Friday, My HQ Forte

Posted on May 26, 2018 by katyquilts

Now that I’ve had a chance to quilt a few quilts on Friday, my new HQ Forte Long Arm, I thought I’d share some of the things I’m loving about it.

First off, HQ has re-engineered the ruler base system. It is MUCH improved!

This Sure Foot didn’t come with the machine, but I purchased it at the same time. It is a much improved version of the basic ruler foot. I love this! The rulers and templates are much less likely to slide under or over the foot.

I also love the new handlebars. They may look odd in this photo, but it shows that they can be adjusted and repositioned independently of one another.

I didn’t take a photo, but the lighting is much better as well. Automatic tie off is another feature that I’ve really come to enjoy. I contacted HQ and asked if they had an adaptor for the Forte so pattern boards can be used. They said not yet. I was bummed. But I decided to take a closer look and it turns out that the adaptor from my Avante fits just fine!

I used to frequently outrun the stitch regulator on my Avante. Not anymore! We had a bit of a rough start waiting for parts, but I’m happy to say we are becoming good friends.

Have a great day!

Posted in HQ Forte, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Eagle QOV

Posted on May 25, 2018 by katyquilts

I finished piecing this top and got it quilted before I loaded up the wedding quilt.

This is the panto that I used. It is available from Urban Elementz . This is a 15 inch wide design. I love that I can do these larger designs on Friday!

The eagle is a little hard to see on the front, but it’s there.

I’m glad I used a plain backing; it shows very well there!

Remember how I bragged about my machine binding? Yeah, well, pride goes before a fall! I cut off every single point on the outside edge of this quilt!

Hahaha! That what I get for bragging! Still, I’m pleased with the quilt overall.

I still need to wash, label, and make a presentation case for it.

Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Anja Quilts,Busy Hands Quilts , Crazy Mom Quilts , Confessions of a Fabric Addict

This post contains affiliate links.

Posted in Finishes, HQ Forte, Pantographs, Quilt of Valor, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Is Begun Really Half Done?

Posted on May 24, 2018 by katyquilts

I hope so! I gotta say, I had a hard time starting the quilting on this after I loaded it. The piecing is very simple, the quilting would either make or break this one. I wanted a feather border so I marked registration lines.

I started quilting the outside feathers first.

When I got as far as I could with that, I stitched the feather spine.

When I got back to where I started, I stitched the inner feathers. Here is how it looks after removing my blue registration marks.

The border is 12 inches wide so these are some pretty fat feathers. I’m doing continuous curve quilting in the 49 patch blocks.

I need to figure out what to quilt in these sashing bits next.

I hope to figure this out soon. I need to get this done! I’m so glad I finally have all the arts and I’m able to use my new machine!

Have a great day!

Posted in Bed Quilts, Free Motion Quilting, Fresh Modern Quilts, HQ Forte, Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

This and That

Posted on May 23, 2018 by katyquilts

I need a donation quilt, so I pulled out this top that I picked up at our guild’s Trash to Treasure sale.

I would like it to be longer. Would it look odd with only top and bottom borders? Or narrow borders on the sides and wide top and bottom? Hmmmm…..

The ladies were here for Craft night this past Monday. Some brought their own projects to work on and others worked in adult coloring books.

Have you tried Oreo Thins? They are dangerous! Especially the lemon and salted caramel varieties. They are apparently vegan, so it’s almost healthy, right?

I have the wedding quilt loaded on the frame. Now the pressure is on to get the quilting just right.

So much to do today. Have a good one!

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

QOV Progress

Posted on May 22, 2018 by katyquilts

I saw a Moda Bake Shop pattern with a layout like this. I’ve been wanting to make a quilt in this pattern for a while and thought this layer cake would be perfect. Nope. Not liking it even a little.

So maybe a random hour glass lay out……maybe….

Or a not so random hour glass lay out…..better!

Have a great day!

Posted in Quilt of Valor, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

DWMonday

Posted on May 21, 2018 by katyquilts

I started another Quilt of Valor. I’m using this layer cake.

I used this die and my studio cutter from Accuquilt . By the way, they have a great sale on studio dies right now! And they always have free downloadable patterns here.

I also used some plain white yardage. My pieces are all cut and I’ve begun piecing blocks, but I had to stop and play for just a bit.

I was able to cut all the pieces out very quickly. By using yardage for half the triangles, I will end up with enough blocks for a good size quilt even without borders. I hope to get this top finished this week.

Have a great day!

This post contains affiliate links.

Posted in Accuquilt, Accuquilt Studio Cutter, Precuts, Quilt of Valor, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

First a Trail Ride of the Season!

Posted on May 20, 2018 by katyquilts

Yesterday, hubby and I took Oscar on the first trail ride of the season. We went with a group called Michigan Jeeps.

The trails were in St. Helen, Michigan. It rained all day, but we still had fun!

Jeepers are such great people! See that white Jeep behind Oscar? Turns out the couple that owns it lives in the subdivision behind us!

I’m not gonna lie, were a few white knuckle moments for me. But I can’t wait to go again!

Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Jelly Roll Quilt

Posted on May 18, 2018 by katyquilts

Here’s my first finish quilted on Friday. I’m surprised how different it feels than my Avante. We are still getting to know each other!

You can read my tip for piecing jelly roll quilts here. It’s a game changer for me.

The backing looks gray here, but it is actually more of a taupe color.

My machine binding is improving.

I used a poly batt on this one. I have part of a roll I’m trying to use up.

Clearly, this isn’t an heirloom quilt, but it was very fast and fun!

Have a great day!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict , Crazy Mom Quilts , Busy Hands Quilts , Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland

Posted in Finishes, Jelly Rolls, Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting, Pantographs, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Good News and Bad News

Posted on May 17, 2018 by katyquilts

First the bad, my tracks arrived for the long arm. But they looked like this:

Ummm…. that’s not okay. After more phone calls, I’m hoping the fifth time is the charm and that I will soon have a perfect set of track supports.

I’m so beyond frustrated that I couldn’t even get mad anymore. This whole fiasco has been beyond absurd. The last set of track supports were crushed in shipping and looked like this.

That might not look like a lot of damage, but even a thread on the tracks can cause problems. I sent pictures of the damage and the packaging and they are not picking these up. So I decided last night to put them on the frame anyway. I have 8 usable feet on my 12 foot frame. But The good news is, I was finally able to play a bit!

And I had enough room to load my jelly roll quilt. I hope to get it quilted today.

Wish me luck! Have a great day!

Posted in Long Arm Quilting, Longarm Quilting | 15 Comments

Working Small

Posted on May 16, 2018 by katyquilts

Wow! So many comments on my jelly roll top yesterday! Cutting the strips into smaller bits really makes a huge difference. Hope this helps you all out!

I love making big bed quilts. But every now and again, I enjoy working tiny.

I came across these little four patches when I was looking for pieces for my little Flying Geese quilt.

They begged to be made into something, so who was I to say no?

The tiny squares in the four patches finish at one half inch. I kept the quilting really simple. Again, I turned the backing to the front to create the binding. This time I stitched it down by hand.

This tiny binding took much longer than it should have. But it turned out much better than the machine binding I did on the little Flying Geese.

Have a great day!

Posted in Doll Quilts, Finishes, Uncategorized, Vintage Fabrics | 10 Comments