On the set at Interweave in Loveland, Colorado, to film a Quilting Arts Workshop! (Who me?!!!!)

Can you believe it?  I’ve been to Loveland, Colorado, taped a Quilting Arts DVD Workshop, come home (exhausted but elated) and I can still barely believe it.  Yes, I have been “on the set” filming this week.   Due out in September as both a download and as an actual DVD (which is wonderful for us who live in the boonies with glacial internet), the working title is “Fused Collage and Thread-Coloring,”  a Quilting Arts Workshop from Interweave Press!

The project I used for the workshop is my Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic quilt (No. 1) [there will be 3 versions before I’m done], but the workshop is to teach you how to use your own photo to make an art quilt:

Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic, No. 1, the start of what I will call my Quilting the Good Life series!

My trip to the airport was an omen–a good one–for how the trip was about to go.  I mean, look at the beginnings of sunrise as I crossed the driveway to the garage!

4:25 a.m., Tuesday: leaving for the airport in Owl’s Head (near Rockland, maine) just before dawn

It got even more dramatic just over the ridge heading to the coast, at the intersection of Route 105 (the Camden Road) and High Street in Hope:

Can you believe that sky? Makes me want to get to the dye pots!

The route in was equally stunning. Here, mist rising off the Megunticook River in Camden.

And ten minutes down the coast in Rockland:

And the sunrise over Rockland Harbor, en route to our little airport at Owl’s Head.

I flew Cape Air (maximum of 9 passengers) to Boston, then JetBlue (for the first but not the last time!) to Denver, where I caught the shuttle to Loveland directly to the Interweave studio where I met Helen Gregory and the filming crew.  There we set up my materials, hung the quilts, and went over my plans for filming the next day.  Congrats to Helen on her promotion to Vice President for Content, Interweave and Martha Pullen,  and upcoming move to Colorado!

My DVD will have five segments, so five trays to lay out my supplies which I prepped at home.

And boy did I prep.  I had about a month (shorter than usual I think) between my contract and filming date, so I pretty much did nothing but make step-outs, more step-outs, refine, video (to get used to talking to a camera and to time myself), cut/edit, cut/edit/shorten more, etc.  For a month.  Non-stop.

Make-up, first thing Wednesday!

Interweave has a make-up artist come do you up for camera, as there are special products that make you look right on camera under all those bright lights.  I shoulda shot a picture of me sitting at the table looking at the room…it was FULL of big tripods, cameras, and cables and cords EVERYWHERE.  Miraculously, I did not trip and break anything or anyone!

Reviewing my notes before getting changed for taping.

THANK YOU JANOME-America and Patty WInkelman of Quilter’s Stash in WIndsor, Colorado, for arranging a Janome 8900–the machine I sew on at home–to use along with a Janome sewing table. I’d never used the table and we were all impressed at how sturdy and stable and heavy it is. Of course the 8900 sewed flawlessly!

Then it was time to get changed and start taping.  Then we mostly forgot to take still pictures!  But here are some….

Me on the left, Helen Greghory in the green top, and I think that is Laura (webinars guru) on the right, hidden mostly by one of the cameras. We were getting ready for the concluding segment I can tell by what is on the table.

At the end, I asked to have apicture of four of us: L to R, Laura E. (webinars and more), Helen Gregory (new VP for Content), me, and Lauren our camerawoman extraordinaire. Camera dude Nick was taking the photo, and camera dude Garrett had already run off to another “gotta be there” job. Those lights were bright, but sure make things visible and looking good.

I never saw this view, but either Helen or Lauren kindly took this photo for me, which shows the jib camera shot of the table with my project and quilts on it:

The jib/overhead camera view. If you look in the center just above the right corner of the screen view, you can see the overhead camera.  Also notice in the backgorund it looks like the quilts are on an angle.  They are–that is to offset the perspective angle that happens with the big camera lenses.  Fascinating!

Then it was time to go home.  Early.

Before I arrived, Colorado hit 80 degrees (F). Wednesday, it SNOWED. When I left the hotel at 3:58 a.m. for the shuttle to the Denver Airport, it looked like this! Then by today it was supposed to be back in the 60s–that’s more insane than our weather!

I’ll spare you the tedium of a crowded plane from Denver to Philadelphia, a smaller more crowded plane from Philly to Boston, the utter hopelessness of Logan Airport (UGH UGH UGH), but flying home on Cape Air is always fun.  As we approach the mid-coast, first I’ll spot the Camden Hills:

There are two landmarks visible from the sky from a distance. I was in the seat behind the co-pilot’s seat (which is usually filled with a passenger). The first are the Camden Hills: Battie, Megunticcok, Maidencliff.

