Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments on
Curt's quilt. I appreciate each and every one!
It felt great to focus on just one project and make significant progress in such a short time. Since I was on a roll, I decided to move on to the next! I had 4 quilt tops to choose from, so it was time.
I took advantage of the lovely weather this weekend and I basted this king size gingham quilt on my 3 season porch. It was helpful to have other people home so that they could help keep the puppies occupied, too. It took me nearly all day to piece the backing (all 9 1/2 yards of it!), trim the threads on the backside of the quilt top and pin the layers together. It took nearly all the floor space I had available. Oh, boy!
I've been debating between sending it out to my long arm quilter and quilting it myself for the past few months. Sure, it would have been easier to send it out....especially since the quilt measures 108" x 102". But, there is something kind of neat about quilting such a massive quilt yourself on a domestic sewing machine. (Maybe I have more stubbornness than good sense? Hahaha!) I definitely maxed out the throat space while quilting it, but really, it wasn't terrible. No more than 1/2 of the bulk needs to be in the throat at any one time. I will say, though, that it takes a lot of adjusting and readjusting of the quilt. A LOT!
Here's a photo of my quilting set up. I have a decent amount of table space to hold the bulk of the quilt behind the machine, and equally helpful is my ironing table to the left of my chair, which supports the rest of the bulk.
The loops certainly aren't perfect, and I've had to work on letting go of perfection as I quilt. (The struggle is real!) I've estimated that it will take me about 16 hours (!!!) to quilt it. Despite that, I'm still glad that I decided to quilt it myself.
I've got 17/50 lines of loops left to quilt, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That certainly helps, too!
Happy Monday to you!
