The Art of Longarm Quilting.

Longarm quilting is an art form in its own right.  Many can make a quilt top and quilt it by machine. Then we get a few people who look at a quilt top and see what it can be. They visualise something so amazing and see an art work, while we see in the ditch, maybe a stipple, feather or an echo outline. The machines they use, do not come cheaply, the work and the hours they put in is part of the services they offer, the art they include is what sets each and everyone apart.

One can have many quilts finished with an all over design and that is not what one is talking about here. Custom quilting is the art form we are talking about here. We all admire the sheer force and scale of the artistry of their work, when we stand back and look at the whole quilt. Many times we look at the front we do no fully appreciate the scale of work involved, until we look at the back of the quilt.  Then it dawns how much work went into creating a unique piece of art. This is what makes an heirloom quilt.  For one to love and hug. Over time it will be showing how much it means to us, as we cuddle under it. Will it show the wear of time, of course it will. It is not meant to be mounted behind a piece of glass to be admired from a far, except up close as a tactile art.

Is it perfect? Nope. It was never intended to be.  Did I make mistakes when it was pieced, absolutely.  This was never to be entered into a quilt show, it is for us to enjoy.  This was part of the healing process,  after my Dad passed away. I knew if I had to quilt it, it would have stayed a quilt top. So in December of last year,  I wrote to a longarm quilter and sent her pictures of the front and back, with full disclosure of the complex nature of this top. After looking at the photos, she quoted a price and said that she would quilt it for me. It was sent off in January and she said she does not want to work to deadlines.  I was happy with this, as it is so much better when one can do what one love at one's own pace. Life is short and one need time to spend a while with the ones we love, creating memories. When she let me know she's was working on it over the summer, it was important to me that she took time to enjoy those special moments with her family, it is just an object. People are far more precious than things. Yes it took longer, it could even have taken longer and it would not have mattered. The world and it's people are in very short supply of patience and respect for one another, it is important to value people above all the stuff and things in world.You can replace things, not loved one's!

2020 Sugaridoo QAL top is done.

All the rows are finally finished.  The last row was released on 1st of October.  It is a bright and happy one, with clean lines. Very eye catching and modern.

Each row has a piece of the accent print or colour fabric. The ruler fabric incorporated into the rows are from my stash. It was originally planned for a pencil case.  Unbeknownst to me,  it is from the same designer of the fat eight bundle fabrics. That pencil case was never meant to be, the ruler fabric of which I only had 20cm of the width of the fabric, was just enough!

The back of this quilt top is very tidy and the new iron is working well and all the seams of the quilt top is pressed flat. Ready for quilting.  Will trim any stray threads, as they will show on the front when quilting, as the background is white.

The front of the top showcases the wonky moons, circles (hubby said they are putting greens?), arrows going down and up...  Triangles, mowing the lawn or not, hastags and Tetris, everything falling into place. This top is a representation of the year 2020, in more ways than one. Letting go and embracing the new.

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Fresh, dainty and soft backing. Perfect for this top, it was in the cupboard and it followed me home from Retreat one year. 

Binding is made for 365 Quilt Challenge, the QAL from Katherine Kerr. The Quilt along was a block a day, for a year. The Quilt went to be longarm quilted, as I knew it would be the best way to get it finished. Both these QAL the patterns was given free, for those who signed up for them, so thank you to the talented ladies who designed and offered them to all of us!

Normally the binding gets made when the top is done, or sometimes when the quilt top is started. Realized yesterday the binding needs making, as the quilted top will need it soon.

Over the summer the chipmunk took sunflower seeds from the birdfeeder and did some gardening in the veggie garden.  We moved them to other parts of the garden, this is the end result.

Autumn is here and all the trees are wearing their fall colours already.  This is Thanks Giving weekend in Canada. We are blessed to be home and grateful for all the abundance and blessings we have received this year.  A year that has been one which none of us expected.  We have grown in ways and have discovered how amazing humankind truly can be. The people who surround us, friends, family and in some cases complete strangers, we wish everyone an amazing Thanks Giving , not just for a weekend but throughout the coming years to come.