Then

The second landmark is the big white tower at Dragon Cement, visible dead ahead in the middle of this photo. I realized on this trip how massively huge the quarry is for this company.

As you near Dragon Cement, we turn right and head for Owl’s Head (Knox County, RKD) airport.  The lights of home!

LOVE being able to snap out all windows of these small planes.  Landing strip is visible just to the right of the bar up the center of the windshield.

Travel was the usual crowded insanity and waiting, but I was home 16 hours later to son, hubby, cats and dog.  Two of the seven are here:

Doggie love is GOOD!

In the past month, I’ve not only prepped this, but THREE articles (more on them when they are close to being published), have a quilt to make in a week, another article to write, then teaching in North Carolina in June and southern California in July, then a quilt to make by August 5.  Then I can collapse a few weeks before school begins (how will Eli be a SOPHOMORE already?) and fall teaching in Massachusetts and at International Quilt Festival in Houston.   So I HOPE to blog more often, but at this rate can’t promise.  I have so much to catch you all up on, pictures from teaching in Florida, Vermont, and Mass….but must be mom, wife, and author first. Stay tuned!

Someone from one of the Janome yahoo lists that I am on asked me a great question, and since my answer was detailed, I thought maybe it might help others so I decided to post it here.  Apologies in advance for the length.  Here’s the incoming (shortened) inquiry followed by my reply.  Bottom line, I am THRILLED with the Janome machines I have had the fortune to use since 2004:  each new version just keeps getting better and better.  They have been utterly dependable with great stitch quality and all the features I need most.  What you need to do is figure out what YOU need, then find the machine that best meets those needs.  There is no such thing as the one and only perfect machine–just what is best for you.

Here’ s Gandalf, “my” new Janome 8900.  He replaces Rubeus Hagrid, the brilliant Janome 7700.  I must say, I DO miss that ruby red, but I think the changes on this machine make it even better (hard to fathom!) than the 7700.  As always, thanks to Janome America for their support since 2004!  (And that odd black thing hanging on the machine’s harp is a Martelli quilting ring…go back a couple of posts for more information.)

Hi Sarah,
I’m sorry to bother you.  ….!  I hope to retire within the next four years and dedicate more time to sewing/quilting.  In the meantime though, I would like to invest in a very nice sewing machine.  I currently sew with an XXXX .  I am curious in your opinion of which brand I should buy.  Thanks for your time. (Note: she specifically asked about Bernina and Janome machines, hence the brands in my reply which follows.)  Signed, XXX

Dear XXX:

That’s a decision you’ll have to make, alas.  Berninas are brilliant machines, at a very high price.  Some of the machines (all brands) have become–for me anyway–too complicated!   I like having the computerized machine, but there is a point where you need a Master’s in Computer Science to navigate all of it.  Just too much…and sometimes too finicky.  Where the line is depends on the individual user.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:  figure out what you need and will use.  When we built a house in 1997-8, our builder told us to list Need, Want, Wish.  All items on the “need” list should be in the house, a number of the wants, and even a wish or two.  For example, we needed three bedrooms, a kitchen, and two baths.  We wanted an extra half-bath and a studio space for me.  That sort of thing.   So sit down and list what you need on a sewing machine.  For me, the list would be something like this:

• Harp space for Free-motion quilting.
• Really good balanced tension.
• Good satin stitch.
• “Single” (not boldface) blanket stitch
• Small increments to increase/decrease stitch width and length on zigzag, blanket stitch, straight stitch, and blind hem stitch (.01 as opposed to .05, that sort of thing)
• Good lighting
• Good local dealer/support

Bernina machines I sometimes say are all the quality at double the cost.  Janome gives outstanding value for the price:  what you can get on a 7700 or 8900 would *easily* cost $2-3000 (yes thousands) more in another brand, and the other brands might not be as reliable.   Bernina has the best presser foot system (changing, quality of manufacture) in the industry bar none–but their feet are expensive.  So buy a sturdy metal  foot for $40?  Or buy a Janome foot that does the same thing for $10 then replace it in a decade if/when it wears out?    So far, I’ve not had a single Janome foot die from over-use, and I use my machine a lot.

