Featured #battgirls (October 2014) Simply Quilted/Debbie Yarbrough

Featured #battgirls- (October 2014) 

Simply Quilted/Debbie Yarbrough

Quilters Dream Batting: What inspired you to start/own your quilting business and what inspires you now?

Debbie Yarbrough:  I quilted on my home machine and the quilts just kept getting bigger and bigger but the machine didn't. I decided it was time to purchase a long arm, to offer services now, to grow a home business and have additional income now and in the future. I have been quilting for over twenty years and have had my long arm for little over a year. Before my long arm I quilted exclusively on my home machine. I am self taught and pick up ideas from books, the Internet and other quilters.  I teach free motion quilting for the home machine, free motion for the long arm and ruler work for the long arm at Georgia Sewing and Quilting. I have to give thanks to the owner, Jeanne Soloman, who has been nothing but a huge support and given me endless amounts of encouragement during my quilting career.  I am compassionate about quilting and this always feeds over in my classes. I am so inspired by the many different quilt patterns, and how the quilting only enhances them.

"Christmas In Red" 
Fig Tree & Co - Star Struck pattern
Moda Fabrics-  Winter Wonderland collection
Superior Thread- Magnifico (top stitch)
So Fine Thread- In the bobbin

Quilters Dream Batting: Your favorite thing about quilting and/or being part of the quilting industry?

Debbie Yarbrough: The relaxation I feel when quilting-I am obsessed with it. The quilt featured in this blog, is all free hand free motion and rulers. I absolutely love quilting with rulers and each time I quilt a quilt, I try something new. (The paisley feathers). I do love feathers.  I adore free motion quilting, learning new designs.

QDB:  What advice would you give to someone who’s never tried the Wool batting?

DY: Dream Wool is my favorite! Wool and Dream Cotton are all I use. I love the way the batting defines my quilting. It drapes really nice, it's light weight but warm and it really takes your quilting to the next level and makes it pop! Depending on what I have in mind for quilting, I sometimes will use both at the same time. I recently had three quilts win ribbons and I contribute most of  this to the outcome of the quilting due to the batting I used.

QDB: What do you do in your spare time?

DY: I volunteer my time for Quilts for Kids, Homeless Veterans,Mothers in Shelters-anyone that's less fortunate than me. My motto is "give until it feels good, not till it hurts". So many forget how an unexpected gift can really brighten someone’s day, no matter the size of the gift.

I am looking forward to the day that I can devote 100% of my time to quilting for others and give up my day job.  

QDB: What has been your biggest quilting achievement?

DY: I just ribboned on three events in a quilt show recently. I actually entered on a whim not sure what I was doing. But I am proud to say I won 1st Place and an Award of Excellence on one of my quilts and took 2nd Place on two others. I am not a competitive quilter so I can't wait to get my quilts back to see what the judges said I need to do to improve.  That was so much fun, I think I have the bug!

"Rose"
1st Place and an Award of Excellence at the Georgia National Fair
Pattern: Fiona by Me and My Sister
Fabric- Moda Fabrics (charm pack)

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"Glimmer"
2nd Place at the Georgia National Fair
Pattern: Sunbeams by It's Sew Emma
Fabric: Jocelyn Ueng for It's Sew Emma

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2nd Place at the Georgia National Fair
Pattern: Found in a magazine
Fabric: Scraps from Moda Fabrics

Keep up with Simply Quilted, Debbie Yarbrough

For longarm quilting services:

 Phone:

 (770)271-7880 

Email: debbieyarbrough@bellsouth.net

Follow Debbie on social media!

 Facebook 

 Instagram (@simplyquilted)

Twitter (simply_quilted)

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Remember we are always here to answer your batting questions and will be happy to provide samples too!

 If you or someone you know is working on a project using Quilters Dream Batting, please submit your projects! Maybe you could be our next Featured #battgirls or #battmen. 

Featured #battgirls (August): Judy Martin & Lana Corcoran

Meet our August #battgirls 

Quilt designer/author:

Judy Martin

Judy began making quilts in 1969 when she was a college student. After that first quilt, she couldn't go into a fabric store without coming home with an armful of fabric for another of her quilt ideas. She jokes that she had to become a professional quilt maker in order to justify her fabric stash. In 1980, Judy wrote her first quilting book as an editor of Quilter's Newsletter. Since 1988, Judy and her husband, Steve Bennett, have been self publishing Judy's books. To date, Judy has designed and published 996 original block and quilt patterns, many of them in her 22 quilting books.  

