I'm On a Roll Now

Yesterday I loaded another quilt onto the Tin Lizzie, and after supper I quilted it! My goodness, but it feels so good to have this growing confidence on the long-arm. From the closet of quilt tops, I bring you French General Charms. This quilt top was made in May of 2016 when Sharon and I together, made Charm About You, a quilt that looks like it made with lots of setting triangles, but in fact, is sewn together in straight rows, and then cut - yes CUT! - and rearranged to form the on point effect. One drawback is that points are lost when adding borders, but I'm not too bothered by this. From afar, it's still a beauty and the missing points are of no consequence.

One little thing occurred while I quilted, and it is a very strong indicator that progress is definitely being made. After I roll the first pass up I have learned to always inspect the stitches to make sure the underside looks good. This time, while it didn't look awful, I did think the tension could be improved. So I adjusted by a quarter-turn of the tension knob, and by gosh, that made a huge difference in the beauty of the stitching. I felt so smug about diagnosing and adjusting on the spot like that. Bit by bit, I can feel my confidence growing.

I just love this border print. What a statement it makes with its big sweeping floral design and that deep gorgeous burgundy-red. Luscious. The charms are from an older French General line Rue Indienne; I'm cannot immediately identify the border line.

And VOILA! It's quilted! At 72" x 48", it didn't take long. Despite my growing confidence, I discovered that my learning curve continues. I had a devil of a time keeping track of my stitching on the center portion of this quilt. The center is made with a haphazard placement of colors and squares - quite different from quilting well-defined blocks, such a stars or churns or 9-patches. This will be my next skill to master.

Here's a few more random shots. I have not yet trimmed the sides, so better, full-on pictures will be forthcoming.

Today, Sharon will be here to sew. We've not sewn together since December! Lots of catching up to do! Before she gets here, I have an extremely cluttered, messy quilting room to tidy up. She is used to my messes, but right now it's a whole lot worse than usual. Yikes.

Happy Quilting, Friends!