Many quilts made during the late 20th and early 21st centuries feature machine quilting. Although many standard sewing machines are capable of stitching through the layers of a quilt, a new type of machine, called a “long arm” was designed specifically to maneuver a large bed quilt beneath the machine’s needle.

These space-intensive machines are more than many home quilters can own, so a new class of professional quilters offers the service of machine quilting. Ann Irene Kompelien owned such a machine and quilted this “Block-of-the-Month” quilt with it.