I have had some help with my quilt as you can see. This is at the pinning stage. Pearl helped me by keeping the quilt on that table. This is the first quilt I have pinned, but true to my first teacher,
Sue Nickels, and then
Leah Day and the rest of the
good online resources I have read, I pinned the heck out of the quilt sandwich. That time investment really pays off I can tell you now. In between sewing up the straight lines I am running top to bottom down the lines of geese, I fold it up and Pearl sleeps on it on the sewing table - that way the quilt won't escape.
Little by little, in the evenings, I have been completing the straight lines. Not perfect by any means, but I am enjoying the sewing very much. I do use the smooshing method rather than carefully rolling the quilt - it is just more my style. I am so glad my Pfaff has a large harp area, and the walking foot now called IDT. So very used to good feed top and bottom by having IDT all these years.
Straightening the whole quilt sandwich and keeping it moving smoothly requires stopping quite a bit, removing pins, and making sure all is smooth under the quilt as it moves through. And my space is cramped, but I am used to that anyway, so it's really not a problem for me. I am thankful for the years of sewing experience that allow me to keep watch on 1. the fabric feed, 2. the positioning of the quilt, and 3. the sound and flow of the machine as it goes along.
Being able to hear the changes can save you some troubles. The one thing I would love is to know when my bobbin is low, but that is a problem for all types of sewing when you have a vertical bobbin. And, I have been known to not check a horizontal bobbin as well, so that doesn't always do me any good either! In the pictures you might have spotted the
Superior Threads Thread Stand. A wonderful gadget. I have an inexpensive thread stand I picked up at JoAnn's years ago, but the edges were a bit rough - yes, really! Not a good thing with thread running across it. So I thought why not go all the way and get this really flexible item from Superior. It can be used many ways, and made to work for my C&C thread I am using now as well. I think I am going to get a lot of use out of it. Meanwhile I did purchase a
Sew Slip as well, but haven't had a lot of love for it. I had to remove it to get a visual on the bobbin area of my machine when I ran out of thread last week one night. I wanted to move the Sew Steady Table away so I could do the bobbin, and the Sew Slip made that process worse, so I just rolled it on up and put it away for now. I will try it later on again. Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch, I have ordered a Sew Steady table for my Janome 8050 because sometimes I am going to want to place it in the table and use it for free motion. For example, when I get my Pfaff out and take her in for servicing.
Little by little, in the evenings, I have been completing the straight lines. Not perfect by any means, but I am enjoying the sewing very much. I do use the smooshing method rather than carefully rolling the quilt - it is just more my style. I am so glad my Pfaff has a large harp area, and the walking foot now called IDT. So very used to good feed top and bottom by having IDT all these years. 
Straightening the whole quilt sandwich and keeping it moving smoothly requires stopping quite a bit, removing pins, and making sure all is smooth under the quilt as it moves through. And my space is cramped, but I am used to that anyway, so it's really not a problem for me. I am thankful for the years of sewing experience that allow me to keep watch on 1. the fabric feed, 2. the positioning of the quilt, and 3. the sound and flow of the machine as it goes along. 
Being able to hear the changes can save you some troubles. The one thing I would love is to know when my bobbin is low, but that is a problem for all types of sewing when you have a vertical bobbin. And, I have been known to not check a horizontal bobbin as well, so that doesn't always do me any good either! In the pictures you might have spotted the Superior Threads Thread Stand. A wonderful gadget. I have an inexpensive thread stand I picked up at JoAnn's years ago, but the edges were a bit rough - yes, really! Not a good thing with thread running across it. So I thought why not go all the way and get this really flexible item from Superior. It can be used many ways, and made to work for my C&C thread I am using now as well. I think I am going to get a lot of use out of it. Meanwhile I did purchase a Sew Slip as well, but haven't had a lot of love for it. I had to remove it to get a visual on the bobbin area of my machine when I ran out of thread last week one night. I wanted to move the Sew Steady Table away so I could do the bobbin, and the Sew Slip made that process worse, so I just rolled it on up and put it away for now. I will try it later on again. Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch, I have ordered a Sew Steady table for my Janome 8050 because sometimes I am going to want to place it in the table and use it for free motion. For example, when I get my Pfaff out and take her in for servicing.
4 comments:
You certainly do sound like you are having fun, and that's so important. From '93? Told ya we make projects at the same speed.
I think you hit on the technique which is making all of this work so well: smooshing, which is soooo important.
I recently finished a quilt top and I've been dreading the quilting. I rolled the quilt the last time I quilted and it was hard to wrangle it. I think I'll try smooshing this one. I thought I was doing something wrong but your experience sounds similar to mine. I found a helpful video on YouTube. Sharon Schamber demonstrates a hand basting method. I found this easier than pinning.
If the links don't work search Sharon Schamber hand basting quilt on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ&feature=relmfu
That Pearl sure is something special! I adore cats. I had to give my tuxedo cat "Snowy" whom I had for years to somebody who could spend more quality time with him. Cats know when we are feeling fine and times when are very upset. They know how to comfort us. They can be helpful, especially in sewing?!
Your quilt is looking fab. I also cannot wait to see your "Sew Steady" table!
:) Thanks all! @glorm - yes, I am a snailspace "doer" for sure.
@Elaray - I actually like the pinning! Odd but true! And yes, smooshing is something that Leah Day does, and it really is more my speed - the precision of rolling would soon go to pot for me. :)
@HeathersSphere - Kitties are all so different, and this little Peral of ours has another name - I call her "Devil Cat" because she is usually being naughty. But in this picture she looks so calm and sweet...hahahha.
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