Love This Musical Paper Pieced Quilt in the Studio Today at Liz B. Quilting!

Cool Music Paper Piece Quilt in the studio today : D

Spa Treatment for Bella

A few weeks ago, it was time to do some maintenance on Bella (my 12' frame and 26' sew head with Autopilot).  I call this giving her the "Spa Treatment".  I love the Innova because it is so easy to do this "spa treatment" and it makes her so happy! 

First you get some rubbing alcohol and some cotton swabs...

Then you dip the cotton swab into the alcohol and wipe all the white wheels on the carriage...

Then, put some alcohol on a paper towel and wipe off the tracks on the carriage and the frame...

 

Then, wet a cotton swap with alcohol and wipe off the encoders...

 

 

You might notice that there is thread in your wheels (I had some after almost 3 years of use)...

 

You can easily take the wheels off by putting some books under your carriage, loosen the bolt (paying attention to the order that the bolt, washer etc. go together when you take it out) take out the bold and take off the wheel, to get the thread out.  Then, put the bolt assembly back together and tighten it back up.

 

 

If you have an autopilot, you might want to check where the belts go around the pulleys at the end and under the sew head...(be very careful not to pinch your fingers).  If you grab the thread and move the sew head it will come right out.

Bella is so very happy now!  However, the coolest thing is - even with all this thread in the wheel, and lint on the wheels, she still stitched beautiful!!! 

Spice Up a 1600 Quilt!

You can liven up a 1600 quilt with some interesting stitching!!!  The 1600 quilt is made from a jelly roll (2 1/2" strips)...you sew them end to end and cut them in half until they end up rectangular.  The maker of the quilt told me that it was for a family reunion in the North Carolina Mountains...my inspiration was North Carolina Mountains Family Reunion.  I think it came out pretty cool...can you see the trees, deer, moose and bears?  It was lots of fun and now I want to make one!!!  What do you think???

My Friend Laura's Latest Work!

I have a friend who is an amazing quilt artist!  This is a quilt if you can believe it!  She made this from some artwork that she really liked.  It is so amazing.  The vase is 3D with Trapunto work and she painted faces in the rocks in the back.  Her hair is also 3D made out of Yarn Fiber and thread painted on her shoulders.  She used many mediums for this picture and it is amazing!  What do you think?

Liz B. Quilting's 1st Ladies Night - FUN!

At the Liz B. Quilting Studio, we have a Ladies Night every month and this was the first one!!!  I turned out super fun, but wasn't sure how it would go - flexibility is key : D. 

My little man was sick all week and Friday he passed out at his PreSchool Graduation...I know right?!  WHAT?!  So, Friday was spent at the ER getting him checked out (I had planned to spend it cutting fabric for the Ladies Night activity - Patriotic Mug Rugs...) 

I got several RSVPs, but no one wanted to do the mug rug...they just wanted to hang out - okay! 

Then, my friend Kimberly Niero who does silk dyeing PM'd me on Facebook and asked me if I wanted to get together on Friday to play...I said "heck yeah"!  So, she brought all her cool stuff and we dyed silk and cotton!  It was soooo fun that I am going to turn it into a class and we can all paint cotton panels to make into quilts.  Whooo hooo!  Kimberly Niero saved my bacon and we had soooo much fun!  Thanks everyone for stopping by and hanging out!  See you again soon!!!

Beautiful Stitches in Metallic Thread on the Innova Quilting System at the Quilter's Unlimited Quilt Show.

Getting the Floors Done Today!!!

And here comes the floors!!!

After this dries, we can hang the wall base and then....(drum roll please)...I can move in!!!  Whooo hooo!

Easy Peasy in the Studio Today!!!

Nice and easy today...good thing too...I am sore from painting my new shop yesterday : D

Pretty!!!

Tidy Studio - Paralyzed Quilter, but Happy Customers

Recent events have energized me to maximize the space I have in my current studio (I am looking at commercial space for the near future)...love it when the studio is nice & tidy!!!  However, it makes it hard for me to work, because I am NOT a tidy person and I don't want to mess it up - ugh! So, I am usually paralyzed for a while until I just dive in and get busy.

