Sew Many Colors Contest
One day I was browsing Pinterest...(you're scared already, aren't you?) and I stumbled across an AMAZING mini quilt.
I hunted and searched for a pattern - only to find out there wasn't one.
And then about a month ago, THE MOST MIRACULOUS THING HAPPENED!!!! There was finally a pattern AND it was a contest AND it combined two of my favorite things: Aurifil threads and Kona Cottons! (Ahh, and then my life was complete!)
I dug out ALL my Kona and ALL my Aurifil, and got to work!
I had such a hard time choosing my Kona colors (and then choosing my Aurifil colors), so I ended up with the teal family, plus a grey and chartreuse green because why not?! I decided that I wanted to represent a few of the different weights of thread Aurifil makes because they are all so wonderful.
In my interpretation of Sew Many Colors, you can see I have two each of Aurifil 12wt., 28wt., 40wt., 50wt., and 80wt. I tried to match the corresponding thread color and weight, but in my excitement I may not have paid attention to thread colors I could get my hands on quickly! In the end the quilting was done in a variety of 28 to 80 wt. Aurifil threads.
I love Aurifil in every weight!
Threads I used to Quilt My mini
If you want to vote in the contest, make a mini for yourself or just want to check out the other entries head over to the Aurifil blog to check them out: Sew Many Colors Contest.
And if you think mine is "not too shabby" please give me a vote! Part of the prize is having your mini quilt hanging in the Aurifil booth at Spring Quilt Market, which would be SO COOL!
One day I will make the "270 colors" quilt, and it will be magical!
Happy Quilting,
Enjoli :)
Why BERNINA Q24?
Me and my wonderful Bernina Q24 named Helga!
When I was dreaming and scheming and planning for Doodle my husband asked me, "Have you looked at any of the other Long Arm machine brands?" I literally looked at him and laughed - right to his face! To me it was such an absurd question.
Not only do I own two BERNINA sewing machines and a BERNINA serger, but my family owns a BERNINA dealership! At the center of my 'Doodle dream' was a BERNINA Q24 machine. So, I looked at him and said "No!" with a big 'ol grin on my face!
I have had Helga (yep, that's her name) since the end of November 2016 and haven't thought about that question at all, until a week or so ago. I was "working" on a quilt and a gal came up and started chatting. She also owned a long arm (a different brand), but we agreed that no matter how you do it, quilting is fun!
It did get me thinking though - my standard answer when people ask why I like (and own) the Q24 is "because it's awesome!" While it is true, it is not very helpful if you're trying to compare machines!
So here are just a few of the things I LOVE about my BERNINA Q24:
- the ability to use multiple types of quilting feet- and change them quickly and easily
- use standard needles, so I can change my needle to better suit the fabric type or needle to thread size
- strong, sturdy frame so there is no vibration in the handles
- raise and lower the presser foot in order to see exact needle placement
- straight forward top and bobbin tension adjustments- and the ability to save settings for multiple people or thread types
- adjustable and programmable handles
These are just a few of the things I love about my BERNINA Q24. I know there may be other brands that do these things and to be totally honest with you, up until last weekend, I had ZERO experience with other Long arm brands.
Last weekend my mom, sister and I were out at a mini-market event in Oregon and I got to try a few of the other brands. I did my best to keep an open mind, most of the other brands have been on the market longer.
My initial reactions were of course based on how the machines looked - and that is definitely one thing the BERNINA has going for it - it is sleek and simple. It was a bit intimidating to look at all the knobs and dials on one of them.
The other thing I noticed in all three was vibration in the handles. Two of them didn't start right away when I pushed the "go" button.
One of the machines did not have a screen, and the other two were small, not at all intuitive.
None of them had presser feet that could be raised, which totally threw me - being used to having that ability.
Overall, with brief experience, I still feel great saying that the BERNINA Q24 IS AWESOME and I am so glad that is what I purchased!
No matter what you have though- machine quilting should be fun, and if you're fortunate enough to have a machine you love and does what you want, you are a lucky person!
Happy Quilting,
Enjoli :)
DISCLAIMER:
To quote Angela Walters, "I am only the expert of my opinion", and BERNINA is not paying me to say nice things about this machine. I do just truly LOVE her! And in the interest of being able to give some full comparisons with more hands on experience, my plan for Spring Quilt Market is to visit ALL the other Long arm brand booths. I will do a full review with Make/Model information because I do think that if you are in the market for a Long Arm machine, shopping around and getting some hands-on time with each one is very important!
Life & Broken Toys
Isn't it amazing how on top of the world you feel when things are going your way?! The sun is brighter, the kids are better behaved (ha-well it seems like it anyway) and life is pretty dandy!
But what happens when things don't go our way - Armageddon, melt-down city (me and the kids), I drop more things and spill more milk; or that's how it feels anyway!
Going into February I had grand visions of getting settled into our new (new rental-while we build our house) place, having a lovely romantic valentines day and quilting my heart out every week! I know you're all starting to get nervous about where this is headed...and rightly so.
My February turned into a mad scramble to get moved, settled and unpacked (still working on that), spending Valentines day dragging kids between houses to move things, and not getting much quilting done. Turns out my machine needed some TLC - which lucky for me, she got, but couldn't be played with during that time.
Yep, I was wallowing in self pity!
And then I get the most glorious text ever, "Come play with your machine, I fixed her!". Picture me, giddy as my kids when I give them cookies! (And yes I did say "her", she even has a name!)
And, as life does - house things got put away (aka pushed aside), life settled down and I snuck away for a few glorious hours of bonding with my machine!
I could go deep here and say that things always find a way of working out, or that you have to ride out the storm to appreciate the sun, but to be totally honest - I'm just a much happier person when I get my quilting time!
