Seaside Quilters'

Mavis

When I bought my long arm, my intention was not to quilt for others. Maaaybe in future when I had more time and had a bit more practice.

Mavis' really encouraged me and twisted my rubber arm to do her quilt. It was  only135mm x135mm and she said she wasn't in a hurry for it so I took it on. 

I went with simple ruler work, because. If I took my time I could be accurate and I love to do swirls.

I like to put a piece of plastic over the quilt top to gauge the scale of what needs to be done and if it will work. Sometimes a secondary pattern appears and just gets the creative juices flowing.

I was pleased with the outcome.

Marietta

Next up Marietta. She made this quilt for her granddaughter who was turning 18 and there was a deadline. This one was a little more stressful to get done. There was enough time but would need to work on it consistently. So not just when the mood grabs me. I got a taste for what it would be like to do this as "work" . I went with a cream coloured thread - Glide. My machine loves this thread. Has a lovely sheen so shows off the work well.

 Was pleased with the outcome. Again did ruler work. It was slower going but at least I could guarantee straight lines. The top part of the dresdon was loose so didn't want to quilt over that part and just did an echo to show it off.

The best view of the quilting is the back.

Irene

I was pretty nervous to do this quilt. Irene's applique work is superb. 

Every single stitch was in the right place. I used my rulers to make sure lines were straight.  Stephanie (Handiquilter dealer) gave me a tip when doing piano keys to quilt a double line instead of travelling along piece to come back to the edge. It feels like more work but you get great definition of the lines and there is no chance of a wobble when you travel. She does the most amazing custom work and any advice I get from her I take,

 Did some swirls in the borders and the feathers in the half moon shape. I am feeling pretty confident about doing those. I did divide the borders into sections so I can  have them a similar size.