Long Arm Maintenance

Sometimes, you have to disassemble a thing. What is this thing? Well, that is the tension assembly for my Innova long arm. 

It seems, after several years, the shell has been worn down enough by the spring that it just won't work properly any more. I had a spare on hand so I grabbed the manual and YouTube and got busy changing it out. I was done in no time and back to quilting. Don't be afraid to work on your own sewing machine. They are pretty simple machines.

Charming: Independence Trail

I spent the week quilting this charming quilt by doing a couple passes a day. I love how that texture shows up with afternoon light. 

The quilting is subtle as I used a matching cream colored thread. 

Quilted and trimmed. Now for some binding. 

Here is a link to Bonnie's free pattern for Four Patch Fun so you can make your own blocks. 

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Electric Quilt

Project box: IRIS 12" x 12" Portable Plastic Storage Cases with Built-in Handle, Clear (storage)

Letter Openers

Fiskars Rotating Cutting Mat 14 inch x 14 inch

Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler

Charity Quilting

Butterflies in the garden.

Wintergreen. Both pieced by me using scraps and leftovers from quilt backing. Both trimmed and ready for the next Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by going directly to their website and clicking DONATE. I don't earn anything from this link. 

If you want to support me indirectly, I do include Amazon affiliate links to products I use on my other blog posts. If you purchase the items I recommend, or anything else, after using my links to reach Amazon I receive a small payment from Amazon.

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the Epoch Converter for 2026 to see how I'm stacking up.

2026 Charity Quilt Count: 33

Charming: Independence Trail

After assembling my quilt center, and adding a narrow border, it was time for the wide border.

There was some miscalculation with the wide, outer border but I didn't let that discourage me. Those borders are pieced, but just a little bit. Then I got it loaded onto the longarm frame and ready for quilting. This one will take a few days.

In case you missed it, here is a link to Bonnie's free pattern for Four Patch Fun so you can make your own blocks. 

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Electric Quilt

Project box: IRIS 12" x 12" Portable Plastic Storage Cases with Built-in Handle, Clear (storage)

Letter Openers

Fiskars Rotating Cutting Mat 14 inch x 14 inch

Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler