It makes me so happy, I just want to snuggle it!
I learned so many valuable things by doing this:
- Quilting is very very hard work! Manhandling even a lap quilt through a small machine (this is 60″ x 60″) is actual physical labour and is painful on my slightly arthritic hands. Gloves help.
- I don’t think I’ll try to quilt a big quilt on a small machine. If I make a large, traditional quilt (anything queen and over, quilted as a whole after assembly) I’ll take it to a longarmer.
- I need to investigate Quilt As You Go. I have a couple of block-based projects with no sashing that would work well with this so I’m going to give it a shot!
- I need to think about getting a better machine – auto stop needle in fabric seems a must to me. Quilting extension table would be amazing! Knee lift would be lovely!
I learned what I like doing;
I like working with good quality cotton fabric. I have mostly been a stage costumer on a small budget and that means working with a huge range of often cheap synthetic fabrics. Once I got to the quilting stage, where you’re very intimately interacting with this mass of fabric and batting, I realized that one of the things I love about a quilted blanket is its cottony softness. And I could really tell the difference between cheap cotton fabric and the good stuff.
Quilting itself I found surprisingly fun, even though I was doing it on a small machine with a walking foot and was terrified of it at first. I really liked trying out different patterns on each block of the quilt even as I was swearing at it and the small harp of my machine! I also like just improvving designs.
I love choosing fabric, cutting fabric out, and I love squaring up blocks! So satisfying!
In the same vein, I really like binding. It’s almost done! I’m neatening the edges! Yay!
I liked the composition of the backing. Very freeing and fun to try to use up some scraps!
And what I like doing least:
Piecing. Which surprised me. I sort of thought that would be the most fun and it wasn’t. I like designing and just about everything else about quilting so far, but not this.
pattern: Peaches and cream quilt by Simple Simon
FABRICS include fabrics from the Art gallery Colour Master Pomegranate Tart
Tilda’s World Sunkiss Collection
Blue Cats Fabric by Sarah Golden for Andover
Sashing: Kona Cotton Shadow
