Tour of NEW American Quilter's Society Show in Lancaster, PA this month.

We could not be more grateful to Bonnie Browning, Show Director of American Quilter's Society NEW show in Lancaster, PA March 24th - 27th for her tour of the AQS Lancaster Show.

Listen and find out why this promises to be an incredible quilting event.

Find out what AQS has in store for you at this historic town....

go to sallyterry.com and scroll down the page...see you there and thank you Bonnie!

Don't Miss The Interview with Linda Hamson VP of IMQA and Show Director of Machine Quilters Showcase

Hi Everyone! Join quilters eavesdrop on Linda Hamson, MQS Show Director 10AM CST Mar 9, just go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilting-Radio/348254737308

Just click the link above to listen live on the internet or use your phone line...either way you will not miss a thing. And we are leaving the light on for you...you can go back to that link and listen to the replay anytime, incase you weren't able to make it at 10AM CST on Tuesday. Plus we will keep it posted on our home page.

Linda has lots of events planned for Machine Quilter's Showcase this year March 12th - 15th with classes starting on the 10th. Mark you calendar or print out the page as a reminder. We are really looking forward to hearing our own VP of IMQA share her inspiration and what she has planned to inspire us.

We have made it simple for you by also including a link to sign up as a member of IMQA on the page plus go to the MQS Show page to register for classes....don't miss out, see you Tuesday, sally

Leaders That Are Stretched Can Distort Your Machine Quilted Quilt Tops

Morning everyone, well it is almost done, another quilt for the new book with a working title of "From Quilt Top To Quilted". So far we are on track for early 2011 publication date. It is full of tips quilters love. Thought you may enjoy a gimpse of a trick that you might find helpful that is included in the trouble shooting section.

Do your leaders bow out in the center? Are your leaders starting to stretch in the center where all the pressure is exerted since we pin from the center out and rarely pin the entire length of the leaders? And, if your leaders are bowing out there is a chance it can distort the shape of the quilt top as you machine quilt.

To get your leaders squared to your rollers again take this simple step. Go to the end of your table and look down the entire length of the rollers making sure your leaders are completely wound their respective roller. with the end of the leaders laying directly on the top of the roller. Do the edges ripple, or maybe the edges form waves along the roller and are not in a perfectly straight line from end to end.

Canvas or cotton duck leaders are not supposed to strink, though the fibers will migrate, hense the bowing in the center. It is a quick fix, to help them back to their original square up position with straight edges. First lock your rollers with the dogs or clamps. Let out about three feet of canvas and grab the outer two feet of canvas at each end of the rollers with both hands and tug at a 45 degree angle away from the center of your machine. Do one side first then the other. Keep tugging until the bow disappears.

Finally roll up your leaders again with the end of the leader lying on top of the roller. Coax the outer ends of the canvas by working them with your hands to take up any slack. Your canvas edges should have straigthened out. Do this after every quilt and your leaders will stay straight and your quilts will always be squared up.

Hope this helps, sally

Sometimes we need to remove pencil marks from fabrics before machine quilting.

Ah ha, here it is...found it, safely tucked away in a drawer -- my favorite recipe, "how to remove pencil marks from fabrics". This is the recipe I feared lost. It is tested and true, and have mixed up many a batch. And if I had to go find it on the internet it might not be the same one. But there it is, on the internet at a very interesting site that you may find extremely valuable.

So you may want to bookmark this page and pass it on.... http://www.quilthistory.com/stain.htm

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1 drop clear dishwashing liquid

Mix and apply with a soft toothbrush

It has also been suggested to use the new clear Windex...untested in my studio.

Because we work with fabrics we already know that if we are to complete a quilt top, no matter how old it is...we must machine quilt it the way we receive it, dirty or not. There was one quilt that actually made me ill for several days. What ever dirt was deeply embedded in the fabric, even an occassional spritz of soapy water would not remove. How can you launder the fabric without having the seam margins shred away and thread break from the agitation? Have heard you can put it in a pillow case and wash it that way, but have not dared to try. Also you can soak it in a bath tub with a sheet under it, removing without putting any stress on the seams and fabric from the weight of the water draining away, by pulling it up by the four corners of the sheet. This also works for washing old completed quilts by supporting the batting as well.

