Lots of stuff going on just now...

I'm still here quilting up a storm on customer quilts, I did a run of edge to edge designs before moving on to some custom work, here are a couple of photos....

Shop sample with Jessica's Swirls

Shop sample Zipper quilt with freemotion handguided feathers in the sashings and digitised designs up through the blocks

Back of the Zipper quilt

Shop sample Christmas panel freemotion quilted

Dresden blades quilted with 'crystal maze' in gold thread

I don't usually take photos of quilts with the sun on them but on this particular day it was such a pleasure to see the sun shining that I couldn't resist. The above selection of quilts had a personal delivery by me back to Kevin at Fabric Focus in Edinburgh .

I had a visit recently from the Jane Rae, the 'Features Editor' of the new magazine Today's Quilter. I'm excited to say I will appear in a future edition, probably number four or five, so look out for it in a couple of months on your newstand or sign up for a subscription here or take a look at their website Today's Quilter

I wear many hats, among them I'm a Rep for APQS (American Longarm Quilting Systems). At Quilt Market in Houston, Texas just last Saturday, APQS launched their new machine, it a true Entry Level 18"machine....

Meet Larry isn't he cute?

Find out more about  Larry here

I pulled out this UFO recently, it needs to be finished, I did make up a couple more blocks but feel I need to work on something a little more serious, I have a few ideas but I'm needing some motivation, maybe when I get that article written, finished and uploaded for MQU magazine I'll be able to concentrate on designing a quilt for next years competitions, or is that just avoidance tactics?

Festival of Quilts 2014

It's seems so long ago already....Festival of Quilts 2014. Spoiled again, Linzi drove four and a half hours from Aberdeen for lunch, picked me up with my suitcase and accessories for the stand then drove another five and a half hours to Birmingham. We chatted and laughed all of the way. We chatted and laughed all week, six days and six nights of chatting and laughing.

I'm guessing Ellen took this photo of the four of us, Ani, Linzi and Me (Kay Bell), with Sally our new helper.

 I was super excited that my quilt 1514 AKA The Horse won a 'Highly Commended'. There were over 800 quilts entered into the competition so that's a big deal to me.

The lighting wasn't good too many shadows for a good photo, this one had to have flash.

I was also super excited that my customer Liz entered her Lone Star quilt into the Two Person category, we won a 'Highly Commended' for this one too....and it was wonderfully hung.

My friends Julie and George of Heritage Keepsakes dropped by the stand, they had travelled from Australia with their daughter Brooke and her friend. They came bearing gifts of Koala Bear chocolate and  fabric....see the selvedge, 'Under the Australian Sun'. I am so bad at collecting photographs of special times like this one, shame on me....

Just look who I met on one of my walkabouts, my friend Bonnie Hunter no less of Quiltville.com , a fabulous Lady and inspiration to many, many quilters. So pleased to spend a few minutes with Bonnie, believe me Bonnie was in big demand for photo sessions

Linzi's Quilted Henge looked fabulous, such a huge amount of creativity and imagination in these 9 pieces, the stone circle is a quilt in itself . The Henge needs to be seen to be believed it's encrusted with semi precious stones, beads and bling. Subtle machine embroidery and laced leather skins enhance the quilted columns. See more of Linzi's work at The Quilt Quine

I love these ladies in Basques and DM's...

Janneka De Vries-Bodzinga never ceases to amaze me....this quilt is awe inspiring, I gazed at it many times over the six days I was at the show

My very good friend Rhianon had her fabulous butterfly quilt hanging too.

This ribbon worked miniature was a sheer delight to behold and only twelve inches square.

Had to buy some stuff too....

Two beauties hanging side by side by Gwenfai Rees Grithiffs and Annelize Littlefair

This is one of my all time favourite quilts of the show, the Gargoyles are 3D and made from cut, shaped and painted wadding. It's terrific, unfortunately the lighting made my photos of this a little yellow.

The UK APQS Representatives at Festival of Quilts 2014, I'm already looking forward to 2015....

I like to be up front!

The front of my longarm that is!

My first machine had a panto shelf so I was used to the front of the machine right from the start.
Usually if you are quilting following a pantograph (paper pattern) you have to be at the back of the machine, that's why longarms usually have another set of handles with controls at the back so when you are quilting a pantograph you watch the lazer and not the machine. I have always hated being at the back of my machine! In my room with low coombed ceilings it's awkward and claustrophobic, I have to pull my machine and frame out from the wall, having a slipped disk problem that is sometimes impossible, that frame is big and heavy and can't stay out in the room permanently!

Now that I am doing some quilting for customers I am doing a few pantographs rather than all custom work. I was not a happy quilter, I like to be up front where you can see what is happening with the fabric and thread.

So, with the encouragement of my friend Kath this is what I came up with, a Panto Cam/Tension Nanny.....in other words two mini surveillance cameras connected to a monitor so I can do a panto from the front and check on my tension right from the monitor....don't be fooled it's not a computer system but will be a great help until I win the lottery and can afford one...lol...!

There's a bit of a learning curve hand and eye co-ordination wise so I had a practice on some fleece before going for the real thing on a customer quilt.

I am not the first to do this there are a few different systems out there in longarm land but none designed for our power supply here in the UK so I just collected up one or two things and put it together!

Voila!