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Southern Belle

7/19/2021

My Belle quilt is hanging in our great room right now to help celebrate Southern Belle Week.

Even though I will not be at our Southern Belle conference this year, you are on my mind. Belle has always been about fun, fabric, friendship, and food, and learning how to use our Statlers! I love the friendships we've made and the family we've built and I will miss seeing you.

Since I won't be there to give you my free patterns, door prizes, etc. I'm posting a discount code here for you to use during the two weeks of Spring Belle and the week following.

All digital patterns will be -50% with the code AaB (Always a Belle) and with special attention to the pattern below.

Several years ago at Belle, Corey Pearson was playing with two of my P2P patterns, plus Mirror and came up with this idea. Isn't it cute! I've made it into a full E2E pattern and will give proceeds of this pattern to Corey when the sale is over. You can find the pattern on my Short Arm Page. or in the Store.

Sale ends August 8. Feel free to share this code with any Belles, whether they are at the conference or not.

Stay safe, have fun, learn lots, and quilt on!
Anita

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Garlic Scape Pesto

6/16/2021

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Garlic scapes are found on hard neck garlic a month or so before the garlic is ready for harvest. If left on the plant, this part will form small bulbs which can be planted to grow new garlic. But most gardeners cut them away from the parent plant and they are delicious!

I have used them in a stir fry in place of regular garlic, in scrambled eggs, and in pesto. Here's the recipe for the garlic scape pesto I mad this week:

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup of chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup almonds
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

I doubled the recipe and put 2 T in each of the 15 patties you see here, on wax paper, ready for the freezer. When they were frozen, I cut the wax paper apart and put them into freezer bags for use throughout the year.

Dinner last night was Creole salmon, homemade noodles with 1 T of butter and 2 T pesto, and fresh asparagus. Delicious!

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Judging Computerized Quilting

6/11/2021

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Many longarm machines, some domestic machines, give quilters the option of quilting with a stitch regulator, if they so desire. “Wonderful, but how can we compare that to real quilting?” Some machines can also stitch a completely computer-controlled pattern. “Amazing, but is that fair?” These questions can be heard at almost every quilt show these days. As a quilter and a judge, I can easily put myself on both sides of this question.

I’ve been quilting by hand for more than fifty years. For me, it’s relaxing and the most beautiful work I can ever think of doing. I’ve been quilting with my sewing machine for about thirty-five years. It’s fast work, sturdy enough for grandchildren and it helps me feel I might actually be able to use up some of my stash. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve been quilting on a Gammill longarm with a Statler Stitcher. This machine seems to me to be a miracle of modern quilting.

Working first on the computer, I can open a quilting design and make it any size I want, limited only by the working space between the rollers. I can set a pattern to fill a block of any dimension, to follow a vertical line, a horizontal line, or rotate it to any angle or any position. The computer will repeat patterns to fill a calculated space, so that borders or pantographs come out even. I can choose from thousands of available designs or use a CAD program to create my own. And yes, it does have a stitch regulator for free-motion quilting, when I choose to work that way.

And so, the questions come, “Is it fair to have computer guided quilting in the same category or the same show as other quilts?” This sounds like the same argument we have answered before about hand quilting vs. machine quilting, domestic machine vs. longarm, stitch regulated or not. Instead of fair or not, the question in a judged competition should be “Is it well done or not?”

Computerized machines are amazing, but can they do the quilting all by themselves? I have invited several people to come and try my machine. If I say, as we stand in front of it, “Go ahead and quilt whatever you like” of course they say they don’t know how. So then, why would anyone think that using a machine of any kind will guarantee perfect results? Knowledge, practice, and experience are necessary to help every quilter improve his or her skills no matter what technique or style of quilting. And when a quilter reaches that point of perfection, that’s when the ribbons are awarded.

It seems surprising that I would find myself in the position of defending a computerized longarm quilting machine, when it is as far away from my traditional hand quilting roots as anything could be. But, as judges, we have to separate ourselves from our own style of work and look for the “best of the best” regardless of how it was done.

