Mostly Quilting

Last week I taught FMQ to ten students, and then wrapped up Beyond First Time Quiltmaking on Monday. Now, I've turned my attention to my own projects.

All my safety pins are in two quilts, so to baste Metro Waves, I used 505 Basting Spray. Using an adhesive spray to baste a large quilt isn't my favorite way to ensure the quilt back stays smooth. But in a pinch it works. I still like to safety pin the perimeter of a spray-basted quilt sandwich, and I didn't even have enough extra safety pins to do that! The quilt isn't entirely smooth, however that could also be because batting is Quilter's Dream "Puff." The quilt is puffy, so the quilting shows up well, and the quilt is light weight, but I'm not sure I'll use Puff again. I find it easier to domestic machine quilt a low loft poly or cotton batting.

I intentionally quilted Metro Waves using several of my Fine Line Rulers by Accents in Design. It's been a long time since I used them, and this quilt seemed appropriate for a variety of quilting designs.

I'm able to use these rulers because I have the Pfaff ruler foot - the one with the 1/4"-thick "heel" - to rest the ruler against. 

Mostly, I straight-line quilted the prints, and free motion quilted the white spaces.

Here's how I used the arch ruler along the edge of the quilt.

 

Here's how I just winged-it to quilt bubbles.

I was happy to recently learn from Amy at FreeMotionQuiltingAdventures blog that Bernina has finally come out with a ruler foot too! It's #97 (the one on the right) and is expected to be available in April.

So, Metro Waves is completely quilted, and when the binding is added, I'll post pictures. It's been a long time since I've headed out in the golf cart to scope out a pretty place to photograph a newly-finished quilt.

And speaking of the golf cart... we traded in our old one, a 2009 refurbished Yamaha that we bought in 2012 when we first moved to The Villages.

golf cart purchased in 2012

Though we don't golf, we do use our cart to go most places: grocery store, pharmacy, bank, activities at rec centers, church, and to friends' homes. We decided it was time to invest in a more comfortable ride for the 100-plus miles we put on the golf cart each week!

Our new 2015 Yamaha has better suspension, a sound-deadening wrap around the engine so it's less noisy, a different clearer-view wind shield (See the missing black bar across the middle?), LED headlamps, speedometer/odometer/clock read-out, and seat belts, among other features. Oh! And this one has our names on the front - a sure sign that we're "true Villagers" now, according to our daughter-in-law.

In the next week, we're also tricking out the cart with under mounted liquid lights to turn on at night. They glow in 15 different colors! Why not have some fun with the golf cart too?!

Paducah, 2014

Some of you know I've been planning to go to Paducah in April, to work for American Quilter magazine, interviewing and writing about quilt show winners as I did last year.

Now, I'm not going.

In early February I was heart-broken to learn that my editor friend, Michele, lost her job with the magazine. When the new editor neglected to return my calls or get back to me about my pending plans to fly to Paducah in April, I decided last weekend to change my flight (to Kansas City) and cancel my rental car. On Tuesday I finally received an email from AQS about coming to work at the show. Too late, I told her. I'm sorry to not be going, as in addition to interviewing quilt show winners, I had planned to meet up with several friends from the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild.

Michele was a treat to work for, and recently sent me this t-shirt that I admired at AQS.

Just gotta share a couple more picture from Instagram. After Lora put different binding on "Ad Libbing," she hired a professional photographer to take pictures of it.

Fabulous, huh?

The quilt is in New Hampshire now, for MQX. We have our fingers crossed! Linda