Sometimes we all need a reminder that we quilt because we love it and it brings us joy. It's easy to get caught up in everything happening around you, or to overthink a quilt's design so much that you're dreading the actual quilting. Renting out the APQS longarm machines often reminds me how much fun quilting is. I'm watching my renters discover - or sometimes rediscover - their own love of quilting and develop their skills. When Sarah came in for her rental certification class we were all impressed by her fearlessness. Most folks are nervous their first time using a longarm; they're big, powerful machines and no one wants a mistake on their quilt. But Sarah jumped right in and began free motion quilting. It was love at first stitch for Sarah! She made daisies, spirals, wrote names, hearts, stars, and pebbles. Can you spot all the doodles she stitched into her quilt? You can click any of the photos to enlarge them to see all her doodles a little better. Some of them are a little easier to see from the back of her quilt. It’s beautiful to allow yourself to play without fear. We get excited when we see Erin on the calendar. She's easy to talk to, has lots of great ideas (check out her blog, House on Hill Road), and clearly has an awesome fabric collection. She said she picked up the fabrics in this Ohio Star quilt while traveling. I love the mix of prints on that beautiful red background. Erin likes to do her own thing while quilting on the longarms instead of following a pantograph or design board. She quilted interlocking rows of loops, using her piecing as a guide. Suzy quilted this Card Trick quilt during her rental certification class. She was so excited to be using a longarm machine, it had been on her to do list for such a long time! Suzy wanted a sweet floral quilting design and thought the hearts and posey design board was the perfect fit. Her quilt looks great and we can't wait to have Suzy and her enthusiasm back in the studio! Jane was worried health problems would prevent her from having the stamina to quilt this herself. I’m a firm believer that pain shouldn’t prevent you from doing what you love! We set Jane up with one of our saddle stools that allowed her to sit down while she quilted on the Millennium. Her joy after finishing this quilt for her son was contagious!