The Quilting Has Begun

Time to start quilting the North Market quilt. So I made the ol' quilt sandwich out of some fabric from a North Market apron because it's heavier than quilting cotton. I wanted to see how it would stitch out and I'm very glad I did. My machine skipped stitches. Ack! Not good. So I changed needles (three times, may I add), re-threaded (at least twice), and took out the bobbin thread and put it in again. But no. Nothing helped.

I went online to various sites and saw that for the type of fabric I was using, I should use a Universal needle. Luckily I had a few so I put one in and I am happy to say it appeared to help. I practiced with invisible thread. Once I gained some confidence, I switched to darker thread to see how well I was doing. Not too bad, I thought.

Now I picked a square that I knew I wanted to quilt with little bubbles, put on my trusty Machingers, and started to stitch. A few things I learned...when using thread that matches the color of the fabric, it can be difficult to see where I had already stitched. So that's a good news/bad news: the stitches blend in, but the final result might not be as crisp. Also, I used my Bernina Stitch Regulator (BSR). It allows you to stitch without using the foot pedal, so I was able to concentrate on moving my fabric. Dropping the speed was good for me because I could concentrate. Also, I thought I'd want a longer stitch length, but by having it shorter, my curves were smoother.

I get sloppy when I rush. So the master plan is to quilt two squares each weekend. I'll see how that goes, but that's the plan at least for now (fingers crossed).

Keep This in Mind

Well, the North Market quilt top and back are done. I pieced together the back using some extra blocks left over from the front. It's a modern technique that I really like. Only issue in mine is that I really needed that extra fabric since I didn't buy enough for the back. Oh well, I stressed out, but got it done.

This weekend's task was to put the three layers together because as we know...'it's not a quilt till it's quilted'!

Now I've watched Elizabeth Hartman put these sandwiches together on multiple occasions and I'd even done it her way and very successfully I must add. Disclaimer: Elizabeth didn't have to lay her quilt out on the floor of the garage.

Here's the technique: measure the quilt top. Add 2" on each of the four sides for the size of the batting. Take the batting size do the  same math to determine the size of the back of the quilt.

Then roll each piece individually in a roll. Unroll the back and tape it down. I use spray adhesive just like Libby Lehman said at one of her classes I attended a couple years ago.

Now here's a piece of free advice: if you are doing this outside in the fall in a state like hmmmm, Ohio, and it's breezy...be careful that leaves don't fly onto the adhesive. Enough said.

At this point I have the back down and sprayed and "just" need to roll out the batting on top. Luckily anything placed on the spray adhesive is re-positionable. Once again; enough said. I had to roll it out at least three times because I kept rolling it crooked. Finally it was time for the top.

Here's the photo. I struggled a few times,but finally got it down. I don't have the neat 2" and 4" borders like Elizabeth, but it's done none the less.

Now it's a-quilting we will go! Wish me luck as I move onto the next step in the process. I saw a t-shirt quilt I really liked at a show and made some notes. I have a kabillion Craftsy classes ready to watch, so now I'm ready for some inspiration...