Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Machine Quilting and Instructional DVDs

I broke down and bought the Pajama Quilter Reloaded video in my quest for machine quilting help. Definitely worth the investment. I read Mary's blog and she mentioned the DVD and showed some of the designs from the video in her quilting. The pictures definitely caught my attention. I LOVE this DVD. Dawn Rameriz is a great teacher and definitely has me, the newbie who isn't very confident, confident that I can do it and will like it. I like the fact that the DVD provides techniques and then builds on them. It's not so much about here's how you machine quilt, but here's how you doodle and make your hands understand what your brain is telling them to do.

Also in my DVD collection is "I've Got a Long Arm (and I'm not Afraid to use it)" from Mindy Casperson. I got those videos after listening to her lecture at IMQA. This DVD is great because Mindy explains the mechanics of the machine and how to troubleshoot. Even though the machine might seem very complicated, there is a definitely check list of items to follow when troubleshooting.
I also bought Mindy's second DVD - Long Armed and Fabulous. I watched it but was pretty overwhelmed. I think I really need to grasp the basics before venturing into the arena of templates and rulers.

Yesterday I broke down and bought two DVDs from Patsy Thompson "Fast and Free - Volumes 1 & 2". Helen of the UK mentioned them and also provided pictures that caught my attention.

I have a Hinterberg quilt frame and a Nolting Hobby Quilter. Because I don't have a lot of spare time, I really haven't taken the time to bond with my frame and machine. When I do machine quilt something, I really do enjoy what I'm doing and the fact that I did the quilting and didn't pay someone to do it. Since I'm definitely a visual learner, I think the DVDs will be a wonderful source for help and ideas.

I am officially decreeing February Machine Quilting Month!!!

1 comment:

Mary Johnson said...

Make sure you let me know how you like the Patsy Thompson DVD's. I've been considering them since I read about them on Helen's site.