When judges evaluate any type of quilting, what do they look for? Even stitches, balanced tension, clean starts and stops, good design, no distortion in the quilt top or back, straight lines and/or smooth curves would be on the list. Those things can be done well with computerized quilting, or they can still be a problem. It depends on the skill and knowledge of the quilter. I am happy to see that most quiltmakers and quilt show organizers have accepted computerized quilting just as they have all other forms of work. And judges will do their job, as always, looking beyond “how” the quilt was made and concentrating on “how well” the work was done.

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A Modern Mix - Hand and Machine Quilting in the Same Quilt?

5/28/2021

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"Island Beauty" Anita Shackelford
Quilted by hand and with a domestic sewing machine

I remember waking up, early in the morning, to the sound of my grandmother’s wringer washing machine. It had a pounding rhythm, a churning, swishing sound that told me what she was doing. I would find her standing by the washer, watching it work. She fed the clothes by hand, through the wringer into the rinse water; then again, through the wringer, before putting them into the basket and hanging them to dry. Grandma also made her quilts by hand.

My mother’s generation was thrilled with the technological advances that gave them the automatic washing machine. No more hand work! She could even walk away from the machine and do something else. What a time saver. Today, we take an automatic washing machine for granted but still, there are those few things that I like to wash by hand.

Next came the clothes dryer, and although my mother had one for a long time, she still preferred to hang her clothes outside to dry. It was nice to have the choice, depending on the particular garment, the weather, or her energy that day.

My generation has had the choice of washing dishes by hand or using a dishwasher. I was slower to accept this machine, thinking that it was too much of a luxury. But I still remember the first evening that I used it. I was sitting on the front porch, when a neighbor went by and asked what I was doing. “Washing the dishes!” was my quick reply. I still wash a number of things by hand – fragile items, good knives, large sticky pots – but the majority of the work is done by machine.

I’ve been quilting by hand since the late 1960s. I love hand quilting; it’s a calm, relaxing process and I have finished more than 200 pieces this way. I’ve been using a sewing machine since I was a teenager, making clothing and home decorator items, but I didn’t used it on my quilts. The purchase of a new sewing machine in the mid-1990s gave me the option of quilting with a walking foot. I started experimenting with quilting in-the-ditch and simple line patterns in borders. I discovered (as many already knew) that it was a quicker way to finish a few things. Although I never took the time to learn free motion, I found that I could quilt simple flowing designs with the walking foot. I learned that some areas were quicker and easier to quilt by machine and some were still easier by hand. It made sense to use the technique that fit the situation and gave me a good finished product.

Our new generation is fortunate to have many different ways to quilt. Together, my daughter and I have been quilting with a longarm machine. Jennifer knows how to hand quilt and I hope she will quilt some pieces that way. But quilting by machine can help her make more quilts and also allow her to spend more time with her family. We are not choosing one technique over the other because one is better than the other. We are happy to have so many options at our disposal. The decision is not about which method is right, or better, or faster, or easier, but how to achieve the effect we want. By combining hand and machine quilting in the same piece, we can have the best of both worlds.

We have many options in the methods we choose to create our quilts. We can use hand piecing, machine piecing, hand appliqué, machine appliqué, hand quilting, or machine quilting. Most quilters have a favorite way of working. We like to piece by machine, now that we have new methods to make it easy and accurate. Hand piecing has also found a new audience, but often those hand-pieced blocks are set together by machine. And many of us wouldn’t hesitate to combine machine piecing with hand appliqué. We should choose the techniques that make us comfortable with the work and give us the best results. A mix of quilting techniques can serve us in the same way. There are many ways and many good reasons to combine hand and machine quilting in the same quilt.
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If we are happy with our work the way it is now, why would we want to change, and quilt our quilts with more than one technique? Perhaps to save time. Everyone knows that machine quilting is faster than hand quilting. The needle stitches faster. Combining hand and machine quilting in the same piece can finish a quilt in a shorter time than hand quilting alone. Machine quilting alone would be even quicker, but there are many other good reasons for combining hand and machine quilting in the same quilt.

From a practical point of view, hand quilters might ask themselves, “How many quilts can a hand quilter finish in a lifetime?” Whatever the number, it seems it will never be enough. There is always the next great design or beautiful fabric calling to us. Working with a combination of hand and machine quilting can help us make more quilts. We can “save” our hands by putting only measured amounts of hand work into each quilt.

