My sampler quilt top was done about two weeks ago. I was so excited! Before the assembly I worried about my sewing precision but luckily the seams all matched up. Yay!
I hesitated a lot on what to do with the borders for a long time. Finally I decided to go on a straightforward way. The corners... Well I added the corners simply because the border fabric is not wide enough to cover the perimeter of the quilt. I used the fussy-cut technique to create some visual interest.
Quilt backed and basted. It was my first serious quilt, but since my quilting skills were still very limited, I chose an invisible thread for the top and Aurifil 50/2 cotton thread for the bottom. I hoped all my imperfections could be camouflaged. To protect the machine's decals and for easy gliding, I covered the machine bed with a queen size supreme slider. The quilting machine is Singer 201k-3. My 15-90 's motor has some rattling issue that needs to be fixed. I had no clue what happened! The rattling sound was so distracting that I had to stop sewing with it. Previously I stated that while free-motioning with the 201k, it tends to drag and resists to move speedily. Now I figured out what happened... the thread I used was cross-wound. When I put it vertically on the spool holder, it couldn't move smoothly. My solution was: first, place the spool on the bottom spool holder (the one for bobbin thread winding) and brought the thread to the top spool holder; then, draw the thread through a safety pin that is held on the top spool holder, and continued threading in the normal manner.
Although the quilt is not that huge and I use a wool batting, I still find it hefty and difficult to move...
I haven't yet come up with a good solution for this...
While quilting my sampler project, I am conceiving a new project. I am now so in lover with reproduction fabrics, and I hope I can create something nice with these, mostly gotten from the Waterloo Quilt Guide Show last weekend.