A Girl and Her Machine

   MJ at her Gammill August 2014

I finally put up a little web site for my quilting. www.maryjoleonard.com
 It is small and simple, but who really buys Longarm Quilting online? It has info on me and my Gammill Longarm Quilting Machine, how to contact me and some pictures of my work. More of a "branding" thing than a commercial site. Check it out :-)

I loved this Facebook post from Juanita Baker. When I think about it, this is exactly the rhythm I use to machine quilt. I am standing as I quilt so the motion comes from my hips as I walk along the quilt frame.
Thanks Juanita
Mary Jo

"Juanita Baker‎Quilting

1 hr · 

I would like to share something to all of our quilter friends but especially to those who are new to machine quilting. I taught machine quilting for years, before the long arm era. I have seen several posts lately where people are having difficulty and becoming frustrated because the back tension is not as neat as the front with loops and pulled areas. I would like to share what I used to tell my students.

Before they would begin, I would tell my students to close their eyes and imagine themselves on a lake in a rowboat. I would tell them to imagine the sway of the rowboat, back and forth with the rhythm of the water. Once they could feel that rhythm, I would tell them to open their eyes and begin machine quilting, using that same rhythm they felt in that rowboat. Another thing I pointed out was that during the process they should not pull on the item they were trying to quilt or try to move it faster than the speed of the needle. Eventually, you build up your own rhythm and you and the moving needle work in harmony. It takes practice but eventually you get it and realize it wasn't so hard.

All of my students liked the rowboat analogy and told me years later that before they started a project they would still close their eyes and picture themselves on a lake in a rowboat before they began quilting. Also, the key is to never get in a hurry when machine quilting. Let the process flow naturally and you will find everything works out properly with beautiful results.

I hope this helps everyone."

Quilting deadlines

The Asheville Quilt Show.
It's time for a little perspective. At this time last year I was still not finished with the quilt above, yet I finished in time for the September drop-off date. Whew. So no reason to sweat that this year's entry is still in pieces on my design wall. Right? Nothing else to do, right? LOL.

Okay...off to the studio for some power sewing.