Yes, it has been 3 months last my last blogpost. WOW! I didn’t even realize it was that long. I will need several blogpost to share everything with you.
One of the most important things that happened these last 3 months, is that my longarm machine arrived! I have been wanting a longarm from the moment I first laid eyes on one in a YouTube video somewhere in 2013.
Getting a longarm in Europe means you don’t have a lot of brands to choose from. I selected the Handi Quilter Avanté which gave me the best quality for my budget. A mayor factor on deciding on this machine was also the fact that the dealer is very very close by.
The first practice piece we loaded on the longarm was a quilt sandwich with black fabric on top. I used a bright yellow neon thread for practicing my first ‘quilting moves’. Here is a little video of the longarm and that practice piece. The link will take you to YouTube. I haven’t figured out yet how to shoot a video while quilting; it is on my to-do-list!
The next practice quilt I filled with swirl-hooks and an angular meander which I loved to do.
I turned parts of this practice piece into placemats and a few pouches for a friend.
Since the longarm was set up this summer, I have been steadily loading several charity quilts. The donated quilt tops were put together by my quilty friends earlier this year from donated blocks. With the longarm in the house I was finally able to start working on the quilts.
Here are the first two (in no particular order). The quilts are not finished yet… the binding need to be put together and I think I will ask my quilty friends to come and help me do the bindings when I get through the pile of tops.
Quilt 1:
Love the vibrant top that a very kind quilter donated!
I quilted a swirl-hook and had a lot of fun doing it!
The purple and tan fabric is the back.
I have been using the stitch regulator on the longarm and I like so far. Personally I like to work without a regulator on my domestic machine, but with the longarm I enjoy the perks of the expensive machine, ha ha!
Quilt 2:
Colorful blocks from several quilters.
Deatils of some of my favorite blocks… I put a different pattern on each block and took cues from the patterns on the fabrics or the patchwork pattern.
This last quilt was quilted much more densely as the first one. I have noticed that I like to do dense quilting… like A LOT! 🙂
Hope to write another blogpost soon about the other charity quilts, a special quilt for my friend and several baby quilts.
Until then,
Esther
ipatchandquilt 
Your quilting is beautiful. I love the pouches you made using the practice piece too. Do you use a panto or are you quilting freehand?
Hello Kathy!
I haven’t learned yet how to use a pantograph, so I am stitching freehand and sometimes I use a ruler.
Bye,
Esther
Wow! Fun to see your quilting done on your new baby! Nice work!
Thank you Janice! I love learning all the possibilities and techniques for this machine.
Bye,
Esther
Well, we missed you, but it’s easy to see why! What a lovely toy, and it’s the perfect thing for you and your passion for fantastic, innovative quilting.
Hello again Kate!!!
Yes, it is a lovely toy, so glad I indulged myself, ha ha!
Hugs,
Esther
Looking forward to seeing more quilty fireworks!
I think a new longarm is worth a little blog silence, but glad you are back.
I remember when I bought my Innova, I spent 18 hours a day playing!! So glad you started with FMQ – it is so much fun to have TOTAL control over what you do rather than following a panto. You are doing great with your FMQ!! Enjoy having a longarm as your new best friend!!
Wow. How wonderful. Seems you’ve mastered it already.
Those are great patterns on the various colorful blocks. It looks like you are enjoying learning new techniques. Thank you for photographing each and sharing them with us.
Je bent een kunstenares! Wauw, wat een prachtige resultaten!
Lieve groetjes
oh Esther – so glad you’ve got a longarm and your quilting is already really stunning – have heaps of fun with all those charity quilts !!
Have fun with it!
Yay! I’m so excited for you. Your quilting looks beautiful!
OMG, you are already a pro ! I’m so impressed.
Very nice work! Congrats on the new machine!
Impressive work considering you are so new to Longarm quilting. I am a teeny bit jealous, but I just don’t have the room. Just a suggestion, but why don’t you machine sew your bindings, I do it all the time because my hand sewing leaves much to be desired. Especially being charity quilts, it would be a good way to practice.
Congratulations on your new machine. It looks very professional. It also looks HUGE. I admire you for learning to use it. Hope it will provide many hours of fun during the winter months.
It’s good to see you playing and practicing with your new longarm. So are you completely converted now? No more domestic machine quilting? It’s all very interesting because I have tried longarm quilting several times, and definitely don’t like it. Probably because I can’t do it! We’re drawn to what we’re successful at, right? Glad you are! I’ll happily continue to domestic machine quilt, and wait for the not-often-enough-asked-question: Do you have a longarm? “No.” 🙂
I think it looks like you are off to a great start. You have learned a lot in a very short time! Keep at it!
Super amuse toi bien c’est génial d’avoir une long arm moi je viens de recevoir simply sexteenmodèle en dessous pas de place chez moi pour plus grand. Je vais commencer ton challenge de quilting machine avec elle 100 jours mais peut être moins pour rattraper le retard. Bon quilting a toi.Je suis sur IG.