Kathryn’s Quilts – Quilt for Joy by Kathryn

{Quilt for Joy} The Story Behind The Name

Published on August 9, 2018 by Kathryn StrasserLeave a comment

**Note: Although I am currently not doing custom long-arm machine quilting, I want to share the story behind the name.

The name of the custom long-arm quilting portion of my business, Quilt for Joy, finds its inspiration in Proverbs 17:22 which reads, “A joyful heart is good medicine…” I have found great joy in custom long-arm machine quilting ever since I started as a high school sophomore in 2011.

I wanted the name of my business to reflect that joy I experience when long-arm machine quilting as I work with my own quilts, and quilts for customers.

There’s a deeper meaning to the name, though.

When I started long-arm machine quilting I was dealing with a two-year-old wrist injury that was un-diagnosed at the time. Using the machine didn’t worsen the pain, so I continued learning all that I could about long-arm quilting. Unfortunately, another injury to the same wrist in the summer of 2012 increased my pain.

I continued to quilt during this time, finding as Proverbs 17 says, that a joyful heart is indeed good medicine. Machine quilting was one little thing helping me have a joyful heart in the midst of intense pain.

I ended up having surgery on my wrist in April of 2013, and another surgery in November of the same year. I was unable to quilt during that time and during the surgery recovery process. At this time, I also discovered that I suffer from chronic Lyme disease which causes achy muscles and joint pain in various parts of my body. Initial treatment attempts for my Lyme proved ineffective and the wrist pain returned a few months after my second surgery leaving me with few options for treatment, and a whole lot of pain.

I returned to quilting following my post-surgery recovery mainly because of the creative outlet it provides me,. I still struggled with pain from my chronic Lyme disease, but I was able to quilt well, and kept expanding my skills and understanding of the long-arm machine.

I long-arm quilted several quilts throughout my time in college, but my health situation was worsening. I stopped long-arm quilting near the end of 2017; with a new Lyme treatment on the horizon, I needed to remove as many outside obligations as possible.

The health treatment is working as expected (a rarity when dealing with chronic Lyme disease), and as of August 2018 my Lyme disease is in remission. It will take several months to return to my full strength, and in the meantime I need to scout out an ideal place to resume long-arm quilting at since I recently moved.

The twists and turns of life certainly keep my on my toes. I’m grateful for all the years of long-arm quilt experience. I anticipate the day – though it still may be far off – when I can use a long-arm machine again both for personal use and for clients.

~ Kathryn

Squares!

Published on November 21, 2016November 22, 2016 by Kathryn StrasserLeave a comment

This quilt was pieced by my mom and custom long-arm quilted by me a few months ago as an apartment warming gift for my older brother. We chose browns and blacks for a color scheme to match the furniture that my brother has in his new place.

To stay with the rectangle theme, I used the long-arm machine to custom quilt squares all over the quilt. This was great practice for me in free-handing straight lines, and my brother was quite impressed when he saw the finished quilting!

This quilt looks great in the living area of my brother’s apartment, and it is super comfy to curl up with while watching a football game on the TV… (I know because I’ve done it)!

Thanks for reading!

~ By Kathryn

My Dorm Room Quilts

Published on October 14, 2016October 16, 2016 by Kathryn StrasserLeave a comment

It has been a few months since I moved back into my college dorm room to continue my junior year of college, and I’ve decided to share some photos of the quilts and quilted items that I have in my dorm room.

First, I have this whole-cloth quilt that I made for my bed at the beginning of last semester. I had used the quilt prior to this one for about four years, so I was ready for a change. I chose several quilting patterns, and transitioned from one to the next to create a variety of long-arm quilting designs for this quilt. I enjoyed the chance to play around with some of my favorite quilting designs, and some new ones that I had seen!

Second, I have quilted cushions for my “window seat.” When I moved into this room for the first time last semester, I saw the wide windowsill and knew I had to make cushions for a window seat. So when I went home for spring break I did just that! Since I’m living in the same room again this school year, I brought my window cushions along again as well.

Finally, I made this chevron lap quilt a few years ago with fabric that my mom gifted to me. The color scheme matches my chair perfectly, and makes for a great place for me to study, and for my stuffed animals to hang out. You can see more pictures of this quilt, and read about my design process by checking out my Sampler Snapshot post.

I can’t go far from my quilts, and my dorm room certainly is proof of that fact! I love how they give a comfortable feel to my room decor, and they are perfect for staying warm and cozy as fall and winter approach!

~ By Kathryn

Sampler Snapshot

Published on September 17, 2016September 18, 2016 by Kathryn Strasser2 Comments

I’m excited to share some photos today of a sampler quilt that I made a few years ago.

My mom had gifted me the fabric which sat unused in my project box for several months. I absolutely loved the colors and patterns, but I was waiting until I came across just the right project to use the fabric for. As I was scrolling through Pinterest one day I saw a chevron quilt pattern and I knew that this was the pattern that I’d been looking for to go with these fabrics. Once I settled on a project idea I jumped right in, and in this case I was especially excited to get to the machine quilting stage! That provided plenty of motivation to finish piecing the quilt top in a relatively short amount of time.

Most of the fabrics have patterns which hide the custom machine quilting to some extent. Because of this I saved some of my favorite quilting patterns for the solid chevrons. I had so much fun long-arm quilting on a smaller scale then I usually do, as well as quilting a different pattern in each chevron stripe.

The photos of the back of this quilt are a little crazy to look at because I chose a polka-dot fabric, but these two photos allow you to see some of the different designs that I did in each of the chevrons. (Note: if you want the custom long-arm quilting that you have done on your quilt to show up well on the back, choose a solid fabric for your backing).

I was so happy with how this quilt turned out, and it perfectly matches the chair that I have in my room (now in my college dorm room)! It’s the perfect spot to curl up with a textbook to do some studying, or with a good book to enjoy a few lazy afternoon hours!

~By Kathryn