Have you ever seen a quilt that makes you stop dead in your tracks and your jaw drop open? Or causes you to gasp out loud? I had that experience this last weekend at the East Iowa Heirloom Quilt Show. Oh, how I wish I had taken more pictures and had a better camera to show you....

Introducing Dahlia's Dream. Pieced and quilted by Jennifer McRae @ My Dancing Needle. 

Is it not marvelous?! The colors are perfection...The gray and white chevron background? Genius...

She did an amazing job with the quilting. In my dreams! 

This is one quilt I would love to make someday. It was spectacular....

Thank you, Jennifer, for giving me permission to share your talent. =)

Have you ever seen a quilt that makes you stop dead in your tracks and your jaw drop open? Or causes you to gasp out loud? I had that experience this last weekend at the East Iowa Heirloom Quilt Show. Oh, how I wish I had taken more pictures and had a better camera to show you....

Introducing Dahlia's Dream. Pieced and quilted by Jennifer McRae @ My Dancing Needle. 

Is it not marvelous?! The colors are perfection...The gray and white chevron background? Genius...

She did an amazing job with the quilting. In my dreams! 

This is one quilt I would love to make someday. It was spectacular....

Thank you, Jennifer, for giving me permission to share your talent. =)

In the interest of my 2013 goal, which is to to use up the fabric in my stash and to practice on the long arm, I whipped up a few baby quilts and a wall hanging this week. 

First up, an American Jane panel that I quilted on the long arm with my new love, Aurifil thread. My machine loved this thread. =) 

I love how it looks. =) 

 A Dick and Jane and American Jane combo baby quilt. 

Here is a small piece of trivia about me....I was named after the Jane character in the Dick and Jane readers. My daddy picked out my first name, and my 6 year old sister, who was learning how to read at school with the Dick and Jane readers, chose Jane for my middle name. =)

The view of the back. I quilted it on the long arm with Gutermann thread. 

I need more practice with restarting after changing to a new bobbin. 

Another American Jane baby quilt. Strip quilts work perfect with the large print fabric that would lose their charm if cut up too small. 

And the back....

I have had this granny square flimsy sitting around for months. I used simple meandering on the granny square blocks and left the white blocks alone. If I could quilt a flower that didn't look like it was dying, I would do one in each of the white squares, but I can't, so that's that. 

I really love how this one turned out! 

How about you? Do you have any last minute finishes to share?

In the interest of my 2013 goal, which is to to use up the fabric in my stash and to practice on the long arm, I whipped up a few baby quilts and a wall hanging this week. 

First up, an American Jane panel that I quilted on the long arm with my new love, Aurifil thread. My machine loved this thread. =) 

I love how it looks. =) 

 A Dick and Jane and American Jane combo baby quilt. 

Here is a small piece of trivia about me....I was named after the Jane character in the Dick and Jane readers. My daddy picked out my first name, and my 6 year old sister, who was learning how to read at school with the Dick and Jane readers, chose Jane for my middle name. =)

The view of the back. I quilted it on the long arm with Gutermann thread. 

I need more practice with restarting after changing to a new bobbin. 

Another American Jane baby quilt. Strip quilts work perfect with the large print fabric that would lose their charm if cut up too small. 

And the back....

I have had this granny square flimsy sitting around for months. I used simple meandering on the granny square blocks and left the white blocks alone. If I could quilt a flower that didn't look like it was dying, I would do one in each of the white squares, but I can't, so that's that. 

I really love how this one turned out! 

How about you? Do you have any last minute finishes to share?

Tipsy, my Nolting Fun Quilter, that is...

Dolly blanket

 And I love her...

Tipsy, my Nolting Fun Quilter, that is...

Dolly blanket

 And I love her...

For the last two days, I have been practicing on the long arm. It is long past time for me to learn to be friends with it or sell it. It's ridiculous for me to have an expensive piece of equipment just sit around and gather dust. On top of that I feel guilty every time I look at it!

Yesterday I gathered up my courage, loaded up a baby quilt and began to practice.

It did not go very well....

I was seeing good stitches mixed in with some terrible ones. 

I would get frustrated and have to walk away.

I would come back to pick out all the stitching and try again. 

There may or may not have been a few tears. 

Today I was going to give it one more last try and if it didn't go well, I was going to put it on Craigslist and get rid of it. 

And, it did not go well. 

Stick a fork in me, I was done.

When Russ got home from work, he asked me if I wouldn't mind helping him load up the frame with some scrap fabric so he could play with it. I got it loaded for him and threaded the machine while he studied the bobbin. He asked if he could tighten it. I was nervous, but told him it was okay. It already wasn't working right so it couldn't get worse. He gave it a slight twist and popped it into the machine. 

"Give it a try, hon, and let's see what happens."  

The clouds parted and the angels sang.....

Seriously!

Front of quilt

It worked perfectly! I didn't have one single problem! 

The bobbin ran out and I put in a new one. 

Still no problems!

Unbelievable... 

Back of quilt

I reloaded the baby quilt and I finished the quilting I began yesterday.

I had zero problems with my long arm. 

Zero

I do believe I will be keeping her after all....

For the last two days, I have been practicing on the long arm. It is long past time for me to learn to be friends with it or sell it. It's ridiculous for me to have an expensive piece of equipment just sit around and gather dust. On top of that I feel guilty every time I look at it!

Yesterday I gathered up my courage, loaded up a baby quilt and began to practice.

It did not go very well....

I was seeing good stitches mixed in with some terrible ones. 

I would get frustrated and have to walk away.

I would come back to pick out all the stitching and try again. 

There may or may not have been a few tears. 

Today I was going to give it one more last try and if it didn't go well, I was going to put it on Craigslist and get rid of it. 

