What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Perfect tension – it is the #1 skill you should learn when starting your longarm quilting journey. Tension can either make or break your quilting results. It can be scary to think you have to adjust your bobbin tension, especially since most modern sewing machines have automatic tension features. And we’ve been told to NEVER touch the bobbin tension.  Longarm machines are a whole different animal.

Believe me, it is not hard to do, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why you were so scared. If you are just getting started, read the blog post ...

Perfect tension – it is the #1 skill you should learn when starting your longarm quilting journey. Tension can either make or break your quilting results. It can be scary to think you have to adjust your bobbin tension, especially since most modern sewing machines have automatic tension features. And we’ve been told to NEVER touch the bobbin tension.  Longarm machines are a whole different animal.

Believe me, it is not hard to do, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why you were so scared. If you are just getting started, read the blog post ...

We are piecing the blocks for the Seeing Stars Handi Quilter quilt-along this month. There are a lot of half-square triangles in this quilt, which means there are bias edges. You have to be careful when working with bias edges because they stretch very easily.

Last week I told you I make my half square triangles (HST) two at a time. I draw a line from point to point on one square and match it up with another square. Then I stitch 1/4 inch away on both sides of the line. I cut on the line and I end ...

We are piecing the blocks for the Seeing Stars Handi Quilter quilt-along this month. There are a lot of half-square triangles in this quilt, which means there are bias edges. You have to be careful when working with bias edges because they stretch very easily.

Last week I told you I make my half square triangles (HST) two at a time. I draw a line from point to point on one square and match it up with another square. Then I stitch 1/4 inch away on both sides of the line. I cut on the line and I end ...

As long as we are learning about bobbin winders, we might as well get familiar with your bobbin case too. The more you know about your machine, the better you’ll be at using it and getting great quilting results.

There are four types of bobbin cases that are used in various generations of Handi Quilter quilting machines. You can access a PDF with all the detailed information here. Any of these bobbin cases can be used in any HQ longarm machines. And all of them work great! If you find you need to order a part for your case ...

As long as we are learning about bobbin winders, we might as well get familiar with your bobbin case too. The more you know about your machine, the better you’ll be at using it and getting great quilting results.

There are four types of bobbin cases that are used in various generations of Handi Quilter quilting machines. You can access a PDF with all the detailed information here. Any of these bobbin cases can be used in any HQ longarm machines. And all of them work great! If you find you need to order a part for your case ...

We recently learned about the standard Handi Quilter bobbin winder, now it’s time to get to know the Moxie bobbin winder. Some things are the same, but just like Moxie, it’s a little different too.  If you missed the previous post you can read it here. Please note: if you are outside of the US, you probably received a different bobbin winder with your Moxie machine. Please refer to your Handi Quilter retailer where you purchased your machine for help in using your bobbin winder. For my Australian friends, there is a video from Handcrafters House. Watch it ...

We recently learned about the standard Handi Quilter bobbin winder, now it’s time to get to know the Moxie bobbin winder. Some things are the same, but just like Moxie, it’s a little different too.  If you missed the previous post you can read it here. Please note: if you are outside of the US, you probably received a different bobbin winder with your Moxie machine. Please refer to your Handi Quilter retailer where you purchased your machine for help in using your bobbin winder. For my Australian friends, there is a video from Handcrafters House. Watch it ...

Starting with a well wound bobbin is essential for good results when quilting. That’s why you need to know how to operate your Handi Quilter bobbin winder. It’s a great machine that will provide you with perfect bobbins every time, when you get it set up correctly. Handi Quilter offers 2 types of bobbin winder, one that comes exclusively with the Moxie machine and the other comes with all other HQ longarm machines. We will start with the standard bobbin winder.

First, download and READ the manual. You can find it here. Scroll down til you get to ...

Starting with a well wound bobbin is essential for good results when quilting. That’s why you need to know how to operate your Handi Quilter bobbin winder. It’s a great machine that will provide you with perfect bobbins every time, when you get it set up correctly. Handi Quilter offers 2 types of bobbin winder, one that comes exclusively with the Moxie machine and the other comes with all other HQ longarm machines. We will start with the standard bobbin winder.

First, download and READ the manual. You can find it here. Scroll down til you get to ...

Last week I wrote about making my temperature quilt. I had several questions about how to apply the binding while the quilt is still on your longarm frame. I explained this in a past post, but thought you might like to see it again (or see it for the first time!)

I’m willing to bet 9 out of 10 of you bought your longarm machine because you were not happy wrestling that large quilt through your domestic machine to do the quilting. Am I right? We solved one problem. But, then what do we do? We finish the beautiful ...

Last week I wrote about making my temperature quilt. I had several questions about how to apply the binding while the quilt is still on your longarm frame. I explained this in a past post, but thought you might like to see it again (or see it for the first time!)

I’m willing to bet 9 out of 10 of you bought your longarm machine because you were not happy wrestling that large quilt through your domestic machine to do the quilting. Am I right? We solved one problem. But, then what do we do? We finish the beautiful ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

Have you seen the Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long for 2022 from our friend, Helen Godden? This is the 7th year that Helen is doing her quilt-a-long. It’s tons of fun and you just might learn a few new quilting techniques along the way. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter.

Where to join

Go here and download Helen’s free pattern. Print it and tape the 6 pages together. Then transfer the design to muslin or fabric. You can prepare the piece for quilting any way ...

Have you seen the Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long for 2022 from our friend, Helen Godden? This is the 7th year that Helen is doing her quilt-a-long. It’s tons of fun and you just might learn a few new quilting techniques along the way. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter.

Where to join

Go here and download Helen’s free pattern. Print it and tape the 6 pages together. Then transfer the design to muslin or fabric. You can prepare the piece for quilting any way ...

We received lot of questions recently about powering your Handi Quilter longarm machine. It’s a great question to ask! You definitely want to protect your investment in your beloved quilting machine.

I posted back in the summer about this topic and you can read the entire post here. It explains how to choose the proper surge protector or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for your machine. Read it now, we will wait.

More information

I want to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions here, in order to expand on the previous post. The expert answers come from ...

We received lot of questions recently about powering your Handi Quilter longarm machine. It’s a great question to ask! You definitely want to protect your investment in your beloved quilting machine.

I posted back in the summer about this topic and you can read the entire post here. It explains how to choose the proper surge protector or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for your machine. Read it now, we will wait.

More information

I want to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions here, in order to expand on the previous post. The expert answers come from ...

I spent several days in Houston at the International Quilt Festival. I had a wonderful time chatting with old friends, new friends, Handi Quilter owners, and those thinking about joining the Handi Quilter family of owners. During my flight home I thought about all the wonderful conversations I had during the week and something stood out to me. Of those Handi Quilter owners who visited, many had specific questions about tension. We all know good tension is key to good quilting results.

There are so many resources to help you with learning how to tension all the yummy threads we ...

I spent several days in Houston at the International Quilt Festival. I had a wonderful time chatting with old friends, new friends, Handi Quilter owners, and those thinking about joining the Handi Quilter family of owners. During my flight home I thought about all the wonderful conversations I had during the week and something stood out to me. Of those Handi Quilter owners who visited, many had specific questions about tension. We all know good tension is key to good quilting results.

There are so many resources to help you with learning how to tension all the yummy threads we ...