Once you’ve figured out WHAT you need, then figure out what simple set of things will allow you to test different machines.  When I bought a machine in 1996 just before leaving the rat race (and the nice salary), I took a quilt sandwich to each dealer and tried different things on it, writing my notes on the white cloth.  If you make garments and buttonholes, take some stabilizer and cloth similar to what you would use and test-drive the buttonholes.  Put notes right on the cloth (or safety pin or staple paper to the sample) to remind you what you thought as you made it:  was the process easy/intuitive?  Convoluted?

Repeat this process at each dealer/brand/machine.  Then think about it.  And don’t forget that a top dealer with good, courteous, prompt customer service is worth their weight in gold!

A couple years ago, when the Bernina 830 came out, I test drove it and frankly, it was amazing,  but so far beyond my budget… so I applied to be in the Bernina teacher program despite misgivings because Janome has been SO good to me.  Bernina never really answered.  And since then I’ve heard some grumbling about the 830 being TOO complicated and finicky but don’t know if that is operator error or what–there are always people who grumble.

I LOVE that the Janomes are so dependable, take any thread you put on them and sew well, etc.  And the price–even if I were paying full retail–is a fraction of the Bernina, Viking, etc.  Not sure about BabyLock as I have never lived anywhere that had a BL dealer, so have no experience with them at all.    And since that time, Janome came out with the 7700 which was pretty close to being my dream machine, and I’m thinking that the 8900 is even better (except I wish it still had that ruby red instead of the silver-gray!).

BOTTOM LINE:  I’m really glad Bernina didn’t offer me the opportunity to try their machines on a teacher loan program.  Since then the 7700 has come out and now the 8900, and they are simply FABULOUS machines.  I’m definitely a Janome girl!

As for Top of the Line versus better but not most expensive in a given brand , last summer when teaching at Vermont Quilt Festival, one of the muckety mucks from Janome ended up sitting in my classroom for an hour or so at lunch.  I had opted to stay and teach through lunch, and they needed someone in the class and were able to accommodate my desire to keep the classroom open.  Well, he must have liked what I was teaching and how, because he offered to have Janome lend me a 12000 that I could take home from the show!!!! So I went down to test-drive it.  Answer:  brilliant machine, thank you SO MUCH for the generous offer, but not for me.  It didn’t have the two feet I use most:  open toe accu-feed, and circular free-motion foot (the one in the convertible set).  [Note:  I’ve heard that the open toe accu-feed will be out this month, and there is now a free-motion foot that would meet my needs that fits on the 12000.]  That ruled the machine out right there.  Plus, to change tension you had to go through several screens on the computer.  I don’t like computer interface stuff–there’s nothing wrong with it, I just vastly prefer the simplicity and ease of turning a dial or knob like you can on the 6600, 7700 and 8900!  It’s one of those “what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream things.”   So I thanked the Janome honcho, said it was a fabulous machine but wasn’t the best machine for me.  The embroidery capabilities would be wasted on me…. I’d rather wait until whatever was going to replace the 7700 came along—and that I hoped it had the visibility around the presser foot of the 12000 on the 7700 body.  Well, guess what the 8900 is?  Exactly that!    So I think I’m going to be very happy with this machine.  It’s a matter of figuring out what YOU need and will work for you, then comparing the machines/brands/models until you find the best fit.

Hope this VERY long reply helps, and think I’ll post it to the groups, too, as others may have the same question!  Thank you for asking!

Cheers, Sarah

Author of bestseller ThreadWork Unraveled
website: https://www.sarahannsmith.com
blog: https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog
e-mail: sarah@…………

PS:  Someone asked about the knob/dial on the 7700 and 8900:  it is actually a dial that you see when you flip up the lid on the top of the machine.  If you think of the dial like a tire, the “tread” shows on the top curve of the dial.  Just above and to the right of the take-up lever area (which is that gray stripe up the front left of the machine) is where   the dial is located.  It is a manual adjustment and easy pease:  see, do!

What a concept, I actually got some quilting done!

Chair, Improved with color and cloth!

I do seem to be in procrastination mode, though.  I need to start a quilt for a juried invitational.  I did sketch out the idea and pull some fabrics.  I decided I need to dye some fabric, so I have washed the silk and hung it to dry, and plan on dyeing that cloth on Monday.  But did I do anything else on that quilt?  Nope.  Instead I had a tidy attack in the studio, then decided that after a year-plus of fabric hanging over the back of this chair (and falling off again, and again, and again), I needed to actually QUILT the fabric and turn it into the cover I wanted.

Mom’s desk chair. Well made. Seriously dated. And just blech.

The chair came from Mom, after she died.  It didn’t sell in the consignment store and is a well-made chair, albeit one that looks exactly like what it is:  a chair an old lady bought in 1972.  Ugh.   I really don’t like chairs with cane backs.  The fruitwood finish is pretty dated and icky, too, but I’ll deal with that later.

