Monthly Archives: January 2015

Squaring your Quilt Back

Perfect Quilt, ,

Longarm quilting doesn’t require basting the top, batting and backing together. It does require the fabric for your quilt back to be square. Here’s a  great video by Cindy Carey that covers the basics:

Our new handout for the Introduction to Longarm Quilting classes includes a link to this video, as well as the 10 steps to squaring your back.

 How to square a quilt back

  1. Press the backing fabric.
  2. Lining up the selvedge edges, fold the fabric in half, allowing it to hang from your fingertips as if it’s hanging on a clothes line. If your backing is large, ask someone to help you hold the length of the fabric.
  3. Look at the fold line dangling at the bottom edge. Is it wavy, gathered or curving? If so, use your fingertips to shimmy the selvedge edges to the left or right. You want the bottom fold to hang straight and flat.
  4. When the fabric doesn’t have any puckers, place pins every six inches at the top of the selvedge edges.
  5. Lay the folded backing fabric on a cutting mat and table. Smooth gently, keeping the fold line flat and bump free.
  6. Bring the fold line up to the selvedge edge (the back is now folded in quarters). Check that the fold line and selvedge edges are still pucker free and lying flat.
  7. Line up the bottom edge with a horizontal marked inch line on the cutting mat. Place a quilter’s ruler near one edge of the backing fabric, perpendicular to the horizontal lines of the cutting mat. If your back is folded in quarters and the ruler doesn’t extend past the selvedge and folded edges, either fold again or add a second ruler.
  8. Check that all layers of fabric protrude past the rulers.
  9. Using a rotary cutter, glide along the ruler edge to slice off excess fabric.
  10. Repeat steps 7 – 9 to square the opposite side.

At Laurena’s Longarm Quilting, we’re happy to make and square backs for you. Prices depend on the size of the back. Just email or call us for a quote.

Statler Stitcher Creative Studio Classes February 6

Quilt Shows

If you own a Gammill Statler Stitcher, perhaps you’ve been waiting with bated breath for January 20, 2015. Today’s the day! The Creative Studios version 6.0 upgrade is available.

Gammill released “teasers” of some of the new CS6 software updates over the last couple of months. If you own a Statler that currently runs on Version 5.0, you can download the new software today for free.
Laurena Longarm Quilting Statler Stitcher CS6 classes
On February 6, 2015, Laurena’s Long is hosting Brian Tjelta  and offering classes on CS6 and using Creative Studios software. The morning session focuses on understanding the Creative Studios software and how to upgrade your system. We’re limiting class size to 8 people, so sign up soon!  All classes will take place at Laurena’s Longarm Quilting in Burlington.

The afternoon session takes us through the great new features of Creative Studios version 6.

You can register for the Statler Stitcher Creative Studios classes on line or call us and send a check for your registration to hold your spot.

Here’s the class descriptions in more detail:

Friday, February 6, 2015 from 9:30 to noon: Creative Studio Green Light

Make headway in your understanding of the software that controls Gammill’s Statler Stitcher. Gain experience installing and upgrading the Creative Studio program. We’ll cover setting up custom projects and using some of the great features in Creative Studio. Build confidence and understand the options so your journey from idea to a beautiful quilting is smooth.

Friday, February 6, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:30 New features in Gammill’s Creative Studios 6.0

Here’s your chance to experience the new features included in Creative Studio 6. From importing images from your cell phone to linking patterns together (concatenation), the possibilities for custom quilting on a computerized quilting machine are becoming nearly endless. The software upgrade is free for all registered Gammill users.

Laurena Longarm Quilt Creative Studio 6.0 class
Learn more about the software that powers the Gammill Statler Stitcher

Homework for both classes: Sign up for the Gammill Quilting Forum at https://www.gammill.com/forum/register.php? If you already own a Statler Stitcher, be sure to list your controller number in your registration information.

Bring to class: Paper, pencil, a laptop or tablet with Creative Studio Stand Alone Mode (SAM) installed, your controller/red key number.

Looking forward to all of the quilting possibilities with Creative Studios 6.

Announcing: the Annex!

Offers and Sales,

Laurena got the best present ever.

Boston Longarm Hub - Laurena Longarm Quilting

As you would know from Laurena’s emails in 2014 (not on the list? You could fix that now!),




she needed/hoped for a more spacious setting. In early 2014, she made a list of what she wanted/needed to create a better hub for longarm quilters. After numerous property visits, she found a pretty ideal spot… a couple of times. As you may have experienced, real estate is an industry with unpredictable moments. For different reasons, none of the places worked out. By fall, she was pretty discouraged.

Many of her customers asked, “When will you move?”

Laurena began to wonder how this would turn out. With a second Statler Stitcher, new employees, Laurena’s Longarm Quilting was bursting at the seams. Hmm… What about another space in her same building?

Hurray! While another space on the same floor didn’t have all of the wish list items, here was the space she needed at an acceptable price. It was just a matter of waiting for the previous tenant to evacuate their equipment, electricity and heating to be updated/installed, putting in new carpet, signing a lease, being patient, and YES! She got the keys to the Annex just a few days before Christmas.

Since then, Laurena’s replaced the ceiling tiles (phew! 30 years of nicotine charged dust), painted and prepared for the expansion. Custom quilting, storage and office work will all take place in the Annex. Longarm quilting customers will enjoy a much more spacious experience. There will be room for the additional mid arm stand up machine, joining the existing Vision, Plus, Statler and of course, the new sit down mid-arm Charm.

Laurena’s having a great time nesting in the new space. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!