If you have good skills in more than one technique, why not show them off in the same quilt? Just as a mixed technique quilt can show skill in both patchwork and appliqué, a combination of quilting techniques can add visual interest to a quilt and showcase your many talents.

Most of us make quilts for our family to use or to keep. I have made both kinds of quilts for my children and grandchildren. I want them to grow up knowing and loving quilts. The heirloom quilts are hand quilted, but I would not put that much time into a quilt for them to use everyday. It makes sense to make sturdy machine quilted quilts for children to use. But, at the same time, think about including some hand quilting for them to see. Most of us feel a strong sense of connection to the hand writing and hand work of a previous generation and we can touch future generations in the same way. As a variation on this idea, think about machine quilting the quilt and hand quilting a pillow or two to go with it. Or, hand quilt the front of a pillow and machine quilt the back.

Perhaps working with a friend will be the reason you choose to put hand and machine quilting into the same quilt. Working with a partner can be fun. If you each have different quilting skills, why not combine them? Think about ways to combine hand quilting and sewing machine, hand quilting and longarm, or sewing machine and longarm quilting.

Maybe the cost of hiring a quilter will be the deciding factor. If you do some of the quilting yourself, you will pay a fee only for the part that’s hired, whether it’s by hand or machine.

To get more quilting time out of your day, think about machine quilting in the daytime and hand quilting at night. This combination uses different muscles, different skills, and may double the time you can work on a quilt.

Perhaps you will find yourself working in a time or place without electricity. This might be a planned or an unplanned event but you can find ways to make it work for you. You may want to take your quilting with you on vacation, to an appointment, or a sporting event. With careful planning, machine quilting can be done at home and the hand quilted areas can be saved for times when you are away. Quilting can even be done through power outages – as long as we have enough light to see, stitching can be done by hand.

Once you begin to think about reasons to combine quilting techniques, chances are you will find many more combinations and good ways to use them. Let's be open to all of the possibilities and get those quilts quilted!

Read more about combining quilting techniques in my Modern Mix book.

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The Accidental Machine Quilter

5/14/2021

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Hand quilting and free motion machine quilting in the same quilt.

Sometimes when I begin a lecture I ask how many people in the audience quilt by hand, how many quilt with their sewing machine, how many use a longarm, and how many are computerized? Surprisingly, I can answer “yes” to all of those.

I’ve been sewing by machine since I was 14, making my own clothes and home dec items. I have been making quilts by hand since 1967 and I never thought those two kinds of sewing would ever cross paths. In the 1980s, I bought a Bernina and at first I was somewhat of a “closet” machine quilter - hoping no one would notice if I put a line of machine quilting in the ditch to save a little time in an otherwise hand quilted quilt. But, I love my Bernina, and I soon began to use it more and more, adding swags and cables, stars and fancy work to both large and small quilts.

I never intended to own a longarm. For years, people have shown me longarm machines at quilt shows. I always smiled politely while I watched, but I wasn’t really interested. And I knew that a big machine like that wouldn’t fit anywhere in my house.

Then a few years ago a man named Todd Brown wrote to ask permission to digitize my Infinite Feather designs for use on a Statler Stitcher. This was a man I had never met, asking me to get involved in something I’d never heard of. Surprisingly, the letter didn’t go directly into the spam folder; I was intrigued by the possibility that quilting designs could be digitized. My daughter, Elisa, does commercial machine embroidery with digitized patterns, so I had some idea what that might mean. I was not going to buy a machine, of course; just intrigued by the idea of offering a few patterns. And what could be bad about offering my feather designs to a new group of quilters? The request came near the end of the year and we were busy with Christmas preparations and the anticipation of finishing and moving into a new house, so I put it off for a while. I would think about it after the new year, when my life settled down.

You know, things never settle down. In the spring, I found myself deep into my workshop commitments and trying to cope with crutches and a broken foot. I asked my daughter Jen to travel with me to manage all the suitcases and teaching supplies for a weekend retreat and then we planned to go on to the MQS show. I thought I should meet this man face to face before I decided to sign a contract. The trip would also give us a chance to see what was happening in the world of longarm quilting. And, as they say, one thing led to another...

