My husband and I retired six months ago and relocated to Boise, Idaho. We have spent the last several months getting settled and getting used to colder weather after enjoying nearly 17 years in Honolulu.
In the move, I left behind my quilting machine and frame that Scott built for me. It went to the home of one of my quilting buddies. I am hopeful that I will replace it with a mid/long-arm machine in the near future. With the colder weather, it was very apparent that my own bed now needed it's own quilt! So I got busy.
In October, I was able to take a class learning to use a Gammill quilting machine. A local quilt store, Quilt Expressions, has 5 machines available for rent, but users have to take the class first. Quilt Expressions, by the way, was featured in the Spring/Summer 2013 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine.
My Christmas present to me was purchasing rental time on one of these machines. Several days ago, I got this one quilted, using one of the 26-inch Gammills. I took advantage of the store's "valet" service where their staff loaded my quilt on the machine and set up the pantograph for me. All I had to do was turn on the machine and start quilting. This quilt was about 102 inches square and took me about 4 hours to complete.
Things I learned:
1) Don't stand too close to the back of the machine because my jeans zipper kept getting caught in the machine's carriage!
2) Pay attention to the batting (got a wrinkle in it and couldn't take it apart to fix it. Thankfully, it's not too bad.),
3) Pay attention to the right direction. On the first row, I got mixed up and doubled back on part of it. It took me about 4 hours
to pick out that part when I got home.4) That machine is too darned big! Standing in the back of it, I could not hear the beeper telling me the bobbin was empty (4 times!!). And
5) My feet hurt from standing that long! I'm too old or need better shoes.
In all, though, it was a fun day. I had a terrific time and learned a great deal about the process. —
2 comments:
Absolutely beautiful . . . it looks perfect for snuggling under on a cold "Boise" night. Glad you were finally able to make one of your masterpieces for your own bed.
Aloha,
Debra-do
Thanks! We are certainly sleeping warmer these days!
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