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!

Gifts Ideas for Quilters for the 2014 Holidays from Laurena Longarm Quilting

What do Quilters want for Christmas?

Charity Quilting, Offers and Sales, ,

“What do quilters want,” our families may ask as the holidays approach? We love fabric, but do we need more? What we really want is time to quilt, right? May we suggest….

Holiday Gifts for Quilters at Laurena's Longarm Quilting
Swirled Christmas Tree Quilt Pattern by Frivolous Necessity is available on Craftsy.com

5 Holiday Gift Ideas for Quilters

  1. A Quilting Cruise. (We can think big!) Sew Many Places has a large range of destinations and teachers available for 2015.
  2. A Quilt Retreat. Quilting by the Lake in upstate New York always has a fabulous range of teachers lined up, if you want to think big but not that big.
  3. A Gift Certificate to Laurena’s Longarm Quilting 🙂 Use your gift certificate for any of our quilting services: Custom or edge to edge quilting.Or, rent  longarm machines or our new Charm, the sit down quilting machine. You can pay for batting, zippers, notions or the great quilt backs from Sew Batik. Thank you for your business!
  4. A Quilt Appraisal.   You may have finished a beautiful work in 2014. If something should happen, replacing it may be difficult. Appraising your work, or a vintage or heirloom quilt in your possession is something we may procrastinate. The American Quilter’s Society maintains a list of registered appraisers. What a gift that shows your family values your hard work!
  5. Peace on earth. As much as we enjoy making comfort quilts, how wonderful would it be if those drastic emergencies disappeared (or at least diminished). This has been on my holiday wish list for years.

Enjoy the season!

Image of Laurena Longarm Quilting Boston binding strip

Sewing Binding Strips

Perfect Quilt,

Binding your quilt? You’re almost done! Then again, it’s not done. There’s still plenty of stitching pleasure are still ahead. (Don’t want to deal with binding? Laurena’s Longarm offers complete binding services).

For most of the quilts we bind, we cut 2.5″ strips on the grain, joining the strips on the bias.
One quilter at our studio shared her favorite way to remember which way to sew the bias strips with Gwen. which she called the pants method. bindingsew

  • Pretend your binding strips are a pair of trousers.
  • Sew the strips across the “waistband” of the pants.
  • Remember no one want the crotch of their trousers sewn in half!

You can stack a pile of “trousers” and chain sew the strips together. Trim off the excess fabric, set the seam and press the binding strips in half.

The Crafty Gemini  offers a slew of video tutorials and Alanna thought this one was a good introduction to binding your quilt.

Everyone has their binding tricks and trips. Do you have any favorite ways that makes sewing binding strips easier for you?

Rent mid arm quilter Charm at Boston Laurena Longarm

Gammill’s The Charm now in Boston

Longarm quilting, , , ,

Is it time for a charming free motion machine in your life? Oh, yes, we have a cutie for you. Presenting:

Gammill Charm at Laurena Longarm Quilting Boston
The Charm sits in a table with extendable side and back leaves.

The Charm, by Gammill

Boston now has a resident Charm at Laurena’s Longarm Quilting! Whether you are shopping for a mid arm machine or just looking for a more comfortable sit down free motion quilting experience, give Laurena a call.

As soon as we set her up, we pulled out muslin to start playing around.

Image of Gammill Charm at Laurena Longarm Quilting Boston

The tablet is easy to read, the sewing area is beautifully lit and the muslin slid under the presser foot. The Charm is a great choice for free motion quilters, but thanks to the laser light, you can rest a motif on the quilt and follow the light if you would like to follow a written motif.

There’s no zippers needed and no class prerequisite to rent the Charm. Choose from more than 100 quilting threads we have on hand or bring your own. The Charm even has a basting stitch option. If your quilt is not overly large, you could baste it on the machine. Rent the Charm for $12 an hour.

Stop by to welcome our charming new mid arm quilting machine to Burlington. You can give us a call at 781-608-7891 or email info at burlingtonlongarm dot com to set up a time to give it a stitch.

Autumn: Season of New England Quilt Shows

Quilt Shows, , , , ,

Whoosh! Where did September go? Well, in Laurena’s case, it was spent at the longarm, quilting beautiful tops that will be on display at this fall’s quilt show season. Beautiful colors on trees and quilt shows around Boston guarantee great day trips. Ready to hit the road?

Learn to Longarm Quilt at Laurena's in metro Boston
Quilt, Laurena quilt!

On Saturday October 18,  Concord Piecemakers has their yard sale at St Matthews Church in Acton from 9am to 2pm. I hear the pickings are particularly good first thing in the morning (picture entire quilt backs at fabulous prices), but of course, one person’s rejects are another person’s treasure.

At 10 am on October 18, the New England Quilt Museum has a gallery talk and reception for their latest exhibit “Humorous Quilts: Keeping Us in Stitches.” Seems like you’d have to choose between the best bargains at the quilt show and the talk, unless you’re a speedy shopper!

The following weekend, kick off on Friday October 24, Rising Star Quilters Guild opens their show at St Brigid Church on Mass Ave in Lexington. Their show runs Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday and Sunday (October 25 and 26), the Burlington Quilter’s Guild hangs their show at the Middlesex Community College.   It’s a mere 20 minute drive between quilt shows (click to get the Google directions between the 2 locations), so visiting both would make a great day out.

November 6 -9, A Quilter’s Gathering holds its yearly expo at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. There may still be space in some of the classes, and the merchant mall is usually a great place to find those bits and bobs that your usual quilt store may not carry.

