Hearts and Loops

My twin sister is a grandmother! I'm not sure who is more cute the baby Ruby or my sister Peggy. I made my sister a baby quilt when her first child was born and when he had his first child, of course I had to make another.

Peggy likes bright fabrics so this little quilt comes from all my bright kiddie scraps and it's quilted with hearts and loops. As little Ruby gets bigger she'll be able to play "I spy with my little eye" with the quilt and look for doggies, and icecream cones, flowers and strawberries, lightning bugs, lady bugs and butterflies. I hope they'll have hours of fun together. 

There's a gorgeous red heart flannel on the back which makes the whole quilt soft and cosy. 

Here's the quilt loaded on our 6 foot New English Quilter frame.

I'm using a JUKI TL98P straight stitch sewing machine because it's got the space under the arm and the 1500 stitches-per-minute speed I need to get a lovely flowing line of stitching.

I'm using a pretty pink variegated thread from Superior Threads' Fantastico range called Giggles and I've used bright red Bottom Line pre-wounds in the bobbin so it will blend in to the backing flannel.


I just love how this lovely light reflecting tri-lobal polyester thread runs through my machine without any trouble, even at high speeds through multiple layers. This thread is cross-wound on a large cone perfect for long arm quilters and any machine quilting. 

Here's a detail of the hearts and loops quilting design.

And here's another. Even though this is a simple basic design I still use it as an all over pattern. 

It works so well on children's quilts. The hearts and loops design covers lots of ground quickly 

and lets people know that you love them too.

Here I am sewing on the binding on a visit home to America 

with my brother I'd not seen in 22 years!! 

I'm so happy to get to spend time with Pat and Peggy!

I'm using the bright red Bottom Line to hand stitch the binding. 

This fine thread blends in perfectly and it doesn't knot!

No place like home

Source: google.co.uk via Martha on Pinterest

Last week,  two sets of gals came for a demo visit from different parts of the country. Lynda purchased the 8 foot New English Quilter 2 at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. She came to visit with her mum, Doreen to collect her new frame and get a personal tutorial. Shows like the Festival of Quilts are so exciting and they provide the perfect opportunity to try and compare all the frames on offer. But sometimes people are so focused on purchasing the frame that they don't remember what to do with it once they've got it.

our stand at Festival of  Quilts 2012

 Shows are busy and crowded.  In all the commotion it can be hard to see and remember all the information that you need to get a new machine quilting frame up and running. Coming to collect the frame is the perfect solution. In the comfort of home with just a few people you have time to think. You can ask all the questions you like,  try the frame again,  play with various threads, and see how to load a quilt sandwich. We take the frame and table apart and put it back together, and look at lots and lots of quilts. And yes, we do have cups of tea and coffee and cakes to keep us going!

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Martha on Pinterest

On a personal note, these collection demo's give us a chance to get to know our customers better. It's lovely to have the time for conversation over a cup of coffee or tea and a nice slice of cake. This works both ways. Our customers also enjoy the personal touch. People like knowing the Lincolnshire village where our frames are made. Once we've spent a few hours playing with the frame and sewing machine and talking shop, customers feel much more confident that they'll be able to get everything up and running smoothly when they get home.

Little Houses in the Big Woods machine quilted by Martha Milne

Time to Think

I was mulling over something Eileen said when she came over to test drive the JUKI TL 98-P. Eileen said "You know, it gives you time to think." This is a perceptive comment. This JUKI does  1500 stitches per minute which is more stitches per minute than any other machine in it's class. It's even faster than many machines that cost a lot more. Speed is necessary for a flowing line of stitching. The JUKI TL 98-P is a semi-industrial machine, which means that the speed is effortless. To put it another way, the JUKI is not trying hard to achieve that speed. It is a simple and powerful machine. There are no complications to get in the way. Because the sewing machine is so capable, the quilter can relax. The JUKI is up to the job so I am free to concentrate on a steady flowing movement of the carriage. Since I'm not worried about the machine I can focus completely on what I'm doing. Like Eileen said, "It gives me time to think!"

Eileen's new JUKI TL 98-P is coming on Wednesday, she didn't waste any time now did she?!