Snyder - Get addicted to free-motion quilting: go from simple to sensational with Sheila Sinclair Snyder

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Art Director: Kristy Zacharias

Editor: Lynn Koolish

Technical Editors: Doreen Hazel and Teresa Stroin

Cover Designer: April Mostek

Book Designer: Rose Wright

Production Coordinators: Jessica Jenkins and Rue Flaherty

Production Editor: Joanna Burgarino

Illustrator: Valyrie Friedman

Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo

Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my great friend Judy Dillree. She was the first person to encourage me to buy a longarm machine. She was the connection to some great quilt shops that began passing out my business cards and trusted me with their sample quilts. Judy has continued to make inspiring quilts, and her use of color melts me! Id also like to mention some inspirational quilters who may not have been aware of their influence but who opened my eyes to the possibilities of machine quilting back in 1999 when I first started: Janet Fogg, Linda Taylor, Jodi Beamish, and Marilyn Badgeryou still inspire me!

Acknowledgments

I am sometimes amazed to be surrounded by supportive people who encourage, inspire, and take away distractions when I am buried in deadlines. Once again my family took up the torch of cooking and cleaning so I could concentrate. To Julia and Spencer, Matthew and Samantha, you are my inspiration. You bring so much love, beauty, humor, and energy to my life. I cant imagine not taking every step with you. To my husband, Elvin, you are my hero! So capable, sensible, and caring for 36 years, and Im looking forward to more!

Ive had the help of my little quilt group too. Meeting deadlines can be tricky, as there is such a volume of work to be done. Carol, Yolaine, Margaret, Arlene, Sandy, Viki, Marcia, Lela, Ruth, and my dependable neighbor Marie helped with making blocks, binding, and labels as I was speeding toward a deadline. They are generous with their time and talents even though they could easily give me the boot, since I only occasionally have time to meet in person with them!

Ive had the support of Lynn Koolish, Gailen Runge, Roxanne Cerda, Joanna Burgarino, Doreen Hazel, and Valyrie Friedman, who all trusted me and helped prepare this book. The book designer, Rose Wright, and the photographers, Diane Pedersen and Mary Peyton Peppo, made everything clear and beautiful.

Thank you so much. I truly appreciate all you have done.

Introduction

Free-motion quilting can be accomplished many ways: using a home sewing machine or a shortarm, midarm, or longarm quilting machine. I feel lucky to have a longarm machine that I am as comfortable with as if it were an extension of me. It was a different story when I started in 1999. But it doesnt take long to learn something new when you immerse yourself in it full-time. Now, I feel like I can quilt much better than I can draw, and thats directly correlated to how much I do of each.

Ive chosen my most original and unique designs for this book. Many of them have evolved over the years from the original few designs I learned when I began quilting. Every design starts as a simple pattern. As I develop some expertise with it, I will begin to think about how it can be embellished and modified to suit other quilts.

Most designs can also be used in a variety of scales, such as a medium-to-large allover design or a small-to-micro background fill. I also imagine how some part of it might be used as a border or sashing. The combination may or may not be used on the same quilt, but having so many options for using a design that I already know builds the repertoire I have at my disposal.

Quilt designs have a progression and evolutioneach design starts with a basic rendition, then it is modified once or twice to create more complicated designs, and, finally, border and sashing techniques are added. I tend to think about the progression as a series of levels:

1. Interested

2. Involved

3. Addicted!

Addicted!Ha-ha! Thats me all right! Its not a gradual development. Its full speed ahead. I like to push myself and my students to the next level. So throughout the book, look for the progressions and the added sashing and border designs. I hope youll find some fun new inspirations.

Interested

Involved

Addicted!

The Process

Supplies

Quilters have stuff! We are drawn to checking out any new gadget that comes along. Who could deny the advancements that technology and innovation have brought to the industry? So bring it on, all you manufacturers, inventors, and distributors. Well test it, use it, collect it, and look forward to the next new thing.

As a longarm quilter I have an arsenal of tools that are must-haves for me. Space is number one on the listI need lots of space for my longarm machine. And for those of you who quilt on midarm or home machines, you also need space, especially surface space, so your quilts dont drag off the quilting table. We all need storage space for batting, quilt tops waiting to be quilted, and, of course, thread. We also need a big bookshelf to hold our quilting books and patterns. Great lighting means your eyes wont be strained after quilting for many hours. Mostly I use full-spectrum overhead lights, but sometimes its necessary to use backlights or side lights, and once in a while I like to quilt with no lights at all, just the daylight coming in the window.

The tools I use at the machine are not limited to these, but theyre definitely among my favorites:

Antifatigue mats for the floor at both the front and back of the machine (for stand-up quilting, such as at a longarm)

A straightedge as a guide for fussy things such as straight lines

Marking tools

Circle templatesI use them for marking only.

Thread of every colorsolids, variegated, and specialty threads. If you havent tried metallic thread on velvet, you are in for a treat!

I have my favorite seam rippernot that I have to use it much, but there are those times. It has a flat handle so it wont roll off the quilt.

The little curved scissors I use to snip thread are indispensable. They fit my hand perfectly and are very sharp and pointed. Of course, I also have good shears for trimming batting.