In the heart of Virginia is where all of our quilts come to life. In a beautiful country setting surrounded by rolling hills and lots of farmland is where the studio is located.
The 1st part of the process is fabric selection from high quality 100% cotton fabrics. Once that is established the cutting and piecing begins. Hours are spent collaborating the fabrics from small pieces into the entire quilt top. It is like watching the fabrics become a family - all with their own personalities.
Once the quilt top is completed then the next step happens- which is the quilting. The quilting is as important as the fabric. Usually the quilt tells you what quilting would look the best. Hours are spent making sure the right patterns are created and used so the quilt looks its best. The quilting is done on a computerized longarm machine. The longarm in our studio is 14' long (about the length of a mini van).
The final steps are deciding on batting and thread color. These can give the quilt a soft feel and either accentuate the quilting or just give it texture. Each quilt is unique and is done differently. All of our batting is machine washable and user friendly. The battings we commonly use are 100% cotton in regular or heavy weight, wool or bamboo/silk.
After the quilting is done comes the finishing touch called binding the quilt. Most of our quilts are done with a scalloped edge not all of them, but most.
After the binding is completed the quilt is washed. This allows the quilt to have gone through any shrinkage that might be possible. This also allows the quilt to develop that soft crinkle feel and look that give it the last bit of character. After that the quilt is ready to begin its life. It's a beautiful thing to see from beginning to end.
Who Is Penny and Jenny You Ask
Penny (myself) and Jenny (my golden retriever) yes, you read that right. There is only 1 person doing the work at Penny and Jenny Quilt. Jenny is either sleeping or eye begging me to go outside and throw the ball for her. She is with me all of the time. When it came time to name the business it just seemed to be the only right name.
I started quilting after my children were grown and moving away. My interest and want for education on quilting was insatiable. I have traveled all over the country learning from the best to become my best. I knew that I would make more quilts than I would ever use and that's where the business was born.
My quilts have been semi-finalist in multiple AQS shows, won Best of Show, 1st place and Viewers Choice in other shows.
I have had a very active business on Etsy since 2020 however my interest is to move away from that platform and sell on my own website. If you have questions I'm happy to talk via email or phone.