Angela is always a joy.

Quilted Joy is aptly named! I visited the shop once and they were so welcoming and excited to show off their lovely shop. Since then I've ordered thread and bobbins -- my favorite is Filtec and they have a wonderful selection. Their online ordering is very user friendly, delivery is fast and they communicate with you constantly throughout! I can't recommend this shop enough!

I purchased pre-wound bobbins for my long arm from Quilted Joy. My order arrived much faster than I expected and it was packed wonderfully. The price was the best I found for the items I purchased. Highly recommend!!!

I visit every time I visit my son. I always stop to see the good deals on their thread and backings. The ladies that I have encountered have all been great. They recently tried to help me match some backing for a customer’s quilt. She was honest enough to say that just doesn’t go with that top! Customer service is a huge part of being a good business. You can tell they have good support from management. This place rates 5 stars.

Video: How to Machine Quilt a Pinwheel Block | March Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:04:55 +0000

All of 2023, Quilted Joy Clubhouse will be all about common quilt blocks, and new ways to approach them. Join Angela as she demonstrates how to machine quilt a pinwheel block! Then Angela will then be sharing her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment! Finally, we’ll take a peak into Joy’s quilting studio in our “Looky Loo” tour.

Meeting Highlights:

9:14 – Welcome & Announcements
18:04 – Main Program (How to Machine Quilt a Pinwheel Block)
26:13 – Joy’s Looky Loo
30:42 – New Arrivals
42:47 – How Would You Quilt It?
50:11 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Joy B. | March 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Rachel — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 23:41:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month, in our Quilted Joy Clubhouse LIVE meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Joy B’s beautiful basement studio, that has a cozy fireplace and a snazzy cutting table on wheels! Watch the video below to see Joy’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video

We wanted to get to know Joy a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I have been quilting with a longarm for four years.

How have you grown your skills?

I’ve grown my skills with Practice, Fons & Porter APQS Machine Certification Class and YouTube videos and tutorials

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

For me, the most challenging part of longarm quilting is Perfection paralysis.

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

My quilting studio is in my basement. It is not a retail space.

What do you love about your quilting space?

I love that it is bright, and has a fireplace.

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

I would love to have a much bigger design wall

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

I Tried it and others at the Paducah quilt show, then went to the Road Show at Myrna Ficken’s studio. Lenni seemed to be perfect for me.

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

No, my longarm is not computerized.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

Practice on muslin, but quickly move to real quilts. I look back on early quilts and see how much skill I have gained!

What quilting project are you currently working on?

I’m currently piecing a Tilda fabrics pattern and have a number of Guild outreach quilts waiting for me to quilt.

How would you describe your quilting style?

I love traditional floral quilts, but also love brights, modern and landscapes. Whoa! I guess I love them all.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

My favorite thread is Glide. My favorite batting is Quilters Dream.

Do you quilt for others?

I do not quilt for hire, but I quilt any charity/outreach/comfort quilts my friends bring to me.

Thanks again to Joy for letting us look around!

How Would You Quilt It? | Christine’s quilt

Angela — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 21:56:45 +0000

For February’s Clubhouse, I chose Christine’s quilt. Isn’t it gorgeous? Such a celebration of color! I just love the prints in this quilt. And because the prints are the star of this show, I don’t want to do anything that would confuse or distract from them.

With all that glorious color in the fabrics, what color of thread do you think we should choose? I’m always one to pick chartreuse whenever I can, but I don’t think I’d want to do that with this quilt. Bright threads speak loudly and it just isn’t the voice that needs to added to this conversation. For this quilt, I really think you’d be happiest with a gray. Gray is the color of shadow and your eyes will just look past it easily.

First, be sure you find the hidden kitty tail in her photo she submitted. LOVE IT!

For the quilting, first I wanted to add a little structure. I went with a simple diagonal chevron in the four patches. This pattern will allow me to work through two rows at a time if I travel between half square triangles to get to the next four patch. This adds some great structure to the quilt and doesn’t fight the prints in this fabric.

Now what do I do with those half square triangles? Because of their size, I wanted to be careful that they weren’t more heavily quilted than the four patches. So I chose to do a double wavy line. Easy AND effective!

Starting on one side, I would stitch a gently wavy line along one side of the blocks and then come back and do a second line parallel to the first.

It is important to remember when you are working along the edge of the quilt, that the binding is going to come up on that edge some. Be sure to quilt away from the edge enough to allow for binding as you are wiggling along.

And that is how I would quilt it! Simple, but like I said, this is a celebration of fabrics. I didn’t want to do anything that would take away from that. But…. Christine, this is your quilt and you can quilt any way you want to! When it’s done, be sure to add a post to our Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to see what you choose to do!

Wide Back Packs v. Wide Bitty Back Packs: Which to Use When

Angela — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 19:21:09 +0000

Quilted Joy has always carried a variety of wide backing fabrics. At last count we have over 160 different 108″ wide quilt backing fabrics!

That is in addition to the over 400 bolts of regular width 45″ wide quilt fabric! Can you tell we love petting fabric?

Of course, we love using 108″ wide backing fabric for the back of our quilts because it makes the quilting process so much easier on our APQS long arm quilting machines. When you have seams in your backing it can change how the fabric gets loaded and in which direction.

In fact, we have a special precut version of our wide backing fabrics that is the perfect size for most any quilt. We call it a 3- yard Back pack and it contains, as I’m sure you can guess, 3 yards of a wide back fabric. Since most are 108″ this 108″ cut of the fabric gives you a square that is perfect for most any quilt you make!

But did you know we also sell a limited quantity of Bitty Back Packs? These special cuts of our wide backing fabric have less than 3 yards and are a great cut for smaller quilts with the same great 108″ fabric we all love. So, if you are making a smaller, kiddo sized quilt, one of our Bitty Back Packs would be PERFECT! And, the best part? Our Bitty Back Packs are marked down to save you a bit of money as well!

Determine the Size of Your Quilt Top To Select The Right Back

The first consideration when browsing wide backing fabric is obviously the size of your quilt. A 3-yard back pack is perfect for almost all quilt projects from baby quilts and throws, all the way up to your large king size quilts. But what if you don’t want all that extra fabric? Well, then a bitty back pack is a great option. Containing less thaan 3 yards they have just enough without all the extra. Take a look at the chart below for a cheat sheet to how much backing fabric you’ll need for your project.

Consider Using Wide Backing Fabric for Piecing

Another resourceful and economical use for backing fabric would be piecing! Bitty back packs in particular would be a great way to play with beautiful prints and an affordable price.

When piecing with wide backing fabric there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. I used only backing fabric in my quilt Twizzles featured on Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting. Check out the finished quilt along with all my tips on piecing with backing fabrics.

Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting: Lakeside Lanterns Episode 4110 – Traditional Blocks in Modern Fabrics

Angela — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 15:48:09 +0000

During COVID I found myself really missing quilt shows. They always were sources of fun and endless inspiration. While we were all cooped up at home I would visit online quilt museums, looking at all these beautiful vintage quilts. One quilt I stumbled upon was finished by Anne Olsen, a gorgeous broken dish quilt in blue and white.

In Episode 4110 of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting PBS Show, I show off my quilt Lakeside Lanterns, inspired by the vintage quilt I saw online, in which I wanted to use traditional blocks while incorporating the modern fabrics I love.

In addition to incorporating moderns fabrics, I used a few updated techniques that make the construction of the quilt simpler and more accurate while still achieving that vintage look.

1. Oversizing

I love the effect the straight columns create in this quilt. However, making sure all those side triangle blocks are just the right size can be fussy if the size is even a little off. One technique that made this process so much easier was slightly oversizing the setting triangle blocks and then trimming the column down to size to make sure everything is the exact same size.

2. Specialty Rulers Are Like Magic Wands

The core of the block is the square- in a square- in a square central unit. This is a vintage block called an economy block but it can be a challenge to piece traditionally. Some folks turn to paper piecing for the block as the cutting math on the central square and outer triangles can get queasy.

Instead, I use the Square Squared ruler for any unit like this. The markings on the ruler are incredibly easy to understand and everything you need is built right into the ruler! I love it!

Square Squared
$33.99 Add to cart

I love how this fresh take on a traditional quilt turned out!

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Brenda Dennis

Rachel — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 09:31:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Brenda Dennis’ beautiful creative space, that she’s incorporated into the main living space of her home. Watch the video below to see Brenda’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Brenda Dennis Looky Loo Tour February 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

We wanted to get to know Brenda a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I have been quilting for 23 years but have only had my longarm for 4 years. She is a 2016 Lucey.

How have you grown your skills?

I took many online classes. I also quilted yards of practice sandwiches and pantographs on quilts.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

Slowing down to a speed that I can manage and patients with myself. I only did minimal free motion quilting so the patients part was the hardest part.

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

We have a finished basement that is more like a sewing family room.

What do you love about your quilting space?

My space has wonderful windows and really good lighting with soft cozy carpeting for those winter days. Everything is within easy reach.

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

I would not change anything. The current set up is the third change since we moved and it’s perfect now.

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

I started with a George and had him for 10 years. Nothing ever went wrong with that machine. So it was a very easy decision to go with another APQS.

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

No computer. I wanted to learn free motion and if I had a computer I don’t think I would have pushed myself to learn free motion.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

I so hate to say it but… practice, practice practice. There just is no substitute for hard work.

What quilting project are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on The Cherrywood challenge for 2023. Shhhhh, that’s a secret.

How would you describe your quilting style?

My quilting style is evolving. I have tried many different styles over the years. Currently I prefer clean lines with a bit of stylizing. I also like traditional quilts.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

Batting-Hobbs 80/20, Hobbs wool, Warm and Natural. Thread- Glide, Invisafil, Aurifil

Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

I quilted a pantograph that was a top that my girlfriend made. Other than that one time I only quilt for myself.

Thanks again to Brenda for letting us look around!

Video: How to Quilt a Friendship Star Quilt Block | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 19:19:08 +0000

Video: How to Quilt a Friendship Star Quilt Block| Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Join Angela as she demonstrates how to quilt a friendship star quilt block! We’ll also be talking through the focus of Clubhouse Live in 2023 and some new products we’re very excited to share. Angela will then be sharing her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt it?” segment! Finally, we’ll take a peak into Brenda’s quilting studio in our “Looky Loo” tour.

Meeting Highlights:

6:53 – Welcome
22:38 QJ News & Clubhouse 2023 Focus
24:54 – Announcements
35:54 – Main Program (How to Quilt a Friendship Star Block)
45:24 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Brenda D.
49:52 – New Arrivals
57:00 – How Would You Quilt It?
1:03:22 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

How To Combine Free Motion Texture Quilting with Custom Quilting on Kimbra’s Quilt

Each month during our monthly Quilted Joy Clubhouse Livestream, folks submit a photo of an un-quilted top and I pick one to show how I would quilt it! For our first How Would You Quilt It? of 2023 we looked at Kimbra’s beautiful, dramatic quilt top.

Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting: Twizzles Episode 4102- Using Backing Fabrics For Piecing

I’m so in love with the wide variety of wide backing fabrics on the market today. We are truly spoiled! Here at Quilted Joy we

Video: The Best Free Motion Quilting Edge-to-Edge Designs | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

All over, edge-to-edge quilting can add texture and movement to a quilt that doesn’t compete with the fabrics. Join Angela as she shows some simple,

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3aX-RyOUw&t=5s Have you ever wondered: how can I quilt stunning Art Deco borders

Pebbles & Pearls – QJ Clubhouse

Pebbles and Pearls Pebbles and Pearls create beautiful filler designs within your quilt! During this Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, Angela Huffman will show you how

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email https://youtu.be/1Oao8FN2Wic Piano keys and beadboard are super popular methods

How To Combine Free Motion Texture Quilting with Custom Quilting on Kimbra’s Quilt

Angela — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 23:17:53 +0000

For our first How Would You Quilt It? of 2023 we looked at Kimbra’s beautiful, dramatic quilt top. Each month during our monthly Quilted Joy Clubhouse Livestream folks submit a photo of an unquilted top and I pick one to show how I would quilt it.

There are so many different patterns in the fabrics Kimbra chose for her quilt. They range from hexagons, polka dots, chevrons, and stripes. It’s an absolute FEAST for the eyes. However, with quilts that have this much going on it can be challenging to decide what quilting would best enhance the quilt top.

The problem is that if you use an edge-to-edge pantograph with a definitive motif, for example, a detailed feather pattern like this one that I love, it runs the risk of being too busy or being simply too much against the dramatic colors and patterns. A detailed pantograph would run the risk of adding another design layer that could overpower the quilt instead of just complimenting it with texture.

Play Video

The January Quilted Joy Clubhouse livestream was all about adding texture through free motion designs, and Kimbra’s quilt is the perfect example of how these designs can really make a quilt sing. Be sure to watch the replay as I step out my thought process on her quilt.

Where to Start

In Kimbra’s quilt, the individual units are composed of two 2″ strips. Each unit alternates orientation. So, one unit’s strips run North to South, then the neighboring unit’s strips run East to West. I use those seams to align my loops! Don’t you love it when the seams do all the hard work so you don’t have to mark anything during the quilting process? Her seams break down the space and give me targets which assist with aligning the repeats of my quilting motif. I’m using a lower case cursive letter “L” shape. It adds a repetitive texture, which allows the fabric to do all the talking while the quilting plays a supporting role.

Here’s what it would look like with an all over texture without stopping for her corner blocks or the center star. It is nice but it diminished the star power of her butterfly blocks. I wanted to encourage the eye to drink them in a bit more by changing the quilting in those areas.

See what I mean? The texture is nice but we can make this quilt sing by adding some custom quilting.

Enhancing the Center Star

Take a close look at how the piecing makes a central medallion in her quilt. The challenge was how to accentuate it and draw the eye to the star formed by those center blocks.

First, to add structure, I stitched in the ditch all around the fussy cut focal butterfly squares and the star. My next consideration was keeping the center from melting into the background. The light grey fabric around the star is where I can accomplish a couple of things.

This area is a great super highway I can use to travel around the background to dip in and out of areas without drawing the eye. But, it is also a great place to put dense, small meanderings and stippling to define the large star better. Simple chevrons around the triangles are an easy way to complement the star’s angles.

Mirroring the stippling on the outer portion of the block, I added stippling around the butterfly focal squares on point to give me an easy hidden pathway to travel around the block and it also frames out her beautiful butterflies.

Next I wanted to replicate the chevron shapes used in the grey stars in the yellow fabric around the butterflies. Repeating motifs and calling back to other portions of a quilt bring its voice into harmony. I love how the simple quilting lines in the central star brings attention to the medallion those blocks create.

Let's Take a Look at the Corner Blocks:

In thinking about the corner block my goal was to find a way to accentuate them against the background. We talk about magic portals during our time at the Clubhouse and how find them so we can dip into and out of spaces as needed to eliminate as many stops and starts as possible. Corners are always great places to pass through to a new space. In this case I knew I wanted to enter in the top of the central square in square so I could stitch a simple arc to travel around the middle of the block easily.

To get there, I used a simple curve down to the middle flying geese unit on the top row, I repeated the cursive letter “l” shape used before so I can get to the top of the large triangle of her goose. I know my goal is to get to the top seam intersection of the central square in square. So, a simple diamond will get me there. That gets me ready to drop down into the square in square unit in the middle of her block.

After finishing the middle square in square, I exit out the top of the triangle of her goose and continue my way around the block. Be sure to watch the video and you’ll be able to see my path.

The Finished Quilt Design:

What do you think? By adding texture through a free motion loopy design in the background, I can push that area away from the eye. The custom quilting in the corner blocks and central mediallion come forward to the eye to great it and welcome the viewer into the quilt.

Of course, Kimbra can quilt her quilt how ever she likes! I’m looking forward to seeing what she chooses. Let me know what you thought about this quilting plan down in the comments!

Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting: Twizzles Episode 4102- Using Backing Fabrics For Piecing

Angela — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:58:47 +0000

I’m so in love with the wide variety of wide backing fabrics on the market today. We are truly spoiled! Here at Quilted Joy we have over 150 bolts of wide fabric that are 108″ or wider. These fabrics are designed to be used on the back of a quilt but did you know you can also piece your quilt top with them as well?

In Episode 4102 of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting PBS show I showed off my quilt Twizzles which is made entirely from the Ombre Confetti wide backing fabric line from Moda. The great thing about ombre fabric is you have light, medium, and dark hues all in the same piece of fabric due to the ombre. Plus, they all compliment each other!

The patchwork blades in the quilt reminded the Love of Quilting team of ice skates, so they decided to name the quilt Twizzles – after a technical skill in figure skating involving a multi-rotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice.

I know nothing about figure skating other than it looks very difficult. Thankfully, this quilt is NOT as crazy difficult as that!

I absolutely LOVE using wide backing fabric for piecing because it comes in SO many varieties and usually a better deal than regular 45″ yardage. However to make the most of wide backing fabric, there’s a few things to keep in mind.

Here are my top three tips for using wide back fabrics for piecing your quilt top:

1. Shrinkage:

Because wide backing fabric is so… well… wide, it can shrink more aggressively than a regular 45″ quilter’s cotton fabric. So, I highly recommend washing any wide backing fabrics you wish to piece a quilt top with first. The fabric will shrink a bit and be ready for your piecing project.

2. Stability

I also recommend heavy starch. Well, to be fair, I recommend heavy starch on all yardage you will be piecing with. I grab my grocery store starch and generously spray the yardage. Let it sit there for a minute to soak in. Then, flip the yardage over and iron well with steam. I like to say I starch yardage so that it will get up and introduce itself to me. Yep. That much starch! I don’t use starch or steam after I’ve cut the yardage into my units, though. I don’t want the fabric to change size after I’ve cut it.

3. Subcuts

It can also be a bit unwieldy to cut wide back fabrics because it is so big. It is a lot of fabric to wrestle. To help make it more manageable, snip and rip the yardage into more manageable chunks. For the Twizzle quilt I snipped the wide back yardage into thirds. This way I have a one yard width swath of yardage to work with. It makes it so much easier!

Play with some wide backing fabrics for your next piecing project!

Wide backing Fabric Featured in Twizzles:

The Flight of the Finches Quilt. Designed by YOU!

Angela — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:35:14 +0000

Over the past few months, our quilting community has helped to create a new quilt at Quilted Joy. Thank you to all who voted!

Starting in November, we invited all of our quilty friends who get our newsletter to choose the layout and quilting design that makes the Flight of the Finches quilt super special.

Let’s take a look at how our Design-a-long 2022 came together.

The Block: Birds in the Air 4 at a Time

We started with the traditional Birds in the Air block. There are two things that made this block perfect for our Design-a-Long, First, it is an asymmetrical block which means we can get a mountain of different layouts for our quilt top by simply rotating the block. Fabulous!

The totally amazing part is that the Quilt Fairies here at Quilted Joy have developed a way to make this block FOUR AT A TIME! Wahoooo!!! Seriously… it is VERY cool.

