Currently Stitching: Choosing Longarm Designs and Thread

For anyone who is new to the quilting world, or who does not sew at all, let's talk about what a longarm is. There are multiple parts to a longarm, and we're going to focus on the most recognizable - the sew head, the table and the "arms."

The sew head is a basically a huge sewing machine, with a large throat space, that's been put on a track to move back and forth across the arms and table. The "arms" are multiple long metal beams that hold and stretch the fabric to the right tension so the quilt sandwich can be sewn together. The table is what the sew head and everything else is built on or around.

I prefer to do edge-to-edge, or all over, quilting with digitized designs. Some folks prefer to do free motion custom quilting, which is intricate and takes a long time to become very good at. There is also pantograph quilting, which means you use a laser at the bottom of the sew head and "trace" a paper pattern that's been stretched out on the longarm table. That also takes a lot of practice, but gives a good guide and more options. 

Today I want to go over some of the projects I've finished on the longarm recently. This wreath wall hanging will be going with me to my next market. So when designing this project as a whole, I wanted to think about what would make it more attractive, instead of just making a project for myself. 

I decided to use a poinsettia and cardinal backing, that was set on a dark blue background. Because the front is majority green and black, I decided to use a deep green thread. The deep color of green also blended extremely well with the rich navy I used on the backing, which was ideal. Sometimes it can be hard to coordinate front and back thread when the colors of fabric are so different.

I decided to use a pattern called vines and berries. It's not specific to a certain plant or season so it's quite versatile. I've used this pattern before and I love how it stitches out. It's great for small or large projects because it sizes up and down very easily.

I liked the vines and berries so much I decided to use it on this crib quilt. I was more concerned about the color choice for this one because I didn't feel like I could use the same color on the front and back. I also don't like using white thread all that much, but I needed something light because of all the large amount of white background.

Then I realized, I can do whatever I want on my projects. So I decided to use a deep aqua for the bobbin thread and a silvery blue/ grey for the front. A lot of people don't feel comfortable using different color threads on the front and back because they're worried about one bleeding through to the other.

So far that's not an issue I've had when using the longarm or quilting on my domestic machine. I absolutely love how the colors and swirls turned out between the front and the back. I think they stitched out just right! I cannot wait to get this sweet little quilt all bound up and ready for its new home.

From my experiences so far, I think the hardest part for a lot of folks is choosing their backing fabric, quilting designs, or thread color. They can get overwhelmed by all the choices and often ask for guidance when making selections. While helping clients with custom work who want to be part of the creative decisions, I try to limit their options. It alleviates pressure and makes it more enjoyable for them.

After a client ordered this quilt, they wanted to choose their backing material and be part of the decision for quilting pattern and thread. I narrowed their choices by only selecting things I thought would coordinate. It helps to not have to look at too many bolts of fabric or endless streams of thread colors.

She said she wanted snowflakes on snowflakes so I decided to use an edge to edge swirling snowflake design. I sent her a picture update when it was just about done, and she was thrilled! I've found limiting the options and sending positive updates really helps clients feel like they're part of the process without being stressed out about the creative method.

This was another custom piece where I limited their options. After we got the color palette and design for the top and backing taken care off, I cut down on thread and quilting patterns again. While working with this client, they found themselves waffling on some of the decisions. They asked me to use my best judgement and make the final selections.  

I decided to use the mauve variegated thread on top and cardinal red bobbins for the back. It worked out super well! Much like the vines and berries on the crib quilt, I increased the size of the design again and was very happy with the stitch out. I also sent them picture updates of their project and they loved the turnout. Just trimming and binding left to get these quilts off to their new friends!

Lastly was this beautiful little presents table runner. The backing was a very close color palette to the front. I thought about doing red or green but it felt like it would be too strong. There were a lot of little parts and pieces and the background was majority white, which left me concerned that bold colors leave a muddled look. So I decided to focus on the bits of gold that were in almost every piece of fabric.

Finally, I settled on golden thread and this absolutely adorable little presents stitch out. I sized down the pattern design so it would fitting the runner better. I am so pumped with how it turned out! It's fun and unique and just adorable.

It's been so wonderful to try out projects in a variety of sizes and themes. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn this skill and share it with others! I cannot wait to see what else I can make!

I hope this inspires you to try new designs, techniques and colors with your quilting projects! Remember not to stress about it too much, we're here to learn and have a good time making beautiful pieces. Share your longarm and quilted designs with me!