Hope this helps, sally

What Is So Important About A Simple Book On How To Quilt Feathers?

Now that all the hoopla is gone, thought I would share what may be the most important thing about Hooked On Feathers being the No. 1 Book for 2009 with AQS which is quite humbling to say the least. It is not because I wrote it, could easily been written by another machine quilting instructor. It is not because it is published by a fine publisher, American Quilter's Society with extensive catalogs, blogs, shows and website, though that certainly helped a great deal.

The importance of this book is that it is an instructional book about machine quilting. Imagine, a how to book on machine quilting feathers, rather than piecing or other sewing techniques. That is the importance of this little book with over 80 pages of easy to understand step-by-step directions on feather quilting, for the traditional to the professional longarmer.

Now that make's us all able to quilt incredibly beautiful feathers whether we sit down or stand up and machine quilt...let the feathering begin!!!

It is official, Sally Terry No. 1 Quilting Author 2009 with Hooked On Feathers

Hooked On Feathers is the No. 1 Quilting Book

from American Quilter's Society for 2009.

...words escape me!

Thank you to everyone for making it happen.

It is my hope that all of you are enjoying your new machine quilting feathering technique. The photos of your creativity have been amazing and many of them are posted on the Hooked On Feathers gallery page. For those of you who would like to share your originality and imagination at work, please send pictures with your name and state of residence to sally@sallyterry.com and I will post them in the gallery.

If you are wondering about the Hooked On Feathers technique, it is a non-marking, non-backtracking machine quilted feather for traditional sewing machine to longarm, that actually turns corners easier free-motion than marked. Now HOF has become the most popular way to machine quilt feathers, because it requires stitching only one shape, the hook, which is so, so easy to master. Newby's love it and many have told me they are not even going to learn the traditional and heirloom feather because their Hooked On Feathers look so good. Plus they are a joy to stitch.

The feed back from my machine quilting classes is that beginners love the machine quilting technique and can start right out with feathers rather than waiting months to develop the cell memory. What could be better when we expect so much of ourselves in the beginning anyway.

So Let The Feathering Begin!!!

Hooked On Feathers Book

You may want the CD to watch Sally machine quilt the Hooked On Feathers
technique on the longarm. You will quickly learn how to move your machine and
set up the feathers for fills, edge-to-edge, borders, sashings, blocks and more... 
Hooked On Feathers How To CD

Machine Quilting Classes May Be Just What You Need

Hi everyone, we all want to take machine quilting classes...but time, scheduling, travel expenses add up quickly. And often times we plan for something and life gets in the way. And we are so sequestered and alone in our machine quilting that we need a little time to let our Quilted Muse inspire us again.

Well let not your heart be troubled. There are more and more classes available to you today than ever before. Many of the states' machine quilting guilds offer annual and bi-annual workshops for their members and non-members alike, with fabulous instructors.

Late registrations are common if you discover you want to go at the last minute.

More and more large regional shows are popping up as well. Most have contact information and they may be able to help you find a roommate to share some of the expenses. Many are held on college campuses making the lodging even less.

And if all else fails I truly recommend staying at a B & B, Bed & Breakfasts. They can be very economical and may just be half of what a big hotel charges. Plus they are so charming and you feel oh so pampered. Just query bed and breakfast denver or what ever city you need and there they all are, in a nice tidy little list. You will always get a great homemade breakfast and may only need a short shuttle ride to the venue. Often times they will shuttle you for a small fee.

So make plans to get inspired and mark you calendars....

Yours in the love of quilting, sally

Doing What People Love...Machine Quilting Their Quilt Top

Seems we all get excited when there is a wonderful top to load...ah the patterns to play with, the thread to audition and the first stitch is taken. Machine quilting is a passion and is reinforced everytime your customer picks up their finish quilt top.

It is because we are doing what we love. So if we are doing what we love why not do what the customer loves too. It was once said by Laura Cutler "You do not want everyone to like what you do. You want 10 percent to love it."