We demonstrated this nifty trick for piecing four at a time Birds in the Air during our November Quilted Joy Clubhouse Livestream Q&A:

Play Video

The Winning Layout:

Next, you all voted on which layout you liked the best. Layout #3 won by a landslide, even though there were five other amazing options. Pop over at see the other layouts you can get from this versatile block!

The Quilting Plan:

Finally, we asked everyone to vote on the quilting plan that I would quilt. Plan #3 was the winner (again) and came together beautifully. Although this plan was the clear favorite, there are 3 other fabulous options that would have been stunning. Take a look!

In the end, the Quilted Joy clubhouse and community helped create what we’ve decided to name the Flight of the Finches Quilt and we’ve got it all kitted up for you at a fabulous price for this 42″ x 54″ lap quilt!

It has been so much fun to design a quilt with our quilty community! Have you made yours yet? We’d love to see it!

Flight of the Finches Quilt Kit

$31.99

Quilt designed by Angela Huffman

Painter’s Palette Solids collection from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics.

Finished quilt is 42″ x 54″.

100% cotton

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Jill Bell

Rachel — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 23:03:08 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Jill Bell’s beautiful creative space, that she’s incorporated into the main living space of her home. Watch the video below to see Jill’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Jill Bell Looky Loo Tour January 2023 Quilted Joy Clubhouse

We wanted to get to know Jill a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

I got my APQS Lucey on Thanksgiving 2019, through the combined efforts of some dear friends and family who both lent and gifted me the capital!

How have you grown your skills?

Practice, practice, practice! I’m a part of a local quilting guild that donates hundreds of quilts annually to local charities, so I quilted many charity quilts early on, which also benefited others, and they didn’t mind my mistakes! I also joined a local long arm group, and the monthly meetings are always a great source of encouragement, ideas, and inspiration. I’ve taken a few quilting classes, watched a gazillion YouTube videos, and spent way too much time on IG looking at really good longarmers and dreaming of the day I’ll quilt as well as they do.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

Standing and quilting pantos from the back of the machine for long periods of time used to be hard on my back, but since I added IQ to my machine, I no longer have those back pains! Probably the most challenging part is that I can be a tough self-critic. The finished product in my mind is often more perfect than the actual outcome I produce, so being kind to myself and feeling pleased with my progression of skills is sometimes challenging.

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

My quilting space is just inside the front door of my house! We are fortunate to have both a formal living room and dining room space as well as a family room and kitchen/dining room in our home, so my family very graciously agreed that the formal spaces could be my quilting space. We’re not a very formal family.

What do you love about your quilting space?

My long arm is in a room with a lovely view out the window of the Puget Sound—water and mountains—and although you can’t quilt and look out the window at the same time, I get to enjoy it in between! I also repurposed my grandmother’s old china cabinet to hold my thread collection, so I have this beautiful colorful display that brightens up the whole room. It coordinates well with my wooden desk (a thrift store find!) and antique captain’s chair, so the furniture of my studio fits well into a home’s décor, much better than office modules would.

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

I’ve maxed out all the space, so a little more room would be nice, but I’d probably just fill it with more fabric, and who needs that?!

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

The actual machines seem more “approachable” and less “machine-y” than some of the others I looked at (a plus when it’s in my living room), and they’re really sturdy and durable. The company seemed very reliable, and the ability to maintain and fix the machine myself rather than rely on a technician was a big draw. There’s a huge online APQS community that is always a great source of support as well. I am so glad I went with APQS!

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

About 5 weeks ago I added Intelliquilter to my APQS Lucey. It’s a dream! I was able to self-install it with very little frustration and have only just begun to discover all the possibilities. With IQ I can finish customer quilts in ¼ of the time it used to take me to quilt by hand, it helps me keep quilts square on my frame with the channel locks, and it offers innumerable design choices at the touch of a few buttons. I adore it. A most worthwhile investment.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

Be patient and kind to yourself, find people who will encourage you, and use the resources of the longarm community that are out there. Social media is full of groups where you can ask questions, get advice, and show your progress. Find a longarm community!

What quilting project are you currently working on?

Because I have a small business as a long arm quilter, I have very little time to make my own quilts! However, our local guild quilt show is coming up next March, and I want to enter a quilt in it, so I’ve pulled out some projects that have been sitting on the shelf for a few years and am trying to work on them on the weekends. I usually take December off from quilting for others, so that’s when I accomplish most of my own quilting.

How would you describe your quilting style?

I’m somewhere in between modern and traditional. Kaffe Fassett fabrics make me dizzy, but cozy country cottage isn’t for me either, so sometimes I dabble with Tula Pink (in very small doses) and sometimes I retreat into plain old half square triangles with old favorites from my stash. I even straddle the styles through two guild memberships, one with my local modern quilt guild and one with Quilters Anonymous.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

I use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton poly and Hobbs Heirloom wool, almost exclusively. I have a customer quilt on my machine right now that is double batted with Dream bamboo and 80/20, and I really like the bamboo, it has a lovely drape and loft. My all-time favorite thread is Glide. It runs beautifully on my machine, and I adore those magnetic pre-wound bobbins!

Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

I have quilted for others almost since I got my machine. In the middle of the night, I came up with my business name—Comfort and Joy Quilter—because I wanted my work to bring both comfort and joy to my customers.

About half of my business comes from my local guilds, and half from people finding me on google and my website.

My business website is www.comfortandjoyquilter.com

IG and FB: Comfort and Joy Quilter | Facebook

Jill Bell (@comfortandjoyquilter) • Instagram photos and videos

Thanks again to Jill for letting us look around!

Video: The Best Free Motion Quilting Edge-to-Edge Designs | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 22:27:44 +0000

All over, edge-to-edge quilting can add texture and movement to a quilt that doesn’t compete with the fabrics. Join Angela as she shows some simple, easy free motion quilting designs that will be perfect for your next quilt top. Then, we sneak a peak in to Jill B’s AMAZING quilt studio smack dang in the middle of her home! And finally, enjoy some quilt drooling over the gorgeous quilts shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on Facebook.

Meeting Highlights:

9:49 – Welcome & QJ News
12:16 – Monthly Thread Bundle & Announcements
23:30 – Angela’s go-to edge-to-edge designs
32:34 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Jill B.
36:28 – New Arrivals
51:07 – How Would You Quilt it?
56:17 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Annette Hosmann

Rachel — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 20:03:19 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Annette Hosmann’s beautiful creative space, located in her newly finished basement. Watch the video below to see Annette’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

We wanted to get to know Annette a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

Since October 2019. I have quilted over 200 quilts with most of them going to local charities. (Mostly lap size but several queens)

How have you grown your skills?

On-Line:

Angela Hugli Clark Quilt Path On-LIne Boot Camp Thread Waggle Quilting
Lauren Jackson Bold Notion Quilting Ruler Work On-line Class

In Person:

Myrna Ficken- Ruler Work at Quilter’s Choice
Cathy Thayer of Fabric Bash QuiltPath 5
Julia Quiltoff Great Fills at KCRQF
Central Missouri Longarm Guild –Monthly meetings

What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

It is challenging when things go wrong i.e.thread breaks, wonky and wavy borders,or weird tension issues.

Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

It is in the recently finished basement of my home. Not a retail space.

What do you love about your quilting space?

Almost everything. The easy to clean luxury vinyl floor, the bathroom and kitchenette space, large cutting island, sewing machine near the longarm, and room to sew with others.

If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

Perfect space would be a walkout basement with more windows.

Why did you choose an APQS machine?

Quality and reputation of manufacturer

Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

I have Quilt Path and use it routinely. I do lots of charity quilts and they are completed quickly with the computer program.

What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

Practice helps a lot. Complete lots of quilts. If you do not have tops find a charity or guild that needs tops quilted. I am sad when I see a machine for sale and they have only quilted 1-5 quilts on it over several years.

What quilting project are you currently working on?

Several always. A Plaidish by KitchenTable Quilting sample for a class I am co-teaching for the local non-profit The Sewing Labs. The one I am the most excited about is Miss Woodhouse by Sara Marie Gardner at www.SareLucilleHandmade.com

How would you describe your quilting style?

I prefer bright colors and simple designs. I actively participate in Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and the more traditional Lee’s Summit Quilters Guild.

What is your favorite batting and thread?

Pellon 80/20 for most quilts as a local quilt shop has great sales on rolls. Glide thread with pre-wound bobbins.

Do you quilt for others?

I do not routinely quilt for others as I can keep busy with charity quilts and my own projects. Annette can be found on Instagram and Facebook @Annette Hosmann

Thanks again to Annette for letting us look around!

Video: How to Machine Quilt Flowers in Borders | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 20:41:20 +0000

Video: How to Machine Quilt Flowers in to Borders | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Join Angela for an easy how-to guide on machine quilting flowers in a border using the Petunia ruler. We’ll also announce the winning quilt plan in our 2022 Design-a-Long! Angela will share her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt is?” segment! and of course, we’ll take a peek into a new beautiful quilting space in our “Looky Loo” segment!

Meeting Highlights:

7:51 – Welcome & QJ News
11:04 – Design-a-Long quilt plan winner
22:28 – Main Program: How to Machine Quilt Flower in a Border
32:30 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Annette H.
36:40 – New Arrivals
44:37 – How Would You Quilt It?
51:59 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

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Design-a-Long 2022: The Winning Layout! And, Vote On the Best Quilting Plan.

Angela — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:39:47 +0000

Thanks to everyone who voted for their favorite layout of our Birds in the Air block! Ready to see the winner???

You chose… layout #3!

Isn’t it lovely? And all from one 6″ Birds in the Air block that can be made FOUR AT A TIME! Wahoo!!!! This quilt finishes at 42″ x 54″ with 48 of those lovely Birds in the Air blocks.

Now it is time to vote for your favorite quilting design! Your choices are down below and you can cast your vote down below!

But first, want to make one along with me?

Grab a kit and play along! Layout your blocks as you choose and quilt along with Angela!

Flight of the Finches Quilt Kit
5.00 out of 5
$31.99 Add to cart

Now, let’s look at different ways to quilt it! I’ve sketched out quilt plans for you to choose from. Vote for your favorite using the button below. We’ll announce the winning quilting plan during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live stream on Dec 7. Plus, I’ll make the quilt with the winning quilting motif!

Vote down below!

Quilting Plan #1

Quilting Plan #2

Quilting Plan #3

Quilting Plan #4

Now it is time to vote for the best quilting plan for this layout.

Which one do you like best? Vote below!

Also, those who vote will not only get our fabulous weekly newsletter, you will also get our instructional sheet on how to make this lovely Birds in the Air block four at a time delivered to your inbox!

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Joanne Harvey

zwilso3388QJ — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 12:24:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Joanne Harvey’s creative space, set up in the lower level of her home! Watch the video below to see Joanne’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Joanne Harvey Looky Loo Studio Tour

We wanted to get to know Joanne a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

Joanne: The first quilt I completely long armed is on my recently purchased Freddie which has only been a few months ago. I previously worked in a sewing machine shop that sold long arms. I was the dedicated long arm demo/sales person.

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

J: I constantly seek tips, classes, and practice practice practice.

QJ: What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

J: Probably choosing a quilting design that best fits the quilt top.

QJ: Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

J: My space is in my home. My lower level. It is not a retail space.

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

J: I started out in a spare bedroom and have grown to consume much of my basement. My spouse is very supportive in my endeavors. I love that I have a dedicated space for my craft.

QJ: If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

J: I’m very content in my space. If I had to say something, I’d say better organization.

QJ: Why did you choose an APQS machine?

J: The strength of the machine, customer service, and the reputation of the APQS name.

QJ: Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

J: I have a BasiQ IQ. I love the ease of use.

QJ: What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

J: Practice.

QJ: What quilting project are you currently working on?

J: I have a few charity quilts to complete.

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

J: I like it all!

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

J: Quilters Dream Batting and Superior So Fine Thread

QJ: Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

J: Yes, I have a Facebook Group called LilyanLee Custom Needle Arts.

Thanks again to Joanne for letting us look around!

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Emily Vardeman

zwilso3388QJ — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:41:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Emily Vardeman’s basement creative space! Watch the video below to see Emily’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

Play Video about Emily Vardeman's Longarm Quilting Studio

We wanted to get to know Emily a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

Emily: Almost 1 year.

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

E: Longarm League Rookie Season! Practice, YouTube videos, asking questions of other longarmers

QJ: What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

E: Tension.

QJ: Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

E: My quilting space is in my basement in Ames, Iowa. It is not a retail space.

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

E: I love that it has quite a bit of color and has things in it that are either meaningful to me, make me laugh, or that I find beautiful.

QJ: If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

E: I would love it to be bigger and not in a basement, but somewhere with big windows.

QJ: Why did you choose an APQS machine?

E: I knew a couple other people who had APQS machines and liked them. I went to a Roadshow demonstration in Des Moines and learned more about them. I like that they are an Iowa company and that I got free delivery and installation because I live in Iowa!

QJ: Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

E: Yes, I purchased my Intelliquilter from Quilted Joy! I like that it is not overly complicated to use. I appreciated the classes from Quilted Joy to learn how to use the system.

QJ: What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

E: Sign up for Rookie Season through the Longarm League, especially if you intend to do longarming as a business.

QJ: What quilting project are you currently working on?

E: The Big Sky Star Quilt from Plains and Pine – a version of the lone star

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

E: Modern Traditional

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

E: I’m currently using Quilter’s Dream batting and I like it. I’d like to try different kinds of thread, but right now, my machine seems pretty happy with Glide thread.

QJ: Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

E: I do quilt for others! My business is called Short Story Longarm Quilting because every quilter and every quilt has a story. My website is shortstorylongarm.com, my Instagram page is @shorstory.longarm, and my Facebook page is Short Story Longarm Quilting.

Thanks again to Emily for letting us look around!

Video: How to Quilt Cables | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:31:07 +0000

Video: How to Quilt Cables| Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Join Angela for an easy how-to guide on quilting cables using the Smiley ruler. We’ll also announce the winning layout in our 2022 Design-a-Long and discuss how to vote on what quilt patterns should top the winning layout!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 – Welcome & QJ News
7:50 – How to Quilt Cables using the Angela Walters Smiley ruler
17:57 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Emily H.
26:50 – New Arrivals
- Glide Luminary “Glow in the Dark” Threads:
- Painter’s Palette Solids
- Twinkle Charm Pack
- Scrappy Dashing Through the Snow
29:17 – Layout winner announcement
Wrap up

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Design a Quilt with Angela Huffman Using The Birds In the Air Quilt Block!

Angela — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:09:39 +0000

Some blocks bring the party and the Bird In the Air quilt block is no exception. This block has two secrets that I love. The first secret is that by simply rotating the block you’ll get striking looks and utterly different quilts. The second is that you can make this block four at a time!

Let’s have a little fun and create a baby quilt together!

Grab a kit and play along! Layout your blocks as you choose and quilt along with Angela!

Flight of the Finches Quilt Kit
5.00 out of 5
$31.99 Add to cart

Vote on which layout you like best for this powerhouse of a block. You can find all the choices down below. In a few weeks, we’ll announce the winning layout and I’ll stitch it up. *Voting on the layout has now closed! Take a look to see which layout won and vote on the best quilting design for the chosen layout by clicking here!

Those who vote will get instructions on how to piece these beautiful Birds In The Air blocks four at a time so you can play along with me!

Let’s GO!

As with all things quilty, there are a variety of ways you may find this block in the wild. We are going to work on a simple 6” finished Birds In The Air. Here’s the block:

Lovely, right? Now let’s PLAY! First we will select the layout for our 42” x 54” baby quilt.

Which Layout Is Your Favorite? VOTE DOWN BELOW and when you do you’ll also get our weekly Quilt Fairy Magic newsletter in your inbox and the free pattern on how to make the Birds In the Air block four at a time!

Layout Choice #1:

Layout Choice #2:

Layout Choice #3:

Layout Choice #4:

Layout Choice #5:

Layout Choice #6:

Video: Large French Curves for Feather Spines | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:45:34 +0000

Video: Large French Curves for Feather Spines | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Join Angela as she demonstrates how to achieve large French curves for feather spines using the ProSpine Ruler. Join Joanne Harvey in this month’s Looky Loo as she shows Angela around her basement studio. And as always, Angela will be sharing thoughts for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would You Quilt It?” segment! And finally, enjoy some quilt drooling over the gorgeous quilts shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on Facebook.

Meeting Highlights:

3:35 – Welcome & QJ News
12:25 – Main Program
47:34 – New Arrivals at Quilted Joy
32:29 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Joanne H.
49:38 – How Would You Quilt It?
59:43 – Show & Tell and Wrap

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Stitching in the Ditch Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email Stitching in the Ditch is a common technique used for quilting your

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email It’s the Year of the Ruler in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Blaire Gagnon

zwilso3388QJ — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 16:54:15 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Blaire Gagnon’s sewing and longarming creative space! Watch the video below to see Blaire’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

We wanted to get to know Blaire a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

Blaire: I have only been quilting with my longarm for 5 months. It was delivered at the end of January 2022. I had not used a longarm before purchasing one – other than at the demo by my regional rep.

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

B: Good question. Slowly. I have had to start at step one and build my skills. For example, how to pull up the bobbin thread? I had to watch a video. And as we all know, to become familiar it takes repetition and practice. I practiced free motion quilting until my Intelliquilter system arrived June 1, 2022. I have completed 3 lap-size quilts using the IQ since June1st. It has been a busy month. But on each quilt, I try to add a new skill, a new pattern, or a new thread while not overwhelming myself.

QJ: What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

B: I need to be in the right frame of mind when I start a new quilt. Especially with IQ. I felt I had developed a comfort level with my Millie before installing IQ. She seems like a whole new beast. Therefore, I work through cleaning Millie (loading the quilt on the frame, threading, winding a bobbin, etc.) in chunks of time while accomplishing other sewing and life tasks. Then, I get the quilt set up on IQ and stitch either first thing in the morning or right after lunch. This helps me focus on what I am doing. While I am learning Millie & IQ, I am also preparing to take on work for customers so I am focusing on details.

QJ: Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

B: My quilting space is in the basement of my home. I have a room for my sewing and a room for my longarm. It is not a retail space.

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

B: I love the size of it, and that it is dedicated to my quilting and nothing else.

QJ: If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

B: To make my space more functional and aesthetically pleasing, I would paint or remove the knotty pine walls and bring in tables for my sewing machines that would allow me to mount them into the table surface.

QJ: Why did you choose an APQS machine?

B: I liked the way it handled when I did free motion quilting. It had weight to it. I also wanted a machine I could assemble, learn, and repair myself.

QJ: Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

B: Yes, I have an Intelliquilter. I love that I can quilt without moving the machine myself! I want to be able to do free motion custom quilting, custom quilting using the IQ and pantographs. All of it. I am not a spring chicken and have back issues. The IQ will allow me to quilt more quilts.

