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Free quilt pattern: Memories Tied with Love
February always brings hearts to mind, and we have a special work of “heart” to share with you this month. APQS Dealer JulieAnn Chavez designed “Memories Tied with Love” when she was commissioned to make a memory quilt out of neckties. In this quilt, fusible appliqués cut from neckties form the shape of a giant heart, and remnants of the neckties make a pieced inner border that ties it all together. The free instructions will tell you how to make the quilt using neckties, favorite fabric scraps, or fat quarters.
JulieAnn specializes in making memory/retirement quilts and T-shirt quilts, so this was a perfect project for her. “The neckties were from my client’s late grandfather,” JulieAnn says. “My client presented the memory quilt to her grandmother on her wedding day.” JulieAnn actually used cookie cutters to trace the heart shapes for her quilt. You can do the same or use the heart shapes provided in the pattern. For the machine quilting, JulieAnn used a digital pantograph called “Ginger Hearts,” available from Urban Elementz. The pattern provided a great allover design that would show up in the background but not overwhelm the appliqués.
In addition to creating custom quilts, JulieAnn provides longarm quilting services through her company, The Quilting Nerd. We asked her why she chose that unique name for her quilting business. “The business name came about a few years ago during a text conversation between my sisters and me,” JulieAnn said. “I have another sister, Missy, who likes to quilt too. Missy and I were discussing a quilting project and the youngest sister called us quilting nerds. When my sister called us that, the name SANG OUT LOUD to me. I am addicted to quilting whether it’s piecing or longarm quilting. I was in the process of setting up a side gig of doing custom quilts and longarm quilting and it dawned on me that the Quilting Nerd is the perfect business name.”
A full-time quilter and longarmer, JulieAnn has been quilting for over 20 years and takes pride and joy in working on customers’ quilts by adding the finishing touches. She is also a representative for APQS. “I researched and test-drove several longarm machines for a couple years and chose the APQS Millie longarm machine along with Quilt Path computer,” JulieAnn said. She loved how the machines felt to drive and is especially impressed with the wonderful customer service she gets from the APQS service team.
JulieAnn, who is deaf, believes in educating consumers, whether they are looking for someone to quilt their quilt top or considering buying a longarm machine. She has started adding YouTube videos to her website and plans on adding more. JulieAnn speaks and signs throughout the videos, so they are accessible to all. On her website, JulieAnn also has a bunch of tips for preparing your quilt top for machine quilting. Whether you do your own longarming or send your tops out to be quilted, her tips are useful to know. JulieAnn accepts quilt tops from anywhere in the USA. You can contact her by phone at 501-914-9221. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, contact her via videophone at 501-232-1500.
