Hello My Quilting Friends

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047. Longarm Quilting with Mom and Pop Quilt Shop Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

Hello My Quilting Friends! Today I'm chatting with Laura-Lynn Fulford, the mom from the Mom and Pop Quilt Shop! Laura-Lynn is a longarm quilter from Canada. She and her husband share videos on longarm quilting on their Youtube channel Mom and Pop Quilt Shop. She also has a website where you can check out all of her services. Find it at WeSewIt.Ca. Laura-Lynn quilts on a Gammill Stattler Stitcher, which is a BIG machine! It's 16 feet all around and she can quilt 24 inches before needing to advance the quilt. She also has automation set up so the computer can drive the machine and stitch out digitized designs. What struck me immediately about Laura-Lynn is her connection to her community. She's a crossing gaurd, teaches quilting to kids, and quilts for a living. She also does alterations and makes charity quilts for her local fire department. Laura-Lynn always sewed and her business started naturally a few years ago when someone needed alterations. Then she and her husband decided to make it their retirement income and got a small business loan in order to purchase the longarm and a Janome Horizon 15000. The biggest part of her business recently has been finishing quilts for people that didn't finish them before they died. These projects sound like a real challenge because they might be in a seriously unfinished state and Laura-Lynn has to figure out how to work with the fabrics, stabilize, and complete the project for the family to enjoy. That sounds like a lot of work and could be very expensive, but Laura-Lynn tries to work with everyone. She'll barter with customers and accept straw for her chickens in exchange for alterations or other services. We and I talked a lot about quilt basting on a longarm and basting the batting before layering the quilt top on the frame. Laura-Lynn's longarm quilting tips: - Check your tension with every bobbin. Weird things can happen when you change bobbins so always test off the quilt before getting into the project. - Baste your batting so the quilt rolls up nice and square. - Practice! The more you quilt, the better you will get. I've shared a few videos quilting on my Grace Qnique, but Laura-Lynn was super helpful sharing her tips for setting up my cameras. She uses a Go Pro and sets it up on the handles of her longarm using a bicycle mount. She's also set up a web cam to the top of the machine that films livestreams. With a name like Mom and Pop Quilt Shop, you know there's two people involved, but Pop is the behind the scenes guy. He helps with editing the videos, designs quilts, and digitizes designs. He's also focused on keeping an archive of their work to leave a legacy behind. I loved talking with Laura-Lynn and learning about longarming as well as her wholesome approach to business and life. The last thing she said has really stuck with me: There is always something to be happy about and be celebrated in the future.

046. No Sewing Until You Quilt It with Ann Holmes Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Today I'm chatting with Ann Holmes, the creator of my favorite No Sewing Until You Quilt It applique technique. Get to know Ann and her assistant Rachel and how this cool technique works in this podcast. Check out Ann's website at www.AnnHolmesStudios.com. Ann is both a stained glass artist as well as a quilter and her goal in creating the No Sewing Until You Quilt It Applique technique was to easily make her original stained glass art into quilts. It's a wonderful technique for creating smooth curves without having to sew. Yep, you do have to glue though! You can watch Ann's videos to see how she does No Sewing Until You Quilt It on her YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBJPsN4Zouv8sSl1NFJkNA Find the full show notes with links to everything we mention here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2018/02/no-sewing-until-you-quilt-with-ann.html

045. Whole 30 Diet with my Sister, Camille Gray Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

Meet my sister Camille and hear how she learned about the Whole 30 diet and how she transformed her body less than a year after having her second baby.

044. Leah's on a Diet? Rising to the Challenge in 2018 Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

This week Leah Day shares updates about what she's working on, and why she's decided to try the Whole 30 Diet for the month of February.

043. Piecing and Quilting Precuts with Christa Watson Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Meet Christa Watson and learn about piecing and quilting with precut fabrics. This is the topic of Christa's newest book and she shares lots of information about working with precuts, plus how she's designing fabric, teaching classes on Craftsy, and planning more books for the future. Find the episode show notes here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2018/01/piece-and-quilt-precut-fabrics-with.html

042. Is Spray Basting Bad for Quilts? Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

Basting spray is an aerosol glue you can use to spray the layers of your quilt so they stick together. It's a faster basting method in comparison to pin basting or hand basting, and I know many quilters that prefer to use spray basting because it's easier on their hands. As with all my Great Quilting Debate episodes, I 100% believe you should use what you want and what works for you! I use polyester thread for quilting, I like to prewash and starch all my fabric before cutting, and I press my seams open - all of these are topics that quilters argue about. But I rarely hear anyone arguing about basting spray and this worries me. I get questions weekly about whether starch will make their quilts more susceptible to bugs (a ridiculous quilting rumor in my opinion), but I never get questions about the effects of basting spray - a far more detrimental chemical. Maybe this is because I don't use basting spray so quilters are taking their questions about it elsewhere. Or maybe quilters don't know about the possible side effects of using this chemical in their quilts. Read more about spray basting here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2018/01/is-basting-spray-bad-for-quilts-podcast.html

041. Yoga and Longarm Quilting with Amy Helton Jan 03, 2018

Show notes

Meet Amy Helton, or LongarmYogiGal, a longarm quilter from Kentucky. Amy is also a yogi and we talk about incorporating yoga into a daily routine and how Amy started her longarm quilting business. Connect with Amy through her Facebook Page Amy's In Stitches - https://www.facebook.com/amysinstitches

040. New Goals and the Word for the Year in 2018 Dec 27, 2017

Show notes

A new year is coming and that means it's time to pick a new word to serve as a guide. I've used this for years to set new intentions and achieve my goals. Listen to the episode to see how my words for 2017 panned out and what's in the works for 2018!

039. Teaching Crochet and Quilting Online with Melanie Ham Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

Meet Melanie Ham, a super successful Youtube teacher who shares videos on crafting, crochet, and quilting. I love her videos which are so nicely edited and clearly demonstrated. Find Melanie's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/iheartstitching Also check out Melanie's premium course website. This is where Melanie shares more in-depth courses, projects, and quilt alongs. Remember she shared a coupon code in the podcast - make sure to enter Leah in the checkout to save 25% on your course! I really enjoyed talking with Melanie because she and I do the same thing! We both make videos and teach a craft online and work daily to balance our busy schedules along with taking care of our kids, running our businesses, and managing our households. Of course, all of the messy bits get edited out of our videos (along with the unfinished bits too!) but it can be a struggle to get everything done on time. It was so nice to chat with another quilter who understands this world of online teaching and making videos.

038. Is Polyester Thread Evil? Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

Is polyester thread bad for quilts? Have you ever heard the rumor that polyester thread could damage your quilt? Many quilter's believe they must use only 100% cotton thread for quilting. Learn more about this quilting rumor in this Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day.

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