Pine Belt Quilters hosted the third leg of the Mississippi Quilt Association 2007 Educational Seminar with Ann Fahl teaching Decorative Machine Quilting Aug. 24-25 in Hattiesburg. Ann presented her award-winning techniques of measuring and basting before quilting to ensure a smooth and flat quilt. She introduced the participants to a variety of threads and gave instructions on choosing the correct needle for each type of thread. Of course, machine tensions had to be understood and addressed for good results. The first day's class dealt with sewing a sampler of stitches, learning how to adjust for threads and batting choices. The second day we worked on quilting a top we had brought. A great learning experience was brainstorming what quilting designs were needed for each quilt top. Ann guided the discussion by asking for opinions from the group and then helped each come up with good options for quilting. There were many "ah-ha" moments as quilters made breakthroughs in what had formerly been less than satisfying results. Beginning and seasoned machine quilters came away from the class with many more tips and techniques added to their experiences.