QJ: What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

B: Breathe! And focus on both learning new things and completing quilts. I am not one to play on plain fabric. I want a quilt on the frame 99% of the time because for me it is real world. Be bold, not timid, especially when free motion quilting. For the IQ, watch videos, apply what you learn, then rinse and repeat.

QJ: What quilting project are you currently working on?

B: I usually have over 10 sewing projects in the works at any given time. The next 2 quilts to be long-armed using my IQ are a scrap Brick House quilt made from a free Fat Quarter Shop pattern and Corey Yoder’s 2021 Block of the Month Spring Brook Blossoms. I have been piecing tops from my stash specifically for practicing on the longarm and completing UFOs. Some are over 25 years old.

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

B: Eclectic. I’ve been quilting for over 30 years and owned a quilt store back in the 1990s. I have and do work with all types of fabrics though I have just gotten into batiks. I love scrap quilts, improv quilts, and art quilts. I am not one who buys fabric lines or precuts. I like to do my own thing. Lately, I have been trying to push my boundaries.

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

B: Wool is my favorite batting, though I have yet to use it on the longarm. I also like Quilter’s Dream products and Hobbs 80/20. Depends on what I am doing and who it is for.

QJ: Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

B: For the past couple of years, I have done contract work and commissions, but I have not quilted on my longarm for a customer, yet, but very soon. My business name is A Link in a Chain Quilting. I do not have a website, but I have a Facebook page for the business where I post my work.

Thanks again to Blaire for letting us look around!

Quilt by Mail at Quilted Joy

Melanie — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:22:40 +0000

Have you ever finished piecing a quilt, and then realized “Now I have to quilt it”? For some of us it can just make our hearts sink. Not everyone loves to wrestle that bundle of fabric and batting through the little space in our sewing machine. Not all of us feel confident enough about the quilting process to do it ourselves on something we’ve just put our heart and soul into for the last couple of weeks, or even years. There are even some of us who dread the mess and inconvenience that quilting a big quilt can cause. You’ve got to get it basted just right, and where do I lay it out. We don’t all have room. If what I’ve described sounds like you, consider our Quilt by Mail service.

Thread Color

At Quilted Joy, we have several beautiful APQS longarm machines with computers that are at your disposal. On our website you will find a our selection of edge to edge designs. You can pick one out or leave it to us to do it for you. Do you know what color you want on your top? We can match it. Are you unsure what you want? We can help pick it out. Just tell me if you want it to blend in or stand out, and we’ll find the best color for your top.

Batting

The batting we use is Hobbs batting. We find it’s not only cost effective but also has a beautiful drape and washes well. We can offer you 100% cotton, a 80% cotton/ 20% polyester blend in both natural and black, and 100% polyester. We also carry Quilter’s Dream Deluxe loft. This is a 100% cotton batting that is a little thicker than the Hobbs and shrinks more. Now you may ask “why would I want it to shrink more?” Quilter’s Dream gives you that lovely shabby chic crinkly of an old quilt that so many of us adore. It is a lovely batting as well.

Binding

If you’d like us to bind it, we can do that, too. We use a premade binding from Moda that is simply wonderful. They made it exactly the way I would have made it myself, but they can do it cheaper. We have every color we could get a hold of so I’m sure there is something there that will frame your quilt beautifully. Whether or not you want us to bind it, we’ll trim your quilt because packaging it up to mail back to you as quickly as we can.

Quilt by Mail with Quilted Joy

Quilting by credit card is a valid way to quilt. Sometimes we think this is a product of our modern age, but that isn’t true. Quilters were hired as early as the nineteenth century. So if you don’t have the time or the space or just the desire to do it yourself, send it to us. We’d love to be a part of what you’re creating.

Behind the Scenes: Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting PBS Show 4100 Series

Angela — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:41:23 +0000

I just spent a fabulous week out in Denver recording the 4100 series of the PBS show, Love of Quilting! As always, I had a wonderful time! I can’t wait for you to see all the quilts and techniques Sara and I showcased in these episodes.

Do you have a favorite block? Sara loves pinwheels and Dresden Plates. On the show we worked on the Bountiful Sunflowers quilt by Natalie Crabtree in the Sept/Oct 2022 Love of Quilting magazine. That’s the quilt hanging there behind me on set. Don’t you LOVE the colors?

I have yet to do an entire Dresden Plate quilt of my own but I’m fascinated by how many different shape those blades can be. Pointy ends, round ends, skinny blades, fat blades, whole circles, half circles, quarter circles… SO MUCH FUN! That photo is Sara showing me all the steps to her method and how she is going to teach it on camera.

My days start EARLY. It takes about an hour and a half to get my hair and makeup done. After figuring out what I am wearing so it doesn’t clash with the quilt project, I run over to get my microphone on. That can be a bigger ordeal than you may think. Some fabrics are “scratchy” and as I move the microphone picks it up. Once the audio guy gets that done, I hop over to the set to make sure I have everything laid out for each step we’ll do on camera. Or, if Sara is teaching the quilt, I’ll get up to speed on her methods so I understand how it will all go together.

Once I’m confident in how the show will flow, I’ll show what I’m planning to do with Sara, our producer, Vanessa, and the sewing specialist, Eileen. They are all so incredibly talented and can quickly point out if there is a step I’m missing or need to explain in a bit more detail. Next, we walk the crew through the project. The camera crew is so incredibly talented as they follow the flying hands through everything!

One of the quilts I teach in the 4100 Series is Petals On My Path. This two block quilt features split rectangles. Have you used that unit much? It is incredibly powerful! My favorite way to make them is with the Studio 180 Split Rec ruler. That ruler is AMAZING! But, you can also use a regular ruler with some Glow Line tape to tweak a regular ruler into a specialty split rectangle ruler! I find so many uses for that tape. It is 1/4″ wide and is semi-transparent. I love it!

Of course, at the end of the day, Sara and I go out for dinner and a drink to relax after our long hectic day. One of our favorite restaurants is in Golden, Colorado. Take a look at my swanky drink! Isn’t it adorable? It was almost too pretty to drink…. almost. That one in the photo is the Rogue One!

I can’t wait for you to see all the other quilts from the 4100 series. We showcase building off set column quilts with half blocks, dive into quilt theory and how it will help break down borders for machine quilting, how to use strip sets to speed up piecing, how to use wide back ombre fabrics for piecing, different methods for making V blocks, using 3D elements on quilts, color theory for fabric selection and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Look for the next season of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting show on your PBS station soon!

Fons & Porter’s Love Of Quilting: Bluegrass Jamboree Quilt

Angela — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:57:32 +0000

When designing quilts for the Love of Quilting magazine and television show we are given prompts to jump start our thinking and provide a theme for each edition of the magazine. The prompt for the September/ October 2022 Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine was “Home”. So, stop for a moment and think about what quilt YOU would make to reflect what the word “home” means to you.

It’s hard, right? There is so much emotion wrapped up in that word. It isn’t like the word “house”. It is a “home”. There is belonging and comfort and love contained in a home.

I have to say that initially, this prompt stumped me. But when it comes right down to it, my house feels like a home when all of my five children are under my roof. That happens so rarely these days! They have gone in all different directions! Just this month one started college and got moved into the dorms. *sniff*

Here’s a photo of my kids with their grannies at my wedding to Wade in 2019. The three on the right are my triplets with my mom. The two on the left are Wade’s kiddos with his mom. MY HEART!!

My hope is that as they move through life they will feel called to come back to the nest to visit with me. Nothing makes me happier than hearing their laughter and seeing their smiles. So, for me, home is love. Home is my kids together. Home is their smile. It is my hope that the bluegrass breeze of my state of Kentucky calls them back to me time and time again.

So, this quilt was designed originally entitled Bluegrass Breeze. But… then I found these FABRICS!!! Don’t you love them? lt is the Colour Wall line from Riley Blake. LOVE IT! So, when I did finally send it off to the big brains on the staff of the Fons & Porter magazine they decided to name it Bluegrass Jamboree. Which I think is in keeping with the fun, power and party of this quilt!

I’m a sucker for a quilt that looks complicated but uses super simple techniques to make things look fancy. For this quilt, it has an illusion of being set on point but it is a regular ol’ horizontal setting. The secret is the uber chunky sashings with brightly colored half square triangles. They frame out the Whirlygig blocks to give it the illusion of an on point setting.

And, you will love the shortcut way I make the Whirlygig block from a layer cake! What is super amazing is that when you are making the Whirlygig block it automatically creates that secondary sister block. It’s a twofer!

Order the Bluegrass Jamboree Quilt Kit!

I know you will love making this quilt crowned by those party half square triangles in the corners, too. I’ve got this quilt kitted up for you to snag over in our online shop along with an autographed copy of the September/ October edition of the Love of Quilting magazine!

Bluegrass Jamboree Quilt Kit

$114.99

The Love of Quilting Bluegrass Jamboree Quilt Kit highlights the Colour Wall collection designed by Sue Daley from Riley Blake Designs.

The quilt kit includes the pattern as well as all of the yardage required to create the quilt top and binding.

Add to Cart

Would you like to take a sneak peak of the episode that features the Bluegrass Jamoboree Quilt? Take a look from the set of the 4009 episode of PBS’ Love of Quilting!

We Won TWO Love of Quilting 2022 Reader’s Choice Awards – Thanks to You!

Angela — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:57:35 +0000

We Won TWO Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 2022 Reader’s Choice Awards And It’s All Thanks To You.

There’s something that I just have to scream from the rooftops – we have the BEST customers of all time! Truly, my little quilt shop and all of the Quilt Fairies here are so blessed with the amazing people in our quilty community who took the time to vote during the 2022 Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting Reader’s Choice Awards.

You likely heard the squeals of delight from your Quilt Fairies because Quilted Joy won “Best Independent Quilt Shop”. Incredible, right?

But that wasn’t the only award won. I can’t believe this happened but I was named in the “Best Quilt Designer” category. HAPPY DANCE!!! Designing quilts with interesting techniques on traditional blocks makes me incredibly happy. Knowing other folks enjoy my patterns is kind of mind-blowing!

Designing patterns and serving you, our Quilted Joy customers, is incredibly important to me. My entire team looks for ways to spoil our customers. We believe that quilty love is the best love and helping you in your creative journey is a privilege.

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely and genuinely thank you for supporting Quilted Joy. I promise that we have more amazing plans for the future!

Video: Block Designs with Circle Rulers | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 16:26:39 +0000

Block Designs with Circle Rulers

In the September Quilted Joy Clubhouse Angela shares simple tricks to create block designs using circle rulers. We have a FABULOUS Looky-Loo tour with Blaire G in her basement studio that you won’t want to miss! And as always Angela will share her quilting ideas for a quilt top shared in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on the “How Would I Quilt is?” segment!

Meeting Highlights:

0:00 – 9:18 Welcome & QJ News
9:19- Monthly Thread Bundle and Reader’s Choice Sale
13:47 – Angela’s Design Process for creating Block Designs with Circle Rulers
27:08 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Blaire G
37:03 – New Arrivals: Kimberbell Basics, Waterbabies Collection, SewTites Magnum
39:13 – How Would you Quilt it?
45:00 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3aX-RyOUw&t=5s Have you ever wondered: how can I quilt stunning Art Deco borders

Pebbles & Pearls – QJ Clubhouse

Pebbles and Pearls Pebbles and Pearls create beautiful filler designs within your quilt! During this Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, Angela Huffman will show you how

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email https://youtu.be/1Oao8FN2Wic Piano keys and beadboard are super popular methods

Stitching in the Ditch

Stitching in the Ditch Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email Stitching in the Ditch is a common technique used for quilting your

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email It’s the Year of the Ruler in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Ruler Quilting the Nocturnal Forest Quilt

Ruler Quilting the Nocturnal Forest Quilt Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin 2022 is here and it’s gonna RULE! Angela is kicking

Wow! A New APQS Lucey Long Arm Machine with $3,900 Off!

Kelsey — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 16:00:00 +0000

When you quilt with an APQS Lucey, you’ll quickly understand why APQS quilting machines are known for being easy to use and simple to operate. Everything is designed, engineered, and crafted to be approachable, inviting, and simple to use. Lucey offers a 26″ throat space just like our top-of-the-line machines – making it an exceptional value.

For a limited time, a brand new Lucey is available with a FREE upgrade to a Deluxe Table (value $2,000) and a FREE Automatic Quilt Advance (value $1,900)

Normally this package would be $16,750 but for a limited time it’s only $15,200! That’s a $3,900 discount! And, you get to choose what size table – 8 foot, 10 foot, 12 foot, or 14 foot – PLUS your Lucey comes with the industry leading APQS Lifetime Warranty!

Oh, and if you’d like to add Bliss to your frame is only $1300. And, of course, you can choose to add a computer to Lucey as an option!

If you’re ready to invite Lucey into your home, contact us today! All you need to take advantage of this amazing deal is a $500 fully refundable deposit.

Christmas in July at Quilted Joy

Melanie — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 02:01:34 +0000

I have noticed that quilters tend to be very generous people. We all know how much money goes into a quilt. To give one away is an expensive gift. But yet, we do it all the time. We enjoy it! We plan ahead and create these gifts months in advance because we love to make them. When we make gifts in advance, it means that we are working with fabrics long before the season matches. So lately, it’s been Christmas in July here in the Quilted Joy studio!

Jingle all the Way starting our Christmas in July

This first quilt is from Beverly. She made a Kimberbell pattern called Jingle All the Way. Not only is there some lovely embroidery, but some of the trees are chenille. Look at the detail! She made this just for fun to keep herself. Beverly used freemotion to complete it to be sure she could go around some the details on this quilt. What a fun throw to have this holiday season.

Gift for her sister

This isn’t a Christmas gift, but a gift none the less. Kim made it for her sister’s birthday. She and her sister are very close, and it shows in all the effort and time spent that Kim put into this quilt. She didn’t follow a pattern, she just made some courthouse step blocks and put it all together. I really like the outside border she added. She quilted it with a paper pantograph called Turbulence, which added lots of movement and swirls to an otherwise straight quilt.

Gifts for her Grandchildren

This is a Christmas quilt by Lisa. She is making one for every grandchild, so we’ve seen quite a few of these. She quilted on top of minky which is such a lovely backing for a cuddly winter quilt. The minky hides the bobbin thread, but not the quilting. Doesn’t it look fabulous? She absolutely loved how the back turned out. Lisa likes to quilt with our IntelliQuilter. The digital pattern she used is called Holly Panto 3 and is stitched perfectly by the computerized longarm.

This is also a Christmas quilt from Lisa. She used the same panto as before, but what stood out to me is the fabrics. The fabrics are clearly Christmas prints, but not your typical Christmas fabrics. They’re more peach than red and more sage than true green. The fun part of quilts like this is that if you don’t get them put away right away, no would know unless they look real closely.

So are you ready for Christmas? I know I’m not! But if you want to have those Christmas quuilts wrapped and under the tree before the big day and still be able to enjoy the season, you may want to start now. And of course, don’t forget the Halloween quilts, and the Thanksgiving quilts. You could even get started with Valentines… We always love to see what you are working on! Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to share your favorite Christmas quilts so that we can all be inspired by what you’ve created!

June Bloom at Quilted Joy!

Melanie — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 22:18:59 +0000

June was a great month for quilts again and we saw some truly lovely ones. You can say we saw some June Bloom this month. I love that in this art form there are so many different styles that you can choose to do. I’ve selected a sampling of what I saw this month, a little traditional, some innovative, and a bit modern. I was impressed with them all.

Stunning Half Square Triangle pinwheels

The beginning of our June Bloom is this quilt from Reagan. She brought it in for her Rental Certification class. She didn’t have a pattern, she just turned half square triangles around to create a pinwheel design that also reminds me a bit of a friendship star. Isn’t it stunning? I also love the piano key borders along the top and bottom. The colors she chose are spot on! They are rich and vibrant without being overly bright. The addition of black in the borders really works. She quilted this with a paper pantograph called Square Spiral which added a lot of lovely texture.

Surprise Split 9 Patch from Pat

Pam brought in a quilt that her friend Pat made. And not just pieced mind you. This is an original quilt from Pat’squilts@patquilting (Facebook). She called it a Surprise Split 9 patch. It has a classic feel while being something different from what I’ve seen before. I especially like the colors that she chose. I love the combination of soft reds, creams, and black. Pam quilted this with a paper pantograph called Cadence which has fleur-de-lys shapes. Perfect for a Louisville quilt!

Riley Blake Block Challenge to finish June Bloom

This last quilt is from one of our regulars. Colleen did the Riley Blake Block Challenge for 2021. The blocks are a nice variety of classic blocks, it makes a great sampler quilt. I love the colors Colleen used. The dark navy as the background with the cooler teals and soft reds gives it a very nautical feel. I especially like the corner stones. What a clever way to add a matching pop to each block! Colleen quilted this with a paper pantograph called Seamless, which is a timeless loopy meander that looks great on every quilt you put it on.

So there is our June Bloom. We got to see some classic blocks in trendy colors as well as innovative designs from our newest renters. Do you have something innovative and new in your collection? We’d love to see it. Connect with us on Instagram or Facebook. We all benefit from seeing what each of us have done. The inspiration really does spread and flow in all directions. Be sure to check back with us next month to see who walked through our doors in July!

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Bev Harrison

zwilso3388QJ — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Bev Harrison’s converted outdoor shed creative space! Watch the video below to see Bev’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

We wanted to get to know Bev a little more, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting with a longarm?

Bev: I started about 19 years ago, on a very part-time basis, but have been quilting now 3-5 days a week for the past 8 years.

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

B: I began with simple meandering but then tried pantographs and I really love doing them. I used to vary from the pattern lines a lot, but now I stay pretty true to the lines and have gotten skilled at freehanding at any edges.

QJ: What do you find to be the most challenging part of longarm quilting?

B: I’m not a fan of using rulers. I find them difficult to manage and diagonal lines are really hard for me. I have learned to do some simple maintenance on my machine, but tension issues always throw me and I rely on my APQS online community for help!

QJ: Where is your quilting space? Is it a retail space?

B: You know those big metal sheds where they park farm equipment? Well, there was one of those at the back of our half acre lot, so my dad and my son-in-law enclosed one end to make a large quilt studio. It is not a retail space.

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

B: It is bright and cheerful and roomy.

QJ: If you could change anything about your quilting space, what would it be?

B: I would love to have a heat pump that would heat in the winter and cool in the summer!

QJ: Why did you choose an APQS machine?

B: We began with a Gammill Premier simply because there was a local dealer. But it did not have a stitch regulator and I really wanted one. I tried out the APQS machines at a couple of trade shows and really loved the way the machine moved so smoothly and without a whole lot of effort on my part, and they had a stitch regulator! Soon thereafter, about 10 years ago, one of my friends decided to sell her Millennium with a 14 ft. table and I jumped at the opportunity. I am the 3rd owner of the machine. It was originally owned by Marilyn Badger! It is 22 years old this year, but it is a workhorse and I get such exceptional customer service from APQS. I would never consider any other brand.

QJ: Do you have a computer on your machine? If so, what do you love about it?