We met Todd Brown, Kim Diamond, and Paul Statler and we saw the Statler Stitcher in action. I have to say, I was amazed at what it could do and excited about making my patterns available in this format. It was a good idea. Todd and I agreed to work together and I had done what I came to do.

By the second day, Jen and I were already planning what we could do with a machine like that. We could go into business quilting together, or Jen could quilt for others and I could just play with the machine and quilt a little for myself. The hook was set. I went home just babbling about this incredible machine and how much fun it would be…..

I should mention I have the perfect quilter’s husband. He not only understands and enjoys this art, he also helps in so many different aspects of my business. He is my webmaster, bookkeeper, shipping department, etc. etc. I convinced him that his part in this new adventure could be to take a class on digitizing with me. After all, he was the computer expert in the house and I thought I would need him to explain it all to me when we got home. But, after a short time, I was digitizing patterns for my own use and for sale and teaching Autosketch classes to others.

I’m not sure if it was coincidence or karma, but our new house had a perfect spot in the basement, just waiting for something BIG to arrive. Jen and I quilted two quilts the first day the machine was delivered, and at the same time we could see what a huge learning curve was ahead of us. We spent the early weeks quilting for ourselves, taking baby steps, and learning the Precision Stitch software, but there were several moments that made me take huge leaps and forced me to do something new.

I was teaching at a show in Washington state and was told after I arrived that one evening would include a dinner and auction for local breast cancer charities. I wasn’t aware of the auction ahead of time, but on the spur of the moment, I felt like I should offer something. After all, I had had my machine for 2 months; certainly I could do something! When I offered to donate my quilting services, I said “Please say I’m a beginner.” Instead the auctioneer said, “We’ve just had a fabulous offer!” and included other words, such as “famous, award winning quilter”, and “I’m sure she’ll fill it with feathers...” I was terrified when the bid went to $600! In talking with the winning bidder, I again reminded her I was new to the longarm. She sent a sweet little nine patch quilt and I did fill it with feathers. It was the first quilt I quilted for someone else.

Another early request was to quilt a Coxcomb wall quilt, made from my Coxcomb Variations book. The woman needed to have it finished in a couple of weeks to take to a friend in France. No pressure there, right? I hadn’t quilted anything appliquéd and didn’t have much in the way of free motion skills, so I convinced my husband we needed to digitize designs to fit those spaces. It was an interesting adventure and we polished up our digitizing skills in a hurry.

Also, in those early months, a second donation of quilting services brought a request to design and quilt a wholecloth quilt. A publishing deadline resulted in the need to do free motion quilting to fill the background of a full size sunflower and basket quilt. And a large, random sampler I made for my husband was my training piece for stitch-in-the-ditch. Each of these circumstances pushed me far beyond what I thought I could do and I learned so much more than I would have if I’d stayed in my comfort zone.

My quilting now includes quilts for myself and my family, workshop samples, and custom quilting for others. I always make time for a little pro bono work and have quilted for organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative, National Quilting Association Grants and Scholarships, the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, North American Mennonite Relief Sale, and Quilts Of Valor.

I suppose most quilters make a more gradual transition, but for me it seems to have been a big leap from traditional hand quilting all the way to computerized longarm work. People have been worried that I won’t continue to quilt by hand, but I love hand work and can’t imagine ever giving it up. I guess I’ll be something of a hybrid quilter, using whichever technique seems right for the quilt – hand, domestic sewing machine, free mothion, or computerized – and frequently I mix them all together in the same quilt. My philosophy is that the technique we use to quilt things is not nearly so important as the fact that we DO get them quilted. It’s all good.

"Ready to Sail" was one of my first custom quilts

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My Meatless Monday Menu - Spaghetti Sauce with Fennel

5/10/2021

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I recently found a recipe for spaghetti sauce that included fennel and was inspired to try making my own version of it.

We like the taste of fennel and we grow a few plants every year. I use both the fleshy bulb and the seeds in a variety of Italian dishes. Fennel has an anise or licorice taste and it is not for everyone, I guess, but if you like it, you might enjoy this recipe.

My favorite spaghetti sauce - the one I've been making for years - is a light summer sauce, sweet and full of fresh basil. This one is dark and rich. It is delicious on its own or it could have Italian sausage added, if you are so inclined.