I realized during the last few days that I have quite a bit of space and I need to utilize it better...so I took my weekend and de-cluttered/cleaned/organized my studio...LOVE the results.  However, I had a customer come over today and it was still a little awkward my sitting arrangement...gotta work on that, but I think she enjoyed seeing my studio and I am SUPER excited to work on her quilt for her    : D.

Hopefully this will also encourage others to come and try out the machines.  I have opened up a big space to "hang out", some places to sit and have a door that they come in (so they don't have to walk through the house). 

My friend made her first block today : D...

End of a Wonderful Year & New Stuff for the New Year!

I have to say I have had a WONDERFUL year!  I want to thank everyone who let me quilt for them, who encouraged me on my FB business page, here on my blog and on my website.  I have learned soooo much this year and cannot wait until next year! 

There are endless possibilities next year!  I am looking into new ways to reach new customers, ways to keep in touch with my current customers and ways to help/encourage anyone who is interested in quilting and/or longarm quilting etc. 

I plan on having a beginning quilt class the middle of January...if you are interested you can contact me on my FB Business page, my e-mail:  lizbquilting@hotmail.com, website - Contact Us form, or leave a comment below on this blog. 

I am thinking that we will make a super cute modern style 9 patch...something like the below...
(I got these from Pinterest, so go check them out!) 

I'm Pinning It!!!

I make these cutie wine bags...so great for the Chrismas season and going to all those holiday parties.  : D  You can buy them at the Gourmet Cottage here in Stafford or in Occoquan, VA  or go to http://www.gourmet-cottage.com/default.aspx

Influx is Uncomfortable...

I LOVE change, however whenever you begin something new it is both exciting and terrifying at the same time (especially when it requies copious amounts of time and/or money : D) 

In expanding my business, I am going to be doing some teaching, rental of time on the machine...all NEW.  I am not good at freehanding and my new machine will NOT have the safety net of a computer driven system on it - it will be just me.  It can be overwhelming, all the changes in the pricing, all the changes in the record keeping, all the changes in the way I spend my time, plus the money investment can just make you want to hide under the covers!

Absolutely unthinkable!  I am sooooo excited!  I LOVE my life and I want to share it with EVERYONE who is interested!  I want to learn to freehand and perfect my skill, I want to teach, (I don't think anyone likes the accounting and record keeping, but whatever), I want to keep in touch with my customers over the net...I want to build something fulfilling and awesome!  The money investment is what it is and I hope to make it back in short order...

There is guilt about my son and he is little and obviously you want to spend as much time with him as possible, but I found it is better to spend "quality" time with him as a fulfilled person that unfulfilled quantity of time...we are just happier and nicer to eachother when we get to do our own things for a while and THEN hang out...

I will keep ya'll posted on how it goes, but as of now the excitement is TOTALLY outweighing the terror : D...

The Times, They Are a Changing : D...

It is official, I am a business!  Well, I have actually been a business for over year now...but I finally had to register with the state to get a resale tax certificate...a.k.a. tax ID number etc.  I can now achieve business status with my vendors and charge VA sales tax (which is good, since now I am selling stuff instead of just a service - don't want to get in trouble with VA or the IRS!!! 

It will probably make my taxes a little more challenging, but I think in the long run it will be worth it!!! 

More CHANGE...I am signing on to be a rep for the longarm quilting machine that I am soooo excited about it!!!  I am selling through a local dealer and training center... Virginia Longarm Network:  http://virginialongarm.com/   their website still says Gamill sales, but they sell Innova Longarm machines now.  The Innova is an amazing machine check it out here:  www.innovalongarm.com

The BEST news is that I get to offer more services...I will soon be teaching Longarm Quilting Classes, renting time on my machine and selling them as a rep for Innova.  I cannot wait!!!  Lookout world here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

My New Quilt Loading System - The Red Snapper!

Whooo hooo!  My Mom went to the MQX show in Kansas City last month and purchased me the Red Snappers (actually she bought herself some and went home and ordered mine online).  They came to me in record speed - I think only a few days and I think I really LOVE them!!!

The official website for this loading system is:  http://quiltsonthecorner.com/home  If you are pinning your quilts on your longarm, I highly recommend you go check it out!  I heard of them when I went to quilt school a year ago...but was "too busy" stabbing myself with pins to check them out and buy them.  Everytime I stabbed myself with a pin (usually drawing blood and having to wait until it stopped bleeding to finish pinning my quilt on) - I would curse and say "I HAVE to get those Red Snappers!  I talk to my Mom on the phone a lot when I am pinning on quilts and she heard it soooo many times, she bought them for me : D.  I LOVE my MOM!!!!!

