Monday, June 17, 2013

A Lecture with Angela Walters

Angela Walters, modern machine/long arm quilter and author extraordinaire, was here this weekend! She gave a free lecture to our guild on Friday, June 14. P.S. Does anyone have pictures of the workshop on Sunday? Please email me and let me know!

First, Angela told us about her beginnings in quilting - she was inspired and taught by her husband's grandfather. In fact, her next fabric line, Legacy (see below), is dedicated to him. You can read more about her story in the "About" section of her blog, right here. She also showed us several of her quilts and explained her thought process for quilting them.


Angela Walters

I tried not to get too many embarrassing pictures of her while she was moving around :)

She hopes that you'll see the quilt first, and then, a split second later, see the quilting. That's why she uses thread that blends - so it doesn't distract.

Angela Walters

Angela had some pretty funny sayings. One guild member asked if she stitched in the ditched and she said, "Stitching in the ditch if like putting on makeup. Nobody can tell you've done it, but your face looks a lot better." She also kept insulting herself about backings: if it's just one piece, or a couple of pieces, chances are she made that. Anything more complex and it wasn't her :) Hey, we all have things we like a bit less about the quilting process than others, am I right?

Angela Walters

 Angela Walters

 Angela was so encouraging; she suggests that if you're having trouble deciding how to quilt, you should pick your favorite part of the quilt and enhance that. She makes it easy to think you can jump in and quilt like she does :) She suggests quilting faster, rather than slower! There's less of a chance of you messing up; you have to train your brain to think about the next step, rather than the line you are already quilting. Finally, Angela also encourages making mistakes. I think that was something we all needed to hear; we all have a bit of "perfectionist quilter" in us, and sometimes, it needs to be tamed a bit ;)

Legacy Quilt - Angela Walters
Legacy Quilt - Angela Walters

Can you believe the detail in this quilting? She assured us that she doesn't do this for every quilt ;) This one recently hung at Quilt Market and it was so neat to see it in person, after seeing all the blog posts about it at home (by the way, it's positively enormous!). By the way, those letters were PAINTED ON after the quilting!

Oh, and here's the back! One picture you didn't see from Quilt Market! Check out that quilt detail. Oh, my eyes.

Back of Legacy quilt - Angela Walters

Overall, I think it's safe to say that Angela was the perfect addition to our 2013 lineup of guild activities.  She was inspiring and humorous at the same time. While we do a lot with color combining, technique, and challenges, we haven't done too much with quilting yet (ironically :) ). I would love to hear about the workshop from those who went! Thank you SO much, Angela!!

-Jess S.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Fabric for Guild Banner!

I'll be cutting it up so that everyone will get some for blocks in July! If you signed up to make a block and you won't be at July's meeting, that's okay - I'll bring it back to the August meeting. If you would like to make a block as part of our banner, just comment here or email the account so I can add you to the list! If you volunteered for applique or quilting, I'll be in contact soon :)

So excited!
-Jess S.

Monday, June 10, 2013

June Reminders!

Hi all:

1. SewDown Philadelphia registration is OPEN! (registration link at bottom of right sidebar)
Date:  09/6/2013 to 09/8/2013
Location: Loews Hotel in Philadelphia
-If you are a guild member, check your email for a BigTent email Jess sent out recently about registering for the event.
 
2. Angela Walters free lecture for members - this Friday (6/14) @ PQW, 7 pm - 8:30! Woohoo! (In place of our June meeting!)
 
3. Angela Walters Modern Machine Quilting Workshop - this Sunday (6/16) @ Bryne Sewing Connection in Doylestown, 1-5 pm (any takers for doing a guest blog post on this/taking pictures while you are there? I really want to be there but I have some family things that day).

See you Friday! :D
-Jess S.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Machine Binding Tutorial from our May Meeting

Hope everyone's staying cool! I took some notes at our May Meeting about Jessica's tutorial for machine binding. Because it happened at the meeting, I was only able to write down the tips (though filming it could have worked as well, come to think of it!). If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email the account.

Jess's method:
1. First, sew the binding to the front of the quilt as you normally would.
2. Two options: Either use Clover clips to hold to binding down, or apply Elmer's washable school glue (heat set) on the back of the quilt along the seamline from the front, to hold the binding to the back. You do this in sections on the quilt: apply glue (see below to purchase special glue tips), and press the binding, with your iron, onto the back of your quilt. Jess highly recommends trying the glue method; it really works!
3. Stitch in the ditch from the front to secure the binding to the back for good.

Tips:
1. First, don't be afraid to practice! Make some practice quilt sandwiches (practice your FMQ while you're at it) and then bind them.

2. Jess highly recommends using Sharon Schamber's machine binding video. This is the video that will teach you to bind to competition standards. It is very clear and easy to follow.

3. To buy special glue tips for this method, go to Purple Daisies LLC.

Good luck!
-Jess S.