I'm Just Sayin

Longarm Odyssey
Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:53    PDF Print E-mail
I juggle a lot of balls and this blog will prove it.

Over the weekend I was able to FINALLY load a quilt top onto the Gammill longarm quilting machine that is sitting in my new studio - whoo-hoo! The machine is here to tape short educational Gammill videos for The Quilt Show. Look for those soon at www.thequiltshow.com. They are called Longarm Lifelines with Linda Thielfoldt. 

Most of you know I'm a push-the-quilt sort of guy, the free-motion quilting kind. However, I'm not resistant to trying new things. Well... since there just happens to be a Gammill in my studio, why not give it a go? I'm green when it comes to long arm quilting but not totally green.

About two years ago a friend who owns a Gammill urged me give it a whirl. I loaded one of my dad's quilts and quilted the whole thing. After it was finished I realized that the tension was so bad on the back that I could never bind and finish the quilt. It was sad, and I didn't have the time to invest in picking out all those quilting stitches. The quilt stayed tucked away.

Fast forward... this past February the Gammill was installed in my studio by the Kelly/Terry team from Ft. Collins, CO. Kelly saw the quilt and mentioned that she knew someone who would pick out ALL of the quilting stitches. It was worth the price I paid to have it done and the quilt arrived back to me last week. This photo shows the impressions of what had been the quilting design.



Rewinding... this past May I found some old UFO quilt blocks. These blocks were cowboy boot blocks that had been given to me as a gift from Circle in the Square Quilters back in 1993. I arranged the blocks into a fun quilt and named it Deadwood. Deadwood is the name of a historic mining town in South Dakota. There is an intense HBO series by the same name. Here's the Deadwood quilt top.



Now...back to the quilt I loaded this past weekend - it's the Deadwood quilt. I ordered thread from Superior Threads and those should arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, I was able to at least quilt the cream/white areas of the first two rows. I thought you might like to see how I'm doing - and I'm sure open to suggestion.



For the most part, I'm still plugging along on the Streak of Lightning quilt waiting for my threads to arrive.

Stay tuned! I'm just sayin'....
 

Comments  

 
0 #19 peggyabass 2012-08-22 09:56
it looks good ricky tims
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0 #18 Diane Hiller 2012-08-18 14:52
Doesn't look like a begining longarmer to me. You just want to make us feel better. Oh by the way, It looks great!!!
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0 #17 Lynn Kelly 2012-08-17 06:22
What a perfect quilt top for a Texas boy whose lived in Kansas (?) and now in Colorado! Cowboy land if there ever was! Your quilting looks lovely, as usual. That's one of the things I love about you Ricky, is your "no fear" approach to quilt making! Well, that is, except for perfect 1/4 " seams! ha
Lynn
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+1 #16 Angie Madden 2012-08-17 05:18
Half the battle with long arm is developing the relationship with the machine that you already have with your Bernina. Just got to get acquainted and learn its quirks! You will love it.
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0 #15 Dar 2012-08-17 00:24
Looks like a pro did the quilting to me!! Of course, you ARE a pro! You are a natural and your learning curve will go straight up!! Nice pattern.
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0 #14 Chris Dishman 2012-08-15 18:38
Looks great! Hope you will share with us which Superior threads you decided to use.
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+1 #13 Jan Magee 2012-08-15 10:16
Someone who takes out the quilting...that sounds like it could become a booming business!
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0 #12 Jo Ann 2012-08-15 04:58
Doesn't look like beginner work to me. Can they move that longarm to my studio in NJ when you are done with it would LIKE to have it here for a test drive.
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0 #11 Hanne-Grete Brink 2012-08-15 03:01
Just sayin': WoooooHooooo:) You're the Gammill Man!
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0 #10 Kim Caskey 2012-08-15 02:48
Beautiful! I KNEW you would be a natural. Matt Sparrow and I have been discussing how much greater you will be once you get on a long arm! Look out quilt world!!!!
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