Unconditional love for your machine quilting work...and if the 80/20 rule is true, then consider this. About 80% of your revenue will come from approximately 20% of your customers, the habituals. They are the ones that bring you three and four quilt tops at a time. You know who they are.

So if you do what they love, keep them in a loving mode by taking pictures of their complete quilts and store them under their name in a clients file. Refer to them when they bring you more. Take note of their love for sashings being ditched, scalloped borders, feathers, variegated threads, specific machine quilting designs etc. You will start to see a pattern.

As the trust grows you will be able to select the patterns and machine quilting techniques that they adore, and in that way may be able to "bump" up the number of services increasing profitability.

Post their beloved piece on your internet site...if they love it so will others.

To your love of quilting, sally

Machine Quilting and the Google Calendar

Make a Google Calendar to schedule your
Holiday Machine Quilting...
and still decorate for the Holidays.

It is time for the Holiday rush, and if your quilts are piling up, not to mention all the little projects you need to complete for yourself try using this great calendar idea. Afterall, what is the Holldays without that handmade treeskirt and the special quilt for the nephew who just started college?

Seems a bit of prioritizing might help here. First, block out time for customer quilts on a calendar. You might try the Google calendar online if you don't have one with lots of hourly spaces on it.  Next fill in all the spaces with customer quilts that you have prioiritized by dates...first in first out, or by due date, or shipping date.

Then put your own little projects in there as well, giving yourself hours in the morning when you are fresh for your own creations as well as evening times. Save the handwork for evenings with your family watching a good movie.

To see one in action go to  http://www.sallyterry.com/Public/Classes/CalendarofClasses/index.cfm. If you click the agenda tab to the right eveything will list for you by date. You can even print your calendar out and post it in your studio, or you customer can print if out as a reminder when to bring in their scheduled quilt top.

If you set up a Google calendar like mine, then you can also put it on your website and help your customers fill in their time slots together when they call on the phone. This way there is not confusion as they can see your calendar.

Keep it updated as they schedule their quilts by showing their time slots. Since this is a public calendar you may want to put in customer reference numbers, or something other than their name....and remember your personal dates will be seen as well. Just fill your own time periods with project names and generic entries only you know. Don't publish travel and other personal details.

Here is the information page on how to publish the calendar on your website. http://www.google.com/googlecalendar/event_publisher_guide.html 
Be sure to check "pubic" in the little box to the right so it can be shared.

It takes seconds and is sooo impressive for all to see.

Hope this helps and gives you a bit of organization in the last two busiest months of the year...

Happy Holiday Season my quilting friends.... sally

Terry Twist Helps Machine Quilt Random Block Quilt Piecing Patterns

Plus New CD comes with Terry Twist Stencils and Templates

Ready? Time to get quilting on those new random block piecing patterns that all your piecing customers are loving today. Yet what will you be machine quilting on it? You cannot machine quilt 3 different sizes of the same stencil pattern since the design does not reduce down well and becomes too small...even if you could find a stencil made in that size.

Next, it is tough to find a 12" quilting stencil pattern that goes with the style of the quilt top...how many 12" stencils do we have anyway for cottage florals, ladybugs and frogs, or GI Joe?

These quilt tops are difficult to layout any machine quilting pattern because there is no rhyme nor reason to these random block patterns. So, all over, edge-to-edge machine quilting or following a pantograph pattern was your only solution. Not any more....this is really amazing how the Terry Twist stencils work...or the Terry Twist templates.

At the Innovations Quilting Conference some of my students started playing with the Terry Twist quilting patterns and discovered how perfectly they work with the random block configuration. Much Thanks!

Happily you won't have to come up with new patterns for each size block or rotate the design dozens of times. Plus, there are no fill patterns to worry about...that makes this even more appealing doesn't it? Yet I do feel that the ribbon meander is about the best yet with the Terry Twist.

Plus the new CD that now comes free with the stencils and template shows you how to free-motion the TT while I was stitching on Sibby-Nell (my wonderful Milly).

Hope this helps you come up with a new way of quickly and easily machine quilt all those big beautiful random block quilt tops.

Please leave a comment and let me know if this helps and how you machine quilt quilts like Turning 20.