Delightful Quilting & Sewing

09/08/2026

LONGARM TIP TUESDAY | START WITH A RELAXED GRIP

Your longarm doesn’t need to be pushed around the quilt. A tight grip can make movement feel harder and your quilting less fluid.

Relax your shoulders, loosen your grip, and guide the machine. You may be surprised how much smoother quilting feels. You should even be able to guide the machine lightly using two fingers on one handle. And, don't forget to breathe.

Try it on your next practice piece!

09/06/2026

QUILT FINISHED AND OUT THE DOOR!
Quilts with applique are ones you ask yourself many times, "Am I done yet?" A couple of times I even had Ron come take a look to see if the center applique needed more quilting. Finally we both agreed, "It's done!"
Yesterday Marcia, quilt owner, came and picked it up. She was thrilled with the quilting and even plans to take it for show and tell at a workshop in California in a few weeks. The workshop is by this quilt pattern designer.

09/02/2026

Exciting news from Nolting. Shauna is a welcome addition who will work with prospects looking for the perfect longarm fit for their longarm quilting journey. As a dealer I look forward to working with Shauna.

✨ PLEASE HELP US WELCOME… Shauna Burns! ✨ We’re so excited to have Shauna joining the Nolting family as our new Sales/Business Development Manager. Shauna brings a love for sewing, and being creative. When she’s not talking quilting machines and projects, you’ll find her soaking up family time. 🧵❤️ Drop a quick hello for Shauna in the comments and tell her what you’re working on right now!

08/24/2026

GLIDE THREAD SHREDDING ISSUES
There has been several recent posts about Glide thread shredding, poor tension problems, etc. All of them have been because of the thread net catching the thread preventing it from flowing off the cone smoothly.
I had an issue a couple of years ago with inconsistent tension that I finally discovered was from a small tear in the thread net catching the thread as it was pulling past the tear. I took quite awhile to find that issue!
Am I changing my recommendation on using thread nets? Not necessarily, but in the photo you can see I am not using one with this cone of Glide. The problem with Glide and other trilobal poly threads is that when there is no tension on the thread, it puddles as you can see in the top photo (puddling from the shepherds hook to the cone). My solution to keep an even tension on the thread is to make sure the batting in the shepherds hook is pushed securely onto the thread. Thread forward from the hook to the front of the machine has consistent tension feeding smoothly through the machine and stitching perfectly.
If you do use a thread net, it is important to push the thread net down so that the top of it rests at the point on the cone where the thread angles up. Any position above that results in the thread being caught in the top of the thread net. And, if you run into any inconsistent tension issues or shredding - ditch the net, but initiate a method to keep consistent tension on the thread. Without this consistent tension, you WILL still have inconsistent tension on the quilt.

08/21/2026

SELECTED FOR THE "STITCHED STATES: 250 YEARS - A QUILTED MAP" EXHIBIT AT HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL
I'm very excited that my "I Love New York Agriculture" quilt was selected to be a part of this exhibit and will be on display this fall at the show. I made this quilt in 2014 for a NY Consortium challenge that year. It features focus fabrics of the many vegetable and agricultural products from New York, everything from cows and milk, to potatoes, carrots, wheat, Christmas trees, onions, and grapes, and more. This exhibit didn't have a date restriction. It was quilted hand guided and with rulers, before I had automation.
If you make it to the Houston show, take a photo of it and of the exhibit and please share with me.

08/21/2026

UNDER THE NEEDLE THIS WEEK
Working on this charming applique quilt this week. Lots of outlining around the applique. The client loves feathers, too. Sometimes it is waiting for the right inspiration. She doesn't like a lot of fill, but I need to fill in around the border applique. Any suggestions?

07/26/2026

07/22/2026

From the pow wow meeting to getting everything set up for classes to Ron ready to give factory tours to the snacks and ice cream bar, we are ready at Nolting for the Stitch and Save Days, free classes and paid classes. It starts tomorrow, July 22-25. Room in a few classes yet, lots to learn, and super savings on everything. Come on over!!