Let’s talk about Antique Linens Quilt and More

To start out, I have to tell you how the birth of this quilt happened…Years ago, 1993 to be exact, I decided to try and create some antique looking embroideries using the decorative stitches on my sewing machine.  At that time, home embroidery machines were still just a dream so everything had to be done by free motion or decorative stitches.  I wanted to create the type of stitches that are found on the Antique doilies and dresser scarves that our Mothers and Grandmothers created by hand.  After some experimentation, I created some beautiful embroideries and the techniques to recreate the beauty of the past with the technology of today.  Be sure to look on the color pages for a picture of the original front panels of my first vest. 

After creating all these embroideries, I planned a class using all the techniques I had discovered.  Those of you who have some of my other books will know that Lindee Goodall (of Cactus Punch) and I have been friends for a long time.  Our relationship began when she came into the store where I worked in Fairfield, Ohio and wanted to purchase the machine that connected to a computer.  At that time I didn’t know anything about computers and when asked to demonstrate the software, I had to defer to her knowledge and just show it to her and let her figure out how it worked.  Thank goodness I have learned a little since then. 

Anyway, back to the story…Lindee signed up for the class and she and the other students enjoyed learning new ways of using their machines and stitches.  After class, Lindee asked me if these were my own designs and I told her yes.  I wondered at that time what was going on in her computer brain.  Who knew then, that before too long embroidery machines would be making their debut into the home market. 

Here we are, ten years later and more water has passed under the bridge.  Lindee and her husband Bill created a company called Cactus Punch, moved from their home in Loveland, Ohio to Tucson, Arizona and conquered the market of quality digitizing for the home market.  Over the years, we lost touch but in spring of 2001, I was teaching at a store in Tucson named Cathey’s Vacuum and Sewing. 

While demonstrating to my students, I looked up and there were Lindee and Bill.  After some catching up, they asked me if I would like to do some Signature design CD’s for their company.  Well, of course!    At that time I wanted to have some trees and shrubbery digitized for a couple of projects I was creating called Oriental Reflections and Secluded Serenity.  So we decided that would be one of the disks...which quickly turned into two beautiful CD’s. 

While waiting for her slow friend to get the art work needed for the trees and shrubs, she pulled out the designs from the Antique Linens class and the two books I had sent her of my publications called Antique Linens with Pfaff I and Antique Linens with Pfaff II.  She began recreating the Antique Linens designs using the miracle of her digitizing software.  The trees and shrubs were the primary project so they had to be finished before anything else could be started.  The Flowers and Shrubs CD #52, was released in Fall of 2001.  That December, CD #60 was also released with ten, beautifully digitized trees to its credit.

The Antique Linens CD #62 was ready in April of 2002.  It quickly became a best seller.  After all the designs were finished and the CD released, I had the task of showing how the beautiful designs could be used.  I decided I would create a quilt that had the various designs used in twelve different blocks.  At that time, I just simply wanted to show what could be done with the 36 designs...I had no idea of the amount of requests I would receive for directions to create the quilt.  But would anyone purchase a book that needed the additional purchase of a Cactus Punch Signature Series design CD? 

I worried and asked many people and the resounding answer was, “Yes!”  Everywhere I traveled with the quilt, the cry was heard…”Where is the book for the quilt?”  “Don’t you have directions?”  “I want to make one for my daughter’s wedding...can you have them ready in a week so I can get started?”  “What do you mean, showing us a quilt and not having the directions ready?”  “Can I take a picture?”

This quilt has been the source of comments, compliments, inspiration and frustration for you and for me.  Since I started creating works for classes and my books, the Antique Linens quilt has elicited more comments than anything I’ve ever done. 

That is why I am so happy to finally be able to present it to you in book form.  It is a long awaited project that I am excited and thrilled to be able to bring to you.  In these pages, you will find explicit directions for cutting, stabilizing, embroidering, assembling and finishing one of the most beautiful quilts around today. 

Truly elegant in ivory satin and moiré decorator faille, the embroidery designs are sewn in the new Sulky 12 weight cotton thread.  None of the designs were digitized to use this new heavyweight thread, but they sew beautifully with it.  The designs were created for the standard 30 and 40 weight rayon and polyester embroidery thread that most people have in their thread library.  When thinking about the quilt, I thought that by using the heavier threads, it would give the illusion of hand work embroidery floss.  The result is a beautiful, padded appearance that truly does look like hand embroidery. 

I always like to push the limits of any technique I try, including machine embroidery.  Last year, I created a sensation with my Crochet Crudités book and CD...using heavy thread in the needle and bobbin to make stand alone machine crochet.  No had ever seen anything like it and it remains a best seller.  I think the reason I love the heavy threads is the textural look they give.  The same is true for the Antique Linens quilt, the threads and the additional layers of batting gives the entire quilt a very three dimensional look that is beyond compare.  And now, it is yours to create. 

When thinking about creating a book for a CD from Cactus Punch, I felt that I needed to give you a reason to purchase the book even if you never made the quilt.  As a result of that thought process, I have given you a book full of ideas, projects, instructions, patterns and designs.  In thinking along these lines, I asked Judi Jaksa of Dallas, Texas to recreate twelve more of the original embroideries that I designed with the decorative stitches so long ago.

Of the twelve original designs that were digitized, you have a total of 99 designs to work with.  With careful segmenting and stitch editing of the larger embroideries, I have been able to give you multiple options for the creation of many more exciting blocks. 

On the CD, you will find a complete set of patterns for each quilt block, along with pictures of the stitched block.  The directions are for using the Antique Linens #62 Cactus Punch CD.   Each block has a placement guide for perfect hooping...All you need to do is to print them out.  You will need Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader on your computer to be able to print the patterns since they are in PDF format.  There are lots of designs on the CD, but the quilt was put together using the Cactus Punch CD and to duplicate it exactly, you will need to purchase that CD.  You can certainly create your own quilt using the designs that come with this book.  I have gotten you started with one gorgeous block. 

But that’s not all...along with the many extra designs, there are sixteen projects that are designed for easy gifts and a way to showcase the included embroideries and the ones from the Cactus Punch #62 CD.  There are pillows, vests, purses and cases, wall hangings, greeting cards and many more, just waiting for you to create these gifts of love for someone special...You may even have to make some for yourself.    I know you will enjoy using this innovative book and CD.