And, it did not go well. 

Stick a fork in me, I was done.

When Russ got home from work, he asked me if I wouldn't mind helping him load up the frame with some scrap fabric so he could play with it. I got it loaded for him and threaded the machine while he studied the bobbin. He asked if he could tighten it. I was nervous, but told him it was okay. It already wasn't working right so it couldn't get worse. He gave it a slight twist and popped it into the machine. 

"Give it a try, hon, and let's see what happens."  

The clouds parted and the angels sang.....

Seriously!

Front of quilt

It worked perfectly! I didn't have one single problem! 

The bobbin ran out and I put in a new one. 

Still no problems!

Unbelievable... 

Back of quilt

I reloaded the baby quilt and I finished the quilting I began yesterday.

I had zero problems with my long arm. 

Zero

I do believe I will be keeping her after all....

What went well, you ask? 

I used Tipsy yesterday.

On this quilt for Reagan's piano teacher.

It went very well...It's not perfect, but that's okay. 

The point is 

a: I did it...

b: with no anxiety...

c: and I made my husband very happy for using his gift...

What went well, you ask? 

I used Tipsy yesterday.

On this quilt for Reagan's piano teacher.

It went very well...It's not perfect, but that's okay. 

The point is 

a: I did it...

b: with no anxiety...

c: and I made my husband very happy for using his gift...

It's going okay. =) When I get anxious, I just park her and go check my emails, read a blog post or two and then go back up to try again.

The thread I am using for the bobbin and top thread is Connecting Threads Essential Cotton quilting thread. I've always liked their thread and it's working nicely. No thread breakage or tension problems.

God is being kind to me. =)

It's going okay. =) When I get anxious, I just park her and go check my emails, read a blog post or two and then go back up to try again.

The thread I am using for the bobbin and top thread is Connecting Threads Essential Cotton quilting thread. I've always liked their thread and it's working nicely. No thread breakage or tension problems.

God is being kind to me. =)

In response to my post about my black heart, Marlene @ Stitchin By the Lake wrote a comment that made me laugh. 

Seriously laugh. 

She said:

Like you I'd be scared but with a husband like that you've obviously got a personal cheering section! Everyone says practice and I know they are right but remember to be forgiving of yourself because you won't be satisfied with what you do for a long time. I'm a newbie at free motion quilting and I still think my stitching looks like a drunk monkey did it but I'm finally at the point that I think the monkey is just tipsy...and that's progress. :) blessings, marlene

And in that comment, Miss Fun Quilter got her name...

Drunk Monkey...

I'm kidding! I'm kidding!

Her name, for real, is Tipsy. =)

BTW: Marlene is having a giveaway. Go check it out!

In response to my post about my black heart, Marlene @ Stitchin By the Lake wrote a comment that made me laugh. 

Seriously laugh. 

She said:

Like you I'd be scared but with a husband like that you've obviously got a personal cheering section! Everyone says practice and I know they are right but remember to be forgiving of yourself because you won't be satisfied with what you do for a long time. I'm a newbie at free motion quilting and I still think my stitching looks like a drunk monkey did it but I'm finally at the point that I think the monkey is just tipsy...and that's progress. :) blessings, marlene

And in that comment, Miss Fun Quilter got her name...

Drunk Monkey...

I'm kidding! I'm kidding!

Her name, for real, is Tipsy. =)

BTW: Marlene is having a giveaway. Go check it out!

My husband is {the most} amazing husband in the whole world.

Yes, he is.

Look at what he bought me, just because he loves me....

No, I didn't ask for it. He did all the researching, went to the Nolting factory many times over his lunch break, called them numerous times to ask them all kinds of questions and then surprised me with this amazing machine for Valentine's Day....

A Nolting Fun Quilter on a Hinterberg stretch frame.

As for me, I am not the most amazing wife.

Not by a long shot...

See the word fun on this machine? It even has a smile on it. I think it's there to convince you she is ever so much fun to play with...

Ummm....My question.

When does the fun begin?

Just keeping it real, people...I am afraid of this thing.

No, that's not entirely true....

Miss Fun Quilter causes me to be filled with anxiety.

Anxiety as in {panic attacks}.

Last night, I cried on my {perfect} hubby's shoulder and told him to take it back.

Go ahead...Take a moment and feel sorry for my hubby for having such a terrible wife.

I'll wait....

I am baring my {black} heart in the hopes that someone...anyone...can relate and will have some words of encouragement for me.

I'm all ears because I really, really want to {heart} quilting with Miss Fun Quilter.

My husband is {the most} amazing husband in the whole world.

Yes, he is.

Look at what he bought me, just because he loves me....

No, I didn't ask for it. He did all the researching, went to the Nolting factory many times over his lunch break, called them numerous times to ask them all kinds of questions and then surprised me with this amazing machine for Valentine's Day....

A Nolting Fun Quilter on a Hinterberg stretch frame.

As for me, I am not the most amazing wife.

Not by a long shot...

See the word fun on this machine? It even has a smile on it. I think it's there to convince you she is ever so much fun to play with...

Ummm....My question.

When does the fun begin?

Just keeping it real, people...I am afraid of this thing.

No, that's not entirely true....

Miss Fun Quilter causes me to be filled with anxiety.

Anxiety as in {panic attacks}.

Last night, I cried on my {perfect} hubby's shoulder and told him to take it back.

Go ahead...Take a moment and feel sorry for my hubby for having such a terrible wife.

I'll wait....

I am baring my {black} heart in the hopes that someone...anyone...can relate and will have some words of encouragement for me.

I'm all ears because I really, really want to {heart} quilting with Miss Fun Quilter.