NEW LOCATION

We have a new location for our meetings....

Gary United Methodist Church

224 N. Main St

Wheaton IL 61087

Use door #5 in the rear of the building, that is where the parking lot is located.

Take elevator to the lower level then walk ahead to the meeting room.

Dues for 2017 are $25.00 

Guest Fee: $10.00

The next meeting is

DATE:  Feb 4, 2017 

TIME:  9:30 AM to 12:30 PM (we have to do our own set up and take down, so anyone that can help please come at 9:00 AM)

Please see the new Calendar Page for a full list of programs.

Oct meeting and workshop information

SCHEDULE UPDATE !!

Due to family obligations the dates of our October Speaker's workshops have been changed. 

Please see the new schedule below.

Oct 4, 2014  Regular meeting at the PNC Bank, 250 E Roosevelt Rd, Wheaton IL. 

Zentangle Skill Builder workshop on fabric.  The guild had Sue Jacobs teach a Zentangle ornament last year.  Now is the time to transfer that skill to fabric.  During the Oct meeting, each member should bring  a 20 by 20 inch piece of fabric and a marking tool that works for that fabric. (blue wash out fabric, chalk pencil, etc.) Students will draw curvy lines directly onto their fabric, the resulting areas can be filled with Zentangle doodle, or any other type of quilting fill stitches.  It is suggested that you practice a few Zentalge designs on paper first. So additional supplies would be a pen, paper, maybe some a ruler or a curved ruler  or a compass. Members will take their fabric home to quilt and bring it back to the December meeting for show and tell.   For additional inspiration please see Sue Jacobs web site http://suejacobs.blogspot.com/  and Marla's show and tell from the June 2014 Meeting.

Remember to bring the results of the coloring page skill builder,

Join us for 4 workshops Oct 25th and Oct 26 2014 with Linda Thielfoldt http://www.thequiltedgoose.com/

Linda is has won many blue ribbons at national shows for her machine quilting artistry and wearable art. (Paducah, MQX, MQS, Lowell Quilt, HMQS just to name a few) Her machine quilting skills are in demand by quilters from all over the United States. She has been teaching quilting for over 15 years and loves to share her knowledge in a fun, lively, no-rules style that will provide inspiration and new ideas.

LOCATION:  Holiday Inn, 150 S Gary Ave, Carol Stream, IL (630-665-3000)
We have a block of rooms set aside for those that would like to stay overnight. Please contact the hotel directly to make your reservation.

Oct 25 a.m. 9:30 – 12:30  Batting, Thread & Needles ~ Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Lecture class  The top is complete, you have an idea as to the type of quilting but now you have to choose the batting, the thread and oh yeah, those needles! How do you decide which combination is the best for your project?  In this class you will see firsthand the results of Linda's batting testing project, where she tested nearly 100 different kinds/types of batting. Learn how to choose the best batting for wall quilts, snuggly quilts, bed quilts and how the battings can impact all of your quilts.

Thread, a major component of every quilt! Learn how to choose the right one and the one that works well in your machine AND does not cause tension headaches! Linda shares her time tested process for navigating the often difficult thread and tension situation and shares her secrets that garner her "excellent tension" remarks and scores on her award winning quilts in shows across the country.

Needles, how to choose the proper needle for your project and the different types available and why they matter are covered in this class. You will never look at batting, thread and needles the same way after this class.  FREE to paid NILAG members, $40 for non members

Oct 25 p.m. 1:30 – 4:00  Borders Bonanza – Lecture class
This class will take you through a bevy of border techniques you can add to your quilting repertoire. Wish you knew an easy way to evenly space motifs in borders? Not sure how to adjust to make a design fit the corners? Stumped on how to make borders look good without taking hours and hours to complete them? Want to jazz up your quilting with some new ideas? If so, this class is for you. Don't miss this opportunity to learn a bevy of beautiful borders and corners! 

Drawing paper and pencil with eraser supplied with class fee. Bring standard office ruler (helpful but not required).  $30 to NILAG members, $40 to non members

WORKING LUNCH $15 offered by Holiday Inn (optional)  Please be aware that the hotel does not allow any outside food or drink in the meeting rooms or hallway. There are no other eating establishments nearby that will work in the short lunch period. The working lunch  will be an assortment of sandwiches, homemade seasoned potato chips, and a fresh-baked cookie.

Oct 26 a.m. 9:30 – 11:30  Fearless Feathers Fun - Drawing Class

Feathers, feathers, feathers!  The time honored quilting motif that is appropriate for many quilts.  Join in this class and learn to execute feathers freehand. Feathers in borders, sashing, blocks and yes, even backgrounds are all covered in this lively and inspiring lecture class. If you have never done a feather on any quilt or perhaps are not happy with your feathers or maybe you are just looking to get a better grasp on the technique, this class is the perfect place to learn to be fearless with your feathers. If so, this class is for you! In this class you will learn to draw different styles of feathers, as well as how to space and size them properly to fit your quilt.