B: No I do not. I thought about adding it a few years ago, but with the kind of quilting I do, I didn’t think it would especially profit me in the long run.

QJ: What advice would you give to a new longarm quilter?

B: Quilt as many charity quilts as you can to try out threads and designs and techniques. I did that for about 6 months before I felt comfortable with the machine. And learn how to do some simple maintenance on your own machine. Problems always happen when you have a rush job or on a weekend when you can’t get a technician to come!

QJ: What quilting project are you currently working on?

B: Oh my goodness…I always have about 5 or 6 going at one time!! The one that is calling my name the most urgently is a large house/trees/neighborhood quilt that I’m doing in batiks.

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

B: For piecing, I’m fairly traditional. For quilting, I like edge to edge quilting. I really love pantographs because I’m not terribly artistic on my own, and the pantographs make me look better than I am!

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

B: I use a lot of Soft & Bright by the Warm Company, but I also like Warm & Natural, Hobbs 80/20 and I’m beginning to play with wool a bit. I do some hand quilting too, and the wool is like butter. It works really well with the longarm too, so I’m making more of my own quilts with wool batting. I like Signature all-cotton thread for general quilting, but I’m beginning to play with Magnifico and Omni threads by Superior. They have almost NO tension issues!!

QJ: Do you quilt for others? If you have a business please share your website and/or social media links so we can share with the Quilted Joy audience.

B: Yes, I do. When we (my family and I) bought the Gammill, my parents felt the machine should pay for itself, so we formed a business. When I retired from my day job 8 years ago, I kept the business going on my own and I keep pretty busy. I have quilted almost 2000 quilts in 8 years, both customers and my own. I started a website but didn’t have time to keep it up, so I just share my quilts on Facebook (Beverly Yoder Harrison). The name of my business is Yoder Quilting. However, I’m retiring at the end of June. I have so many of my own quilts to finish, many more that I want to make, and a fair number of donation quilts that I want to get quilted and gifted. I donate to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit here in Eugene, Sunshine Quilts (an online quilting group that makes quilts for children all over the world), and the local Pete Moore Hospice House.

Thanks again to Bev for letting us look around!

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Angela — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:35:48 +0000

Video: Quilting Art Deco Borders the Easy Way | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Have you ever wondered: how can I quilt stunning Art Deco borders that look complicated without the stress? During this Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, Angela Huffman will show you her easy way to quilt fabulous Art Deco borders with Angela Walters’ “Dot” ruler! You won’t want to miss a fun Looky Loo tour with Bev H. And see who’s quilt top Angela chose from our Quilted Joy Clubhouse Facebook group during our How Would You Quilt It? Segment!

Didn’t download your FREE Glide Thread Inventory sheet yet? Grab yours here: https://bit.ly/FreeGlideSheet

Meeting Highlights:

0:00-4:29 – Welcome & QJ News
4:30 – New Arrivals: Party Pixie Glide Thread of the month bundle, FREE downloadable Glide thread inventory sheet
6:49 – Angela’s Design Process for creating Art Deco Designs with the Angela Walters Dot ruler
26:50 – Looky Loo Studio Tour with Bev Harrison
36:02 – New Arrivals: Bluegrass Jamboree Quilt Kit, Kimberbell Basics
38:39 – How would you Quilt it?
47:00 – Show & Tell and Wrap Up

Pebbles & Pearls – QJ Clubhouse

Pebbles and Pearls Pebbles and Pearls create beautiful filler designs within your quilt! During this Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, Angela Huffman will show you how

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard

How to Quilt Piano Keys & Beadboard Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email https://youtu.be/1Oao8FN2Wic Piano keys and beadboard are super popular methods

Stitching in the Ditch

Stitching in the Ditch Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email Stitching in the Ditch is a common technique used for quilting your

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique

Quilting with Rulers Around Applique Share on facebook Share on pinterest Share on email It’s the Year of the Ruler in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Ruler Quilting the Nocturnal Forest Quilt

Ruler Quilting the Nocturnal Forest Quilt Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin 2022 is here and it’s gonna RULE! Angela is kicking

Video: Grid Designs for Floral Quilts | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Did you catch our December 2021 Quilted Joy Clubhouse online meeting? 2021 is our year of grid designs! This month we looked at how to

Triangle Grid Design with Denise’s Quilt

Melanie — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000

There are many quilts that are beautiful because of the complicated nature of the piecing. Either with the diminutive size of the individual pieces or the angles that go into the placement of them, it doesn’t matter. Creating a beautifully pieced quilt can be very rewarding. But not all quilts are like that. Some are gorgeous with a very simple piecing pattern, but with intricate placement of colors. Denise’s quilt is one of these. She has created a lot of drama and beauty with the selection and placement of triangle pieces of fabric.

However, without the traditional blocks, sashings, and borders, how does one quilt it? Sometimes smaller shapes can be combined into larger shapes. You can see that these triangles can also form diamonds, both large and small. They can also create hexagonal shapes, which if outlined and filled could be quite striking. But none of that was working for me with this quilt. The colors are the stars and drawing out larger shapes wasn’t working for me. So I decided to stick to the individual triangle instead.

Triangle Grid Design

Just like squares in a grid, these triangles are also in a grid. I used a great grid design to fill in all the triangles across the whole quilt. There are a lot of ways to quilt with grids. Check out some of them in this Quilted Joy Clubhouse from January of 2021 all about grid based filler designs.

For Denise’s quilt, starting in the corner, I quilted a small lower case “e” upside down in this case, to connect corner to corner. I then did a slip and slide wiggle down to the point of the triangle, then back across the base with a lower case “e” and slip and slide back up to the point again. It’s simple but effective. This pattern will add texture and not fight with the color for dominance of the viewers attention. Watch the video below to see it in action!

What Color would you Quilt it with?

Color being a primary focus of this quilt, what color do you quilt it with? You can do something like gray. But I feel that you can be more bold with your color choice here. A variegated would be great with this quilt. Between Fantastico and Affinity we have some great colors that can bring out the pinks and blues on this quilt. But you could also use a single color like a shiny medium blue, or even chartreuse! I mean, why not? Whenever you can use lime green I say go for it! It can be so much fun! Changing color is also an option. Start with a darker red, changing to a lighter medium red just before midway. Switch to a light blue and finally finish with a dark blue.

Denise was actually able to quilt this in our shop with us. She rented 0ur APQS Lucy with the IntelliQuilter computerized quilting system. She decided on an all over edge to edge design called Onion Skin. The shape and flow of the pantograph definitely fit the feel of the quilt, making it a great choice. In fact, the custom triangle grid design that I suggested may have turned out very tight as the actually quilt was much smaller than I had supposed from the picture I saw. My design or her own, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Denise has a beautiful quilt she can be proud of and you’ve seen a triangle grid design that could look great in your next triangular quilt!

Video: How to Quilt Infinite Stacked Curls

Kelsey — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

We’ve got another sweet free motion quilting design tutorial for you! In the video below, follow along with Angela as she demonstrates how to quilt Infinite Stacked Curls.

How to Quilt Infinite Stacked Curls

Isn’t this a sweet and romantic border design? The infinite stacked curls design relies on two common elements – curls and loops. In the video, Angela quilted the infinite stacked curls in a 2” border with registration lines marked every 2”. Need a good chalk pencil or fabric marker to mark your own borders? We’ve bundled our favorites in the Perfect Marking Trio pack!

To quilt the infinite stacked curls, begin in the middle of your border. Travel to the center of your marked section and quilt a curl up towards the top of your border. Travel back along your curl and quilt another curl towards the bottom of your border. Make sure to quilt your curls in different direction. In the video, Angela quilted her top curls counter clockwise and her bottom curls clockwise. On the divider lines you’ve marked quilt stacked loops, similar to an infinity symbol.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you know how to quilt infinite stacked curls, it’s your turn to give it a try! I would love to see your version of this design. You can share pictures of your quilts with me on the Quilted Joy Facebook page, use #quiltedjoyfmq on your Instagram photos, or join the community in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse!

If you would like to explore more tips and tricks for longarm quilting, don’t miss the Quilted Joy Learning Center!

May Bouquet of Quilts

Melanie — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000

April showers bring May Flowers and here we are with our May bouquet of quilts! Our renters are awesome and bring in such lovely quilts for us to see, and this month was no exception. I got to see some plaids, stripes, batiks and even some classic blocks. Not only is it fun to be inspired by all the different quilts, but we get to chat and quilt with some amazing people! It is an all over win-win for me, let’s see if you agree!

Pieced Plaid

This first quilt is from Judy, one of our regulars. It is a pretty straight forward design, but the careful choice of fabrics leaves you with the impression of plaid fabric. Judy quilted this with a pantograph we have called Wavy Gravy. It’s a fun geometric style design that has the structure of a grid and the fluid motion of a freemotion swirl. It adds a lot of lovely texture, but doesn’t add a distracting design that fights your piecing. Great job Judy!

Woven Ribbons

This quilt is from our friend Valerie. Like Judy’s quilt, is a simple set of stripes that form a beautiful overall design. This looks like a weave of ribbons. I can imagine a quilt like this in Christmas or school colors, as well as these lovely colors that Valerie used to make hers. She quilted this with a design called Toss Up. I love it because it is a little floral and a little not. It’s subtle and definitely great for this top.

Wedding Batiks

Next we have a large dramatic piece by LeAnn. This is a wedding gift for her son. It is made of batiks. She worked very hard on it and was very detailed in the selection of every fabric and color. She even came in to our shop the week before finishing this quilt, to practice on another quilt top that she wasn’t as attached to. She wanted to make sure that she did her absolute best on this very special quilt. LeAnn chose a simple meander because we felt the quilt was dramatic enough, and did not need anything to distract from that gorgeous fabric and design. LeAnn updated us to let us know that she faced the quilt rather than bind it, and that it was a great hit with her son and his wife when she gave it to them!

Catch this Bouquet of Quilts at a wedding!

This quilt was fun one from Nicki. Her friend was getting married and they wanted a signature quilt. The bride purchased a charm pack and markers and allowed her guests to write messages on the fabric squares during the reception. The challenge with this sort of thing is non-sewing folk do not understand the concept of seam allowances! There were many squares where the message was cut off or they wrote on the wrong side of the fabric. Over all the top turned out SOOO cute. What a great memory to have for a brand new couple! Nicki quilted this with a pantograph called Heart fancy. It’s a great design for this top. It’s not too tight and the hearts are just perfect for a quilt based on love.

Overall, I think our May bouquet of quilts turned out beautiful! There was a lot of color, a lot of style, and a lot of LOVE sewn up in each piece. Hopefully you were inspired, and whatever your next quilt may be, we’d love to see it! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram so we can all be inspired by YOUR next quilt!

Love of Quilting: Moonlight Mermaid Quilt From Episode 3808

Angela — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 14:06:00 +0000

I wanted to share one of my latest quilts with you AND some exciting news as well. My and my little company have had some big honors this past week. We were nominated in four categories of the 2022 Fons and Porter’s Reader’s Choice award. Will you please take a moment and vote for Quilted Joy and me, Angela Huffman, over at the survey by clicking here?

Angela & Quilted Joy has been nominated in the 2022 Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting Reader’s Choice awards in FOUR categories!

Quilted Joy was nominated for:

Best Online Store for Fabric
Best Online Store for Selection of Fabrics
Best Online Store for Quilting Supplies

Angela Huffman was nominated for:

Best Quilt Pattern Designer

Moonlight Mermaid

I’m happy to say that I’m exploring the use of solid fabrics more and more. I know… What the heck took me so long, right? Do you love solids? I was a bit nervous picking out the two main colors but I love how they play together.

What I love about this quilt is its simplicity. I especially love how it is a bit difficult to see the two blocks used in the main body of the quilt. Take a look at this preview of the show and see if you can spy both of the main blocks.

Check out at all those petals, both on the outside border and the interior blocks! I found a shortcut way to make them using my Pfaff Creative Icon 2 machine and fusible interfacing.

I hooped a big piece of fabric with the right side against the fusible side of the fusible interfacing. Then I called up a simple arch and sewed a bunch of them at once. I cut them out and flipped them right side out. All that was left was to fuse them down in the block!

I was all kinds of thrilled when I found that shortcut! Watch this video below to see how I did it.

Of course, with all that negative space you know I had fun quilting it on my APQS Millie. I covered the blocks in special feathers that remind me of bubbles coming up from the sea. This was especially effective in the outer orange peel border.

Designing patterns and serving our Quilted Joy customers well is incredibly important to me. To be recognized for this work is amazing! Please take a moment to vote for us before July 15, 2022. Your vote helps my little business and I’m very grateful for your time to do so.

You can find the Moonlight Mermaid quilt pattern in the May/June 2022 edition of Love of Quilting magazine and we have a few autographed copies available in our shop! If you’d like to watch the full episode, it is now airing on local PBS affiliates coast to coast. Or, you could purchase a subscription and watch all the episodes and more here!

Angela’s Quilt Piecing Tips for Accuracy

Angela — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:37:35 +0000

A well-pieced block that is square and flat can feel incredibly difficult to achieve. Fortunately, there are easy ways to quickly improve your accuracy while making your quilt top that will help make the rest of the quilting process flow much more easily. Here are my best quilt piecing tips for accuracy!

What is a scant 1/4″ seam anyway?

Of course, the first thing to conquer when you learn to make a quilt is ensuring you are using a scant 1/4″ seam. When you think about it, though. How crazy is it that we use “scant” as an actual measurement! As if anyone knows what that means. And it is so important but so hard to define concretely. That is why I love using my Seam Gauge and Seam Guide to double-check my math and my “scant” skills. If this is something you struggle with, take a look at this article on how to set that perfect scant 1/4″ seam once and for all.

Control how your units move through your sewing machine:

You know those pointy bits on a triangle that are so hard to keep a hold of as you sew your seam? My big ol’ finger just gets in the way sometimes. Being able to control your fabric as it moves under your needle is critical and I love using a metal stiletto to guide my fabric through my Pfaff Creative Icon 2. I’ve tried plastic stilettos and I prefer the metal one on the Alex Anderson 4-in-1 Essential Quilting Tool. I use this when piecing but it is ALWAYS used when I bind my quilts by machine.

There are so many other things you can do with this tool. It is a wooden iron, a seam ripper (in case your neighbor needs it), and a turning tool to poke out the corners, keeping things nice and crisp.

Trim Up Your Units:

Once you have your units ready to combine into a block. Take the time to trim them up. I love making my units slightly oversized. That way I don’t have to sweat so much with perfection as I piece. The trimming process is where I can make up for any small errors and get each unit sized accurately. My absolute favorite tool for this is the Tucker Trimmer. I am a huge fan of all of the rulers this company makes, but the foundational ruler is the Tucker Trimmer. It has a strong diagonal and clear markings. You won’t use this ruler to cut your fabric with necessarily. But you will wonder how in the world you’ve ever gone without this ruler as you piece your blocks. I use it for trimming my Half Square Triangles and Hourglass units. I use it with every quilt I make. Truly. LOVE. IT!

Prep the Seam for Heat:

Another essential tool I use to improve my piecing accuracy is the Fabric Folding Pen. When I started using this pen everything got better. My seams were flatter. My unit sizes were trustworthy. Things laid flat which made the machine quilting process smoother. It is a mighty pen but very powerful! The Fabric Folding Pen comes with a small container of liquid softener that you paint on your seams before hitting them with an iron. It relaxes the cotton fibers and encourages the seam to lay flat in the direction YOU desire. I tell my seam, “I know you have an opinion but I’m gonna win!”.

The Iron Is Your Magic Wand:

When quilting the iron is used a bit more delicately and deliberately than might be anticipated. The heat of the iron forces your seams to lie flat. It forces your fabric to obey your every command! However, the iron applies heat to only one side of the seam. Using a Wool Mat with your favorite iron will totally change your seams. The wool reflects and holds the heat so your seam will get the heat it needs from both sides. I love, love, love my wool mat. It makes such a difference and makes me understand how sheep can stand out in the cold without a care in the world.

Video: How to Quilt the Big Basketweave Border

Kelsey — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

If you’re looking for a free flowing border design, then you’ll love our latest quilting design tutorial video! In this video you’ll learn how to quilt the big basketweave border design. Watch the video below to see how to quilt it!

How to Quilt the Big Basketweave Border

The big basketweave border is a really simple design for your larger borders. We’re going to use the elements of a traditional basketweave design and open them up for a looser result. Before you start quilting, you’ll want to add some registration lines to your border to keep your basketweave fairly even. In the video, we used a 3” border and divided it into 3” sections with the chalk pencil included in our Perfect Marking Trio pack.

Starting at the top left of your border, we’re going to quilt loose wavy lines from side to side. Work your way down the section. It doesn’t matter how many wavy lines you quilt. You will want to make sure you end at the bottom right corner of the section. To fill your next section, quilt your wavy lines going up and down. Again, don’t worry about how many lines you quilt and instead focus on ending on the top right corner of your marked section. Continue along your border alternating the orientation of your wavy lines in each marked section.

Keep it Curvy

You might have also heard these wavy lines called refrigerator coils or wormy lines. The key to quilting the big basketweave is to keep your lines curvy. We want our big basketweave to be loose, open, and flowy. Try to avoid quilting any points or sharp angles between lines or at the corners where you transition from one direction to the other.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you know how to quilt the big basketweave border design, it’s your turn to give it a try! I would love to see your version of this design. You can share pictures of your quilts with me on the Quilted Joy Facebook page, use #quiltedjoyfmq on your Instagram photos, or join the community in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse!

If you would like to explore more tips and tricks for longarm quilting, don’t miss the Quilted Joy Learning Center!

Love of Quilting: Run for the Roses Quilt from Episode 3913

Angela — Wed, 25 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

How do you feel about fancy hats? What about bourbon? And, how about horses? If you are saying yes to all three, you are after my own Derby heart!

The first Saturday in May is the annual Running of the Roses and here in Louisville, the whole town comes to a stop to watch the horses run. This year the long shot, Rich Strike, won. It was incredibly exciting!

To honor the Kentucky Derby I created the Run for the Roses quilt and showed how it was made on Episode 3913 of the Love of Quilting PBS show. It features a super simple Rosebud block and a simplified Jacobs’ Ladder block to make a wonderful medallion.

Plus, on the show, Sara shared some of the festivals she loves in Michigan including a contest in the Cherry Festival where they measure how far you can spit a cherry pit! I’d be terrible at that but I’m willing to try!

Of course, the best part of the Run for the Roses quilt, in my opinion is the outside border. With the rose come the thorns but these are super easy to make. Wait till you see the trick! My good friend Melanie P. did the piecing for this quilt. I designed it and quilted it. I hope you like it!

The Run for the Roses quilt was featured in the May/June 2022 edition of the Love of Quilting magazine. We have a few autographed copies left but get them quick because once they are gone they are gone! If you’d like to watch the episode you can find it on your local PBS affiliate or you can get a monthly subscription and watch all of our episodes on the Quilting Daily website.