And, Janome America (thank you!) upgraded me to an 8900 on their artist/teacher program, so of course I needed to take it for a test quilt-drive, right?   Turns out I am in love yet again with these Janome machines.  I have lots of playing to do with this one, but really like the cleaner view around the presser foot, the quiet operation, ease of use, fabulous tension… sigh!   Love these machines!  And so thankful that Janome-America has supported me these many years.

Perfect excuse for not working on that quilt.  So I took a length of this wonderful, cheery floral and quilted it.  I grabbed some teal fabric I’ve had for about 15+ years (bought to be a backing and then not used) since it would be on the inside and not seen.  As it turns out, the teal looked really good and I ended up using it for the binding!  I hadn’t planned on doing a binding; I was just going to turn the quilted fabric like a pillowcase and slip it over the back.  But the teal blue really added to it, so I added bindings.

And from the front. Next: re-cover the seat with something that goes better than plain old cream.

Also, about a month or so ago, someone on a list I’m on recommended a Martelli’s quilting ring and had a discount code to use if one ordered during a short window of opportunity.  The discount took the price from “are you KIDDING?” to”expensive but I want to try it and at least it is a business expense for me.”   So I ordered it.  About 2/3 of the way through quilting yesterday, I remembered I had the quilting ring (I bought the 11″/large version which you can see/order here) and should actually TRY IT.  I like it!   Some folks on the Yahoo Janome group I’m on (for 6500-8900 machines) had mentioned using two of Sharon Shamber’s red hoops, stacked, but said this was easier.  I agree!  Here’s the hoop just tucked under the foot (there is a cut-out that permits slipping under the presser foot).

The Martelli hoop on the chair cover as I was quilting it.  On the left of the hoop you can see the cut-out for slipping it under the presser foot.

And here it is moved all the way over to the harp, a large space, on the Janome 8900.

And moved as far right as it can go. This is the large, 11″ hoop on the Janome 8900. Both knobs are visible, useful and don’t get in the way.  You can also gently grasp the hoop itself to maneuver it.

Even though I am VERY experienced at free-motion quilting, I can see that using this hoop will help me on some sorts of movements…longer smoother lines especially.  For small detailed work, like intricate quilting on a face or small space with lots of direction changes,  I think using my Machingers gloves may still be the best, but this hoop worked very well and was easy to adjust to using.  In particular, the knobs and the thickness of the hoop are friendly to arthritic hands.  Unlike the red hoops from Sharon Shamber and other hoop-type devices, the bulk of this one means you don’t have to use that pinching motion that hurts the thumbs.  I can rest my fingers outside the hoop, hooking my thumbs around the knob and move the quilt underneath easily.

When you get to the edge, the grippy stuff on the bottom of the hoop has a propensity to grip the machine/table surface when a segment of the hoop is off the quilt.  There are a couple of options:  pin some fabric/hand towel to the edge to give the hoop something on which to rest.  OR, as I discovered (photo below) the size of the hoop is so large that you can swing it up and let it hang over the center section of the machine until you are around the corner! You don’t have to break your thread and remove the hoop…just swing it up out of the way. Also useful if you need to change the thread and/or bobbin.

You can (at least on my machine with this large hoop) temporarily get the hoop out of the way just by swinging it up and hanging it on the center of the machine. Useful for corners where too much of the grippy on the bottom is on the table surface instead of the quilt.

Cool beans!  That’s it for today.  In less than two hours (I’m writing this a day ahead of it going live on the site, so it is Friday morning as I type) I head out for the next Wrestling Tournament, the second and last of the overnight trips for this season.  I’ll post to FaceBook if I can!

Just wanted to dash off a quick note to tell you how happy I am to be teaching again at International Quilt Festival in Houston this coming fall!  I hope to see some of you there…perhaps in my classes!  To learn more about the classes, click here to go to the Quilts, Inc. website.  From there you can download the PDF class catalog, register (online–easy peasy) for classes and/or events.

I’ll be very busy; my schedule begins on the Monday of Quilt Market (a to-the-trade only wholesale show) and continues through the week of Festival!

October 29-November 2, 2012 – International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas (click on images to view larger):

• Monday: Fine Finishes(edge finishes including perfect mitered corners!)
  • Learn to make a perfect mitered binding straight grain bindings, double-fold bias bindings, piping, and couched yarns.  Time permitting Sarah will share how-to’s for  fabric accents, curved bindings, fused bindings, wacky raw-edge squares, and couched-yarn finishes! By the end of this class you’ll have a “swatchbook” of samples and notes including a wide assortment of styles and techniques to finish your quilts and quilted garments.  See a previous blogpost about this class here.

