Over the summer, I have been practicing a new-to-me quilting pattern on my domestic machine: a giant spiral made with a walking foot. We've discovered that I got a little ahead of Sis in terms of creating tops that need to be tied, and I've also made a couple that aren't particularly conducive to tying, so it was time to learn another way to finish some quilts. I've experimented with several techniques in the machine quilting realm to get here, and am working on keeping it neat and even. This is my latest attempt - you can definitely see some bumps and wiggles in the lines, but overall I'm getting better - I'm awarding this one an A-!
I've learned that the center is best done by tracing the pattern onto the fabric - my first attempts involved a paper template that I sewed through and then tore off similar to paper piecing. The problem was that the paper and the fabric moved under the presser foot different, and there was a lot of shifting that resulted in really wobbly quilting.
I've also learned how important it is to really smooth the fabric well before creating the sandwich, to try to prevent the top from slowly shifting in a circle the father out I go. And there is an optimal speed that produces the least puckering - about 1/2 - 3/4 of the max that my machine will go.
Is there anything quite as satisfying as that moment when you trim it up for binding? I've loved everything about working on this and it's sibling - the fabrics, the colors, the pattern, the learning on the quilting, and I'm happy with the finished product. Oh! And the whole thing used up some stash. Can't wait to see this one bound and in the ready to deliver to Project Linus pile!
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