Happy Tuesday, friends!  Welcome to another Long Arm Learning linky party!  I actually have a finished (long arm quilted) quilt to share with you today, my FIRST finished quilt of 2020 -- and yes, I do know how pathetic that is to be finishing my first quilt of the year in mid-August.  My Sermon Scribbles quilt is FINISHED, as in quilted, labeled, bound, washed, and photographed!  

I started piecing this in November of last year, and loaded it on my frame for quilting in April, just as this crazy pandemic lockdown was settling in.  From beginning to end, this silly quilt ...

I am finally having fun with free motion quilting on my long arm machine!  Yay!  The chalk pounce stenciling is imperfect, as it smudges and disappears while I'm quilting, but all I really need is a vague guide anyway for spacing and the angle of the curls.  If I mark just one motif with chalk at a time and then quilt it right away, it serves its purpose -- and I have zero fear that the chalk won't come out of my quilt, since it's all bouncing right off the quilt without settling into the fibers in the ...

Good morning, friends, and happy Sunday!  I've just returned from "Drive By Communion" in my church parking lot!  I kid you not -- Crazy times.  We watched the live streamed worship online this morning as usual (or, as has BECOME usual since early March), but this is the first Sunday since early March that they've offered in-person communion in the parking lot, served by masked and gloved pastors.  We are blessed at Christ Lutheran with church leadership that is faithful, creative, and prudent.  We didn't see a lot of cars when we went for Drive-By communion following the ...

How am I amusing myself during our virus shutdown?

Do you remember seeing this photo in a July 2019 post when my young great niece was visiting and after coming back from using the bathroom and the look on her face said it all?  Well, since then, more batting pieces were added and the shower stall was bulging almost to the top and bags kept falling out of the opening.  Time to deal with them!

Did you catch our February 2020 Quilted Joy Clubhouse live online meeting? This month was all about how to choose batting! If you missed the livestream it’s available to watch (or re-watch) whenever you’d like. Find it on the Quilted Joy Youtube channel!

Our main program for this month’s meeting was about how to choose the right batting for your quilts and understanding the differences between battings. Watch the video below to learn all about batting and so much more!

How to Choose Batting for Your Quilts

Let’s talk batting! I think a common misconception about ...

The Quilted Joy Clubhouse took a break in January to recover from the holidays, but we are back! I hope you can join us at 1 pm Eastern on Wednesday February 5 for our online guild meeting.

You can watch the live meeting in two different places. Members of the Quilted Joy Clubhouse can watch the meeting in the Facebook group. Not a member of the clubhouse? Click here to find the group and request to be a member. You will need to answer a few questions about yourself, this is just so we can be sure you’re a ...

It seems like I just indulged in this all-too-wonderful annual treat; the limited- time-only peppermint chocolate chip milkshake! Speaking of limits, that's exactly what I put on myself when it comes to this splurge-- ONE A YEAR. Well, it might seem like I just indulged in one but it's been a year already. Oh, my! And as if I needed further proof that time is flying and leaving me in its dust,

It seems like I just indulged in this all-too-wonderful annual treat; the limited- time-only peppermint chocolate chip milkshake! Speaking of limits, that's exactly what I put on myself when it comes to this splurge-- ONE A YEAR. Well, it might seem like I just indulged in one but it's been a year already. Oh, my! And as if I needed further proof that time is flying and leaving me in its dust,

If the economy were to rely on me to stay strong, that wouldn't happen. I'm not a big shopper. Not on-line, not in person. And the number of marketing e-mails that get blasted to us EACH and EVERY day is totally insane. I don't subscribe to many, but the few that I do? It's become a daily (if not more frequent) barrage of Black Friday madness. STOP!!!!  I know where you are if I need you.

However, from time to time, I do venture out with money in hand to buy something. The weather has been ...

Good Morning, Quilters! What is YOUR favorite quilt batting? Why is it YOUR favorite? That is our Open Line Friday question today. Collective Knowledge There are more than 10,000 readers of Lori Kennedy Quilts (and growing every day!) and 10,000 heads are better than one (unless you have a headache.) We need YOUR opinion and…

The post What is YOUR Favorite Quilt Batting? appeared first on Lori Kennedy Quilts.

Good Morning, Quilters! Today’s topIc:  Understanding quilt batting for better quilts. I know it doesn’t seem like an exciting topic. However,  if you’ve ever been disappointed by the look or feel of your quilt, you’ll realize the importance of the middle quilt layer! Manufacturing Process All batting begins as individual fibers of cotton, wool, polyester,…

The post Understanding Quilt Batting for Better Quilts appeared first on Lori Kennedy Quilts.

This week we are making the last row of Infrastructure quilt – can you believe it??? Row 9 features simple pieced strips and it’s another great chance to fussy cut the Geo Pop fabric if desired.

First I’ll walk you through the process to piece this row, then you can take a look at the bonus YouTube video I created while making this row.

Cut the Strips

You want to cut nice straight strips according to the pattern instructions on page 6. If you are fussy cutting, you’ll want multiple strips of the same fabric to be cut ...

Using the right quilt tools makes all the difference when you are quilting.  Good tools help you cut and sew more accurately and generally make the entire process more enjoyable.

And, you don’t have to spend a lot of money–just focus on a few high quality items and they will last forever.

Here are some of my favorite tools.  No affiliate links–opinions based on personal use only.

Shop Local

As always, please check with your favorite local quilt shop or local shops with online shops before going to ‘big’ retailers. Note:  there are NO buying links in ...