Marcia Stevens' Classes

Gain new skills and build your confidence under the guidance of a machine quilter who started longarm quilting in 1984. Marcia’s comprehensive full-day workshops will be adapted to the expertise of the students following a discussion with hostess. Some of the topics covered in this class will include:

Hostess will coordinate classes by contacting individuals and receiving full payment and class registration form to confirm the reservation. Registration forms and payments will be sent to Marcia at least two weeks prior to class dates and hostess will provide Marcia with a map for distribution to participants. Marcia will send confirmation letters to each registrant prior to class dates. Hostess will coordinate lunch for attendees with suggestions provided by Marcia. (Normal menu is sandwich, chips, fruit, dessert and beverage.)

Marcia will reimburse the hostess for any expenses incurred by the hostess as a result of the workshops. Marcia will bring all needed class supplies with the exception of batting and possibly thread which the hostess will provide and bill to Marcia.

Class fee is $200 ($150 for workshop plus $50 for travel expense). The fee includes workshop instruction, printed information, hands-on quilting and lunch. Hostess will receive her class free if two classes are scheduled and filled. If fewer than 7 paying students will be attending, the hostess class fee will be negotiated. Registration forms and class fee must be received by hostess or Marcia to reserve a spot in the workshop.

If you have any questions about hosting a class, please contact Marcia at mstevens@brainerd.net or 218-828-9116.

For years I’ve observed and participated in the discussion of what we should call our industry to make it recognizable. We are machine quilters who operate an industrial quilting machine while on our feet. We have toyed with the idea of calling our industry "standup" machine quilting but that just doesn’t sound quite right. These machines have an extended throat to allow room for the bulk of a quilt as it is being quilted. Several of the machine manufacturers were already calling their machines "Long Arm", "Long-arm", or "Longarm" so perhaps that would be the best way to term our businesses - longarm machine quilters.

Now, what’s the correct spelling? Everyone seems to be having a problem with that. In one recent magazine article, I saw it spelled all three ways. I have been trying for a dozen years to "coin" the term "longarm" and "shortarm" machine quilting to identify our industry. Yes, the dictionary and my computer spell checker constantly tell me I’m misspelling the word but how do you suppose words like "yuppie" (1982) or "hippie"(1965) made their way into Webster’s dictionary? By constant and repeated use, they became an accepted part of our English language and received dictionary status. I was researching these words on the net and came across some interesting information. Did you know that...

"Sew" appears to have been used sometime before the 12^th century. It means to unite or fasten by stitches. Sewing (14^th century) means the act, method, or occupation of one that sews. (So, do we do longarming?) We all know sewer can have a few different meanings so people tend not to identify themselves with that word. (Longarmer isn’t too bad?) Seamstress (1644) is used a lot - a woman whose occupation is sewing - but it doesn’t work for the male gender. So, how about "sewist". That would be a gender neutral replacement for seamstress. To date that hasn’t made dictionary status.

The word "pantograph" was inducted into Webster’s dictionary in 1723 as 1) an instrument for copying (as a map) on a predetermined scale consisting of four light rigid bars jointed in parallelogram form; also: any of various extensible devices of similar construction (as for use as brackets or gates), 2) an electrical trolley carried by a collapsible and adjustable frame. Hmmm...close but perhaps needs a little updating.

I requested information on "wholecloth" or "whole cloth." Whole cloth was listed in the dictionary (dated 1840) as, "pure fabrication -- usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth." I think we could expand on that definition also or perhaps work on getting "wholecloth" recognized.

The same kind of marketing minds that brought you "Preppies," "Yuppies" and "Dinks" (Dual Income, No Kids) now want you to use a school supplies marketing word - "skippies" to identify "School Kids with Income and Purchasing Power." Do you believe it? Are you related to any skippies?

I guess what I am trying to say is that we are a unique industry and thus should be able to identify ourselves with a distinctive word. If there are yuppies and skippies, why can’t there be "longarmers!" I’m hoping that the more "longarm" and "shortarm" are used, the more identifiable and accepted they will become. Would you please consider using these terms in all future references to this industry? Not "Long Arm," not "Long-arm," but "Longarm." Hopefully, down the road, Webster's New World Dictionary will include it as a legitimate word. I’ve put in a request...

Many quilters are confused about the difference between stippling and meandering. It is time that quilters know the facts.

In 1975 I started my adventure in quilting, at first learning by reading in limited resources. A Community Ed class in 1976 educated me as to history, terms and techniques of this interesting craft. That was my first introduction to a time-consuming technique used by hand quilters called stippling - tiny stitches that appear as random depressions on the quilt surface.

In 1982 my interests had shifted to machine quilting on my trusty Bernina. A class with Harriet Hargrave really fired me up. The term stippling came up again and it bothered me. I was trying to emulate hand stippling by free machining a wandering line to fill in a background area. But it really didn't look exactly like hand stippling. What should it be called?

In 1984 I purchased my first industrial quilting machine. The manufacturer gave a brief instructional session and referred to that wandering line of quilting as meandering. I liked the sound of that. Stippling appears as random depressions on a quilt surface - specks of thread. Meandering is a continuous line of quilting. These techniques are similar in appearance but in actuality very different by definition.

stip'ple, v.t.; stippled, pt., pp.; stippling, ppr. [D. stippelen, to speckle, cover with dots, from stippel, a speckle, dim. of stip, a point.] to engrave, paint, or draw by using small points or dots instead of lines or solid areas.

stip'ple, stip'pling, n. 1. the art or method of painting, drawing, or engraving in dots. 2. the effect produced by this, or an effect, as in nature, resembling it. 3. stippled work.

me·an'der, n.[L. moeander; Gr. maiandros, a winding stream or canal, from Maiandros, the Meander, a river in Phrygia noted for its winding course.] 1. [often in pl.] a winding course, a winding or turning in a passage; a convolution. 2. a style of ornamental design in which the lines interlace: it has often been used in decorating vases, and is also sometimes employed in architecture. 3. an aimless wandering; a rambling.

me·an'der, v.i.; meandered, pt., pp,; meandering, ppr. 1. to wind or turn in a course or passage; to be intricate. 2. to wander aimlessly or idly; to ramble.

me·an'der, v.t. to make or traverse by meandering; to wind, turn, or flow round.

Precise definition of technique defines subtle differences when one attempts to imitate. Random depressions and a wandering line both fill an area with quilting but the fact remains, they are still two vastly different processes. Next time you hear someone use these terms incorrectly it may not be necessary to specifically correct the misnomer. Instead I suggest rephrasing it for them. Please remember this quotation from Frank Clark, "A smart person knows how to win an argument, a wise person knows how to avoid one." Eventually, these terms will assume their correct usage.

Shortly after Marcia Stevens wrote the article above, she submitted it for publication to one of the major quilting publications. She was told that while they agreed with the article they thought its content was too controversial! So in a nutshell stippling can only be done by hand quilting. While meandering can be done by machine quilting (and of course by hand quilting as well).

If you have questions about Marcia's schedule of classes you can contact her mstevens@brainerd.net

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These are one day workshops unless held in conjunction with a larger event. In most cases we drive to the teaching site so I could schedule additional classes along the travel route. If you are interested in hosting a class, please contact me at 218-828-9116 or mstevens@brainerd.net

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