In November, Steve and Judy published Judy's latest book, Extraordinary Log Cabin Quilts. The book has comprehensive information and helpful tips for making Log Cabin quilts, as well as patterns for 15 stunning new variations of this timeless favorite. 

Main Street Log Cabin
Designed & pieced by Judy Martin
Quilted by Lana Corcoran

See if you have what it takes to
become a Master Quilt Maker
Game available soon.

This summer, Steve and Judy's  quilting game was published by Rio Grande Games. The game, Quilt Show, was a winner of the Rio Grande Games Design Contest. Game play is intuitive for quilters, who will love it whether or not they consider themselves gamers. 

Over the years, Judy has made more than 250 quilts; designed several fabric lines and rotary cutting tools; written scores of magazine articles; released several Electric Quilt pattern software products; recorded quilting videos for YouTube and Quilter's Newsletter TV and an episode of Simply Quilts on HGTV; and had a one-woman show of 30 of her quilts at The National Quilt Museum, where one of her quilts is in the museum's permanent collection. Judy Martin Books is active on Pinterest and Facebook, and Judy offers a free newsletter and Block of the Moment patterns on her web site: http://www.judymartin.com. 

Judy does a little hand quilting for gifts, and she likes using Quilters Dream Cotton (Request loft) because it allows her to make small, even stitches. In order to complete quilts in a timely fashion for her books, Judy has them professionally quilted. Because Judy designs and pieces the quilts as well as writing, typesetting, and illustrating her books, time constraints do not allow her to quilt the projects in her books. Instead, she entrusts the quilting to talented longarm quilter, Lana Corcoran. 

Lakeshore Log Cabin.
Designed & pieced by Judy Martin.
Quilted by Lana Corcoran

For years, Judy has specified Dream Cotton (Select) Loft as her batting of choice in her quilts that are finished with machine quilting. Judy usually discusses her vision for the quilting with Lana, but she trusts Lana, listens to her ideas and suggestions, and is comfortable scrapping the original plan if Lana comes up with something better. 

Meet longarm quilter:

Lana Corcoran

It’s hard to believe that I started quilting for others more than 11 years ago. The time has flown by and I’ve enjoyed every minute.

Like many long arm quilters, this is not my first career. My first was as a photojournalist; my last years as a photographer were spent in Washington, D.C., covering the President as a White House Press Photographer with a major wire service. I changed careers after earning an MBA, working with Fortune 500 companies doing business process engineering. Both of those careers have helped me as a quilter. From photography, I learned creativity, artistic composition, balance, and patience. From the business world, I know that successful businesses provide excellent products, services, and value to their customers. I've tried to apply lessons from both careers to my long arm business.

Aspen Log Cabin
Designed & pieced by Judy Martin
Quilted by Lana Corcoran

About 10 years ago, one of my customers brought me a package of Quilters Dream batting to use in her quilt and I've been a big fan ever since. Quilters Dream products are my favorites for my own quilts as well as my recommendation for my customers. It is important that batting is high quality, which means that it is consistent in thickness, is “clean” with no specks of cotton seeds that can leach oil onto the quilt fabric, and doesn't beard. My experience is that Quilters Dream meets all those criteria.

It’s important to me to have options to offer my customers to meet the intended uses of their quilts. For most quilts, customers choose Cotton Select, in either white or natural. It drapes beautifully, no matter how densely it is quilted. 

Those who like a loftier look and want a quilt that “breathes” love, I recommend the Dream Wool. For baby quilts, Dream Angel is the choice for its flame retardant qualities. For show quilts, a combination of Dream Wool on top of Dream Blend gives a look of trapunto without the intense labor of stuffing or cutting batts.

Dream Wool layered over Dream Blend
Designed by Nancy Sullivan Jacobs
Quilted by Lana Corcoran

Whichever one I choose, the quality is always consistent.