Here's how I made it:
1 T olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 qt. tomato puree
1 pint San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 t. dried basil
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1/4 t. fennel seeds, chopped
1/8 t. black pepper
few hot pepper flakes (to taste)
1 bay leaf
2 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1 T Parmesan cheese

Sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute, but do not let it brown.

Add approximately 6 cups of tomatoes in any form you have available to you. They will cook down and can be pureed after cooking.

Stir in the herbs and remaining ingredients and simmer slowly, until thick. Puree the sauce if you want it smoother. Mine was thick and ready to eat in about an hour, although I think it was better flavored the second day.

Dick thought it would be good with a side of shrimp and he was right! I'm sure we'll enjoy this many different ways.

Bon Appetite!

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Meatless Monday - Spinach Ricotta Lasagna

5/3/2021

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I made lasagna and a green salad for dinner last night, so I thought it would make a good Meatless Monday recipe to share with everyone. It's rich and cheesy. Give it a try!.

My greens are growing super well this time of year. We like fresh spinach in our salads, but I don't cook spinach as a side dish. I guess, this is one exception. When we were not eating meat, this was a favorite lasagna recipe. And if I decide to add meat instead of spinach, I still use this recipe. I think you'll like it either way.

Spinach Ricotta Lasagna
*
8 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
3 cups spaghetti sauce
6 lasagna noodles
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 pkg frozen spinach

Cook noodles al dente. Combine the cheeses, egg, garlic, salt, and black pepper and set aside. Combine the red pepper with the spinach and cook as directed. Drain.

Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. I make my own noodles and they are not perfect rectangles, so I can put them into a variety of dishes, but you will probably want a traditional 9 x 13 dish.

Layer noodles, cheese, spinach, sauce and repeat, ending with sauce on top. Sprinkle with more mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Remove the foil and bake a few minutes longer to brown the cheese. Allowing it to cool for 5-10 minutes will help it set up and make it easier to cut into serving pieces.
Enjoy!

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Quilt Rescue - Embroidered Baby Quilt

5/1/2021

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Last year, I had a request to try to restore a family baby quilt to be given as a gift to a new arrival expected soon. The before pictures show an embroidered quilt from the 1930s with significant damage to the lower edge and back. One might think it was a hopeless case.

The embroidered blocks were well done and had no damage. The quilt had only been tied and not quilted, so that was one thing that made this job easier. The back and the lower edge, front and back, were damaged or missing.

I removed the ties, discarded the batting, and cleaned up the seams allowances and stray threads from behind the top.
Parts of the original back were in good condition and had aged the same as the front, which made it a perfect match for restoration work of the lower border and a couple of other sashings on the front.

I added a new back, quilted it, and used more of the back fabric for the binding. This approach allowed me to keep the original vintage fabrics and appearance on the front. New batting and back made this a strong, usable quilt again. We managed to save a family heirloom, keep some beautiful handwork from being discarded, and pass it on to another generation. The owner was delighted.

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Deadlines

4/30/2021

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I spent a good number of years making quilts by hand and entering competitions. I taught quilting, wrote for quilting magazines, authored books, and made many life long friends during that time. It was an exciting way of life.

Below is an article that I wrote during that time. I know some of you will relate...

I work best when I am inspired. But good ideas come faster than I can complete them. As a result, I find myself working on many quilts at one time, delaying completion of any particular one until there is an urgent need to have it finished.

I take my quiltmaking seriously. I know that I will not be satisfied if I don’t give each quilt what it needs. Often I am faced with a show deadline and find myself calculating... “if I can quilt “x” number of stitches in an hour, or so many inches of the border each night, and with only this many days left...how can I be done on time??” During one of my more stressful moments, my husband asked... “Do you want to be buried with the quilt that kills you?”

I appreciated the humor, as well as the serious undertones of his remark, and I am sure that I explained the importance of meeting the deadline. I just couldn’t go to the show without a quilt to enter. But his comment gave the word “deadline” new meaning.

Being buried with a quilt is a comforting thought, but I never considered that my quiltmaking might be the cause of my departure. I hope to live a long time and to thread my needle every day. So I will try to relax and to finish each quilt in its own time. But, please excuse me now; I have a quilt to finish...

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