Wednesday, February 29, 2012

the other side of me

Some people know, some people don't.  Yes I have an etsy shop.  Yes I am an Australian living in Upstate New York.  And yes I have a Long Arm Quilting business too!!  It occurred to me recently that there are a lot out there who have no idea what my business is about.
And for those who aren't quilters I will explain what I do...

Lots of quilters sew their quilt tops together, be them elaborate works of art or functional utility pieces.  They are all made up of pieces of fabric sewn together to make a 'quilt top' or what some call a flimsy'.  Now some choose to sandwich this quilt top with batting and another piece of fabric as the backing piece and then hand or machine quilt it themselves or tie it to hold it altogether to form the finished quilt.  Other people choose to send their quilt top/flimsy to a professional long arm quilter to have it quilted for them.  And one of those LA quilters is who I am!  I have local customers and I have customers who mail their lovely quilt tops to me and I ship them back as a beautiful quilt.  I absolutely love my job and feel so blessed that I can work from home all year around and never have to worry about winter commuting.
Here are some photos to help explain the process.

a quilt top or flimsy on my frame and in the process of quilting


the finished quilt


a close up of the quilting stitches


my machine


the name of my business, Pieceful Hollow Designs



So there you have it.  The other side of me!

I have something else to share with you...
I am off to Australia in 32 days to see family and friends there!!  Do you think I am excited?  You betcha!

Ooroo for now!

18 comments:

Danelle (Indie Game Lover) said...

Look at the machine! Beautiful pieces love the pink. I cant even sew a button haha

Krystal said...

That is cool that you do that! It's definitely a good idea! I might have to get back to you once I finish my husband's quilt top - when I figure out how to do the rest of it!

CalliopeCreations said...

I had a general idea of what you were doing with that long arm machine but this cleared up a few things.

You will sooooo enjoy your vacation trip. Take pictures and you can share them with us.

Stacy Parker said...

I never knew there was an option to have someone do the making it into a quilt stage. Cool to learn.
Hope you have fun visiting family!

woolly smile said...

how i wish that i could do quilting. when i was pregnant, i tried to make a blanket for my baby, still use it :)

Enjoy your time with your family and friends :)

Mt. Baldy Glassworks said...

Wow! I have sent out 2 quilts in the past. I think I sewed the flimsy to the batting and did edging before I sent it though. That is what happens when you don't know what your doing, but plunge ahead anyway. And yes, I think you are blessed to be able to work from home!

Mt. Baldy Glassworks said...

I lost my comment! Well, here it is again! Or maybe it is just waiting to be moderated. Anyway, love quilts, and think you are blessed to be working from your home. And I am so excited for your upcoming trip to Australia! I am sure you are jumping out of your skin with anticipation!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Yeah - you need to advertise yourself. So excited for you too in that you get to visit your home. It is snowing - winter has finally arrived in the the NorthEast! I'm gonna sew.

MagicByLeah said...

Wow Fascinating,
I always wondered how those square fabrics turn into an actual filled quilt

evey said...

What a cool post. It is nice to get t know this other side of your business/life. I hear you about the joys of working form home. Sometimes I hate telling people that I run my businesses mainly from home though, because they tend to think I goof off all day. I wish!

SmileyKit Creations said...

Love the post, I had no idea about Long Arm I always thought people did all the themselves. Great information and love the quilts you do.

Mandee said...

I live finding about other artists. I love your business name and I am jealous you are from Down Under. It is on my bucket place to visit there.

Linda B said...

Wow, those a huge pieces and a huge machine.

Enjoy your trip. Take pics

Brittany said...

Those quilts are seriously gorgeous!

petitehermine said...

Wow, that's quite a machine! So that's what you do. I'm not a quilter so now I know that I can find someone to help me finish a quilt, should I ever make one. I made a small quilt once as a child and that was really tough on a small sewing machine so maybe I got discouraged there :(

Unknown said...

Unique Cozy Treasures - You are one talented lady. The quilts are beautiful. Have a great vacation in Australia! Save travels.

Unknown said...

I hope you enjoy your time in Australia. I have heard the term long arm quilting before, but it was really neat to see what it actually was!

Miss Hillbilly said...

Oh, take me with you! I wanna meet so many Australian friends. No I didn't know that you do long arm quilting. Tell us more about your style of quilting. Computer or free arm?