Never say never

Nothing Could Be Finer (wallhanging size, 34" x 46")

You know that old saying, “Never say never!”? Well, I’ve never had one of my quilts quilted by someone else. I’ve always said that it would feel like sending my children to boarding school. 

But…

I’m in the middle of a mighty big project, and one or two other medium sized ones, and a whole bunch of smaller ones, and… I’m doing it! Yes, I am relinquishing control and sending my quilt, the wall hanging version of Nothing Could Be Finer, to be quilted! I’m getting busy enough that I think I’m going to have to do more of this in the future for my quilt pattern business. Because I do so much thread sketching on my art quilts, I can’t see ever sending them to someone else for the quilting. But hey, if it is good enough for Nancy Crow…!

Luckily it is a friend, and someone who I trust to do spectacular work, Judy Whitehead. Judy is a fellow artist, and has been turning out beautiful quilts for customers through her longarm quilting business, Goneaway Quilting, since 2003.You can see some of her work by clicking here.

You can see her art, both quilts and drawings, by clicking here.

Judy Whitehead with Beach Eleven

Nothing Could Be Finer is a design I created for the 2010 North Carolina Symposium's donation quilt. The larger version was beautifully appliqued and pieced by women in the Charlotte Quilters Guild. Here is a photo of it:

Nothing Could Be Finer (82" x 84")

It was hand appliqued by some very talented members of the guild, and then longarm machine quilted by Kay Giese.

Detail of Kay’s quilting

Detail of Kay’s quilting

In the next few weeks, I have to finish up the pattern for this quilt. It will include instructions for both the large and small sizes, and will be for sale at Symposium. Proceeds from both the raffle of the big quilt and from sales of the pattern will help cover the expenses of the 2010 North Carolina Quilt Symposium, which will be held in Charlotte at Johnson & Wales University June 3-6, 2010. For more details, check out the 2010 Symposium Blog.