Behind the Scenes: Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000 Series

Angela — Wed, 18 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

What a crazy, fantastic month! I just got back from Golden, Colorado where we recorded the national PBS show Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000 series. I always have a wonderful time with Sara Gallegos as we share some amazing quilts, phenomenal tips and a few laughs along the way.

This time you’ll never believe what the hardest part for me was but it happened on day one of taping the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000th series. The line I was supposed to say on camera was, “You are watching the 4000 series of Love of Quilting.” I tried and tried but COULD. NOT. DO. IT! There are a handful of words I’m not capable of saying. I had no idea 4000th was one of them! So, Sara came to my rescue and said the line instead. I’m not sure what my hangup was. By the way, the other word I can’t say is “Umbilical.” Thankfully that word does’t come up in common conversations. HA!

I want to take a moment and share my TV nails with you. Are they not the CUTEST! I get them done when I get to Colorado and this time I was over the moon with the skills of my nail tech. ADORBS! Every time I look at them it makes me smile. Having blue nails was a bit of a first for me but I’m in LOVE.

Take a Peek at the Quilts from Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000 series

I’m also in love with all the beautiful quilts we have in this season to share with you. If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be Bluegrass Jamboree. Wait until you see the shortcut method I found to make the two main blocks at once! Typically they would be paper pieced but my good friend Melanie and I figured out how to make it from strip sets so they can be traditionally pieced! Woot!

I think you’ll also love my table runner pattern- Scoops by the Seaside. It is adorned by Party Points! Yep. Not prairie points- PARTY POINTS! Wait until you see them. They are lined with a contrasting fabric and really add an incredible touch to the table runner. Plus we go through a different way to finish a quilt’s edges. In this case, we faced it.

And, take a look at that show stopper of a quilt hanging behind us. That one is Sara’s and it looks like it glows, right? I was so intrigued with all the different types of fabrics she used from flannel to chambray. I’ve never worked with chambray. Have you? It is a bit more fussy as it ravels a bit when piecing but it looked beautiful in her quilt.

Of course, my favorite day of taping the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000 series is the day we play with the APQS Millie on set with Quilt Path. One of the quilts we feature in the series is Feather Love. I used one column of this quilt as a table runner and on the show we played with feather plumes. On the show we talk about curls, twisted ribbons, hooks, and variations of all the above. Plus, at the end we sat back and let the Quilt Path computer system take over and quilt the outside feather border for us. Fantastic!

The Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 4000 series should start airing across the country in late summer. Once the editor is done with her magic the shows will also be available for watching online with a Love of Quilting Subscription here!

April Renters Bring May Admirers

Melanie — Wed, 11 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

The spring has been good to us. We got some very lovely quilts in that I know you are going to love. I wish I could show them all to you, but that would make for a very long post. We got in a number of modern quilts as well as a Dresden plate and a simple, but not simple, block quilt. You’ll understand what I mean in a minute. I think you’ll also see why April renters bring May admirers. Because I know I am an admirer!

Chemical Formula for Beauty

This blue beauty is from Anna. She is a relatively new quilter and she wanted to make a quilt for her husband the chemist. Hexagons are a big thing in chemical formulas if you didn’t already know. So she made this blue hexagon quilt. When picking out a pattern to quilt on it, she took a gamble and chose Argyle which was this hexagon pattern. We wondered if the hexagons on the hexagons would be too much. I think they were perfect! Can you tell that the quilting really pops? She used wool batting. I hope her husband loves it as much as we did.

Geometric Glory for Graduation

Shawn brought us this geometric glory. I wish I could tell you the pattern name, but I searched all over for it and never found it. Isn’t it glorious? There are a lot of y seams and the planning required was enormous. She made this as a graduation gift for the boyfriend of her daughter. He had commented to her daughter that he thought the whole making a quilt thing was kind of cool and that it would be amazing if she made him a quilt. So she did!

She quilted it with a pattern called Onion skin and with a variegated thread, Fantastico Stained Glass. We even wound bobbins and used it on the back. It turned out amazing. He better be a May admirer himself!

Sensational Sunflowers

Now this one is a bit more traditional. This is a Dresden plate from Kimberly. The original pattern was smaller, but she was having so much fun, she just made a few more blocks. I think it is stunning! She quilted this with Toss Up, which is this great pattern that is a little bit floral and a little bit swirly. It was a great choice and Kimberly quilted it beautifully.

She was nervous when she started longarm quilting. It had been awhile since she last quilted with us. What a happy quilt, and I am sure a happy recipient once it was done.

Adorable April Renters bring sweet wedding gifts

Quilts are a traditional gift to give for a wedding. Kristie is giving this one as a wedding shower gift for her son. She couldn’t believe her luck when she saw the fabric with the ducks. It was the bride’s chosen wedding colors. She fussy cut the ducks into blocks in order to incorporate them. And then finding a beach bird to bring the bride into the quilt the same was just serendipity. She quilted this with a great panto called Adorable. Is there a better panto for a wedding quilt? Twin hearts…I think not.

So that was just a few of our April renters. Lots of beauties that deserve admirers. I’m looking forward to see what May has in store for us. Hopefully even more quilts to inspire us! We’d love to see what you’ve been up to. Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook. And be sure to check back in with us after we’ve had a chance to see what the May renters have brought us.

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Adrean Thomas

Kelsey — Wed, 04 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Adrean Thomas’s amazing quilting space! Watch the video below to see Adrean’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

We had so much fun chatting with Adrean and peaking around her quilting studio! Don’t you just want to be her best friend? There are a lot of aspects of Adrean’s space that we’re super envious of – like the large room, the beautiful view, the quilt wall behind her machine, and the home theater right next door! But best of all is all the furniture and pieces Adrean and her husband have repurposed and adjusted to make them perfect for her needs. When can we move in?

We wanted to get to know Adrean Thomas a little more after our Looky Loo Studio Tour, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting?

Adrean: I’ve been quilting since I was about 8yrs old. My grandmom is the one who taught me to quilt and sew…she was a seamstress and lead the church quilting guild. I was a hand quilter until 2011 when I retired from active duty in the Air Force (28yrs).

QJ: How long have you been longarm quilting?

Adrean: I began longarming after attending my first quilt show (The International Quilt show in Houston 2011) that’s the first time I saw a longarm…and once I had put my hands on it…I was hooked!

QJ: What longarm machine do you have and why did you choose it?

Adrean: My first longarm was an APQS Freddie, then after 7 yrs, I traded it in for a Millie. When I attended the quilt show, of course I test drove all the longarms, Gammill, Handi Quilter, Innova, A1, and APQS. For 2 days I went round and round on each machine, talking with the sales person, and others who own the various machines, and the APQS machines just seem to be simple and seamless to use and the stitch quality was excellent…it had just enough bells and whistles without being over complicated. But most of all it was the warranty and customer service availability that pushed me over.

QJ: Do you have a computerized system? If yes, what do you enjoy about it? What led you to choose it?

Adrean: I just recently purchased a computerized system about 7 months ago. I’d always wanted one but couldn’t justify the cost seeing how I still work a full-time job as an Instructor/curriculum developer for the Army, and I was able to keep my turnaround time for my quilt customers around 1-3wks depending on if the quilt was a panto, or custom work. Well after COVID hit, I began teleworking for my job…this allowed me to be home all day, and with the upcoming xmas holiday season, I was getting swamped with new customers, so I thought now is a good time to invest in a computerized system and let the increase in my revenue pay for it.

What I enjoy about it, is that my time is more efficient which allows me to work my day job and quilt…this opens the door for me to keep accepting new customers and stay on target with my turnaround time. However, I’m a hand-guided quilter at “heart”! I still very much love and enjoy doing pantos hand-guided at the back of the machine and for most of my smaller quilts that’s how I still do them because I do my panto work in manual mode around 80% speed so I can get it done quite faster than the computer…having a computerized system is like having the best of both worlds!

QJ: When you think about your quilting life prior to getting your longarm machine and now… What can you do easier? What do you love about longarm quilting?

Adrean: I LOVE everything about longarm quilting… I mean what’s not to love! Maybe the cost. I knew when I bought mine I wanted to turn my love and passion for quilting into a business even though I still work full-time. I will be retiring from civil service July 2022 and can’t wait to quilt full-time. What can I do easier by having a longarm? Everything, if you ever tried quilting a queen size quilt on a domestic machine… you know what I mean. I applaud those who are talented and skillful enough to accomplish it. I just didn’t enjoy it as much, but I love piecing quilts.

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

Adrean: When I first got my longarm I was all into custom work, especially ruler work. And I would say that’s my niche, detail custom ruler work. But we all know pantos are the bread and butter of most small business longarmers so as I developed my muscle memory in hand guided pantos I wanted to take a stab at working in manual mode (I love a challenge) and all my quilting friends who had longarms were scared to death of the manual button. Once I made the leap, I never went back so now that’s how I quilt my pantos. And rulers are a girls best friend when doing ruler work. As you will see on my wall, I have a plethora of them!

QJ: What is the most challenging part of quilting for you?

Adrean: Right now it’s juggling between my quilting business and my full-time job. There are so many other things I want to do in support of my quilting like create a quilt pattern, host a quilt-a-long or quilt tutorial, get published in a quilt magazine; so many dreams!

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

Adrean: It’s Big. Lol of course it could be bigger but transitioning from a 12x13ft bedroom to a 20x25ft bonus room is a big plus! Because of the space, I’ve been able to configure the room in a couple of ways. For example before I had my cutting table in the middle of the room like an island, now it’s part of my work “U” pattern. I also have the most gorgeous view from my 3 big windows so during the day, the sunshine is awesome!

QJ: What would you change about your space if you could?

Adrean: I guess it would be what most quilter’s say they don’t have enough of… storage! Almost every wall is covered with something to make storage and I’m still working on a better storage strategy. I’ve been looking at some IKEA storage solutions.

QJ: What advice would you give a new longarm quilter?

Adrean: Don’t be so critical of yourself. Make time to practice. Challenge yourself, that’s a great way to find your strength and weaknesses, enjoy the journey!

QJ: What quilt project are you currently working on?

Adrean: Whew! I have several projects I got my toes into. But it’s this one project that was very challenging and I almost gave up, but then I found the solution and it’s turning out beautiful. I really would like a few minutes to talk about how I got it to work. Although I’m midway through it I decided to video it as a journey and will post to IG and Youtube when the quilt is all done.

QJ: What quilt project is on your bucket list?

Adrean: So I’ve lived in San Antonio, Texas since 2005 (Hurricane Katrina brought me here) so being in TX you would think by now I’ve made a Lone Star Quilt…nope! So this is the first on my bucket list.

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

Adrean: I have a love for both modern and traditional quilting styles, and when I’m quilting something of my own or a customer lets me quilt whatever I want, I mostly try to incorporate some of both, unless the fabric or quilt pattern speaks heavily to one or the other. But if you asked me to quilt something freehand on the spot, it would be feathers so I guess I’m traditional at heart but I say I’m more a transitional quilter blending both modern and traditional styles.

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

Adrean: I’ve been a Quilter’s Dream girl since the day I owned a longarm. And I go back and forth between Superior Threads Magnifico, and Glide threads. I started my thread collection with superior threads so that’s what most of my thread collection consist of.

QJ: What is your current favorite quilting gadget?

Adrean: You are going to laugh, but it’s a pair of angle long tweezers (I’m a surgical nurse so they are actually a surgical tool call Debakey’s) and a tiny crochet needle. Whenever I’m on the longarm, these are a must! When sewing it’s my knee up bar, WOW what a great invention!

QJ: Do you quilt for others? If yes, what is your business name and where can people find you online?

Adrean: Yes I have an official longarm quilting business Especially for You Quilts, and you can visit my Facebook page or Instagram to see pics of my work and customer reviews.

QJ: What are three things you’re loving that you’d recommend to your bestie?

Adrean: The 3 things I’m loving right now are

My Instapot with the Air fryer lid
My GoPro (I can attach to my Millie and video my quilting)
My favorite app right now is Milanote

Thanks again to Adrean Thomas for letting us look around!

Video Tutorial: How to Choose the Perfect Pantograph for Your Quilt

Kelsey — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 17:11:01 +0000

One of the most common questions we get at Quilted Joy is, how should I quilt my quilt? It’s so common we’ve dedicated a whole section of our Quilted Joy Clubhouse to the topic! We have a brand new video for you where Angela shares her tips and tricks for how to choose the perfect pantograph for your quilt! Watch the video below!

By using the clues you find in your quilt top’s genre and fabrics and considering the quilt owner’s tastes and preferences you’ll find it’s much easier to choose the perfect pantograph for your quilt!

Look for Clues in the Fabrics

When our quilt fairies are helping a customer choose the perfect pantograph, the first place they look for inspiration is the fabrics. In the video, Angela looked at Cheri’s quilt with lots of stars, stripes, and other patriotic fabrics. A pantograph like Swirly Stars, or really any of the pantographs in our Patriotic Valor Paper Pantograph Package, would be perfect for Cheri’s quilt! The pantograph matches the stars in Cheri’s fabrics and adds to the patriotic feel of her quilt.

Choosing the perfect pantograph for Cheri’s quilt was super easy compared to the other quilt Angela looked at in the video! Nancy brought us this fun scrappy double wedding ring quilt. The scrappy nature of her quilt meant there wasn’t an overarching theme to the fabrics at first glance. But look a little closer and you’ll see many of the prints in Nancy’s quilt are very floral. One particular fabric has a very baroque style floral print. The Quilt Fairies thought a pantograph like Lorien’s Phoenix would be a fun nod to those floral prints.

Consider the Quilt’s Style

The next factor we consider to choose the perfect pantograph is the quilt’s genre and style. While the tumbler block piecing in Cheri’s quilt didn’t lean towards a particular genre, the patriotic fabrics certainly did! The scrappiness of Nancy’s double wedding ring had us scratching our heads a bit. So next we considered pantographs with designs as traditional and classic as the double wedding ring!

Feathers and orange peels are classic quilting designs you’ll see over and over again in antique quilts. They’re tried and true and well loved for a reason! Angela looked at the Nemesh Feather Grande pantograph for Nancy’s quilt, but felt it was maybe a little too modern for Nancy’s quilt. But don’t completely disregard a modernized pantograph of a classic design! Sometimes the the piecer uses more modern fabrics, like in this contemporary double wedding ring quilt where we used a fun double bubble pantograph for the quilting!

Who is the Quilt For?

Sometimes the best clue for choosing the perfect pantograph is in who the quilt is for. Take some time to consider who will be using the quilt and how they’ll be using it. While Angela’s aunt might like a flowery pantograph on her quilt, her sons would prefer something more masculine or gender neutral. Think about the Nemesh Feather Grande pantograph Angela showed with Nancy’s quilt. That pantograph would be perfect if the quilt was for Angela because she likes traditional designs with a modern twist. But Nancy told us she prefers a more traditional style, so we wanted to look at different options like the Mandarin Lace pantograph for Nancy.

Did We Choose the Perfect Pantograph for Cheri and Nancy?

So what pantographs did Cheri and Nancy choose for their quilts? Not surprisingly, Cheri wanted a very patriotic theme for her quilt. But the Swirly Stars pantograph was a little too dense for her taste. Instead she opted for the Shooting Star Pantograph, which has big open stars paired with swirling loops.

Nancy chose a completely different design for her quilt! While she liked the floral and lacy designs we looked at, she really wanted something a little more traditional to go with her double wedding ring quilt. She opted for an updated orange peel pantograph that mimicked the look and movement of the rings in her quilt.

It’s always important to remember, there isn’t necessarily one “perfect” pantograph for your quilt. Following cues from the quilt top’s fabrics and genre and considering who the quilt is for will narrow down your choices considerably. But what matters more than finding the perfect quilting design is the joy of snuggling up under a handmade quilt!

Discover even more longarm quilting tips in Quilted Joy’s Learning Center! Grow your skills with tons of helpful longarm quilting tutorials, videos, articles, and downloadables.

March Renter Quilting Madness!!!

Melanie — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Spring is finally upon us and it is time to enjoy bright colors and warm weather again… eventually… we hope. We can at least enjoy a little March Renter Quilting Madness with some bright colors in our quilts. So I have a lovely selection on some of the quilts that have come to us this last month. We’ve got some very bright creations and some very creative creations. I am always so inspired by what I see here in the shop. There are a couple of these that are now in my quilting bucket list.

Shelley made a Solid Choice

This first quilt comes from Shelley. This pattern is called Solid Choice. She found it in the American Professional Quilter Magazine issue 162, Feb. 2020. She made it awhile ago, but didn’t get around to quilting it until now. Using the IntelliQuilter that we have on our APQS Lucey, Shelley was able to find the perfect pattern to put on this top.

It is called Argyle. Isn’t it lovely. I like the mirrored angles. She is keeping this one. It is the first time she has quilted with the computer. She did a good job.

A Local Gem

The pattern for this one is from a local designer, MJ Kinman. She makes these gorgeous gemstone quilts. The quilt was made by our own Mary Jane and I think she did a phenomenal job of it. This quilt has all the birth stones of one of her children’s family, all the kids and the parents. She is making them for each of her children. We were concerned with what color thread to quilt with it. Black would look great on the background, but would likely disrupt the feel of the stones. Any one color could look poor on the diamond and white would look poor on the background.

We settled on Essence. It is a very thin clear nylon thread that looks a little like fishing line, although much much thinner and therefore softer and flexible. Her quilt fairy was a little nervous about it. She had never quilted with it before, but there were no issues for the entire quilt. It ran beautifully and the results speak for themselves. What lucky kids to be getting such lovely wall hangings.

Lo and Behold, a Deco

Next up is a quilt from Sheila. She made this pattern called Deco from Lo and Behold Stitchery. This is the baby sized version of the quilt pattern. She thought it was so elegant in its simplicity. But she wanted it bigger. So she got out her graph paper and her calculator and she resized it herself. She quilted it with a pantograph called Calder. It has a nice modern vibe that went well with it. I just love the color and the two tone nature of this quilt. I think it is lovely.

A stash quilt for March Renter Quilting Madness

This one is a stash quilt. I love the bold colors and scrappiness of it. It was made from scraps from her stash as well as her mother’s stash. All the blocks are made from half square triangles, but every block is different. There is so much you can do with a Half Square Triangle!

The backing she found here just made her so happy. It is called Cheerful Polka Dot from Windham Fabrics. Isn’t it just perfect for this quilt?! She quilted it with Square Spiral which added a lot of lovely texture to the quilt.

Staying Gold with Ruby Starr

Finally we come to Erin’s quilt. This was a kit, and it just spoke to her. She knew she had to make it. It is a Ruby Star panel quilt called Stay Gold she got from Stitch Supply Company. She quilted this with Bubbles using the IntelliQuilter on our APQS Lucey. I think it turned out so cute. I love the fun prints from the panel that were put in the center of each block. The colors are also amazing. Erin was able to use a backing from Ruby Star. Their fabric is 100% cotton, but oh so silky to the touch. Just really lovely stuff.