Hope your February has a lot more LOVE than Broken Toys!
Happy Quilting,
Enjoli :)
Putting the Binding on 2016
Phew.. I can't believe that 2016 is almost over! It has been such an exciting last few months, that they have just flown by. I think I blinked and November was gone. I've had my long arm for almost a month now (and have yet to name her - yikes!), and have been squeezing quilting time out of every spare moment I have! Between three kids, a husband and a few work-related (quilt-shop) responsibilities, my quilting time has been limited. However, 2017 brings big goals and come August, much more quilting time, as my two youngest start Kindergarten! Whoo-hoo!
It's funny how optimistic I am at the beginning of December that I can make all of these amazing Christmas gifts, and then as the weeks go by I start to panic a bit more each week. So, this year I set small goals for myself, only a few hand-made items and of course those customer quilts that I had to finish. Yet, here I was Christmas Eve, sewing away on the last item - which made it in, just under the wire. I think we finished wrapping gifts around 10:30pm last night - gotta hold up the Santa tradition a little longer!
In all the craziness that goes into Christmas with three little girls, I am reminded that it is a blessing to have them to keep the magic of Christmas alive. They remind me that small things can be the what makes you feel like "this is the best day of my life" (a direct quote from my 6 year old today!) and that there is immense joy in giving!
I hope that as we close out 2016 you can look forward to 2017 with excitement and joy at the many things you can make and do to bring joy to others. My hope for Doodle Quilting Studio is not just to help you finish projects, but to help you bring joy to those you love!
Thank you for the love and support you have shown me in the last few months, I can't wait quilt my way through 2017!
Merry Christmas from my family to yours! :) Enjoli
The Strait Family
It. Is. Happening!
I guess it is time to admit that this is happening - my Bernina Q24, 13 foot longarm machine has arrived at the shop! This week hubby and I will be getting her set up in my studio space! This has been something I've been dreaming up for the last couple years and it feels scary and amazing that it is all coming together. l already have a few beautiful quilts in queue and I can't wait to get them loaded! Thank you to the folks who have already believed in me and my quilting!
Before I get too far into this adventure, I need to thank a few people for helping me get started -
My mom, who this would not have been possible without her generosity with her business space and the shop long arm. She has been unrelentingly supportive and is always the first one to like my Doodle page Facebook posts! How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing woman to encourage and support me!
Angela Walters, who inspired me to first start quilting, who I admired from afar through her books and online classes and finally had the pleasure to become friends with. Thanks for the final push, and your support despite your own busy schedule!
Thank you to my hubby for supporting me and my big ideas, for being willing to let me step out on this adventure and always really looking at my quilting!
I look forward to helping you finish your projects!
Happy Quilting,
Enjoli
Quilters I Follow!
Like any person striving to better themselves at their craft, I obsessively follow a few quilters that I think are amazing! I read what they have to say, drool of their beautiful work and in general just try to soak up any ounce of information I can from them! Here is a list of a few of my favorite machine quilters!
Angela Walters
Angela Walters - I always tell people that Angela is my girl crush - and in fact, she is a large part of the reason that I went from doing machine quilting as a necessity to doing machine quilting as a passion! I have had the immense pleasure of meeting her and even getting a chance to get to know her a little bit, she is one of the most generous, wonderful people I know! Her teaching technique gives instruction and encouragement while breaking designs down into easy to follow steps. You can check out her awesomeness over at www.quiltingismytherapy.com!
Natalia Bonner
Natalia Bonner - While Angela's books have helped me teach FMQ, it was actually Natalia's "Beginners Guide to Free-Motion Quilting" book that was my first ever Quilting book purchase! Her books go through the steps of the designs with illustrations showing travel directions, which can be very helpful if you are just learning how to quilt, or trying a new design. You can find Natalia at www.pieceandquilt.com! P.S: She has a great post titled "10 Things you should know before having a quilt machine quilted on a longarm."
Kathleen Quilts
Kathleen Quilts - OMG, I just discovered Kathleen and I am a bit smitten! She definitely favors dense quilting, which is fine with me, as I do love the look of it! I've just started to "admire from afar" and would likely be a bit intimated to be in her studio, but WOW is she inspiring! You can find her at www.kathleenquilts.com
Ok, these are just a few of the amazing quilters I follow - but believe me, drooling over these ladies' beautiful work will keep you busy for awhile! In the mean time, feel free to let me know who your favorite quilters are, so I can add them to my "must follow" list. And stay tuned for my next round of favorites!
Happy Quilting,
Enjoli :)
welcome to doodle quilting studio
This is the excerpt for your very first post.
I am so glad you found me here in this little corner of the inter web - welcome to doodle quilting studio! Doodle Quilting Studio is the realization of a passion of mine, free-motion quilting! For the past few years I've been fortunate enough to get to teach machine quilting at my family's quilt shop, Seams Like Home in Anchorage, AK. I stumbled upon quilting out of necessity and quickly realized that not only did I enjoy the finishing part of making a quilt, but preferred it! Like many other machine quilting enthusiasts, I realized that I could not make quilt tops fast enough to satiate my quilting appetite, and the idea for "doodle" was born.
Because of my wonderful connection with Seams Like Home (our family's quilt shop, which my mother owns), I get the immense privilege to have my long arm studio within it's walls! So, not only do I get to spend my days quilting, but I get to do it surrounded by like mind people and beautiful fabrics!
I hope you can find quilting inspiration and encouragement or maybe even the opportunity to get some of those UFO's finished through the services that I offer through doodle!
Thanks for stopping by - see you on the quilted side! :) Enjoli