This class will take the student through all the steps necessary to be fearless with those feathers.  Using some time-tested techniques and tricks Linda will help take the fear out of feathers. Get an up close look at some of Linda's "just for fun quilts" and get ready for some inspiration!

Drawing paper and pencil with eraser supplied with class fee.  $30 to NILAG members, $40 to non members.

WORKING LUNCH $15 offered by Holiday Inn (optional)  Please be aware that the hotel does not allow any outside food or drink in the meeting rooms or hallway. There are no other eating establishments nearby that will work in the short lunch period. The working lunch  will be an assortment of sandwiches, homemade seasoned potato chips, and a fresh-baked cookie.

Oct 26 p.m.12:30 – 3:00  More Fearless Feathers - Drawing Class  You have taken Linda's Fearless Feather Fun class or you have been doing feather work on your own and you are looking to kick things up a notch! In this class you will learn some different styles of feathers and many creative ways to execute them. Are you looking to improve your feathers or the time it takes you to put them on a custom quilt? Not sure how to draw a feather design to fit a specific shape on your quilt - let Linda show you how she designs custom feathers for any quilt.

This class will take the student through all the steps necessary to be even more fearless with those feathers. Using some time-tested techniques and tricks Linda will help take the fear out of feathers. She will have lots of award winning quilts for an up close and personal look at her feathers. 

Drawing paper and pencil with eraser supplied with class fee. $30 to NILAG members, $40 to non-members.

A registration form is REQUIRED for all classes.  

CLICK HERE to download form

You can turn in your registration and check at the August meeting

or -- you can use the U.S. Postal service and mail it to the P.O Box on the form.

Registration for guild members (in good standing as of July 1, 2014) is open now.

Registration for non guild members opens after August 17th, 2014

The deadline for registration is Oct 11, 2014

Cancelation can be made up to Oct 11, 2014

Please contact our program chair Kin if you have questions-  kkh595@gmail.com

Please tell your friends and we hope to see you at the workshops.

PROGRAM UPDATES FOR 2014

June 7th 2014 - You be the Judge with local AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser - Chris Moline.  As an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, Chris will take you through what appraisers look for and what judges look for. With a special emphasis on the quilting, she will help you to identify ways where quilting, as well as other aspects of quilt making, can make or break a quilt. She will also explain when and how to quilt those antique blocks and tops and when to leave them alone. You get to participate in expressing your opinions too! Chris will be bringing her stash of beautiful quilts to emphasize her concepts. This program will be held at PNC Bank, 250 E Roosevelt Rd.,  Wheaton, Illinois. starting at 9:30 A.M. Please park in the the lower lot.

Bring pen and paper to take notes. You will have six months to apply her concepts to your own quilts. In Dec, you can bring back your quilts (or someone else's quilts!) and Chris will provide feedback on what works and what you can improve on.

 Please remember to bring your SKILL BUILDER.. "Do something" on a fat quarter and any show and tell that you have. Any member with skill builder show and tell has the opportunity to have her name entered into the door prize basket.

________________________________________________________________________

The August 2nd, 2014 meeting brings Cindy Roth to NILAG. Cindy will give a lecture and drawing class on CONTINIOUS CURVES.  Cindy will demonstrate quilting solutions for simple blocks up to more complex designs like Wedding Ring, Jacobs Ladder and 3-D blocks. We will learn how to incorporate the background fill as we stitch the block designs. Cindy will also discuss thread, needles and her rulers. 

Cindy is a nationally known longarm instructor from Kent Washington and the director of Longarm University   http://www.longarmuniversity.com/index.htm   The CONTINIOUS CURVES class will be held at our regular meeting place.  PNC Bank, 250 E Roosevelt Rd.,  Wheaton, Illinois. This class is open (at no charge) to paid NILAG members. NILAG members can sign up at the June meeting or RSVP to the Yahoo group. Class room and parking space is limited, so we will not be offering any guest spots.  There will be an exception for the members of the Lakeshore Longarm Quilters. They can attend for a cost of $15.  The Lakeshore Longarm Quilters are required to RSVP to debquilts1@comcast.net

In the afternoon Cindy is sponsoring a 2nd class. Quilting as a Business. Join Cindy as she explains how to figure out exactly how much it costs YOU to quilt each quilt you put on your machine. You will also learn the different between "cash in your hand" and cash flow. This class does not tell you what to charge, instead it gives you the tools so you will know what you need to charge to cover your costs and make a profit! Marketing and business tips will also be discussed. A question and answer period is included and many diverse business topics will be talked about.

