Against all odds, I did finish one (or two) of my ridiculous pile of projects this week!
I sewed another apron (up to four now, need…eight? nine?). I finished another seed stitch cowl that went in the Christmas present pile. I’ve gotten compliments wearing my blue one out on the town, so I hope that #2 is indeed good enough work to gift.
And I put on my big girl britches, attached my brand-new FMQ foot to my crappy inherited Singer, and quilted up the test block that I did before starting to piece my Spinning Stars quilt. And I proceeded to do my first free-motion quilting.
You’ll notice I’m too chicken to post a photo where you can actually see the quilting, ha! It wasn’t altogether that bad. Sure, I need practice at regulating my speed and making smooth, uniform curves instead of little gnarly turny places. But I expected disaster–and got an entirely usable pillow. A usable pillow that went from pieced block to pillow cover in an hour flat. People: you can’t argue with that.
I’ve always been a little wary of machine-quilting (my grandmother: “It’s not really QUILTING, IS IT?!?”). I grew up with hand-quilted quilts. For almost three years, I’ve made exclusively hand-quilted quilts. It’s just my thing. But I’m finding that hand-quilting limits my quilting-pattern potential (I’m sure as heck not going to trace a stencil all over my dang quilts), and hand-quilting SEVERELY limits my production potential. Let’s face it: I have ideas and buy fabric at a much quicker rate than I can hand-quilt.
My goal over the next couple of months is to finish piecing and machine-quilt a whole quilt or two (I’m hoping to be good enough by the second one to gift it). I’m familiar with Elizabeth Hartman’s machine-quilting tutorials and information. Honestly, her dogwood quilting is at least half the reason I bought the foot and am trying this new skill.
BUT, does anyone have any additional tutorials they’d like to share with me, or advice as I continue?
Edited: to link up with Crazy Mom Quilts’s Finish it Up Friday. Seriously, I LOVE spending Friday night with a glass of wine, clicking through everyone’s finishes.
little and lots 
The pillow looks great! I love your fabric choices. I’m going to try machine quilting in a few weeks and I’m scared silly.
I agree with Marla, who posts below, that a pillow is the best possible start. No square-footage-related puckering, nobody gets to see the back, and if this had all gone wrong, I would’ve been able to trash it with minimum heartache. Post about it on your blog when you do it! I’m interested in seeing others’ first attempts, too. 🙂
Great pillow! I have not ventured into Free Motion Quilting yet just done straight lines! Although I have asked for a few FMQ books for Christmas like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Free-Motion-Quilting-Angela-Walters-Designs/dp/160705535X because it is a skill I want to learn too. Good luck! And awesome job on your first try 🙂
I’ve got my eye on that Angela Walters book too. Someone from my quilt guild brought a quilt they had FMQ’ed with wood-grain pattern! They said it was AW’s design. It was spectacular.
Cute pillow. I need to make one someday.
You should! I didn’t link to the pattern in this post, but you should be able to find it if you google Anna Maria Horner Spinning Stars pattern. It’s free!
In an interesting turn of events I had my first hand quilting experience with my spinning star test block and I am also turning it into a pillow. How funny. Your’s looks great btw. A pillow is the perfect place to practice FMQ because if you get weird tension issues on the back you won’t be able to see it in the finished product.
Aaah you beat me! I’ve been in lurk mode this week, buried under my WIP pile, but I saw your handquilted star! I thought it was hilarious that we did the opposite too. Definitely should have joint-posted this one. 🙂