Quilting Precious Memories, LLC

09/20/2022

01/30/2020

Just a fun recent quilt project with an embroidered quilt label.

12/09/2019

Recent personal project. Microquilter 100-weight thread.
Panel is from Timeless Treasures.
The digital longarm quilting pattern in the center panel is: 708_Jingle_Bell_Dance (not sure of the designer).
The pattern in the green border is by Wasatch Quilting: snowflake 4 bdr 82017 with an associated corner design.
The pattern used in the outside border is not really obvious but it is the same pattern used in the center panel section.

08/13/2018

Tip of the day (warning: long post): Your stitch tension can affect how much shrinkage you have on your quilt top after longarm quilting is finished. There are other factors too but let's just focus on this one for now.
Do an experiment on a small muslin quilt sandwich. Measure and physically mark two 24 inch squares (or whatever your throat space will allow) on the muslin top.
Set your bobbin case tension at 22 on your TOWA gauge. If you don't have a TOWA gauge, tighten your bobbin case tension until the bobbin case almost lifts off of your palm when doing the palm tension test. Balance your top tension to get a good quality stitch. Now stitch a 1/2 inch crosshatch pattern in the first block without using a ruler or worrying about precise lines. Or just randomly do some swirls and curls in the entire area.
Now, take your bobbin case out and set your bobbin case tension to about 14-16 according to your TOWA gauge. If you don't have a TOWA gauge, loosen your bobbin case tension until your bobbin barely stands up in the palm when doing the palm test for bobbin case tension. Balance your top tension again to get a good quality stitch. Now, once again stitch a relatively tight crosshatch pattern or just some swirls and curls throughout the entire second square.
After your finish your experiment, go back and measure the squares. The top square that you sewed with a tighter stitch should have more shrinkage than the bottom square. In fact, the bottom square may have no shrinkage at all if you did not have your quilt top stretched too tightly between the rollers.

So, you may wonder what is actually happening in the above exercise. With the tighter tension, the thread is being somewhat stretched coming out of the bobbin case and the top tension is also tight so that the top thread is also getting somewhat stretched when it is set correctly to form a uniformly balanced stitch between the top and bottom. After the stitch is made, the thread on both the top and bottom returns to its normal length causing the material in the quilt sandwich to be gathered tightly in the stitch. This gathering of the material into the physical stitch causes quilt top shrinking when looked at it across the entire quilt top. With the lighter tension in both the bobbin case and the top thread, you have less stretching of the threads so less (if any) movement back to normal thread length; this means little if any quilt top shrinkage.

Don't throw away your experiment; donate it to your local animal shelter.
Credit to Karen Dillman Farnsworth for introducing this concept to me.

07/31/2018

Latest longarm quilting work. Jul 28, 2018.
Longarm work performed on a Gammill Statler Stitcher.
Piecing design and work by Janice Shelton.
Yellow border feather pattern: Empty Feathers No More by Anne Bright.
Red Borders: Plaid border and border corner design by Anne Bright.
Inner block pattern: Moroccan 5418 Blk 16 by Wasatch Quilting
Thread: Superior MicroQuilter 100wt
The thread color in the large blocks is a blending green color. We wanted texture in the area and did not want the longarm quilting to overtake the block design.
The thread color in the red border and sashing areas is a gold to tie those areas into the yellow border.
The thread in the yellow border was chosen to tie the quilting into the red border areas.

06/26/2018

The Love of
Longarm Quilting
is our
Common Thread

04/20/2018

For me, this was quite a moving story and something I did not know about Ken Burns.

04/11/2018

I have posted this is a couple of longarm machine groups but it is important enough that I thought I would also share it here:
Thread myths:
1) My machine only works with "XYZ" brand and weight thread. Reality: you may not have taken the time to get comfortable with adjusting your stitch tension.
2) My dealer says to only use "ABC" brand of thread in my machine. Reality: That is probably the brand of thread that your dealer carries in their brick and mortar store.
3) My machine only works with the same color and weight thread in the bobbin and top. Reality: you may not have taken the time to get comfortable with adjusting your stitch tension.
4) Only cotton thread should be used for longarm quilting. Reality: Museums recommend the use of polyester thread to increase the longevity of heirloom-quality projects. In addition, many longarm dealers quilt almost exclusively with polyester thread.
5) Once I get my stitch tension adjusted, I should never have to touch it as long as I continue to use the same brand and weight thread in the top and bobbin. Reality: This myth is somewhat true in the sense that any tension adjustments should be relatively minor. However, tension may still have to be adjusted based on: a) differences in the material types used in quilt tops and backing; b) differences in the type and loft of the batting used in the quilt sandwich; and c) variations in thread batches.
I am sure there are more thread myths out there but I have run out of steam. Take some time and educate yourself on thread, needles and stitch tension. The videos on youtube and the Superior website by Dr. Bob are excellent.
https://www.superiorthreads.com/education
Final reality: Your machine will run with any high-quality thread given the proper needle size for the thread weight and some attention paid to properly setting the stitch tension.

03/07/2018

Following these border application fundamentals makes the longarming so much easier. Getting ready to do a project with lots of sashing and borders. Re-read this blog article as a refresher:
https://frommycarolinahome.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/quilt-borders-tutorial-understanding-the-why/?blogsub=confirmed -2
There is also a Part 2 on the blog.

01/07/2018

If someone makes you a quilt, it means that they really love you!

12/15/2017

08/27/2017

There is a lot of good information in here. What does everyone think? The machine may not match your exact model but the principles are sound.

A lovely group of ladies in town make larger quilts every year to give all at once to a deserving charity. This year they are making twin size quilts for Mainstay, the local women’s shelter.…

08/10/2017

Finished and delivered custom quilt. Three different borders, sashing and custom quilting in star blocks.

08/07/2017

Most recent Quilt of Valor (QOV) project. Two outside borders with an edge-to-edge pattern in the middle. Now, back to the QOV coordinator for binding and award to a military veteran.

06/10/2017

Recent Quilt of Valor project. Many thanks to the Quilt of Valor Foundation that supports and coordinates work between quilt top piecers and Long-arm quilters around the country.

06/09/2017

Recent QOV project.

05/19/2017

Recent custom quilt. Respect for folks that regularly do custom quilting. This was really quite a time-consuming project. We learned a lot from the process of creating this quilt.