This month in the Longarm League, we published a coaching call featuring April Noyce of The Quilted Peony. I sat down with her to talk about recently launching her business, navigating social media and AI, building a local quilting community when there's not a ready-made group to join, and more.

While League members have full access to the recording of the call, we asked April to share a little more about herself and her business with our blog readers.

Without further ado, let's meet April...

April Noyce, The Quilted Peony

Located: Tuscaloosa, AL
In business: 7 months
Machine and software: Grace Q'nique 21X Elite with QCT 6 Pro
In the Longarm League: 9 months

Where to find April
Website: www.thequiltedpeony.com/
Facebook: The-Quilted-Peony
Best way for someone to contact you for quilting? Through the form on my website.

Q&A

Tell us a little about your business and the services you provide at The Quilted Peony.
I provide computerized E2E longarm quilting services, both edge-to-edge...

I have to admit, this digital pantograph is kind of showy. It's bold, it's eye-catching, it thrums with exciting texture! 



When creating this design, I began by exaggerating the length of feather plumes. I loved the concept of the feather "bump" (and therefore the backtracking) being so cute, tiny, and manageable, while the long lines of the design move the pattern forward; they are stitched in an alternating fashion without backtracking. What I ended up with looked so similar to a herringbone pattern, especially with the rows of feathers placed so close to their neighboring rows, even though they don't interlock or touch.



I wanted to keep the feather ends soft and rounded, which differentiates this design from traditional herringbone patterns. These columns (or rows, depending upon the direction the quilt is loaded) of feathers have finite ends and are "self-contained" without actually merging together. However, the eye wants to make sense of the overall texture, which read...

This is the third—and possibly last?—design of my "Echoed" series of designs. Originally, I created Echoed Swirls, based on a design I used to freemotion before I added computerization for my longarm. In 2024, I created Echoed Curves because it was the most descriptive name I could come up with and I liked how it fit with Echoed Swirls.

This time, I started with the Echoed Circles concept to complete the trifecta, and the design followed the name. That's not usually how I work, but this was a fun change of pace!



I had some criteria in mind as I set out to create Echoed Circles. I wanted the circles to remain circles and not morph into ovals. I wanted size variation and a sense of movement. Lastly, I didn't want any pivot points, so the needle could move fluidly throughout the entire design.



In the final design, we have two main outer circles within the repeat, both the same size. I designed it this way to ensure equal spacing between rows when nested.

To add the 'variety' cr...

Well, this is embarrassing! For the second time in a month (here's a link to the first time), I found myself inspired by a Quilty Love pattern, and dropped everything to make it because I wanted to use a new panto inspired by the patchwork. More about the pattern in a bit.

Let's talk about the digital panto first, shall we? As you can see, it's a ridiculously simple design combining a clamshell with a heart. It's not earth-shattering, but it is exactly what I wanted for this quilt! 



This design is all about balance. The heart shape is "held" suspended at the center of each clamshell, giving it a little space to shine on its own.

The scale of the heart in relation to the clamshell is giving dainty cuteness! On this quilt, that's the same vibe as the little 9-patches in the alternate blocks, which are so adorable.



As an edge-to-edge design, there's a cascading effect across the quilt, which I find nice. I say this all of the time, but I love the texture that simple, repeated ...

Confession time: I've had a "Christmas tree" panto sketch in my design software for well over a year now, but it just wasn't working. Cut to a few weeks ago: I became inspired by the new pattern, Tree Rows, designed by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love.

I love the SUPER simplified patchwork of the trees, and that made me take a fresh look at the panto design I'd been working on. I removed a bauble, deleted a few branches, and made the boughs curvy. Suddenly, it was a panto I wanted to use on this very quilt pattern.



As a panto designer, I'm very much drawn to graphically interesting quilting and the texture it produces. I adore the pillowy softness that comes from the transitions between trees; it feels a bit unexpected for a tree panto. In fact, I don't think the overall texture reads immediately as "tree", and maybe that's what I like most about it.



When tiled across a quilt, the shapes interlock in a soft, flowing way.

This design would, of course, be appropriate for Christmas ...