The Hammersmith Quilt Guild brings us through the fall with their show at the Saugus Senior Center during the weekend of November 15 -16, 2014.

Get your sewing done this weekend, while the quilt show schedules allow!

P.S. I didn’t even mention the International Quilt Festival, visiting the Dear Jane Quilt in Bennington, VT or the final days of the current exhibits at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. Just in case you’ve got a case of quilt show wanderlust!

Boston Modern Quilt Guild Charity Afternoon

Quilt Shows, ,

A glorious day both outdoor and indoor, last Sunday was. We hosted a “quilt-in” for the Boston Modern Quilt Guild on August 10, as they wrap up their Quilts for Boston initiative. Guild members filed in and out, quilted on the Gammill longarm machines, chatted, laughed, and dropped off binding and more finished quilts.

Boston Modern Quilt Guild at Laurena Longarm Quilting
A new motif for every block on this charity quilt
Free Motion Quilting at Laurena Longarm Quilting Burlington, MA
Whimsical loops in a variegated quilting thread popped on this bright quilt.

Gwen and Laurena kept both the Statler Stitchers going. Sara and Courtney tried free motion quilting on a longarm for the first time. They easily adapted, incorporating a variety of motifs in the quilts.

Gammill Statler Stitcher working at Laurena Longarm Quilting Burlington, MA
Laurena at the Statler Stitcher
Laurena Longarm Quilting charity day in Burlington, MA
Stacks of quilts ready for binding by the Boston Modern Quilt Guild.

Five quilts came off the machines that afternoon, ready for binding. A leisurely, fun way to spend a Sunday!

Statler Stitcher Samples

Longarm quilting, Statler Stitcher, ,

With Laurena out of town this week, Gwen and I took time to implement ideas and prep quilts for next week’s “back from vacation” mode.

The latest #StatlerStitcher to join Laurena's Longarm stable
Isn’t it a beauty? This Statler Stitcher has a 14′ table.

 

Gwen created samples of 36 Statler Stitcher patterns we have in stock. This will give customers a better chance to discover possibilities as they match their quilt to the computer guided stitching options. We’ve had many already on display, but it’s nice to see everything currently available. More of our renters try the Statler, and we’re happy to download and purchase new designs if there’s one you really love.

I made a nice show and tell catalog of the batting, giving you an easier opportunity to handle samples rather than just on the bolt. Check them out next time you’re at the studio.

In the next month, I hope to photograph all of our current samples and upload a catalog for you to peruse at your leisure.

Kudos to Gwen for her persistence!

5 Family activities while you’re at the Bayberry Quilt Show

Quilt Shows, , ,

Many of us cope with family members who aren’t thrilled to experience a Quilt Show. At the Bayberry Quilters of Cape Cod Show, it might just be easier to send them on to other places, leaving you in peace and quilts.

Quilt Shows aren't the only action on Cape Cod
Great beach photo by Kirstin Carey thanks to Cape Cod Chamber

First and foremost, the beach. Cape Cod National Seashore not only has magnificent beaches, but a wonderful visitor center near Eastham. Will they need to eat? Stop by Arnold’s clam shack.

For the golfer, Cranberry Valley Golf course offers award winning 18 holes of championship golf.

In case of rain, Hyannisport offers indoor alternative perfect for the family: The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.

For the curious shoppers of all ages, the Brewster General Store offers sweets and goodies that will distract them from any vendor purchases you may have picked up at the Quilt Show.

The Cape Cod Rail Trail runs from Dennis to Wellfleet and there’s many bike shops along the way that will rent bikes and trailers.

That should keep them busy. Enjoy the Bayberry Quilt Show.  There’s nothing like undistracted immersion in a favorite past time. Be sure to stop and say hi to Laurena at the Gammill Longarm Quilting booth.

5 Tips for Using Minkee on Quilt Backs

Longarm quilting, Perfect Quilt, Quilt Shows, ,

Laurena sees more and more quilters arrive with Minkee quilt backs. This plush microfiber fabric feels scrumptious, making it totally irresistible for cozy baby or lap quilts. Before working on the first customer’s quilt with a Minkee back, Laurena checked out as many online sources to make sure it would be a success. Here’s 5 tips to using Minkee fabric on your quilt.

  1. These plush fabrics are very stable along the warp, but stretchy on the weft.  Keep the selvedges on your fabric and do not cut them off.
  2. Pin your zippers opposite the grain of the fabric (i.e. perpendicular to the selvedge edges). This will control the wiggly aspect of the fabric. It may mean more rolling, but the results are definitely worth it.
  3. Minkee is 60″ wide. Joann Fabrics sells a similar product called “Soft and Comfy” that is 58″ wide. Measure your backing to ensure that your fabric is  4″ – 8″ wider and longer than your quilt top. If you need to enlarge the back, add that extra panel in the middle of your back. This makes the back interesting and keeps it stable.
  4. Think about your batting choice.  Quilter’s Dream Cotton Select gives the quilt a fantastic drape. (Yesterday, motivated marathon quilter Susan finished 4 baby and lap quilts using Select and they looked fabulous!) Higher loft battings plus the plush backing will give your quilt a different dimensionality.
  5. Quilting stitches tend to disappear in the plush fabric. If you’re hoping to make a colorful quilted statement on the back, you may want to consider a heavy flannel instead of plush microfiber.

The folks at Fabric.com created one of the best videos on how to use Minkee, so I thought I’d share it with you.

http://youtu.be/3zc1zxgxsEc