Saturday, April 05, 2008

I need to learn to say NO

Remember how I hate quilting? (Not piecing the top, but the actual attach-3-layers-together process.)

Ahem. Mysteriously, I managed to find myself quilting a KING-size quilt for my mother's friend's birthday. (Do pause to consider the levels of separation here.) I'm still not quite sure how my mom talked me into this one.

This is what I've spent the last week on (while dreaming of sewing.)



The biggest reason I hate quilting is that I suck at it. When I quilt, I get these huge wrinkles and generally, lots of movement and ugliness. I used to think it was my walking foot. So, before the start of this project, I bought a new walking foot - designed for my machine (or so the guy in the store told me).



Yeah, not the walking machine.

This is, however, the best quilting job I've done (despite this close-up, which is frankly only one row.) And its because of a tip I found on the internet, which I will share here, since it changed my (quilting) life.

Adjust your presser foot pressure until you can quilt without the wrinkles forming.

That's it. That's what makes all the difference. Seriously. Try it. (Or if you are an experienced quilter, feel free to take a moment to marvel at how little I know.)

(I should mention, I guess, that my mom did all the work piecing the top, though I did help her cut a bit. And she bound three of the edges. Still. Quilt a king-size quilt? I'm so the best daughter ever.)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate quilting to, though I tend to call it the "messing everything up part"! :-) You did a great job, it IS difficult!

Dawn said...

My mom and I have struck a compromise. She "pays" me for my time with patterns and/or fabric. She gets a top/jacket/pants/whatever and I get a few goodies too.

Unknown said...

very nice labor of love