There are so many talented quilters. It is a pleasure and an honor when one of them trusts me to quilt their quilts. Over the years I have developed special relationships with many of them, both personally and professionally. Judy Martin, for example, has had me quilt the quilts in her last three books, including 12 for her last book, Extraordinary Log Cabins. I have quilted thousands of quilts for customers, and have won dozens of ribbons, including Paducah and MQX. I’m also very proud of the fact that I still quilt for my very first customer, despite the fact that we are over 1000 miles apart!











You too can get Lana's digitized longarm patterns available for download on Intelligent Quilting's website!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our August #battgirls and feel inspired to try some of their work. We will even send you some 10 X 10 size samples of your batting choice for you to play with. Just give us a shout! Until then, we are always on the hunt for the next Featured #battgirls....will it be you?


Happy Quilting,
The original

888.268.8664
quiltersdreambatting@juno.com

How to become featured #battgirls

{hash-tag  bat'-gurls}

   noun. 

1. Any quilter or crafter that uses Quilters Dream Batting.

Want to be one of our featured #battgirls ? 

Want  FREE batting?

Well, here's your chance!

Quilters like you are constantly tagging us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with photos of their quilts/projects where they have used Quilters Dream Batting. The talent and creativity we have seen is quite incredible! So we thought, why not give YOU the chance to show off your work!! Get your cameras ready, we will post the first blog April 1st. **edit: check out our first post here.

FYI: We have made this information a permanent tab at the top of our blog. You can always come back if you aren't quite ready to SHINE!! 

Here's how:

1. EMAIL US a picture of a project you have completed or currently working on using Quilters Dream Batting. Feel free to throw a selfie in there too! We would love to put a face to your project. Send up to 5 photos (we may not use every photo). In the subject line, PLEASE write #battgirls blog

(And don't forget the hashtag symbol #)

2. Give a brief description about the process in making it. Please include your special techniques, funny experience, your do's and dont's (if any). Don't be shy!

3. MUST tell us in your email what Quilters Dream Batting product/s you used in your project.

4. Include your name and contact info in your email to be shared in the blog post. 

5. Optional- but PREFERRED, include links to your website, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, Twitter etc!!

How we will choose our #battgirls:

To be fair, we will choose our #battgirls at random to be featured in our blog posts. We will spread the word about our #battgirls on all our social media accounts! 

Goal:

To inspire, educate, and encourage everyone to explore their creativity!!

Example Creations:

Watch out! We have #battgirls in the office. Jenn made these fabric postcards using Dream Fusion!

Again, she used Dream Fusion on this super cute tissue pouch!

 

We are looking forward to seeing your creations! Don't forget to subscribe so you can stay in the loop. 

Happy Quilting,

The original #battgirls

quiltersdreambatting@juno.com

Floating the Top

I do not have a long arm machine, so floating a quilt top does not pertain to me, but some information is just too good not to share.  Briefly, to “float the top” means to not pin it to the leaders.  To float a top, attach the backing as usual, then lay the batting on the backing and baste it to the backing to give a straight line.  Pin the top to the batting, smooth out the top, and allow the bottom to float (hang) free.  You can now lift it to smooth out the batting.  Quilt as usual, smoothing it as you go and making sure the edges stay parallel and at the same width as you started.  

Here is some advice from Kris Bizzarri:

           “I pin the backing onto the take-up roller and the canvas for the backing under the frame table.  I roll it up evenly.

            I lay the batting on top of the backing, right along the top edge – I don’t see any reason to start down 2-3”.  I place a pin about every 9” or so along the top, perpendicular to the canvas, making sure it is smoothed out.

            I baste the batting to the backing – I start on the left side, about 2” down from the batting edge.  I turn on the channel lock, turn up my speed to 30, and run a stitch along the backing/batting.  I push the machine with my left hand, rather quickly so the stitches are very large.  With my right hand, I’m pressing down on the batting just ahead of the machine so no pleats occur.  This basting line gives me a straight line to now pin my top on.

            I also figured out what to do with the canvas leader underneath that I used to pin the top to – I tied the end up to the under part of the frame, so I have a “cradle” for me to put the batting and top into as I’m working, and they’re not just laying on the floor.

            I first tried floating about 8 months ago, and haven’t done it the “old” way since.  I love it – It’s so easy to lift the top when necessary, and much easier for me to keep the top straight.”

If you have any pictures of your personal experience with “Floating the top” please share them with us.  

           

Happy Quilting!

 ~The Dream Team