Wenda Coburn

Lately I have been spending my days getting ready for my Spring workshops!  Two quilt frames in the living room surrounded with lots of tools, cleaning equipment, and more quilting tools! 

I will be teaching at MQX in Providence RI on April 13-17.  And I will be at MQS in Overland Park (kansas city area), KS  on May 12-16. 

All the classes are the basics on a home quilting frame.  It is awesome to be able to SEE how this type of quilting actually works!  Also to talk to someone whe ACTUALLY has been successful on the quilting frame!  Yes I really do quilt on it! 

I keep it basic, but I include information on troubleshooting, tension, leadercloth, loading the quilt in 15 minutes, and turning the quilt.  Then I move into Pantographs, patternboards, and ruler work. All directed to the quilter who works on a home quilting system with a smaller machine. 

I believe in education, but we are such a visual society that we need to SEE how the system operates! 

I took classes 5 years ago looking for education and could not find any directed to the small systems, so not I teach to help those who were in my shoes then!  I never regretted taking the classes I could take, even though they were on the longarm system.  But had I had classes on my specific system I would have jumped at the opportunity! 

So, here is your chance!  Don’t miss out on classes where you can SEE how the home quilting frame works.  And be sure to say HI! I found you on your blog… if you do I have a special gift for you! 

Hmmmm… Oh NO what happenend NOW!

Every have one of those days?  Everything seems to go wrong.  The bobbin runs out, the thread breaks, the needle breaks, the cord comes unplugged, and the dog pees on the floor and I step in it as I am quilting!!! ARGHHHH!

Well some of these things can be prevented and some can’t.  sometimes it is just that day. There is a simple checklist to ensure that we will have a good day quilting.  (I can’t control the dog though).

1. Quilt table: Look over your frame each and every time you approach it to quilt.  Wipe off dust, threads, and other debris that may be on the frame table.  Keep a small waste basket near by to throw the threads and other trash into.
2. Carriage wheels:  Check out the wheels of the carriage.  Be sure they are clean, no threads caught in them, and they are moving well.  Also check out the stitch regulator wheels for the same.  Check screws to be sure everything is on securely.
3. Machine: Look over the machine for dust and debris too.  Clean lint off the needle area.  Check the thread path to be sure there is nothing keeping it from moving easily.
4. Connections:  Check all the cords in the back of the machine.  All the connections should be tight and secure.  The cords should be able to move easily as the machine moves along the table.
5. The floor area:  do a quick check to be sure there is nothing that will cause you to trip as you quilt.  Do this in the back of the frame too if you are quilting from the back with a pantograph.

Favorite tool:

Bundling straps  for keeping all those cords in check.

New Year, New quilts…

Before we begin with a quilt we must place the quilt top, batting and backing onto the frame.  Do you feel like you need to stand on your head to do this?  Does loading take you hours to leave you exhausted before you even begin quilting?

Think about loading just like you as if you are to baste a quilt on a table top…

1. Lay the back right sides down.

2. Place the batting on top of the backing.

3. Lay the quilt top right side up on top of the batting.

Let’s begin with the backing…

Lay the backing right side down over the quilt frame.  I drape it over the take up bar and the backing bar.

Pin the backing to the Leadercloth at the take up bar and on the backing bar. Roll the bars until the backing is smooth, but not tight.

Pins are placed parallel to the bar, head to tip, with few spaces in between.

 

 

 

Place the batting on top of the backing.  Just below the line of pins.

Smooth it out.  Tuck it between the backing bar and the quilt top bar.  No pinning is necessary.

Now the quilt top…

Place this right side UP on the batting. 

 

Pin this to the quilt top Leadercloth only. 

Roll it onto the quilt top bar until it is almost tight.  The top edge of the quilt top will lie just below the line of batting.   At this point you can pin or baste the quilt top.  I find it is easier to baste a nice straight line with my machine.

Now you are ready to begin practicing!

My favorite notion of the month:

 Flower Head pins:  long, straight, and flexible.  I don’t need as many pins for loading because of the length.  The flexibility & the flower head helps them to lay flat against the poles of the frame.  Check them out!

 

 

 Magnetic Pin Bowl:  I wouldn’t quilt without this!  It holds my pins, screwdriver, snips, seam ripper, bobbins, and more!  It is strong enough to stick to the poles of my frame while I am pinning my quilt to the leaders!  Wonderful!

 

 

Be sure to check my website for special on the pins & bowl! 

 

Happy Quilting! 

 

yup, there is another winner for the subscription to the Quilt Pattern Magazine! It is Carrie. The first winner also won several from other blogs so I drew a NEW name for my winner. Congrats Carrie! Enjoy the paperless way of reading a magazine!

New Year’s Resolutions?!  Yes we make them and then a few months later we break them.  But why?  Well for me it is because I think I can do way more than I actually do! Resolutions are not my favorite thing to do, but I find that they give me some positive direction into a new year. So here are a few resolutions for the frame quilters out there:

1.  QUILT DAILY!  yes daily!  Put practice fabric on your frame and spend 15 minutes a day practicing the designs for your next quilt or those feathers you have been wishing you could do!

2.  FINISH the projects!  How many projects do you have that are almost done? I have many.  So I have listed all the projects I want to finish and what needs to be done.  Do you know it may be as simple as a binding?  But it counts as DONE when I finish it! I think I will do that first to get myself off to a good start for the year!

3.  TIME USE MY TOOLS… oh all the tools I have purchased and used once or twice!  The pantographs, patternboards, rulers, and stencils.  USE THEM and enjoy them or move them on to a new home… (HMMMM… sounds like an internet garage sale will be  coming up this summer!)

4. SHARE what I’ve learned with others.  I will continue to share my information with you in order to offer support and encouragement to the home quilter!