it’s most certainly a labor of love, pinning and loading three layers of fabric and batting onto a long arm machine… and it will be a challenge for me not to want to reverse things! three times… i pinned and unpinned… but then ~ when it’s finally right… the fun begins!
this is my long lost ~ but not forgotten ~ “storm at sea” quilt. it’s been waiting a long time for me to “make it real!” all the pieces of it were laser cut, part of a “kit” of sorts by quilter john flynn. i purchased it about eight years ago… give or take a few?!! having little piecing knowledge, i jumped into this kit because the colors… well… THE colors! dreamy. and i was quite enamored with the pattern of the quilt too. i don’t know how long it took me to piece it, but i remember the enjoyment of working out the placement of the stars and circles, and how they intersected.
and when it came time to finally piece it… those delicate shapes that intersect within each of the blocks… all those diamonds, squares and triangles were a huge challenge for me at the time. especially as i had no clue how to help seams lay flat, keep bias edges from stretching, and all that jazz {way back then!} lol. where was youtube, anyway? well, it certainly wasn’t in my radar, that’s for sure! so, nice and folded back up, it went in my “i’ll-get back-to-you-someday-pile.”
and that someday arrived last week! i picked out borders and stitched them on, and a batik backing, and this baby was ready to go to the shop for quilting.
and so “storm at sea” became the practice quilt, before i jump into the long arm for toni’s zebra~new york beauty quilt i showed in this post.
this is a baby lock “crown jewel” longarm which is available for rent at the quiltaway shop. toni, the owner, helped me load it:
i could have practiced on a plain piece of fabric… but for me, having a “real” quilt that i want to do well on is motivation to practice more seriously… and eventually… more precisely!
i had to do some “inner talking” to myself, and stop comparing the quilting that comes so easily to me when i do home machine quilting work. given the thousands of hours i’ve spent on my home machine… going to a longarm requires a different set of movements. and nothing changes! it will all require putting in the practice and time to hone one’s skills. so i got to embrace imperfections {more than i usually do}, and {enJoy} getting the lovely movement of a longarm machine and drawing with the needle instead of moving fabric… learning to embrace broader strokes, for sure. and finding the wide open space both a bit intimidating, and limiting! kinda funny how that works. there is a space of about five inches toward the edge of the front roller bar that you cannot quilt in until you stop and advance the rollers… and learning where that “border” was, indeed… an adventure! next time i think i’ll mark it with an erasable pen or pins, or something.
and i tried out feathers, swirls and circles… randomly, on this quilt. i’d really like to do more detail quilting too… but in time. the pattern is striking enough with color and design, so the quilting was not really the star of the show {thankfully!} and i’m ever so glad to see it finished, and ready to bind.
this piece took about three hours for me to quilt, and perhaps would have gone smoother, but of course, learning to roll the quilt, adjust, change bobbins, adjust tension… all those things are good steps to learning the overall process. i would guess it would have taken ten+ hours minimally on my home machine.
despite the quilting bobbles everywhere, i love it. and now it will find a home somewhere off the ufo pile ~ yay!
bless your day!
xo
soli deo gloria!
Comments 12
It is a gorgeous quilt and your quilting looks perfect to me !
I think a Long Arm in your future is the next logical step, young lady! Go for it! You would have so much fun! It is completely different than quilting on a regular sewing machine – it goes so fast. And darn it all – it goes right where you guide it, which isn't always where you need it go, lol. Fun, fun!
I love your quilt. I think you did a great job on your Quilting,Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
8 years! good for you trying something new and finishing a ufo! I'm sure the skills are different but ya done did good!!! Its a knock out!
So lovely!
So how did you like the longarm machine? Was it difficult to do small motifs? Have been fascinated with them for years but only played with one at a show once and was rather intimidated.
Wow! Gorgeous quilt! I mark the bottom edge with post it notes…no risk of hitting a pin.
You did an amazing job on this….your first!!!!…..longarm stitching!!! Those fabrics are so rich and I'm thrilled, too, to see it ready for the binding!!!!!
I LOVE IT! Can't wait to see in person.
I can see why you were drawn to this kit; very striking SAS. Glad you had fun with the new-to-you toy.
Looks pretty darn gorgeous to me. These machines seem most amazing. xox
You are right, longarm quilting is a totally different thing and requires different skills and muscle memory. That said your first quilt looks like my 30th! Your FMQ expertise really shows. Your quilting is beautiful!