March was a great month for quilts. March Renter Quilting Madness brought us some bright colors and cheerful designs. I’m looking forward to see what next month will produce. As the weather warms up, many of our quilters will be heading outside to tend to their gardens, but I’m sure we’re still going to see some very lovely things as well. We’d love to see what you’ve been working on as well. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Sharing our creations can inspire all of us to even greater heights!

A Neighborhood of Houses with Tracey’s Quilt

Melanie — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

In August of 2020, I was able to show everyone watching the Quilted Joy Clubhouse how I would quilt Tracey’s House Quilt. She had this Neighborhood of Houses top which she made to be a raffle quilt for her guild. Guilds can be a great way to gather with others with the same interests and learn and grow together. They can not only be fun, but you can find support and encouragement there as well. I cannot recommend them enough. So this house quilt just makes me think of all her guild members sitting in their homes helping each other at a distance, especially during these difficult times.

First, the Neighborhood of Houses

So the houses, though not strictly in the center, are definitely the center of the design. So what we put in them is critical. Originally, I thought that we could put siding or bricks on each house. Or maybe even windows or some other feature like that. But that would have taken a lot of time. So what could I do in a reasonable amount of time and still do justice to these houses.

I decided on drawing a heart above each door with a diamond in the door. I would use refrigerator coil to travel up the side until I reached the point to add the heart and diamond then on to the roof where a simple swag and tear drop would complete the roof and back down the other side. It’s simple, but pretty and brings to mind the love in each house for each other.

Next, the Corner Nine Patches

Next I wanted to sort out the corners. This inner border is both an opportunity and a challenge. It is the same color as the scrappy background of the houses, so it causes the nine patches in the corner to sort of float. One of the ways to treat those nine patches would be to treat them as one block, but because of the border, it would look off center.

So instead, I draw in that inner border to the background. I’d put a heart, to tie into the houses, into each of the nine patches and then meander around and through all the cream background fabric. This would include around the houses and the trees. Not only does it fill in the background, but it gives me the opportunity to travel between the different elements. The key to filler like this is to be mindful of my exits. Don’t fill in everything so solid as you pass that you “paint yourself into a corner.”

While I’m at it, I’ll also quilt the trees. Working up one side and down the other I put in some curved lines for each bough and straight down the trunk. At the base of the trunk is an opportunity to connect to the next house. Having a path to connect to each element means fewer starts and stops to do.

Don’t forget the center!

Now we can tackle the inside. The border around the center blocks is a great place for some feathers. You don’t have to treat the three inner borders as individuals. I’m going to ignore the seam and just put a feather through all three like they were one piece. First we start with the keystone feathers in the shape of a figure eight. After I’ve chalked out the spines I can start quilting in my feathers up one side and travel back down the spine to do the other. The mitered corner is my boundary for the tip of the spine, no marking necessary.

For the snowballs in the center, I’m going to do something pretty traditional. We’re going to use crosshatching. The path I take to put this crosshatching in is more complicated to explain than to show. We have a downloadable worksheet and a video that illustrates this process very well. In a nutshell, you draw a rectangle and then travel to the next point to draw another rectangle. It is a very efficient way to do this traditional design.

Finally we come to our outer border. Here I’m going to put in some beadboard. I’ll put a heart in the corners to tie into the houses a little and then travel along the outside edge of the quilt to then drop in a double line. I’d mark out where I want these to go of course to keep them evenly spaced.

How Tracey did it

And there you have it. This is how I would quilt Tracey’s House quilt if it were mine. Now what Tracey has chosen to do is slightly different. She decided to do much of what I suggested, but instead decided not to put any hearts.

She also replaced the fillers I suggested for ones of her own. I especially liked the clamshells in the houses. All of her choices turned out really well and she has completed a quilt she can be proud of. Good job, Tracey!

Video: How to Quilt the Starflower Parade Design

Kelsey — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 14:09:57 +0000

It’s time for another free motion quilting design tutorial! Are you ready for a parade of stars marching along your quilt borders? In this video you’ll learn how to quilt the Starflower Parade border design. Watch the video below to see how to quilt it!

How to Quilt the Starflower Parade Design

The starflower parade design is perfect for your larger borders. In the video, I had a 3” border and I grabbed my favorite marking tool to draw registration lines every four inches. At the center of each of those four inch sections I also added a small tick mark. These tick marks and registration lines will help me keep the starflowers evenly spaced and centered.

This design uses two design elements you’re probably familiar with at this point – bunny hops and loops. Starting at the bottom left corner of your border, quilt a bunny hop towards your center tick mark. Quilt a loop as you approach the center tick mark and bunny hop towards the top left corner. Next, quilt another bunny hop with a loop towards the center. Bunny hop again towards the top right corner. Quilt a final bunny hop and loops towards the center and bunny hop out towards the bottom right corner of your section. Each marked section will have half of a loopy star marching down your border!

Perfect for Spring

The starflower parade border design is so much fun to quilt! It’s easy and repetitive, perfect for some meditative machine quilting. Do you have any quilts that are ready for this design? I think it would look fabulous on a spring floral quilt. Or even in the border of a patriotic quilt! Where would you quilt the starflower parade?

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you know how to quilt the starflower parade border design, it’s your turn to give it a try! I would love to see your version of this design. You can share pictures of your quilts with me on the Quilted Joy Facebook page, tag me on Instagram, or join the community in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse!

If you would like to explore more tips and tricks for longarm quilting, don’t miss the Quilted Joy Learning Center!

Fons & Porter’s Love Of Quilting: Flamingo Stampede Quilt

Angela — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

I have two quilts featured in the latest edition of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine. The first was my Louisville Spirit quilt which I talked about previously. The second quilt was my Flamingo Stampede quilt!

Generally, the big brains who pick the patterns that run in the magazine put out a call for submissions around a theme. This edition of the magazine was “birds”. Now… let’s all pause for a moment because I want you to think about what kind of quilt comes to mind when I say “birds”. Well…. what popped up in your brain?

Bird houses? Birds in the Air block? Bird applique? Flying Geese? How about a Flamingo Stampede? Yep, that’s where my brain went, too.

Here is the Flamingo Stampede quilt and it made the peek a boo window on the cover of the magazine! Have you ever seen a flock of flamingos get spooked? They go every which way and it is a blur of pink feathers and long legs! I chose a group of pink solids and a simple piecing method that relies on flippy corners instead of paper piecing to get the every which way look of the central blocks.

Order the Flamingo Stampede Quilt Kit!

Flamingo Stampede Quilt Kit

$99.99

The LOQ Flamingo Stampede Quilt Kit highlights the Painter’s Palette Solids collection designed by Paintbrush Studio.

The quilt kit includes the pattern, featured in Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine, as well as all of the yardage required to create the quilt top and binding.

Add to Cart

But do take a look at that outside flamingo leg border. Don’t you love it? Again, it is super simple- rectangles and flippy corners to the rescue! I absolutely LOVE borders that have high impact but are easy peasy to piece. I designed and quilted this beauty and my good friend Melanie Peterson pieced it for me.

You can buy the pattern for the Flamingo Stampede quilt as a downloadable from the Quilting Daily site if you’d like!

Also… do you know what a gathering of flamingos is called? The Google machine just told me it is a “Flamboyance”. How awesome is that? See, you get quilting knowledge and biology all wrapped up for you in a bow here at Quilted Joy. This is a flamboyant quilt that celebrates a Flamboyance!

My Favorite Piecing Thread

Angela — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Do you have a favorite piecing thread? What about for machine quilting? There are so many amazing threads on the market it can be hard to choose! It is important to remember that what you need from a thread when piecing a block is quite different from what you need when machine quilting the quilt.

In this article I’ll walk you through what I require from my favorite piecing thread. (Which is quite different from what I need from my machine quilting thread). If you want to jump to the conclusion and find out what my favorite piecing threads are… head to the bottom!

First, I always piece my blocks with a good quality cotton thread. This is because I’m going to hit that seam with a very hot iron and I need the thread to be cotton to put up with the heat!

See all our Cotton Piecing Threads!

My “Must Haves” for a good cotton piecing thread are:

Low Lint

When I piece a quilt on my sewing machine, I want to take good care of it which means I need to keep it clean. Ask yourself when is the last time you cleaned your bobbin area or put in a fresh needle. If you don’t know… do it now! It makes a tremendous difference in the life of your sewing machine. Take good care of it and it will take good care of you!

Skinny thread

An accurately pieced quilt top will make the machine quilting process so much easier! When I’m piecing a block, I want to be sure I’m using my very best 1/4″ seam but did you know the size of the seam is influenced by the thickness of the thread used to sew that seam? Crazy, right? Think about how you press your seams to the side. You have the thickness of the fabrics but you also have the thickness of the top and bobbin thread.

Using a skinny thread will help reduce bulk. I prefer to use a 50 weight or 60 weight cotton thread. Do test your seam allowances when you change your piecing thread to be sure what you believe is that mysterious scant quarter inch seam, is actually correct! By the way, if that mysterious scant 1/4″ alludes you, try our seam gauge and seam guides they will help you correctly position your needle for the perfect seams!

The Right Color

For my favorite piecing thread, I prefer piecing with a linen or very light grey color. Sometimes during the machine quilting process, high loft batting can pull at the seams of a unit and expose a hint of the piecing thread. This is especially true in quilts that have had their seams pressed open. I want a color that disappears on both light and dark colors. This is another reason to go for a skinny cotton thread, too!

Economical Cone

Cotton thread can be pricey and I go through a LOT of it! So, while I might get a small cone to try out a thread or for a special color application, what I want when I piece is a big ol’ cone of it so I can zoom through my blocks without having to stop down so much. Many domestic sewing machines don’t have a way to run anything except spools of thread. But you can use a thread stand or even a super simple thread stem tool to make running large cones of thread a snap!

Get to the point, Angela, what is your favorite piecing thread?

Okay! Let’s do this… but wait! There are two I swoon over. Don’t make me pick! What are those two?

Cairo-Quilt which is made by the same folks who make my beloved Glide thread I love to use for machine quilting. And right behind it?

Soft Touch by YLI which is a 60wt 100% cotton. My Pfaff Creative Icon loves it too!

The runner up would be… Konfetti made by Wonderfil! It is a 50wt and so lovely to use.

Shop Our Cotton Piecing Threads!

If you are like me you’ll want a BIG cone that lasts and lasts and lasts and is a GREAT value, too! If you are trying to find your fav, grab a small cone of each kind and try it. I’d love to know what you think!

Video: How to Quilt Loops and Diamonds in Your Borders

Kelsey — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 17:12:54 +0000

We have a brand new free motion quilting design tutorial for you today and it’s using shapes you already know and love! In this video you’ll learn how to quilt loops and diamonds in your borders. Watch the video to see how to quilt it!

How to Quilt Loops and Diamonds

Before I started quilting my loops and diamonds I pulled out my trusty chalk pencil and a ruler. I want to keep my loops evenly spaced, so I marked every two inches in my border. Start about a quarter to halfway up your border and swoop down into a loop. Make your loop fill the marked space. On your marked line swoop into a point and swoop back out to another loop. Fill your border with loops! Now on to the second pass!

Once you’ve quilted your loops, break your threads and start back at the beginning. In this pass, you’ll quilt hops over your loops. At each intersection, leave a little space between your two points. You could quilt this design with just the points between your loops, but I wanted a little more there! I decided to quilt a diamond at each intersection. I placed my diamonds so that the points from the first pass were in the center of each diamond.

Make this Design Your Own!

Not a fan of diamonds? Place a different design in between your loops. There are countless possibilities! Look at your quilt for inspiration. Is there a repeated motif in your fabrics, like hearts, flowers or leaves? Try quilting one of those shapes in between your loops instead.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you know how to quilt loops and diamonds, it’s your turn to give it a try! I would love to see your version of this design. You can share pictures of your quilts with me on the Quilted Joy Facebook page, tag me on Instagram, or join the community in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse!

If you would like to explore more tips and tricks for longarm quilting, don’t miss the Quilted Joy Learning Center!

Video: Auditioning Quilt Designs with GIMP

Kelsey — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 17:04:03 +0000

Coming up with a quilting design for a quilt can be a daunting task! Lots of quilters fall prey to the dreaded stand and stare syndrome, willing the brilliant quilting plan to strike like lightning. This is why in our monthly Quilted Joy Clubhouse meetings we like to show how Angela comes up with her quilting plans by auditioning quilt designs with GIMP.

There are lots of ways to draw your quilting ideas on a quilt. One of Angela’s favorite methods is to draw on a picture on her computer with a paint program. There are loads of paint programs available, but Angela’s current favorite is GIMP. Take a look at the video below to see how Angela auditions quilt designs with GIMP!

What is GIMP?

GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and open source image editing program. It works on all the major computer operating systems out there including Mac, Windows, and Linux. You can download the free GIMP software and its updates at gimp.org.

There are so many things you can do with GIMP, like graphic design, illustration, and photo editing. For our purposes, we like to open our quilt photos in GIMP and draw quilting ideas on the photo.

Opening a Photo in GIMP

It’s super easy to open a quilt photo in GIMP! From the top menu bar, go to “File” and select “Open.” Or use the keyboard shortcut, Command O on a Mac or Control O on a PC. Find your quilt image in the file folders, select it, and click open.

Alternatively, you can find your image in your computer and right click on it. From the drop down menu that appears, hover over “Open With” and select GIMP. Now you’re ready to start auditioning quilt designs with GIMP!

Using Layers

When we’re auditioning quilt designs in GIMP, one of the most useful features is the ability to create layers. Layers are used to adjust one part of your image without affecting another part. When you import an image into GIMP, your image will be your first layer. We recommend clicking the lock button on your image layer so you can’t change your original image.

Create a new layer by clicking the new layer button at the bottom of the layers window. Name it whatever you’d like, for simplicity we start by calling our layers drawing 1, 2, 3 to get things started.

The Brush Tool

With your new layer selected, grab your brush tool from the tool window on the left side of your screen. The brush tool lets you draw or paint on your image. You can adjust the size of your brush to make it thicker or skinnier. Or you can change the color of your brush to make your designs easier to see.

In our tutorial we changed the brush color to white because it shows up really nicely on the dark blue quilt and set our brush size to 5 pixels.

Auditioning Quilt Designs with GIMP

Now that you’ve created a new layer and you’ve selected your brush tool, it’s time to start auditioning quilt designs with GIMP! Try out a design in your blocks. Not sure about your first idea? Create a new layer and try a different design.

In your layers window, you’ll see there are little eyeballs in each layer. You can turn your eyeballs on or off to reveal or hide the contents of your layer. This makes it really easy to try out a variety of designs on your quilt all in one place!

Consider Getting a Pen Tablet

You’ll often hear Angela say things like, you don’t have to draw a design well to quilt it well. And this is so true! But, it’s kinda hard to draw with a mouse, you know? When auditioning quilt designs with GIMP or any other paint program on your computer, it’s much easier with a pen tablet.

A pen tablet is a drawing pad and a stylus that acts as a mouse for your computer. The stylus looks and feels just like a pen, making it so much easier to draw on your computer! There are lots of fancy and expensive pen tablets out there.

At Quilted Joy we’re using the Wacom Intuos Pen Tablet for auditioning quilt designs with GIMP. It’s the smallest one they offer and it’s more consumer level than some of the bigger and more expensive professional ones out there. (We are not at all affiliated with Wacom, we just like and use their product.)

Those are the basics of auditioning quilt designs with GIMP! There are loads more features within GIMP, and countless tutorials online explaining how to use them. But for drawing different quilting designs on your quilt photos these basics are all you’ll need to get started.

Go download GIMP, and start auditioning quilting designs on your own quilts. We’d love to see what you’re working on and hope you’ll share pictures of your quilt tops, quilting ideas, and finished quilts over in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on Facebook!

Louisville Spirit: A Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 3900 Series Quilt

Angela — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0000

My triplets have graduated from college!! That sentence is a heart stopper for me. I am so blessed to have these amazing humans in my world and the fact that I was blessed enough to be their momma makes me incredibly thankful. Of course, a big event like graduating from college also requires a quilt to be made in commemoration. Thus, the Louisville Spirit quilt was born!

However, because there are three of them…. that was a HUGE project! I wanted to make something fast, simple, and something that didn’t require a lot of brain power because being a mom to triplets has drained mine! HA!

BirdMan’s graduation quilt, called Louisville Spirit, is featured in the March/ April edition of the Love of Quilting Magazine. I designed it using the colors from his college, the University of Louisville. I dug through my stash and found more red and black/white strips than I realized I had. (Isn’t that the way with scraps?).

I really love the ease of making strip quilts but I wanted to spice it up a bit by making the strips a little off center. Normally you’d lay the first strip down on the diagonal of a block and add strips to each side until your block was as big as you’d like.

What I did instead was position the first strip a bit wonky off the true diagonal. This will mean some of the blocks are “left” and some will be “rights”. However, my brain can’t do that. I can never remember what is a left orientation of a block and what is a right. So… I think about the map of the US. I need some blocks where the strips go from Washington State to Florida. I need an equal number of blocks where the strips are laid down from New York to California. That way I know I have the right and left versions needed to make the diamonds form in the Louisville Spirit quilt.

Throw in a few pops of yellow for the Cardinal bird beak that is the UofL mascot and I really love how it turned out. Plus, I did this with a quilt as you go method using fusible batting. Be sure to watch the Louisville Spirit episode for more info about that time saver!

If you’d like to buy the pattern for Louisville Spirit you can get it over on the Quilting Daily site. And, if you decide to make one of your own, I’d love to see it! You can share your quilts with me in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on Facebook, or tag me @quiltedjoy on Instagram!

I must confess that I’ve only had time to make one for two of my kiddos- BirdMan and GooseyGirl. She got the blue and white version pictured above. I’ve assured RocketMan that his quilt is coming and that I love him just as much as the other two! Now I just need to clone myself and get that last one done!

February Renter Retrospective

Melanie — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Can you believe that another month has passed us by? Where is the year going so fast? It is time for a renter retrospective. We got to see a lot of lovely quilts this month. I love the creativity of our renters. They always surprise me with what they bring in. There are so many great patterns out there, and then there are an infinite number of fabric combinations to do with them. It never gets old.

Art Deco Rulerwork

Carolyn’s daughter-in-law wanted a quilt that was Art Deco. So Carolyn got online and found this fabric. It is lovely and definitely Art Deco. So for quilting she wanted to learn something new that she has never done before. She wanted to use rulers. We were able to find the perfect ruler that fit that elongated arc perfectly. This is the largest ruler from a set of 6” swag rulers.

The swag rulers we have are sets of four rulers that are all the same width, but with progressively larger heights. Used together you can create some very lovely borders for custom quilts. Used separately, we created a lovely elongated clamshell design that worked beautifully with her fabric. It gave it just the right amount of pop! Great job Carolyn, especially being it was your first time with rulers.

