Welcome To My Studio

My "studio" is actually my basement! LOL
It is a nice bright space and I feel very lucky to have it. I can come down here and get away from the world and just enjoy being creative--what a freeing experience!
This is my Janome 1600P which I like to use for free motion quilting. Here I am machine quilting my Canadiana Rose quilt.



Here are some of the ribbons I have won over the years. In the past I didn't enter my quilts in many contests as I was afraid of having my quilts lost or damaged during transit; but my quilt appraiser advised me that quilts are more valuable if they have won ribbons so I have started to enter a few more contests. Ribbons are nice but I always feel that more important is the satisfaction that you get when you complete something beautiful. I try to only compete with myself and try to learn something new with each quilt that I make.



Writing my books and designing my patterns has given me a lot of satisfaction.
It is probably the hardest thing for me to do and causes me a lot of stress sometimes but when I see the end result it seems all worthwhile.



This is my computer corner where I prepare my lesson plans, class handouts, patterns, and books. Unfortunately I find I'm here more than I am at my sewing machines.



Here is the newest addition to my sewing machine collection. I'm enjoying learning how to use my HQ18 midarm sewing machine. It's a bit harder to learn than I thought it would be. As I quilt on it, I keep thinking about the words of the song "I'm not perfect but I'm still trying."

Thanks for dropping by!

Marking a Quilting Pattern with Press'n Seal

Sometimes it is difficult to see through a very thick fabric such as felted wool or a quilt that has already been sandwiched with the batting and backing. This makes tracing a quilting pattern onto the quilt very difficult. Using Press'n Seal (which is available in the grocery) simplifies this process.




First trace the quilting pattern onto the Press'n Seal with a fine tip permenant marker such as Pigma Pen size .05 and let the ink dry.




Then place this traced pattern onto the quilt in the desired location and finger press in place. Lower the feed dogs on your machine and use a darning foot to free motion quilt along all the lines of the quilting pattern.




After all the stitching has been finished; tear away the Press'n Seal leaving only the stitched quilting. In this photo I have started to remove some of the Press'n Seal. I use my fingernail to scratch at the Press'n Seal or sometimes I use tweezers to help pull off the pieces of the Press'n Seal.

Please leave me a comment if you find this technique helpful. Let me know if there is another technique you would like to see featured.

This post is a followup to my Felted Wool Applique tutorial posted on June 9, 2011 at http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com This was a very popular tutorial with 133 comments posted so far. Thanks everyone!

Mother's Day Quiz

Who was this famous Mother?

1. Down the ages, told or sung,

Her rhymes delight the very young.



2. Fine old dame of visage glum,

Who knows the artist knows his mom.



3. Labouring in slums obscure,

Mothering a thousand poor.



4. Produced by this famed dowager,

One president, two senators.



5. Grandma proved it's none to late,

To gain renown with brush and paint.


Bet you can guess them all!

In Praise of Mothers on Mothers' Day

This is a photo of my Mama quilt made from a pattern by Bunny Leighton of Bunny Publications. It shows my family in the center showcasing each of our hobbies--my husband with his gardening, me with my quilting, Ken with his turtles (one has escaped) and Candice with her doll.

The other blocks show all the many activities that mothers do in the course of a busy week looking after their family. I fell in love with this quilt because when I was small my Mom used to tell me stories of her mother whom she called Mama. The many activities reminded me of the things she said her mother used to do.

The pieced quilt blocks in the corners are called Happy Home. That's my wish for all of you--that you and your family have a happy home.

"God can't be everywhere; and, so, invented Mothers." Sir Edwin Arnold

Samplings from the Sea

Samplings from the Sea was one of my first books and has been out of print for quite sometime now. However, to my surprise and delight some quilters are still making this quilt. I would like to share this very special variation with you.

Carolyn Black writes:

Hi, Rosemary, the quilt was made by a local group of quilters from Manteo, NC called the Teacup Quilters. It is a small group of 12 to 15 quilters that do a quilt exhibit every year during the month of March. It is held at Roanoke Island Festival Park. It is the home of the outdoor drama "The Lost Colony". The first Englishmen on this continent settled here. If you look at a map of North Carolina, we are on a barrier island off the coast. Many different members of the group did different blocks. I did one of the applique blocks since I am a glutton for applique. They also adapted the block patterns to paper piecing (not my bag). I wish you could really see this quilt and the fabrics that went into it. It was hard to imagine the quilt in different fabrics than the original, however, with the help of EQ it was determined that it would work. I also own a very small quilt shop in Manteo, Outer Banks Quilts and Antiques. www.obxquilts.com. I thought it would be interesting for you to actually see the quilt from a different perspective. The group hopes to see it on your website someday. Thanks for allowing us to use the pattern.

Another lovely variation sent to me some time ago is shown below:




I am a longarm machine quilter from southern New Hampshire (USA). About three years ago I was taking a class from my local quilt shop owner and while we were working on the project for the class, she was trying to complete another class sample for a block of the month series she was doing.
The quilt was from the Samplings From The Sea book and the quilt was a stunner! I told her then and there that if she ever decided to sell that quilt top or finished quilt to please let me know. Almost a year and a half ago, she closed her shop and that was the last I heard of it. From time to time I do hear from her because she still has customers that need machine quilting that that's about it.

Well, I got an e-mail from her about a month ago saying that she had finally sold her quilt shop and she was cleaning out and getting everything organized for the new owners. She wanted to know if I was still interested in the quilt that I had fell in love with a few years earlier. To make a long story a bit shorter, I purchased the quilt from her and now I have the wonderful task of machine quilting it.

Janet-Lee Santeusanio
Woodland Manor Quilting
Hampton Falls, NH