   

• Tuesday:  Birch Pond Seasons(fusible applique)
  • Learn fusible applique, several techniques for “piecing” with fused fabrics, and how to make your own Birch Pond art quilt.  I’ll also cover facings as an edge finish and a range of fun ideas that will let you branch out on your own after class.  Kit fee ($20) covers the cost of the pattern and one package of white MistyFuse (except when taught in stores; then, please purchase these items from the store). See a previous blogpost about this class here.

   

• Wednesday:  Decorative Stitch Applique(use those fancy stitches on your machine!)
  • Make a small wallhanging or a selection of small blocks which take full advantage of all those decorative stitches on your sewing machine. Using fusible appliqué and an assortment of as many threads as you care to bring and use, you’ll see how versatile a single leaf pattern can be! The embroidery / decorative stitches you use in this class can be adapted to your choice of other appliqué methods; we will use fusibles in class so that you can make a wide selection of appliquéd leaves during the class. The project samples can be used for a quilt, a garment or home dec items. See a previous blogpost about this class here.

   

• Thursday Morning:  Machine Quilting Forum—Fun with Fancy Threads
  • I’ll share some tips about using fussy, fiddly threads and how to master them with the right needle, the right bobbin thread, and a fun little project/demonstration.  This Forum starts with an overview and introduction to six machine quilting experts.  Each of us will give a 9 minutes (not one second longer!) presentation. Then we break out into 6 stations…think of it as speed-dating for machine quilters!  We’ll do a 20 minute presentation, then the bell rings and off you go to the next station/teacher.  A great way to see if you want to learn more or book a teacher for your group.

   

• Thursday Afternoon:  Meet the Teacher,a free 30 minute demo on the show floor:  Collaged and Fused Art Quilts
  • I’ll show you my process for creating fuse-collaged quilts, with step-by-step examples of this small tomato-garlic-and-basil quiltlet.

• Friday Morning: Friday Sampler–QuiltColoring with Thread
  • Think of your sewing machine and thread as a big box of crayons… more colors than you’ve ever had in a box of crayons!  Then learn to use your machine and thread to color your art quilts and bring them to life.  This Sampler is a ginormous room with 20 or more teachers giving quick demos.  Participants can move from station to station as they choose.  It’s a great way to see if you’d like to take a class with a teacher or even book them for your guild.
• Saturday:  Sarah gets to relax and play today… I’m going on the bus tour to the Texas Quilt Museum in LaGrange.  Anyone want to go on the same bus?
• Sunday:  I’ll be visiting the booths and quilts today…including one of mine that has been juried into the show (more on that later, after the judging is done and it’s safe to post pictures to the internet).

I’m so looking forward to Houston this year…hope you get to come play, too!

Janome has introduced a new longarm line/suite of products, the Artistic Creative Suite.  One of the items is a longarm (well,  a couple actually).  You can read more about them here.  Since Janome has been kind enough to include me in the artist/teacher program lo these many years, I in return make projects or write brief articles they can use on their website, blog or wherever they need.  In late spring I lent them several free-motion quilting samples for possible use in print media, and I decided one of this year’s projects I would make and just GIVE to them in return for their years of support:  a 17″ x 42″ banner with the Artistic logo (albeit made on my/their Janome 7700)!

Here’s the banner while being quilted. You can see that I used blue washaway pen to mark the logo and segment the background for quilting into different filler patterns.

The logo is red, so initially I thought I would paint inside the lines to re-create the flower and lettering.  This was a test of various paints on the white cloth:

Testing the red color and paint for shade and for bleeding using acrilyc ink, inktense pencils, and textile paint. Ick. Some were too orange. The ones that weren’t looked like fresh blood spots. Ick. So I opted to outline with red thread only!

Here’s a close up view:

A close up of the quilting in-progress. I modified the convertible free-motion foot. It is a closed metal circle, which is perfect for some uses. But I wanted an OPEN circle (not a U shape, which is another of the convertible options, not a large clear plastic disc which is the third alternative). So I bought a second presser foot set, took out my trusty dremel and removed a small portion of the circle to improve visibility!

Here is the finished banner–I’ll do another post with close up pictures of the free-motion quilting!

Artistic logo banner made by Saran Ann Smith for Janome-America, with thanks for their ongoing support!