Flourishing Palms/ Linda Hungerford

Featured #battgirls- (June 2014) 

Flourishing Palms/ Linda Hungerford

In 1976, the year of the bicentennial that’s often credited for re-popularizing quilting, Linda became a mom and started making her first quilt. She used fabrics leftover from her daughter’s homemade clothes and baby room curtains, to hand-piece and hand-quilt her first quilt which still isn’t finished. Which we can all relate! 

Fast forward to today and you’ll find that Linda has covered a lot of ground and had a lot of quilting experiences since 1976.

If you've read this magazine, most likely you've
read some of Linda's work!

From attending dozens of quilt classes, retreats, and being a successful magazine editor, the list goes on with Linda's inspiring accomplishments!  Not only has she written a beginner quilt-making book (First Time Quiltmaking, 2006 ), she is currently a freelance writer for American Quilter magazine. As the co-founder of the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild chapter and founder of the Central Florida Modern Quilt Guild, Linda keeps busy teaching classes, giving programs about modern quilting, blogging and of course, quilting!

You can visit her blog for tutorials on quilting techniques, binding methods, etc.

Linda's experience with free motion quilting:
She first began free motion quilting in 1998 and was very disappointed with her results. However, after hiring a long arm quilter one time and realizing she’d break the household budget having all her quilts quilted for her, Linda tells us why she decided she had to quilt her own quilts.

“At the time, I was quilting on a mechanical Bernina 830. That’s the one in the red case. It’s a beautiful machine, but from constant running it would overheat and then completely stop working! So it could cool down, I’d have to walk away from it for at least 20 minutes before I could quilt again.” 

To solve her problem, in 2001 she bought an electronic Bernina QE153. She justified the expense by promising herself that she would never use the services of a longarm quilter to complete her quilts.

“That promise made me the quilter I am today,” says Linda. “I haven’t yet achieved perfection, but I continue to learn and improve. As I’ve begun to enter my quilts into competitive shows,  I’m finding that the batting I choose to use makes a big difference in a quilt’s final appearance.

So what advice can an advocate of free motion quilting on a home sewing machine give to others?

“It’s a skill that anyone can learn, but it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to do it well. I’ve seen too many quilters give up before they’ve really practiced. Those who make a commitment to it, and continue to try will get better,” says Linda, who is a testament to that determination.

Linda's Quilters Dream Batting go to:
This lovely scrappy quilt, Love Links, was gifted to Linda's nephew and his bride on their wedding day! Love Links contains more than 100 prints from her fabric stash in a  limited color palette of yellow and  green with hints of blue and orange. Linda choose Quilters Dream Poly in the thinnest (Request) loft for this refreshing quilt.

Using the Dream Poly is also ideal for show quilts! As many times as they may be folded, shipped and juggled around, this batting hardly holds creases and wrinkles. And with little to no shrinkage, you can wash and dry with no worries.

Backing is Ikea's "Britten Nummer"

Using variegated thread, Linda quilted the
bride and groom's names.

Even using our thinnest loft, you can still
achieve slight definition to your quilts.

Keep up with Linda/ Flourishing Palms

Blog

Instagram

Pinterest

Looking forward to your submissions. :)

~The original

Featured #battgirls (May2014) - The Quilt Studio/ Designs by Karen Gibbs

Meet fabric and pattern designer Karen Gibbs. Her passion in quilting.. Bargello! Check her out on Craftsy as she teaches you how easy this technique is. 

Karen started quilting when she worked as a sweater and textile designer for a clothing manufacturer. She would graph out holiday sweaters, giving the movement of color, similar to the way bargello is created. Now, the bargello quilts she creates uses bargello in sections or blocks of the quilts adding texture and movement, drawing the eye into that area.

Madison's Star

Her Madison's Star Quilt screams with vibrancy as many bargello quilts do and is only rivaled by the dramatic flair of a special 14 year old the quilt is named after! With the ease of strip sets, with a nod to traditional lonestar piecing, it's a dynamic quilt! Karen chose to use Quilters Dream Poly Select. She loves how it doesn't add weight to the quilt- which in a bargello, is really important with all those seams! 

Madison's Star close up

Textures are fun to freemotion with bargello and the Dream Poly Select allows enough "poof" around the stitching to show the design that compliments the quilt.

Argyle Style

Loving the Madison's Star but not quite ready to commit? Try it Argyle Style!  In this version you'll use precut strips (same layout as the star) BUT no Y seams! Using the Poly Select gives this quilt great background texture as well.

Karen's love for fabrics:

Like to experiment with fun fabrics? Well, you and Karen have something in common. Her favorite....Shannon Fabrics Cuddle Collections. You too can create these quilts by simply picking up your favorite style of Cuddle Fabric and Karen's Tilting at Windmills or Radiating Americana patterns. See her experience with these projects on her blog.

Radiating Americana

Tilting at Windmills

Karen's tips when quilting with Cuddle on the longarm:

* Use a thin lightweight batting like the Dream Poly Request (loft). Cuddle fabric is super heavy so any batting heavier might make your quilt feel like an x-ray protection shield! Because the Dream Poly Request stabilizes the stretchiness of the Cuddle, this allows for fun quilting options! 

*Try using open motifs when quilting with Cuddle on the top and back.

Karen's love of batiks:

This lucky duck was fortunate enough to travel with Anthology Fabrics as staff on the Bali Expedition Tour for 10 days! While there, she was able to experience the batik process. She currently has over 200 batik designs in stores that she has created for them! Pretty cool adventure if you ask us. :)

Pittsburgh Spring Quilt Market w/ Karen:

Have some fun with Karen in booth #450

For more details on demos, giveaways, sample sprees & schoolhouses, head on over to The Quilt Studio.

Keep up with The Quilt Studio/Designs by Karen Gibbs

 Facebook

Twitter

Blog

The Quilt Studio website

Pinterest

Google+: designsbykarengibbs

Well..... are you grabbing your keys and running to your local quilt shop? If so, don't forget to share, remember the search for future #battgirls will continue. We can't wait to see your ideas! 

Looking forward to your submissions. :)

~The original