So, how to put them on...I recommend that you check out the official site and watch the youtube videos, but here is a quick tutorial on how I do it. 

First you have to take the red tubes and screw them together (so that they go the length of your leaders). Then you thread the tubes through the hem casing on your leader - like so...

Roll the bar until the red tube is on the top of your bar - see above.

Then, you need to find the center of the top and bottom of the quilt back and lay it over the back and forward bar on which you load the top and bottom of the backing fabric.  (If you don't quilt, this won't make much sense...don't worry it confuses even those of us who quilt : D). 

Line up the center (see the pin) with the center of the leaders (which should be marked).  Then, check t o make sure that there is the same about of fabric over the bar all the way down.  (You should have made sure your backing fabric is squared up by now anyway.)

Then, snap the red snappers on across the top.  I find that it is good to have them hang off the ends of the backing fabric a few inches to hold it really well.

  Next do the same with the back bar where you usually pin the top of the backing fabric...  It works best if you put the red snapper on top of the tube and press down with your palm...you will want to NOT push on the bar, but wrap your fingers around the bar and use your fingers to press your palm onto the bar to snap it on.

You can put the system on for the front bar on which you usually load the bottom of the quilt top - if you choose not to float your quilt.

Then, it is loaded.  On the website, it talks about how fast it is...it is faster for me, but I have a feeling I will get even faster...but the BIG reason I wanted it is to STOP stabbing my fingers & it is heaven for that reason.  Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  : D

Then, roll it tight to get it ready to add batting and top and you're loaded.

The Creative Process...

I am learning more my and more about my creative process.  I loaded this quilt this morning...

I began by loading my standard leaf patterns onto the computer and began fitting them on the quilt and adjusting the size to fit the quilt...and my belly just kept telling me "NO"...   Obviously it doesn't speak English, so I have had to learn to speak "belly or gut" you might say.  I just felt  - kinda sick.  This is my que to either eat a snack or keep trying new patterns until I don't feel sick anymore.  CRAZY huh?

I was consistently putting on swirly leaves and none of them were making me happy, the thread wasn't working either...

when you have a quilt with this many colors you have to use a thread that will either blend to the back or pop out and make a statement (at least that is how I see it).  If I was going to do leaves I would want to do some greens and browns, which would pop, but the leaf patterns I was using weren't "cool" enough to "pop" them.  So, I had to rethink it...I was beginning to think that I was going to have to sleep on it - which I really can't afford to do right now, I have lots of quilts in que right now...then I decided to try a very neutral thread in a geometric pattern

 and I believe I found the plan that made my "belly/gut" calm down and be happy...

I'll post the completed quilt tomorrow - so you can tell me what you think : D.

As promised, here is the finished product...

Whatcha think???  

98 Percent

I have now done 100 quilts (for money) since I got my longarm machine.  I actually have done more, but I haven't counted the ones I have done for charity.  Whooo hooo!

Unfortunately, into every career a little rain must fall right?  Right!  So, out of that 100 quilts I have had to give a discount on two quilts...so that is 98% right?  And that is good right??  I keep telling myself this because I stew over these quilts...  The first on was the gigantic quilt that I did that was hand pieced and was VERY hard to quilt and my longarm got caught in one of the open seams and ripped the back in two places and now the whimsy buggie one I had to do this weekend.  Ugh!  My teacher told me, when I went to quilt school, not to use different threads on the bottom and top of the quilt.  I however have had VERY good luck doing just that for over a year.  However, my luck just ran out.

If you are not a quilter you may not know that "pokies" are not good (yeah that is the technical term : D). This is what pokies look like...

However, while the bottom looked like this...the top looked great!  I really enjoyed making the designs for this custom quilt.  Since there were buggies on the quilt I made the quilt patterns buggies too...

I did an echo quilting around the applique beetles...

Some Swirlies for good measure...

And Voila a cutie quilt with pokies on the back...UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily I do learn from my mistakes...so no more different color thread on the top than bottom anymore!!!!!!!!!!!11