Quilting as a Business will be  held at the home of one of our guild members that is not far the morning class. This class is limited to 20 to 30 longarm quilters.  The time of the class is 2:30 to 5 pm (allowing for lunch in between meetings). The cost of this class is $25 (cash or check only)  to be paid directly to the speaker.   Any member of  NILAG or the Lakeshore Longarm Quilters that would like to attend can reserve their spot and are required to RSVP to kkh595@comcast.net .  

PROGRAM UPDATE  For the April 5, 2014 meeting, NILAG will host  Cheryl Sleboda,

Cheryl Sleboda, is a modern quilter  and fiber artist.  Cheryl will share her journey towards becoming an artistic quilter by creating small quilts with big detail.  Find out how working weekly and working small can help you define your artistic vision and make you a better quilter. You’ll be able see the quilts from small to “actual size.”

And, to help us stretch as artists, Cheryl will teach the basics of e-textiles and explain how easy it is to include cutting edge soft circuit technology in your quilts, as well as show you some of her amazing e-textile quilts  Be prepared to take notes. www.muppin.com  

Bring your completed Mini-Whole Cloth Skill Builders for show and tell. Anyone that brings their skill builder to the meeting will have the opportunity to select a door prize.

Are you looking for a Longarm Quilter?

NILAG has members from Chicago west towards Rockford, from the Illinois-Wisconsin state line down to Peotone. 

 

Arlington Heights	Bolingbrook	Itasca	Plainfield
Aurora (3)	Carol Stream	Lombard	Villa Park
Barrington	Chicago	Marengo	Westmont
Bartlett	Elgin (2)	Naperville	Wheeling
Bensenville	Gurnee	Palatine (2)	Watertown, WIS
	Homewood	Peotone

If you are looking for someone to help complete your quilt, our guild has a number of talented professional quilters available  to assist you. Please contact me at debquilts1@comcast.net and I will match you with a quilter in your area.

For a beautiful finished quilt, there are a number of things to consider.  The following information can be used to achieve the best possible finished product.

Preparing Your Quilt  Top for the Longarm Quilter

Consider the size of your quilt and what kind of quilting you would like. Dense quilting can make a quilt stiff and less drape-able, not suitable for most beds and definitely not for baby quilts. Custom and heirloom quilting, where the design and density varies over the surface of the quilt is more expensive than having a simple "edge-to-edge" designs. Discuss thread choices - solid color or variegated, cotton or blended fibers.  Get an estimate in writing.  

Now, let me tell you the things that professional quilters love to see when a quilt top and back are delivered to them:

1. FLAT, PRESSED QUILT BLOCKS - Your quilter should be able to compensate for imperfect piecing by using a puffier batting or by quilting more densely in some parts than in others. This may incur "custom" quilting charges. Be honest with yourself. A good quilter can handle a little unevenness, but if you have a D-cup block you probably should consider re-doing the block, because even puffy batting may not help in that case.

2. TRIMMED THREADS AND TRIANGLE POINTS - Stray threads or triangle points can show through the finished quilt and detract from the beauty of your finished quilt. Some professionals will figure that if you don't care about stray threads then they won't care either. They will go ahead and quilt it just the way you gave it to them. Others will trim the threads and charge you extra for doing it. If you trim those stray threads before you give the quilt to them, they will appreciate it.

3.  A PRESSED TOP WITH FLAT SEAMS - A nicely pressed top will improve the look of the quilt.  It is okay if some of the seams are twisted; that happens when you quilt. If you bring it in pressed, trimmed and placed on a heavy duty plastic or wood hanger to minimize how many times you need to fold it, that would be really lovely! Some quilters will press your quilt for you, but they will charge extra for it. Save yourself some money and do this yourself.

4. OPTIONAL STAY-STITCHED OUTSIDE EDGES - If the piecing goes all the way to edge of the quilt or you have bias edges on the outside edge of the quilt, it is recommended to stitch a scant 1/4 inch all the way around the outside edge of the quilt. This will help keep the seams from popping and the edges from distorting. This is not necessary for quilts with borders.

5. FLAT BORDERS  - Sometimes a quilter can compensate for wavy borders by using puffy batting or quilting densely in the borders, but if there is too much extra fabric a quilter will need to take tucks in the border.

HINTS FOR APPLYING BORDERS:  Borders cut to fit the quilt as opposed to sewn then trimmed will "square-up" the quilt top and eliminate the problem of "wavy borders". Here is a simple method that does not require a tape measure. Prepare your fabric strips. If you need to piece the length you can use a straight seam or 45 degree piecing technique. Place quilt top on a flat surface. Lay he top and bottom border strips across the center of your quilt. Smooth out quilt top and strips so they are perfectly flat. Cut both strips at the same time to the exact length of the quilt. Divide the strips and the edge of the quilt in half and then in quarters and mark with pins. Match the border pins to the pins on the quilt top. If you need more reference points divide the quarters into eights with more pins. Sew and ease between the pins as necessary. Press and repeat for the side borders.