A renter retrospective with classic log cabin blocks

What kind of retrospective would be complete without a classic block like a log cabin. This quilt was brought in by Gina. She made this gorgeous log cabin for a friend and then decided that the colors and everything were not quite right for that friend. So instead it’s being given to the dog groomer. What a lucky dog groomer!

I love the colors! I think the mix of fabrics is perfect. She quilted this with Square Spiral, a popular pantograph we have here. It added a very lovely texture to this already lovely quilt.

The Phases of the Moon and free motion

Erin has brought yet another quilt that I may have to make someday. This is a pattern called Clava from the website Miss Make. Erin chose to use Ruby Star Speckled line to create her circles. I think it was perfect. It adds just enough interest to those large spaces without being distracting from the overall design.

To quilt this she decided to draw on the idea of these being the phases of the moon, so she covered it with craters. She drew large varying pebbles all over the quilt, which I think worked out perfectly. Don’t you?

Three yard quilt in plaid

This last quilt was done by Cheri. This was made for her daughter-in-law for Christmas. She did the very smart thing of giving her a box of fabric with quilt options and allowing her to pick out which quilt she preferred. This is it. This pattern is called Town Square and it’s from Donna Robertson at Fabric Cafe. She makes these great patterns that take three one yard cuts of fabric. Unfortunately, the book from her that we have available does not have this quilt in it.

I like the colors and the plaid she chose. It has a very cozy vibe. Cheri quilted this with Seamless which is a great loopy meander. What a lovely gift!

Now that a new month has started, keep the quilts coming for our next renter retrospective. I can’t wait to see what March has to offer. We’d love to see what you have going as well. Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram and share your quilts. We’re always inspired by what you show us.

Cozy Moments Quilt: Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting 3900 Series

Angela — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Do you have a bucket list quilt? You know, that quilt pattern you’ve always wanted to make but just haven’t gotten around to it? Well, last year while Sara and I were recording one of the episodes of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting show on PBS, I asked Sara what her bucket list quilt would be. She said New York Beauty.

I love that pattern too, but my bucket list quilt is a log cabin. I’m not sure how I’ve gone this long without making one but I just haven’t. So, I told her mine was a log cabin and that we should each make our bucket list quilt for the next season. Sara laughed and said I’d really set her up for that one! A New York Beauty quilt is MUCH harder than the log cabin. I had to laugh!

So, I decided to find a way to incorporate the log cabin block in a design. My chance came with the Cozy Moments quilt but, of course, I couldn’t just do a regular log cabin, right? Instead, I made the blocks into elongated rectangles which pulled the log cabins into diamond shapes.

Each of the blocks in the Cozy Moments Quilt is 8″ x 16″ so they are very big. The blocks are all paper pieced and the fabric is warm, cozy flannel! I love all the plaids, stripes and checks!

Have you pieced with flannel before? There is a wide range of flannel out there. Some are high quality, quilt shop type flannels and some have a more open weave. I was so impressed with the Riley Blake Wooley Flannel line I used for the Cozy Moments quilt. It is luscious, thick and worked really well for this quilt. I designed this quilt and my friend Melanie Peterson pieced it. I used an all over, edge to edge design to quilt it up and love how snuggly it is!

This quilt reminds me of all of my dad’s cozy flannel shirts as I sat next to him on the couch watching M*A*S*H over and over. It was his favorite show and I’m pretty sure I could recite every episode by memory! He LOVED it! I miss my dad but this quilt reminds me of those cozy moments.

This quilt was featured in the 3900 series of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting show on PBS. You can learn more about the quilt, notes from the show, and specialty tools used in the episode here. You can also purchase a digital PDF pattern for Cozy Moments here. Have you made the Cozy Moments quilt? I’d love to see it! Be sure to post pictures on social media with #quiltedjoy so I can find your quilts!

5 Safety Tips for Machine Quilting Rulers On a Long Arm Quilter or Sit Down Domestic Sewing Machine

Angela — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Learning to use rulers when Machine Quilting is a great way to achieve spectacular results without a computer. It is important, however, to keep these 5 safety tips for machine quilting rulers in mind to protect your machine.

1. Support Is Critical

You MUST use a ruler base if working on a stand up machine or, if working on a sit down domestic, have a large flat work space that is flush with your machine’s throat. There is a lot happening when using a ruler. It is imperative that your ruler be supported so it doesn’t flip up while you are working with it. An unstable ruler can easily get crunched by your machine’s foot and it can damage your machine. So… pinky swear promise me you will use a ruler base or a work table.

On my APQS long arm machine the ruler base slides onto the throat of the machine easily. I do slide it off when I’m not doing ruler work just because I don’t want the bulk or weight of it there if I’m doing free motion quilting.

On my Pfaff Creative Icon I have an acrylic table that was made to nestle up the throat so I have a wide area that is flush with the needle plate. Not only does this support the ruler, it also supports the quilt! This makes it easier to maneuver the quilt and the ruler.

2. Step Out With The Right Foot

You wouldn’t go hiking through the Rocky Mountain with flip flops, right? Well, choosing the right footwear extends to sewing as well. On my APQS long arm I can choose from a variety of feet but when using rulers I prefer the standard ruler foot. This is the foot that ships with the machine by default. I likely use this foot for 90% of my ruler work.

The other foot I like is called the Clog foot by APQS but I like to call it the Ninja foot. I call it this because I don’t want you using it until you feel skilled with your machine. It has an open toe so you can see well going around applique but it has a high profile along the remaining three quarters of the foot so you can use rulers. Since the toe is open, it is possible to get the corner of a ruler caught by the opening so I recommend this foot only to those who feel more confident with their machine.

If you are using a sit down domestic machine it is critical that you have your manufacturer’s ruler foot mounted to the machine. This foot is made to hop and allows the fabric to more easily flow under the needle. A ruler foot has walls that prevent the ruler from getting to close to the needle.

3. How High Do You Hop?

Machine quilting rulers are thicker than regular piecing rulers. They are 1/4″ thick acrylic so when a long arm foot hops down the edge of the ruler it is tall enough that the foot won’t hop OVER the ruler.

However, there are two kinds of sit down domestic machines- high shank and low shank. The shank refers to the knuckle on the foot. If you try to use a regular machine quilting ruler on a low shank machine it will crunch down on the ruler as it is too thick and you can damage your domestic sewing machine. If you have a low shank domestic machine, be sure to purchase low shank machine quilting rulers. Low shank rulers are labeled very clearly. You’ll know if you have a low shank ruler because it is the same thickness as the rulers you use to piece with.

My Pfaff is a high shank machine and I can interchangeably use my rulers for both my APQS long arms and my Pfaff Creative Icon. If you want to use rulers on your sit down machine, please contact your dealer or manufacturer and they’ll be able to tell you straight away what kind of shank you have.

Click the image to watch Angela Huffman demonstrate how to use the center cutout of the SID machine quilting ruler

4. Grab Some Training Wheels

There is a LOT going on when quilting with rulers. You have to hold the ruler down, keep it in position, guide the machine AND think about the design you are trying to make! If you are new to rulers it can feel overwhelming. I recommend you add some grippy dots to the back of your rulers to help them stay where you place them. It is like adding a third arm into the mix and will give you better stability.

Another option would be to use a ruler that entraps your hopping foot. I really love the SID ruler for my new long arm quilters. To use the ruler, remove the machine’s foot, position the opening under the needle and then remount the ruler foot so it is now entrapped. Because your hopping foot can’t wander away, it makes it easier to control. Training Wheels engaged!

5. Think About Spiders

No, not that kind of scary, hairy spider! I’m talking about splaying out your hand like a spider. You want as many parts of your hand stabilizing the ruler as possible but reserve a finger or two to ride on the fabric next to the edge of the ruler as well. Remember that the safest, most stable portion of your ruler is between your thumb and forefinger. Try to keep your ruler foot in the area of the ruler. If you are quilting a longer span and your ruler foot has to move outside this safety zone, stop the machine in the needle down position and walk your hand up the ruler like a spider.

Consider how you cut a swath of yardage when piecing a quilt with your big 24″ long ruler and your rotary cutter. You hold down the ruler and cut but if you don’t move your hand up the ruler and reposition it, your rotary cutter will push the ruler out of position. The same thing happens when using longer machine quilting rulers. You will need to reposition them to keep everything stabilized.

In general, I save my longer machine quilting rulers for specialty applications like long diagonal cross hatching and use rulers that aren’t much bigger than my hand for my day to day ruler work.

The Longarm Renters of January Review

Melanie — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

The first month of the year is over and I’m wondering where it went. Sometimes it feels like it will never end and then you turn around and it’s gone. Here is our long arm renter January review. We saw a lot of very pretty quilts this month! We’ve been posting them on our Instagram and Facebook pages, so for those who follow us on those apps, these may seem familiar. But they were so pretty, I thought those who haven’t seen them would enjoy them, and those that have would like seeing them again!

This panel was designed to be cut up

This is a quilt from Cindy. She made it for her friend to take with her to Chemo treatments. Purple and Green are her favorite colors. Cindy found a fabulous panel called What Cancer Cannot Do from Block Party Studios. She quilted this with a pantograph called Honey Drops. She also chose a Minky backing fabric and quilted it without batting. This made the quilt incredibly drippy and snuggly while still being quite lightweight. What a sweet gift for someone who could use the support!

Valentine’s Day in our January Review

Colleen made this beauty using Melissa Mortenson’s All the Hearts Block of the month pattern. You’ll notice that Colleen didn’t follow Melissa’s pattern exactly. That is the beauty of quilting. She made this quilt for her granddaughter who was born on Valentine’s Day and she made it to suit her perfectly. She rented our APQS Lucey long arm with the Intelliquilter so she could quilt a pantograph called Hippi Love. I just think the wee blossoms in the corners of some of the hearts and the flourishes add an extra pop to the quilting and all those hearts.

Black and White Quilt for a Wedding

This quilt is a large one! Starla told me that she just kept adding rows because she didn’t think it looked big enough. It’s big enough, Starla! This King sized quilt is for her son’s wedding. He asked for a black and white quilt and that is what she made him. I never would have thought that cream could be used as a pop, but I think it does. It adds some dimension to an otherwise two tone quilt. Starla quilted this with free motion squiggles. With all the drama in the different prints, I think it really was the best choice.

Split Rail Fence inspired at Disney World

Inspiration can come from the craziest places. This quilt was inspired by a Lion King sign at Disney World. It is a batik split rail fence where the outside edge changes direction and color. Sally made this for her son and quilted it with the IQ on Lucey. She chose a pattern called Hourglass. It adds some lovely texture to this quilt with all of its curves and points, subtle and alluring. A great addition for our January review!

Memorial Quilt for a Caregiver

Memorial Quilts are awesome. They are sweet reminders of lives that have passed. All of the plaids in this quilt were scraps from shirts used in memorial quilts from people who were at a care facility. Joy makes memorial quilts for the families of these people when they pass. This quilt is made of remnants from those quilts. She is giving it to one of the nurses who works there and cared for these people. What a wonderful gift. She quilted it with an all over meander. I really like the on point blocks and the pieced border.

We got to see a lot of quilts this month and were only able to show a few in our January review. We saw a couple of late Christmas quilts, and several Valentines Quilts. In February, I hope to see green and spring themed quilts. We could use some sun after all of this snow! Stay warm out there and keep quilting. And connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We love to see what y’all been working on. It inspires us, too!

Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting: Songbird Stars Quilt

Angela — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Ponder with me, if you will, the traditional Birds in the Air quilt block. Think about how you’d piece this. First, you’d make a half square triangle, right? And then you’d sew two smaller triangles to each side being very careful about those bias edges. Finally, you’d sew a larger triangle to the opposite side.

And then you’d reevaluate your life choices as you realize that your pattern will require a BUNCH of these little birds in the air. But… what if I told you I found a way to make them FOUR AT A TIME!!!!

Seriously, I can’t tell you how excited we all were at Quilted Joy to figure this out. It saves so much time and gives a beautiful traditional block new wings!

Because we could make them four at a time, I used them in the border of my new Songbird Stars quilt! Don’t you love how it frames out the center blocks?

And, speaking of those center blocks… those are ALSO made from four at a time Birds in the Air units but these are made much bigger and in a different color way. They are the momma birds! I crowned each out with half square triangles and a plain square.

The result is that the ENTIRE center of this quilt is made from one block- it is just rotated differently to give the look of the two different starts. Isn’t that FABULOUS? Can you tell I’m in love with this quilt?

I couldn’t wait to show my Songbird Stars quilt and birds in the air blocks to Sara on the Love of Quilting set. It is so fun to surprise her with a technique she isn’t expecting.

Keep your eye out for our the latest Love of Quilting episodes and the Songbird Stars quilt on your local PBS station. If you don’t get it on your PBS station, you can buy an online subscription to the series here.

Angela’s Top 10 Notions!

Kelsey — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:12:08 +0000

Are there any quilting notions or tools that you just can’t live without? Maybe it’s your favorite seam ripper or your sharpest scissors. There are so many helpful sewing notions out there. I thought you might like to know what a few of mine are too! Some of these will change the way you piece, others are just clever and helpful, and some are just fun and make me smile when I use them. Here’s a look at Angela’s Top 10 Notions that I simply LOVE!

Fabric Folding Pen

Looking to improve your piecing accuracy? This pen is magic. The solution is a softener that helps seams lay down incredibly flat- even stacked seams! This pen changed how I piece! Plus, since you only use a couple of drops of the solution, it lasts a LONG time!

Thread Stem Tool

I love using cones of thread instead of spools. It is so economical! But if you have a sit down domestic sewing machine that won’t accommodate big cones… this simple, inexpensive adapter is what you need to easily feed the thread off a big cone and up into your sewing machine. Simple tool- big results.

Hugo’s Amazing Tape

This stuff is super helpful in my studio. I use it most often to wrap around thread to tame it so I don’t have a bazillion thread tales running loose in my drawers and shelves.

Alex Anderson’s 4-in-1 Essential Sewing Tool

What can’t this thing do?!? It is a seam ripper (in case a friend needs one), a stiletto (for those pointy bits under your needles), a presser (to smush seams down quickly), and a turner (to poke out the corners). So useful!

Ideal Seam Gauge and Ideal Seam Guides

Figuring out where that dang scant quarter inch is on your machine can be so hard! This tool comes with a seam gauge so you KNOW it is right and it has a seam guide that pops down onto your machine.

Studio 180 Piecing Rulers

These rulers… I swear by them. I love them all but especially the Tucker Trimmer. It is my most used, most helpful ruler when trimming up my pieced units before sewing the rows together in a block. It has strong diagonal lines for alignment and clear guidelines. I have to contain myself when I see the inventor of these rulers at a quilt show. I’m a HUGE fan girl.

Cat Head Pins

Let me say that again… CAT HEAD PINS!!! Adorable!!!!

Zirkel Magnetic Pin Holder

I love how I can flick my pins in the general direction of my Zirkel and the magnet just sucks the pin right in. Plus, when I drop a pin I can wave this over the floor and BOOM- that pin flies right up where it belongs.

Drawing Wheels

When I’m making design decisions for my quilting plan with rulers, these drawing wheels are incredibly important. You don’t need them for straight edge machine quilting rulers but you do for anything else. When drawing out your quilting plan on paper you’ll use these wheels to add the 1/4″ that the hopping foot adds to a ruler. If you don’t use something like this when playing on paper the ruler you think will work WON’T give you the right size when you take it to the longarm.

Aqua Eraser Pen

LOVE this thing! You fill it with water and it has a felt top point. It makes removing any registration lines/dots you make with a blue water erasable pen or a purple air erasable pen come out easily. If I have to do significant marking before quilting, then I’ll use a water spray bottle or dunk the quilt. But for the more casual marks/dots/hash marks… this is what I use to remove the marks.

Shop All of Angela’s Favorites!

Charmaine’s Quilt from Prairie Quilt Militia

Melanie — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Every month on the Quilted Joy Clubhouse, I select an unquilted top from all the pictures that our group posts on Facebook. I then design a quilting pattern for their top and present it at Clubhouse. In October of 2021, I chose Charmaine’s quilt. This stunning top was designed by Sharon Blackmore at Prairie Quilt Militia. It has such a nice balance of classic blocks and modern aesthetic. I particularly liked the large sashing pieces that give you so much room to quilt in. That empty space is just begging for something lovely to be stitched on top.

Cornerstones on Charmaine’s Quilt

As I said the sashing jumped out at me first so that is where I started. I noticed that the cornerstones along with the corners of the blocks created a square that framed out the on point square in the cornerstone. In order to help with cohesion of the sashing to the blocks, I decided that I wanted to bring in the hourglass units from the blocks into the center of the cornerstones. So after outlining and filling in the hourglass, I then outlined the pieced part of the cornerstones. I included phantom corners to really pop that square effect.

Moving out from there, I echoed that center square out into the sashing where it lines up with the piecing of the blocks. That makes the outermost square of our cornerstone. I would have stopped there, but I was afraid the space just inside the outside square was too large, so I decided it needed one more time around with an octagon shape. Those additional diagonal lines also help with cohesion as I used them again in the sashing and blocks.

Sashing

The sashing was simpler. I stitched inside the seams along the top and bottom and then created longer diagonal lines from each corner across to the midpoint of each line and back to the corner. This created an argyle look that I further enhanced by filling in the outer triangles. Here I would have to break my thread. I try to make designs that flow from one end to the other without too much backtracking, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. And on Charmaine’s quilt, it couldn’t be helped.

The Blocks

The blocks are much of the same design as the rest of Charmaine’s quilt. I didn’t know what to call these lines, but maybe we can refer to them as diamond cuts, because they do remind me of the facets that are cut into diamonds and create a diamond shape. By putting these diamond cuts in all the triangles, I was able to wrap around the entire block and touch every square. In the center square, I added another hourglass block. In the outside squares I created, with filler, a suspended corner that lines up with the three other squares to frame the larger square on point square in the center of each block.

How she did it

I had a lot of fun designing this quilt for Charmaine and she did use a big part of what I came up with in her finished quilt. She decided to do her sashing a little differently, which also looks really pretty. It makes more of those diamond like facets in the sashing. She also decided to do fewer diamond cuts around the outside of the block which kept the quilt from being quilted quite as densely as I had originally thought. It turned out absolutely lovely. You should be very proud.

If you want a chance for me to design your quilt, post your tops in our Quilted Joy Clubhouse Facebook group. I’m always on the lookout for the next top. There are so many of them out there that it is hard sometimes to pick just one. We’d love to see what you are working on in any case, and the feedback from your fellow quilters can help you decide how to quilt it even if I can’t. Happy Quilting!

Meet the Nocturnal Forest Quilt Kit!

Melanie — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Enter a magical forest where flowers bloom in moonlight and forest creatures roam through the trees with the Quilted Joy Exclusive Nocturnal Forest Quilt Kit!

Our first Exclusive Quilt Kit!

