SplittingStitches Longarm Quilting: March was a busy month!

Friday, July 3, 2020

March was a busy month!

For the last couple of years, March has been a very, very busy

month for me.

This is the second year in a row I have attended a

HandiQuilter Retreat hosted by Liz down at Bits N' Pieces Quilt Shop in

Pelham, NH. She calls it a "retreat" but it's three days of a hardcore intense learning experience. She has HandiQuilter National Educators teaching and they very sweetly pound information into our brains. For me, this is better than

MQX as the entire retreat is all about the HandiQuilters machines and products. This year I decided to upgrade a tablet on one of my machines and bring both machines and tablets up to date with the current software. Here's one of the few things that you may not know. These computerized machines are just like any other computer, always upgrading and needing the latest software for the best possible results. Liz does an excellent job of making the learning fun and I

meet lots of great HQ owners and even make a new friend or two!

All of that happens the first weekend. The second weekend, I'm the one

hosting the retreat! It's a fabulous group of gals and we get together at the

Lake Morey Inn, Fairlee, VT. We sew, we chat, we eat, we play games, we sew some more, eat again (and again!) and just generally have a great time. If

you would like to see photos, and there are always lots of photos, friend

me on Facebook. You can find more info on any upcoming retreat by

clicking on the tab at the top of the page.

These two events leave me just a little time for quilting the rest of the

month! But it's so worth it! Well, let's get to the quilts, shall we?

Leslie made this great quilt for her sister who loves birds. The fabrics she selected work well together to make the perfect top. Excellent job on the paper piecing Leslie!

Here's the back of Leslie's quilt. With mostly horizontal seams it is much easier for me to work with. Great way to add interest to the backing.

Here's Diane's latest. String quilts turn out so pretty, and are a great way to use up all of those scraps! Since the quilt is so busy we decided to use a simple loop for the quilting. Finished it off nicely.

Here's a quilt from Jeannie. Beautiful blues giving it the feel of the ocean. I believe she mentioned this is a gift for a friend who lives at or near a beach. Waves design by Anne Bright for the final ocean theme.

Loretta Jo needed a guy quilt and I think she pulled it off quite nicely with

this wonderful group of fabrics. Don't forget you can click on the photos

for a closer look. Using a geometric soft square/rectangle design was the perfect way to go for this one!

Shirley kept me busy for a couple of days with the next quilts. Up first is an adorable quilt for her granddaughter who is moving into a big girl bed. Super sweet pink fabrics and simple floral quilting will help make it special. Shirley's second, a log cabin I believe she mentioned she would be keeping for herself, yay Shirley!

And how can you not just adore the traditional Log Cabin quilt? With the primary colors of red, blue, green, and yellow it certainly does make a smashing quilt. Another great quilt, Shirley!