6. A CLEAN QUILT - Please try to keep your quilt top clean and free from pet hair and odors.  As professional quilters we will sometimes have to quilt for people with allergies.  Pet hair, mildew, mothball and smoke can transfer to our leaders and affect the next customers quilt.  If you have to wash the top before having it quilted, be sure to stitch with scant 1/4 inch seam allowance all the way around the outside edge of the quilt.  Wash by hand, and gently roll the top between towels to get most of the moisture out.  Let air dry.  Or fill the washing machine, let soak a few minutes, spin and air dry. Then give it a good pressing. Check for loose threads.  

7. A WELL PREPARED BACKING - Your quilt back should be a MINIMUM of 3-4" bigger than your quilt top on each side. That means a total of 6-8" longer and 6-8" wider, maybe more if dense custom or heirloom quilting will be done.  Ask your quilter.  how much extra length and width she will require. Quilters need that extra fabric to attach the quilt to the bars and side clamps of their frame.  Insufficient fabric on the sides may cause the machine to collide with the clamps during quilting, potentially causing damage to the clamps, the machine or your quilt. It could also cause a safety hazard for the quilter.  Quilters also use the side edges to test the tension of their machine to make sure their settings work perfectly with your quilt. 

If you piece your backing, which is most often the case, make sure to trim off the selvages. They will shrink unevenly when you wash the quilt and create a puckered line. Use a 1/2- 5/8" seam and PRESS THE SEAM OPEN. That will minimize the bulk as the quilt advances onto the roller, and minimize waves and distortion. Ideally, the quilt back can be loaded so the seam runs parallel to the bars, this is usually horizontally.  This takes the bulk of the seam out of the equation, but that may not always be possible depending upon the kind of quilting your quilter is doing, especially with directional pantographs.

The outside edges of the backing should be straight. Do not leave any sections "sticking-out".  Square up your quilt back.  If it is 6" longer on one side than the opposite side, your quilter will have to square it up before she can attach it to her frame. You can do this by folding it in quarters and using your rotary cutter and rulers to trim it even. Just make sure the back ends up at least 6-8" longer and wider than the quilt top. Press the backing.

8. BATTING CHOICES - Most professional quilters will have rolls of their favorite battings. Consider how you want it quilted and how the quilt will be used. Is it a full size bed quilt, or a baby that will require lots of washing. Is it going to be a wall hanging where it will seldom if ever be washed. Remember that cotton shrinks more than polyester. So you like that "dimpled" antique look, go with cotton.  Check with the manufacturer for the amount of shrinkage to expect.  You have spent a lot of time and money on your quilt top, now is not the time to pinch pennies. Discuss the batting choices with your quilter and choose a batting that will give the best results for YOUR final project. If we do not carry the brand or type of batting you prefer, most quilters will be happy to work with you if you want to bring your own batting.

9. TO TRIM OR NOT TO TRIM - Some quilters trim the excess batting/backing from the quilt after they quilt it, others return it to you untrimmed. Do you like to "pack" your binding with extra batting?  Then you probably will choose NOT to have it trimmed. Discuss trimming with your quilter. Either way, the excess fabric should be returned to you. You can often use that extra backing fabric for binding or it can be cut it in strips or squares and used on another quilt.

 

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NILAG - Northern Illinois Longarm Guild

The Northern Illinois LongArm Guild (NILAG) is a not-for-profit group dedicated to the promotion, communication and education of longarm machine quilting throughout Northern Illinois. The guild currently meets every other month. Anyone interested in or a practitioner of longarm and mid-arm machine quilting is welcome to join.

MEETING LOCATION: PNC Bank, 250 E Roosevelt Rd, Wheaton, IL  

TIME/DATE:  First Saturday on the "even" numbered months 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM 

FEES: $25 per year, January through December. Guests welcome  most months, check schedule.           Guest Fee $5

2013 Schedule

Aug 3, 2013  – Schoolhouse Round Robin Demonstrations on various LongArm topics.    

Oct 5, 2013 – Quilt Whisperer, Guild members ask about LA quilting problems.  Suggestions and solutions from guild members.

Dec 7, 2013 - "Same but Different" hands on design exercise and presentation.

EVERY MEETING - Wonderful member show and tell, results of any  on-going challenges .In addition to our program  schedule,  the guild has created an on-line Yahoo group to help members stay in-touch between meetings. The Yahoo group is a great place to get help with quilting problems, poll the group about the use of a quilting product, share files or photos and make announcements.  Guild dues must be paid before membership in the Yahoo group is approved. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nilag/

For more information please contact:

Debbie Weber

847-215-0468

dweber2009@comcast.net