Nocturnal Forest is our first exclusive quilt kit with an original pattern designed by Angela Huffman. The piecing uses common blocks and shapes like half square triangles, nine patches, and hourglass blocks. The easy to follow instructions in the included pattern will show how to quickly make some of these common shapes, making the pattern perfect for beginner quilters and advanced quilters looking for a quick project.

The quilt’s center block uses the Nocturnal Fabric Panel designed by Gingiber for Moda Fabrics. This panel has four equal sections containing an animal drawn by Stacie Bloomfield. Our quilt pattern only uses one of these corners, so you can pick which of your favorite forest friends you want to use. Will your quilt have trotting foxes? The inquisitive rabbits? The roaming bear? And don’t forget the patchwork owl. We also carry some of the beautiful precuts from the same Nocturnal fabric line!

Try one of the three suggested quilting patterns

While designing this quilt, we took special care to consider how you might want to quilt it. You’ll notice there’s oodles of open, negative space. These areas are perfect for showing off your free motion quilting skills! And for those with chronic “stand and stare” syndrome, we’ve also included ideas for how to quilt Nocturnal Forest in the pattern! So often, quilt patterns just say “quilt as desired,” but that phrase always leaves us wondering what are our options?

In the Nocturnal Forest quilt pattern we have included three potential quilting designs for three different skill levels: beginner, confident beginner, and more advanced. No matter how you feel about your skill, there is something you can try. You can even pick and choose design elements from each of the three quilting suggestions to create a design that’s unique to your skills and style! Be sure to watch the video above to see Angela’s quilting design process for our Nocturnal Forest quilt sample.

Finish your quilt with backing and thread from Quilted Joy

The Nocturnal Forest Quilt Kit comes with all the fabric you’ll need to make your quilt, the pattern, and quilting suggestions. But why stop there? We wanted to make sure this would be an easy project to kick off your new year, but also an easy project for you to finish! We’re offering this kit in two options: the standard kit with all the items mentioned above, or the deluxe kit with two machine quilting rulers. The included rulers are perfect for quilting your Nocturnal Forest quilt with the suggested quilting designs in the pattern!

And because we love our thread, we also have a coordinating Nocturnal Forest Thread Bundle! This bundle includes the three Glide threads and one Affinity variegated thread Angela used to quilt her Nocturnal Forest quilt. We made sure to choose a mix of threads that will either blend or shine well with the fabrics. And of course, you can’t quilt your quilt without a backing fabric! We also have a Nocturnal Forest Backing Kit available with an adorable grey owl print fabric. You won’t even need to seam your backing fabric together, it’s the perfect size as is for both sit down and stand up longarm quilters!

Come take a walk in the moonlight with us as you create the Quilted Joy exclusive pattern, Nocturnal Forest! Get your own kit before they’re all gone. And be sure to post your Nocturnal Forest Quilt on social too! Use #quiltedjoyfmq on Facebook and Instagram, or post your pictures in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse so we can all see your progress!

Video: Looky Loo Studio Tour with Chris Pigott

Kelsey — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

We love taking peeks into other people’s quilting studios during our Looky Loo Studio Tour! Each month during our Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings we tour the quilting studio of one of our QJ Clubhouse members. Today, let’s take a look back at our tour of Chris Pigott’s converted garage creative space! Watch the video below to see Chris’s Looky Loo Studio Tour!

So often quilting is a solo activity. It’s so special that Chris and her sister, Tam, have this well-organized studio to play together in. It’s not often we see a space with two longarms, an APQS Millie and an APQS Lucey, side by side! It’s even more inspiring that Chris and Tam are welcoming their quilt group into their studio for monthly meetings.

We wanted to get to know Chris a little more after our Looky Loo Studio Tour, so we asked her a few other questions before we recorded our tour.

Quilted Joy: How long have you been quilting?

Chris: About 45 years

QJ: How long have you been longarm quilting?

Chris: Eight years

QJ: How have you grown your skills?

Chris: Practice. Videos. Books. More practice. Private lessons. Karen McTavish, Kelly Kline.

QJ: What is the most challenging part of quilting for you?

Chris: What design to quilt. I love free motion. No computer. Seldom do pantographs.

QJ: What do you love about your quilting space?

Chris: Sharing with my sister. All the room we have.

QJ: What would you change about your space if you could?

Chris: Really nothing. Maybe running water and a bathroom.

QJ: Why did you choose an APQS machine?

Chris: I first had a Handi quilter I purchased in 2004. I hated it. I have since given it away, and help them quilt. But I love APQS. Ease of use. Consistency. Support. The helpful quilt community on Facebook.

QJ: Do you have a computer on your machine?

Chris: No.

QJ: What advice would you give a new longarm quilter?

Chris: Study. View videos. Take lessons. Practice on a simple quilt, not just muslin.

QJ: What quilt project are you currently working on?

Chris: A wholecloth quilt that Karen McTavish helped me design. Quilting quilts of valor for our quilt guild.

QJ: How would you describe your quilting style?

Chris: We do a lot of English paper piecing. I like difficult quilts that challenge me. Quilts that give me a lot of negative space to work in.

QJ: What is your favorite batting and thread?

Chris: Quilter’s Dream. Since I used to live near Superior Threads in Utah, I use mostly So Fine and Bottom Line prewounds. But access is getting difficult. I’m considering switching to Glide and Fil-tec bobbins.

QJ: What is your current favorite quilting gadget?

Chris: For quilting, rulers of all shapes and sizes. For sewing, probably my rotary cutter. The most used tool in my sewing room

QJ: Do you quilt for others?

Chris: Mostly friends, charity quilts and family.

QJ: What are three things you’re loving that you’d recommend to your bestie?

Chris: Find things you love to do. Study. Practice. Find like minded friends. And don’t compare yourself to anyone else. I’m into sewing and quilting. Knitting. Crochet. Bird photography.

Thanks again to Chris for letting us look around!

Renter Round Up for 2021

Melanie — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Another year has passed, we’re all another year older, and its time for another Renter Round Up. It hasn’t been the year that we were hoping for, but it wasn’t all bad either. One of the things I am grateful for is having renters here in the shop. We see such a wide selection of quilt tops. All different difficulty levels and colors coming from lots of different people at many different stages in their journey as quilters.

Here is a renter round up of some of the beautiful quilts that we saw this year. If you don’t see yours here, just know that it was impossible to pick my favorites and there were just way too many to share in one post.

Christmas Sampler between friends

This is either Jennifer or Anna Maria’s quilt. These ladies are best friends and often come in together to quilt. So who ever made it, you did a great job! This is a fun Christmas sampler quilt. All the blocks are from Lori Holt’s Vintage Christmas book, but Jennifer had fun playing with the border a little by adding the trees around as well as the bow on top. She quilted it with the Holly Ribbon Pantograph. It is a great holiday panto that is quick to learn and easy to go on. Definitely a holiday favorite this year.

Judy’s Addition to the Renter Round Up

This is the quilt from Judy Pope. I’ve looked all over for the pattern name, but couldn’t find it. It’s so pretty in its simplicity. I love the pastel colors that match that border fabric so well. I also like the quilting pattern she chose to use. It’s one of my favorites. It is called Keryn’s Bellflower. I feel it’s whimsical and classic at the same time, sort of Pennsylvania Dutch.

Two Tone Easy Hunter’s Star

This is called an Easy Hunter’s Star by Spruce Crafts. It was made by Diane this last fall. There is something to say about two color quilts. The lines come out so crisp and clean. It makes for a very attractive quilt that is not too flashy. She quilted this with a great panto called Calder. It is a little bit modern and easy to learn.

Look at all the points!

Our Renter Round Up wouldn’t be complete with this one. It’s from Cheryl. I believe she said it was a block of the month she did a long time ago. We all have those projects that hang around a little. It’s a beautiful Civil War era reproduction quilt. Look at all those Half Square Triangles. This would have been a real challenge to complete. It is very lovely though, and Cheryl did a great job. She quilted this with the Intelliquilter. She chose a design called Chocolate Leaves which has some lovely swirls mixed in with the leaves.

Soft and Cuddly for Christmas

This last quilt is the most recent. This was made by Sherri from a kit called “Baby, It’s Cold Outside. It is using the flannel line of fabrics Bonnie Sullivan created for Maywood fabrics called Snowy Days. Isn’t it cute? And cuddly! It is flannel front and back. Sherri quilted this with the Holly Ribbons panto. It turned out great and will be a fun addition to her Christmas decor. She’s keeping this one which is a unique thing for her. She gives away most of her quilts to her children and grandchildren. I have a feeling, they may ask for it anyway if she’s not careful.

That was the Rental Roundup of last year. As you can see 2021 did have some upsides if only with the quilts that we got to see this year. Keep them coming ladies and gentlemen. We love to see all the creativity and skill that our renters have. And from all of us at Quilted Joy, we wish you a prosperous and joyous new year. May your bobbin ever be full and your rotary blades stay sharp!

10 Great Ways to Use Leftover Batting Scraps

Angela — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 16:39:44 +0000

Recently I had allowed my batting scraps to grow entirely too large in my sewing studio. Has this happened to you?

Of course, they could be used in small sewing projects but I was interested in how I might be able to use them in more unique ways.

APQS asked me to write up my top 10 ten ways to use up leftover batting scraps and then featured it on their blog.

Read Article on APQS Blog

How Do You Use Your Leftover Batting Scraps?

Take a look and let me know if there are any other ways to use leftover batting you’ve thought of as well!

How do you choose what batting to use for your quilt? During our monthly Quilted Joy Clubhouse Livestream we took a look at all the things to consider when choosing batting. Take a look at this video where Angela walks you through it!

If you are looking for batting for your next project, don’t forget that our Quilt Fairies have gathered all of our favorites over in the Quilted Joy shop!

Video: Grid Designs for Floral Quilts | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Kelsey — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 19:32:59 +0000

Did you catch our December 2021 Quilted Joy Clubhouse online meeting? 2021 is our year of grid designs! This month we looked at how to machine quilt grid designs for floral quilts. If you missed the livestream it’s available to watch (or re-watch!) whenever you’d like. Find it on the Quilted Joy Youtube channel or on the Quilted Joy Clubhouse page on our website!

Our main program for this month’s meeting was how to machine quilt grid designs with a floral theme. Watch the video below to see Angela’s floral grid designs, and so much more!

Grid Designs for Floral Quilts

During this Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, we looked at two floral grid designs. The first flower grid fits within groups of four. Each flower will have four petals with a petal in each square of your grid. While quilting your petals, think of a flattened heart, a molar tooth, or even a four leaf clover like someone mentioned in the chat! We also debated whether we prefer a single vein or two. Most people seemed to prefer two. What do you think?

Our second floral design has a more baroque, old world floral look. Or as someone said in the comments, it looks like a gnome’s head! This design looks beautiful stacked up in a block or it can be adapted for a border as well. This is one that you’ll want to practice on paper a few times to make sure you’ve memorized the path before taking it to your machine.

Looky Loo Tour with Gail

We had so much fun in our Looky Loo tour with Gail Murray from Alberta, Canada. Gail’s quilting and crafting studio is set up in her basement. The first thing you’ll see when you walk down the stairs into her basement is her APQS Millie on a 12 foot table. Her machine is set up along the length of her basement and she has plenty of room to get behind it for loading and pantograph quilting. And who wouldn’t love the gorgeous wall of thread displayed behind her machine too? It’s hard to choose my favorite feature of Gail’s studio. It could be the baskets of fabric hanging from the ceiling, or maybe it’s the bookshelves on casters, or the peel and stick wallpaper on the risers of her stairs! It’s too hard to choose! You can also tell Gail loves organizing with all her bookshelves and labelled drawers. She also highly recommends a label maker for labeling all your storage too! Thanks again to Gail for giving us a tour of her fabulous quilting studio!

Tula Pink's Saturdaze Wide Backing Fabrics

How fun are these new 108″ wide backing fabrics from Tula Pink? These are the Saturdaze 108″ Wide Quilt Backing Fabrics by Tula Pink.

The yummy and bright colors are like candy and the fabric is silky soft. Don’t you love the playful pops of radiating rainbows? The Saturdaze wide backs are part of Tula’s new Daydreamer fabric line. Just like everything Tula, we don’t expect these to be around long. So don’t wait to order your Saturdaze backing fabrics!

How Would You Quilt It? Sheryl's Scrappy Quilt

For this month’s How Would You Quilt It portion of our Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting, we looked at how Angela might quilt Sheryl’s fun scrappy quilt. Scrappy quilts and quilts with busy prints can be challenging to create a quilting design. Your quilting can get lost in all those colors and prints. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want, but if you’re custom quilting you don’t want all your hard work to go unnoticed!

Angela thought this quilt would be perfect to treat as a giant grid! Think of each block of the quilt as a section of your grid. You can fill it with any of the designs we’ve discussed during our 2021 Year of the Grid. During the meeting, Angela drew our baroque floral/gnome design from earlier in each block. Depending on the size of the blocks, Sheryl may need to fill them in a bit more with echoing, curls, or any other simple filler. This is a fun quilt and we can’t wait to see how Sheryl chooses to quilt it!

Show and Tell

We love to wrap up the QJ Clubhouse meetings with a little show and tell. There are so many talented quilters in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse on Facebook and they share lots of amazing quilts. It’s fun to put a spotlight on their hard work!

Join Us Next Month!

The Quilted Joy Clubhouse live meetings occur on the first Wednesday of each month at 1pm Eastern. Our next Clubhouse meeting will be January 5, 2021 at 1pm Eastern/Noon Central and we’ll be starting our Year of Rulers! If you’d like to watch live, you can find us on Facebook in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse or subscribe to the Quilted Joy Youtube channel to be notified about our videos. Don’t worry if you can’t join us live. The video will remain available on both Facebook and Youtube afterwards so you can watch whenever you want!

Hope to “see” you at the next live meeting!

Join Angela for One More Grid Design in the QJ Clubhouse Live!

Kelsey — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000

December 2021’s meeting of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse is almost here! I hope you can join us at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific on Wednesday December 1, 2021 for our online guild meeting.

You can watch the meeting in a few different places. Members of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse can watch the meeting in the Facebook group. Not a member of the clubhouse? Click here to find the group and request to be a member. You will need to answer a few questions about yourself, this is just so we can be sure you’re a human and not a robot!

Not on Facebook? Not a problem! You can also watch the meeting on the Quilted Joy Youtube channel. Click here to find us on Youtube and subscribe to the channel so you’re notified when we post a new video. Or you can watch it right here on the Quilted Joy website!

Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ll be talking about during this month’s meeting:

Join Angela Huffman as she wraps up the Quilted Joy Clubhouse’s Year of the Grid! For our final program, we’ll look at lovely garden grid designs that are perfect for your next floral quilt.
Take a tour of Gail’s quilting studio! Gail loves organization and even the least organized will be inspired by some of her space saving hacks!
Who’s quilt did Angela select to design the quilting motifs for? Be sure to watch and see how she would quilt a viewer’s quilt if it were hers!

Can’t join us live? Watch the replay on our YouTube channel whenever it works for you. We are just glad you are part of our quilty world! No matter how you watch, we hope you can join us for the meeting on Wednesday December 1, 2021 at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific! Be sure to say hi and ask questions in the video’s comments too. See ya there!

Quilted Joy

How to Piece a Block from the Blocked In Quilt | Sit n’ Sew With Angela Huffman

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

Autographed Love of Quilting Magazine March-June 2024 Double Issue

Love of Quilting Lillian’s Garden Quilt Kit

Blocked In Quilt Kit

Love of Quilting Secret Meadow Quilt Kit

Space Dye Wovens Lavender Fabric Yardage

Prairie Pointer Pressing Tool

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APQS Trade In Event

Don’t forget the amazing extras that come with APQS machines:

Call the Quilt Fairies for more info: (502)718-7148 or send an email.

Why Buy from Quilted Joy?

1) Add on a computer system to the APQS Millie Longarm machine. 2) Grab a cuppa. 3) Watch it quilt. 4) Smile from ear to ear.

Why Buy a Long Arm Machine from Quilted Joy?

There is a reason so many people trust the Quilt Fairies at Quilted Joy with their Longarm purchase!

A Simple Guide to Creating an Adorable Pillowcase

Lal the Lamb Pillowcase Kit

Burr the Polar Bear Pillowcase Kit

Paul’s Pond Pillowcase Kit

Harold the Hare Pillowcase Kit

How to Quilt a Loopy Heart Sashing Design | Quilted Joy Clubhouse February 2024

Featured Links:

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

Baby in Bloom Grey Animals Flannel Fabric Yardage

Elements Air in Purple Fabric Yardage

Basically Black and White Flowers White on Black Fabric Yardage

Space Dye Wovens Rose Fabric Yardage

Join the 10,000+ quilters who get our weekly newsletter full of events, tutorials, offers, silly jokes, and free worksheets!

How to Piece the Hang Time Block | Sit n’ Sew With Angela Huffman

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

Hang Time Quilt Kit

Rippling Colors Quilt Kit

Ponderosa Horse Stable Kit

Magic Premium Quilting and Crafting Manual Spray 16oz

Corner Pop

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January Renter Round-Up

Stitched Together: A Quilting Couple

Starting a Longarm Quilting Adventure

A Cosmic Canine Quilt

A Brand New Year! What’s Coming in 2024 | Quilted Joy Clubhouse

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

Opposites Attract Collage Pattern

Kaffe Fassett 8 Fat Quarter Bundle

Barbie Girl Barbie Dream House Pack And Play Felt Panel 36″ x 44″

Red Snapper Quilt Loading System 12ft

Laura’s Little Book of Collage 3rd Edition

Join the 10,000+ quilters who get our weekly newsletter full of events, tutorials, offers, silly jokes, and free worksheets!

Renter Round-Up: The Year in Review

Stained Glass Perfection

Patriotic Carpenter's Star

The Truth is Out There

The Grinch

Welcome Gnome to the New Year

Video: How to Piece the Path to Grandma’s House Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman December 2023

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

6in Log Cabin Quilt Block Foundation Papers

Add-A-Quarter Ruler Yellow 6in

Love of Quilting Midnight Frost Quilt Kit

The Magic of 3-Yard Quilts

YLI Soft Touch Cotton Thread Grey

Join the 10,000+ quilters who get our weekly newsletter full of events, tutorials, offers, free worksheets and more!

Video: How to Quilt an Ornament Block | Quilted Joy Clubhouse December 2023

Meeting Highlights:

Featured Products:

Magic of Christmas 3 Yard Quilt Top Bundle

Back it with Banyan Hand Dye Autumn 3 Yard Quilt Fabric Back Pack

2.5 Edition UFO Bound Binding Fabric

Love of Quilting Midnight Frost Quilt Kit

The Magic of 3-Yard Quilts

Dashing Through The Snow Quilt Kit

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Video: How To Piece a Pumpkin Block | Sit n’ Sew with Angela Huffman November 2023

1) Add on a computer system to the APQS Millie Longarm machine.
2) Grab a cuppa.
3) Watch it quilt.
4) Smile from ear to ear.