I Love Quilting

How could I not love to sew?  My mom sewed and my favorite Aunt sewed. I loved them both dearly and they always had fun, laughing and connecting when they sewed. Meticulous, determined, and with gusto, so to speak, sew they did.  And the results were beautiful clothes for themselves, and us kids.  I was gifted my first sewing machine in elementary school for Christmas circa 1970.

I made my first quilt in 9th grade, tying it in a "quilting bee" in a church group. I loved going to home economic class and honing my sewing skills. During high school, my mom and I (mostly my mom!) continued to sew making beautiful, stylish clothes for me. I married after high-school and sewed clothes for my girls when they were little. My mom often sewed them matching outfits. I've continued to sew making clothes for my grandchildren over the years, mostly as babies and toddlers. 

I took up quilting using modern tools and techniques when I was on a long-term consulting assignment in Des Moines, IA.  I took an evening quilting class, connected with my teacher, took to patchwork like a duck to water, and a quilting nut was born. I was absorbed into quilt culture and was excited to go to the legendary Fons & Porter quilt shop in Winterset, IA. I visited other Iowa quilt shops while working in Des Moines circa 2005! 

I love fabric, I guess I always have! LOL! I love perusing quilting patterns and shops, and I love to cut up fabric and piece it together again into gorgeous tops. 

I love color and my tastes vary greatly.  I have sewn several patterns twice, but I tend to love the challenge of a new quilt pattern and technique.  Therefore, my quilts are varied in color, pattern and style! 

I've traditionally been a traditional style quilter LOL!  Now I'm going a bit modern, here and there, like with the Sugaridoo Bernina QAL I'm working on now!

Because I love fabric, color, and patterns, I ended up with many unfinished tops.  I would move on to the next quilt excited to work with a new pattern and new lovely wonderful fabrics, piecing and piecing. The tops piled up! Working in a full-time demanding career and taking care of loved ones left little time. I knew the part I loved about quilting didn't include quilting my own tops on my domestic machine.  

I did try. I completed several quilts using the tried and true stitch-in-the-ditch method, but they were all smaller quilts.  And I wanted more quilting design.  I tried Free Motion Quilting on my Bernina Aurora 440QE equipped with a stitch regulator, but found that it was too taxing and requires practice, practice, practice in order to quilt it to my satisfaction!  I realized I just didn't love this part of the process but wanted finished quilts!

I didn't have the time, equipment and patience to quilt my own tops, so I always took my tops to the "local" quilt shop to a longarmer.  It was 30 minutes away, which wasn't horrible, but it was 30 MINUTES AWAY!  Unfortunately, I was not always thrilled with the results but I had limited options in my rural area.  

It happened that in one instance, 5 years ago, I was VERY disappointed because the quilt I had made for my first grandson was not quilted as requested. I requested turquoise thread, to stand out from this beautiful batik elephant print and the longarmer quilted it with white thread. So instead of seeing beautiful elephants across the quilt, they disappeared into the background. Arrg!!  But, what could I do?  The quilt was done, stitched all over, done.  Unpicking wasn't an option. I never used that quilter again! 

I thought there had to be a better mousetrap to get what I wanted.  Basically, I wanted a trusted, go-to resource, that was safe, reliable, and communicated well so a situation like this doesn't happen again!  I wouldn't want anyone to feel similar dissapointment.

Fast forward 5 years when I retired from an Information Technology career in 2019. I yearned to level up my quilting abilities by buying a computerized longarm quilting machine to finish my own quilts, sew I did! I bought a Handi Quilter longarm machine and I've been sewing and quilting like a nut this last year.  I've been having a blast learning and growing my skills! I attended Garden of Quilts in Utah, and Road to California in Southern California. I've quilted my own tops and charity quilts tops, piecing more and more tops, participating in several quilt a longs and growing with each completion! 

I've realized that with finishing my own tops, I've become even more passionate about helping others to finish their quilt tops by offering quality longarm services.  I value TRUST, SAFETY, and RELIABILITY. You can trust that your quilts will be completed as expected, that they are handled with care and safety in a pet free environment, and that your quilts are returned within the agreed to required time-frame. 

My specialty is transparent, complete communication. I will not start one stitch on your quilt top until you are absolutely happy with the design and all the details are agreed upon.  I will also be in immediate contact with you if there's an "uh-oh".  No one is perfect and in fact, I'm D'Aon and I'm a recovering perfectionist! LOL I will do anything in my power, nature not withstanding, in order for you to to be elated when your precious quilt top is returned to you.  This is a no disappointment zone5

Quilts are endearing and signify care, love, compassion and celebration! Whether a quilt is pieced by you and quilted by me, or you purchase one of my handmade quilts, it is a unique, one of a kind treasure, to be used and loved over many years.

Quilts are often passed down generation to generation with attached stories.  We are no longer in the pioneer days where every bit of scrap fabric was saved and used, but even modern quilts have a history and a unique story. Whether it’s the quilt pattern, the fabric or the maker, or any number of occurrences, there is much in a quilt to cherish and honor.

I fell in love so passionately with quilting that my mom, a sewer her entire life, started quilting again, making quilts with modern tools and techniques.  She was a prolific exceptional quilter for the last 15 years of her life. She passed two years ago and I, along with my kids, grandkids, husband and friends, have quilts she made that will be treasured forever.  

Her last quilt made was for her great-grandson, Lucas who was born 5 years ago.  For Lucas' sister Olivia, who was born after my mom died, I found finished blocks she pieced years ago when going through her fabric stash. I sewed them together in a baby quilt so Olivia could have a piece of my mom’s love too!  Ahhh...I love quilting!

In loving memory of LaVerne Lucas 1928 - 2018