Over the past month, I have had some quiet time to really concentrate on doing some quilting.
In the past I have done quite a lot of free motion quilting on my home sewing machine, but I knew that when I got the longarm machine, more things would be possible.
Fortunately I have quite a stack of projects ready to practice on!
One quilt I did last week was this hexagon one. I had room left at the bottom with extra batting and backing so I was able to add a table runner and some placemats. they were great as a space to try out some all over free motion patterns.

Yesterday I started this off center log cabin, and I marked circles using a wash away marker in the large white areas to help the placement of the feathered wreaths. I got almost half way done yesterday so I am looking forward to working on it more today,
​I must say, it is really exciting to try out some of these ideas!

It feels strange to write a blog post in a new place. It seems that I have had my Periwinkle Quilting blog at blogspot for such a long time. But now I have a new venture, and a new location, on the web as well as in real life.
I opened Periwinkle Quilting and Beyond in Saskatoon over 15 years ago, in a small space in Cumberland Mall on 8 th St. It grew and evolved over the years, until it reached its present location on Broadway Ave. It has been quite an adventure. Through it all, I have been really fortunate to have some incredible women to help me. (more on them later!)
In the past couple of years, I have enjoyed running the shop, but started feeling a bit overwhelmed by the variety of tasks that it entailed, and I started to wonder how I could simplify my focus. The best choice by far was to hand over the shop to someone else who could bring fresh eyes, interests, and enthusiasm to re-invigorate it. Luckily, Patti, a friend who also worked at the shop for over ten years has risen to the challenge, and she will be taking it over in late December. So be prepared to see a fresh take on the shop after Christmas! I find that really exciting, and will be thrilled to see what she does, and what products she will bring in, what samples will appear, and so many other things.
That said, I wanted to hold on to one aspect of the shop that hasbrought me great pleasure over the past year, the longarm rental program! And, I have twisted the arm of Nancy to come along and help me with it, so I am really happy. As well, Sandy will continue to be involved in teaching longarm certification classes, and Wendy will do some of the studio supervisions as well. There is a lot to work out over the next few months, but with people like this to walk the path with me, I feel positive and delighted to see what the future brings! I hope that we will be able to offer you another, new, happy place to visit and nurture your creativity!
​-Michelle