I'm a Quilting Machine!

Or rather, I am a machine quilter! The quilt I first started, ohhh about 4 months ago, is now finished. It was the first time I tried free motion quilting and I am so HAPPY (giddy in fact) with the results! Happy enough to make a wacky motivational playlist just to celebrate. Gotta love Eye of the Tiger. I actually sang this song in the 4th grade talent show. . . waaay back in the day. My groovy friend Mindy was the pianist who coerced me into doing so. We were so cool. And, dancing around in the kitchen with your kids while funky music is blasting from your computer speakers makes for a pretty good workout.

The fabric is Peace on Earth, by Three Sisters for Moda. Unfortunately it has become pretty hard to find in quilt stores, but you can still find it on eBay. Before getting started, I read/watched some great online tutorials by Camille, Sarah & Amandajean. If you are thinking about trying this, check them out - SO helpful! I also checked out a machine quilting book at the library so I would have a good visual of what I was trying to do. . .

The stippling itself came pretty easy for me, but I had some frustrating technical difficulties with thread breakage. Fortunately, Des came to the rescue with some helpful advice. I changed everything from needle, to bobbin & thread and things improved. I was using my mother-in-law's sewing machine because it had some of the necessary features, such as drop down feed dogs & a darning foot. I've decided that her machine is a little fussy, and a little bit of a thread snob - only likes the pricier kind, BUT it worked!!!

Here's a little peek at the back. I found a sheet (still looked new) at the thrift store for $2. Can't beat that! The little black fur ball is Jasper - he kind of likes it too. I think when his face disappears altogether it's time for a grooming.

This fabric compliments the family room so well, which is kind of a good thing, because I still have this left over . . .

And now that I CAN do this, I'm gonna use it!