Wow--I can't believe it's been since Dec 16th that I posted a quilting project. I've finished several tops that need to be quilted, and played with new-to-me techniques. I've bought my fair share of fabric, some of which I don't know what I'm going to use it in, but I just had to have it. Fabric is much like scrapbooking paper...sometimes you see it and must own it.
One thing I talked about in a post was that I was working on a king size quilt for our bed. I finished the piecing before the end of the year in 2007, and put it on my mom's quilting frame sometime in January. With CHA and Show Season starting, I've only been able to work on it in short bursts of time. Here is what it looks like on the frame:
If you've never seen a quilting machine, here it is. This is considered a "mini-long arm" machine. The quilt is stable on the frame, and the machine is on a moving area of the table that moves the entire length of the frame. It's so much easier using this, than trying to roll up the quilt and try to quilt it on a standard sewing machine. It can be done, but this is easier.
It also has a laser pointer on it, and what you can't see is that on the back-side of the frame is a table, where I have the quilting design laid out. I follow that with the laser guide as closely as I can, and it sews that design (which you'll see down below).
The fabric is the "Metro Blue" line from Marcus Bros. Textiles. Took me awhile to round up all the fabrics, as many of the local stores didn't carry it at all, or only carried parts of the line. In the above shot, I'm just at the midpoint of the quilting. It's going slow, because the bobbin thread only lasts for about 2/3 of a pass from right to left. So I feel like I'm constantly stopping to change the bobbin. (The quilt hanging on the wall was made by my great grandmother Helen.)
Above is a look from the left side of the machine & frame. I've done a log cabin quilt, and I can't remember the design that I laid the blocks out in. Once it's on the bed, I'll re-shoot it, and show it in the room.
A closer shot of the fabrics.
This is a close-up shot of about a 4x6" of the stitching design that I'm doing. It's considered a medium stipple with a flower design thrown in for fun. Shot is a little blurry, but it gives you a general idea.
As of today, I only have about 3-4 rows of stitching left to do. I had hoped to finish it up this past Sunday, but was having problems with the machine breaking my top thread. I changed a tension setting and went back to work. Unfortunately, I didn't check it, and ended up with a huge birds-nest on the back of my quilt for about 2 feet. It's nasty! So--I'm spending about an hour a day with a seam ripper pulling those threads out, and going to start that row over. This time I'll check the tension, and make sure everything is OK....
Happy Crafting!
~~Angie
