Canadian Quilting CQA/ACC: Introducing Iona Harrietha

Iona Harrietha is one of CQA/ACC's professional members located in Welland, Ontario. As a Long Arm quilter, pattern designer and teacher, she is a gal on the go.

My quilting career began in 1990's. The funny thing is, I didn't even sew until then. I tried to rent a sewing machine for my first project because I was sure I would never use it again. When I went to the store, they had one I could purchase for $30.00. Good enough for sewing jersey vests for a hockey game. However, while I was in the store I spied these beautiful quilts hanging with signs on them for classes. Well, one thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I was asking for a sewing machine for Christmas and signing up for a January class. I wanted to try everything. I went from student, to teacher, to designer and now Long Arm Quilter.

I purchased my Long Arm quilting machine in the summer of 2011. I decided on a Handi Quilter Avante because I was familiar with the machine. I was impressed with how user friendly the machine was and the reasonable price. I choose to use 100% cotton thread as I like the weight of it and the way it shows a little more than the finer threads. I have purchased commercial pantographs, but am now designing my own. I thoroughly enjoy this because it allows me to use the perfect pattern for each quilt.

I began quilting for customers on a regular basis in March of 2012. I decided to start my own home based business called "Nonie's Needle and Thread". I have recently published my website which promotes the different aspects of my company, such as long arm quilting, my original patterns, actual and online classes.
Long Arm quilting has become more and more popular in the past few years for a couple of reasons. The first, I believe is because the Long Arm quilters have evolved into artists in their own right. They have moved outside of simple pantographs to custom work that truly highlights the quilts pattern and piecing. Secondly, I think the idea of finishing a quilt quickly is appealing. Sometimes its necessity, but really the bottom line is the more quilts you finish, the more you can make and the more fabric you can buy.

My tip for long arming or even free motion quilting on a domestic machine is to let the quilt tell you how it needs to be quilted. Look for open spaces and try to use a design that enhances the quilt’s pattern and the piecing. Sometimes the quilting can overpower the quilt and that should not be the objective of it. Keep in mind that the piecing was a lot of work and the quilting should show that off.

My tip for long arming or even free motion quilting on a domestic machine is to let the quilt tell you how it needs to be quilted. Look for open spaces and try to use a design that enhances the quilt’s pattern and the piecing. Sometimes the quilting can overpower the quilt and that should not be the objective of it. Keep in mind that the piecing was a lot of work and the quilting should show that off.