Every once in a while, a quilt comes off the frame and reminds me exactly why I love quilting. I feel so grateful to have my own longarm machine at home so I can make quilts—and quickly! 

This one checks all the boxes: classic patchwork, calm colors, and—of course—dense, traditional quilting that gives the whole project an exclamation point!

The Patchwork

I made this quilt for a good friend in September of 2024, who was going through a difficult time. She's one of the classiest people I know! The way she dresses and decorates her home can be described as a sophisticated, effortless style.

When I was deciding what kind of quilt to make, I knew it needed to be timeless, so I went with the Sawtooth Star. The layout is made with 10" blocks using the Magic 8 method of making half-square triangles, since eight are needed for each block.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Magic 8 method is a quick and efficient way to turn a large pair of squares into eight half-square triangles (HSTs) at once. It...

Written by: Cheryl Koranda

This month in the Longarm League, Jess sat down with League member and friend Shelly Moore of Ma Tante Quilting for another great discussion. Shelly is a regular guest here at the Longarm League. She’s continually moving forward in her business and there’s always something new and interesting to learn when she joins Jess for a chat.

Previous topics have included brand photography, building a successful email list, reviewing SewTites leader magnets, launching The Panto Shop (now run by fellow League member Erynn Truex), quilt photography, including Shelly’s signature course on the topic, Beginner Quilt Photography (which I highly recommend), and using the Manychat automation tool on Instagram.

This time the discussion focused on annual business reviews.

Their conversation gave me some new ideas and insights, so today I’m sharing my takeaways from the call, and giving a peek behind the curtain into what our members will be receiving with this call by sharin...

At the end of October we hosted our 2nd annual Longarm League retreat!

We retreated again at Heartland Retreat Center in Kansas City, MO. and had an amazing time. We had around 45 of us this year, mostly Longarm League members as well as a few other friends!

The whole retreat was so much fun - lots of laughter and chatting, but there was also an amazing amount of productivity. Each time we had a finish, the person would ring the bell so we could all celebrate with them. I’ve included just a few finishes in this post, but you can see them all on our Retreat Highlight on the League’s Instagram account.

Chris Batten of Looped Quilting with a fun Halloween Cabin Nights Quilt:

Nichole Ganoung of Paradise Flats Quilt Co. with an Archie quilt:

Jess with a Redford quilt:

The setting at Heartland works so well for our group - lots of space inside for sewing, and large grounds with trails for walks and other activities. This year we added a second room for our group with iron...

Camber features repeating floral-inspired motifs with petals radiating from a center circle — a clean pattern that feels classic without feeling fussy.

Many of the new pantographs I've designed over the last several months (Modra, Wifi, Bloomlet, and Smokescreen) have had a "freestyle" or a handguided feel to them. In contrast, Camber feels geometric and structured.

Camber also bridges traditional and modern—my favorite way to live life! ☺️ The echoed line within each petal reminds me of Orange Dream, which is my take on a traditional orange peel. Except this design is a lot easier to use because precision alignment between rows is not required.

The slight curvature between rows creates a gentle wave effect that adds dimension. The word camber means the slightly convex or arched shape of a road or other horizontal surface. It’s a nod to movement—a tiny architectural nudge that softens the repeat and keeps the eye moving. Plus, I love the little triangle shapes that emerg...

Some designs start with a technical idea. Others begin with a feeling.

This one started with a story.

I recently finished making a baby quilt based on The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt — a sweet picture book about a ghost who feels different because he’s made of patchwork instead of a plain white sheet. It's such a cute story, and I knew it'd be perfect for a cousin of mine (born on Halloween!) who recently had her first baby. 

As I worked on the quilt, I wanted a gender neutral quilting design that felt soft but not sleepy — something with a steady rhythm and a bit of mystery, like smoke or fog curling through the air. That’s where Smokescreen came from.
 

Smokescreen is a fresh take on the meander — simple enough to blend beautifully into any quilt, but with a bit more attitude. The lines shift between gentle curves and tight turns, creating the illusion of movement without any hard angles or stops.

It’s an edge-to-edge design that gives just enough texture to enhance p...