Hello,
I'm glad you could stop by this morning. What a treat it is to have visitors from The Tulip Patch.
Today is the first in a series of Saturdays when Mary of The Tulip Patch is hosting "Shout Out Saturday". I am her first guest. How awesome is that?! Thank you Mary for having me. If you haven't been there already, take a moment to go visit her. You can learn a little about me....and get some tips on long arm quilters. As an addendum to that information I've created a little, minuscule, pictorial tutorial on what it is those mystical beings do to your quilts.
It all starts here. This is my long arm machine....it is a Gammell Optimum with a Statler Stitcher. I call it Waldorf. All long arm machines are basically long necked sewing machines. They work the same way a domestic machine does. What is different is the way the fabric gets moved through it.
When you free motion quilt on a domestic sewing machine (a skill I do not possess) you move the fabric. The machine sits just where it always does and you do the work normally done by the feed dogs. The quilt has to be basted before hand and rolled or folded so that it will fit through the neck of the machine so you can work on the middle of the quilt.
On a long arm the pieces of the quilt are secured on a big table and the machine is moved around.
Tables are usually between 10 and 14 feet long. Mine is 12. The length of the table limits the size of the quilt that can be quilted on it. The shortest side of a quilt has to be less than the length of the table in order to mount the top. This isn't usually a problem....a king sized quilt is approximately 108"x95". A twelve foot table is 144".
Every table has three winding rods. There is one to hold the quilt's top; one to hold the backing; and one to hold the completed quilt as it is taken up. The top and the backing are attached to fabric leaders that are attached to the rods.
At the front of every table is a bar. This is the front most edge. The top, back, and batting all pass over it before they are quilted. The "belly bar" serves as a fixed, and straight reference point for the long arm quilter. It also keeps everything nice and flat.
Quilts are also secured at the sides. Long, straps of velcro extend from the sides of the table to the backing material. These straps have big clips on the end of them. The clips are fastened to the backing and batting and keep it taught from side to side.
When a quilt is properly mounted on the table it isn't going to go anywhere. It is taut, but not so tight that you could bounce coins off of it. My cats think it makes a lovely hammock, and it probably does if you only weigh 7 pounds. I discourage their use of customer quilts in this manner.
Sometimes they sneak past me.
Thanks for stopping by....and have a great day.
It was a red letter day all around.
A package with taunting messages on it.
Oh so inviting on the inside.
Goodies began to appear the moment I opened it.
Eek! So much fun...
"Pumpkin!" was made for me by SewGentle, my partner for the Sept./Oct STUD Halloween swap. Her workmanship is stunning. This little quilt is hand appliquéd and quilted.
A close up of her applique. These little birds remind me of the finches I used to have.
Her embroidery is beautiful...ribbons and floss and bits of wool. This is a fantastic quilt.
Thank you sweet new friend. I wish we lived closer so that we could run off on a quilty adventure together.
Our guild had a garage sale last night. There were lots of lovely sewing room cast offs. A stunning raffle quilt from the guild in the next city over. Pecan and cookbook sales. It was quite a gala. But the best part was the delivery of my other Sept/Oct STUD quilty. My friend Martha recently joined STUD and was paired with me for her first Anything Goes swap. This is the quilt she made for me.
She made the folded petal flowers on pins so that they can be moved around, or worn.
She told me that the backing doesn't the rest of the quilt, but it did remind her of my kitties. I think it is purr-fect!
All of that and this passel of goodies. Clips and coasters, a set of alphabet stamps, and the most beautifully crafted letter I've read in a very long time. Any knuckle smacking Nun would hold it up as a stunning example of epistlery. You like that word? I just made it up. Martha's letter was so beautiful that it deserves a fancy word to describe it.
Thank you friend!
I hope your day was as studly.
"The college offers an Associate of science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Athletic Training to better care for the Howard College athletes, enhance the Outreach Program, and prepare the student athletic trainers for a possible career in athletic training/sports medicine or other allied health field. The student athletic trainers will be eligible to obtain required supervision hours toward taking the state Licensure exam while under the watchful eye of Overton.This sounds absolutely perfect. I believe that my boy will thrive here. Now...I just need to find a way to get along without him....
Academics are very important. Overton said, “ I believe that the student athletic trainer should, need, and will perform to the best of their ability in the classroom. They need to understand that just an education will not always get them by in today’s world. They need to get the highest education and grades possible so that they can get that good job and keep it.”
Competition is fierce for student athletic training scholarships at four year universities and colleges. Many times academics is the deciding factor as to who receives a scholarship. Student athletic trainers are required to attend classes regularly and perform to the best of their ability in the class room.
Howard College’s athletic training program is an apprenticeship type of learning. Athletic Trainer John Overton believes in and provides a hands-on style of education for his student athletic trainers.
“As soon as we cover a certain area of athletic training, and I am satisfied that they can perform in that area, I let the student handle a lot of the actual activities. I am there for observation and recognition of possible injuries, to provide guidance as needed, to see that the student athletic trainers work for their full potential, and to ensure the athletes are taken care of properly.” Overton explains.
Student athletic trainers enroll in specially designed classes that cover injury prevention, recognition and management of injury prevention, recognition and management of injuries, taping, wrapping, first-aid, rehabilitation, and the business organization of athletic injury management."
School is over for the year. My oldest boy did indeed graduate from High School, and his brothers were both promoted to the next grade...very handsomely I might add. Good job John and Ben. Graduation festivities are over, and I'm told that the thank you notes have been written. Mailed might be another story.
This week Ben, my youngest and soon to be 13, is at church camp. I miss him very much. I find myself thinking about him constantly, and praying for his safety. I am sure he will be fine. Next week his older brothers get to go to camp and Ben and I will have the house to ourselves. (The cats seemed to know that he was going somewhere.)
I've not gotten much quilting done lately, although I have used the Gammell as a clothes rack. I am nearly finished with my May/June Disney STUD swap mini. I have just a few details to complete before I send it off to it's new home in Germany. When it arrives I will be able to share it with you....ShapeMoth, maybe you could just close your eyes so the others can see....no? Well, rats! She made me Pooh! It is an appliqué masterpiece.
