Quilting Today

 ...yes, I know that's the name of a magazine. One I rather like!

But today, I was the one quilting. Got the Brother threaded up--my glasses are awful for threading a machine with invisible thread, that stuff just disappears... but I managed to get it done. This quilt needed some more vertical lines quilted, so I thought doing that would be a good way to get used to the machine. This is a new machine, a semi-industrial type that sews straight stitch only, and can go very very fast. Unlike my mother's industrial machine, on which I learned to sew, it does have a reverse so I can back  up if I need to. Not that I need to very often, but it's nice to have it. Very handy when sewing on binding.

This is the machine I used to sew the binding on this quilt and its counterpart. It already had the walking foot on, and I really do want to become proficient with it. I've learned that for me, the learning curve on something new--a new technique, a new machine, whatever--just can't be rushed, and once I accepted that, I've been a lot less frustrated with myself. (Not that I don't occasionally slip back!)

The plan for this quilt is to do straight almost-ditch stitching on all t he vertical lines, including the bamboo stems in two of the yukata prints. Then I'll free-motion the center panel, and  probably add some free motion work to the bamboo panels too. The batting is Warm n' Natural, so it doesn't need to be quilted too closely, so I'm not going to try to do the horizontal lines on the block strips. 

So the quilting session went along quite nicely, interspersed with jaunts out to the garage to wrangle the laundry. Then things started to go a little wonky--first, I ran out of bobbin. No problem, had another one ready to go. Then the top thread broke, and for the life of me I couldn't get the needle rethreaded.

Took that as a "sign" that maybe it was time to quit for the night, so I've shut down and put it to bed for the night. Hopefully tomorrow morning my eyes won't be too tired (and my fingers too large and klutzy) and I can once again get the needle threaded and get back to work!