Back to Elisa's Quilt

My commission work on Elisa's quilt has been sporadic over the last month. As I reflect on my minimal attention to it, I think I am learning that sewing for others on a commission-type basis is not really my cup of tea. When I sew for myself, I can put projects off for long periods of time and not feel any real rush to get back to them. If I get an urge to work on something different, I do.

With commission projects, I really ought not to work this way. I need to be more disciplined and devote myself to the job until it is finished. It then becomes obligatory, and I find that I just don't enjoy feeling obligated. On the one hand, I am excited to see this quilt finished, and I think it is going to look fantastic, yet on the other hand, this long stretch of actual work is not thrilling me much.

Conflicted. That describes me. 

Well, with that grumbling out of the way, I will show you briefly what I am doing. It is not all that different from what I showed the last time; but I will focus this time on the process.

The long bar of the kitchen counter becomes my work space. I clear as much off as possible, then stretch the backing on it and use painter's tape to hold it taut.

I rolled the backing (the black fabric) up on a tube and pulled it taut; so that took care of positioning the backing. Next, after pressing the top and the batting together with starch, I aligned these two layers as one single layer onto the backing. I've got the bottom end of it rolled on a different tube. Then starting at the top, I begin pinning. I pull the tube with the batting/top to an acceptably taut position and pin my way down the strip.

When I get this section done, I get my long ruler and mark vertical quilting lines on the quilt top. I have tried a couple of different methods of handling those tubes. I am still experimenting with what works best. But it does do a good job of keeping the three layers taut and flat. The tubes? They are the legs from my Q-Snap quilt frame.

From here, I pull off the tape and head back upstairs to the sewing room and begin quilting.

I hope to knock this commissioned quilt off my list in the coming week or so. That will feel so, so good.

Happy Quilting, Friends!