Crafteedee - I had a HandiQuilter with one take-up roller and two feed rollers. The HQ was mounted on a table and I had my sewing machine and another smaller table behind it to hold the batting. I taped a piece of muslin to each roller. The quilt top & back where then pinned to the muslin on the feed rollers and I rolled the fabric up. The backing is deliberately cut bigger than the finished size and will be cut later. I pinned the backing to the take-up roller. I then pinned the batting & front to the backing. Once I was happy with the alignment I would do a basting stitch through all three and remove the pins. I would meander the length/width of the quilt and then roll that portion up onto the take-up roller and do another pass. Repeat till finished. Other frames have slight variations on operation. I did not do any basting other than the lead edge.

Well hi again, Thanks for the congrats, yes, I'm, VERY excited & scared. As one can see, I'VE GOT A LOT TO LEARN -- here I thought it was asking a lot for the 20% deposit (since I haven't worked in months, I need it for materials). Well, I calculated it based on a projected approx. of 15 yds. total (7.5 front & back); all the cottons I buy at LQS are running average $9.50/yd., so $10/yd x 15 yds = $150 fabrics, then of course, there's batting & thread to add in. OK, next time I'll ask at least 40% (& probably write a contract too, which I declined to do since he offered a cash deposit & has just met me.) Lots of design freedom, all the patron expressed was a desire for very masculine, & very soft. He's specified the colors Navy & Khaki (OK by me), his girlfreind added in gray, I later realized gray & khaki are likely to be too close in value; so I'll need to ask him to eliminate one of those & pick another color. He told me I have carte blanche on the design & has asked for a plain reverse side (the baby blanket I showed him had deisgn work on back as well). I got this commission from showing the baby quilt & when the patron asked for something specifically masculine, I brought along the quilt I was making for Dad when he died (coffee-themed, featured mostly various browns, tans, cremes, bit of burgundy, mustard, gray & black. I showed a third one (smallish) mostly analogous blues/greens/purples which he felt to "purply" for him). Hope to get to LQS tonite for preliminary inquiries, am hoping to look around for some swatches & take them to my patron later this wk. The design prospects seem wide open other than QAYG which in my case was framed squares of novely fabrics (Dad's quilt). The mind boggles ........ More later & cross yr. fingers!!! (PG) Karen

I think Quilter's Newsletter was one of the magazines I used to teach myself how to quilt, somewhere btwn 10 & 15 yrs. ago. I thought they did a really nice job. I've gotten American Quilter's Newsleter for several years & really like it; stunning stuff. I too had to give them all up for a couple of yrs., am just now renewing Fons & Porter after the 1st year. I agree it seems rather basic & beginnerish, yet it's their HOW TO which taught me the quick version of HST. I'm also one to find it REALLY irritating when they pester us to renew when we're not halfway into the subscription, I want to shout "tell me when I'm expiring FIRST or don't bother me". ARGGGGHHHHHHHH But I DO love my quilt magazines, great reading on the Subway, on the beach.

If you like paper piecing, Carol Doak has several books along the line of "500 blocks for paper piecing" - that sort of thing. I have one called Around the Block (or maybe Around the Block Again) which is all blocks made from squares & rectangles. Lots of cute picture blocks in it. I also have one called Block Magic which has lots of designs, but I find the instructions a little hard to follow. They give you cutting sizes for squares & rectangles, but for other shapes you have to go to templates in the back of the book. Donna