Quilting Resource in Northern Virginia

I have been getting calls recently about where to go to find what or who for quilting services.  We are a healthy overbooked group of quilters around here, and the occasional project just needs this or that to get it done and to its destination.  So this discussion in the Wednesday Quilter's Group Page here at www.uucava.org will collect some of those what-and-who notes.

Long-arm quilting -- also seaming quilt backs

Mary Tims 703-319-8094.  Mary is in Oakton, not far off of Rte. 66 and easy to locate.  On occasion she does charity quilting, heavily discounting her usual fees -- the example I gave her was our UUCA quilts for members who are in chemo or receiving care quilts for other reasons.

Mary recently did a King size quilt for me to give to my Goddaughter. No way I was going to quilt something that size!  It is enough that I pieced it, chose the backing which Mary seamed, and now will do the binding and the gift label.  Lovely thread selections. Reasonably priced.

Binding  

I did not ask Mary (above) about binding;she may do it too. (Update: Mary will attach the binding to the front.  Prefers you do the rest of the final handwork. My favorite part of the process may be that final turn -- I am now so close to a finished quilt!)

I see that the Quilt Patch in Old Town Fairfax on Main Street does offer binding services as well as a long list of long-arm quilting services, and classes and "Sunday School" and one on one private tutoring in all aspects of quilt making. www.quiltpatchva.com

Another shop, the Artful Quilter -- recently name one of 10 best quilt stores in the USA -- also offers long-arm quilting. www.artfulquilter.com

Cutting 

Wouldn't it be nice if somehow everything was already cut out and I could just start sewing?  Well unless you buy a kit, that is rarely possible.  But it is possible.  See John Flynn's web site -- you can send them your fabric and they will cut it with a laser into the size pieces that you want.  http://www.flynnquilt.com/lasercutkits/custom/

There is a new product line of die cutters coming over from scrapbooking to the quilting world.  The ones I know best are made by Accuquilt.  The Artful Quilter has the big Studio edition, and offers it to their customers on a "club" basis.  You arrange for a tutorial -- free -- and then decide whether to join the club for a reasonable annual fee.  As a club member you have access to it anytime they are not using it to prepare class materials, or it has not already been reserved.   I have a smaller home version (buy them through Amazon.com at 30-40% off) and my cutting is getting way ahead of my sewing!  It is terribly useful for salvaging new pieces from scraps.  Good thing is that some of that cutting will end up in care quilts for our church members.

Low-tech quilting

When my sewing machine broke last Fall I ended up with a sewing machine born the same year I was.  It is delightful for piecing -- just straight sewing.  But I wanted even more liberation and took a hand piecing class from Jinny Beyer.  If you do not know her, her fabric and quilt books are leaders in the world -- she is a master teacher all over the world.  Jinny is also only a hand piecer and quilter -- hand pieces faster than most people use a sewing machine.  She says she does not have time to use a machine and does most of her sewing on the road, on airplanes or waiting for one or in hotel rooms.  Her studio is right here in McLean. www.jinnybeyer.com. The studio also does sell kits -- taking care of your fabric selection but not the cutting.