2012-10-05 Quadrant One Complete

Quadrant One Complete
Hello all, summer passed quickly and fall has arrived. I'm really
 pleased cooler weather is upon us. I worked diligently this
summer and have completed Quadrant One of my quilting.
It doesn't look too bad. Even tho I am using a hoop
on a stand, I can only quilt so far before
repositioning, which can be a chore. I'm excited
to be moving on to Quadrant Two, and I hope I
can keep up the same pace as fall and winter holidays
approach. I look forward to the next update.

View of quilting on the hoop near the
embroidered message area.

The front view of completed Quadrant One. Picture color is
off somewhat.

July 8th, 2012

Just a small update today.  I'm progressing on quadrant one of my quilt.  I have been quilting from the bottom up at an angle and it has not gone very fast.  I am changing the direction I sew now by rearranging the quilt and sewing from right to left.

Hopefully I can progress a little faster than before :-)  See you next update!

QUILTING AHEAD

June 2012 - Hello again.  I found it difficult this past several months to quilt such a large quilt with such a small hoop.  So I "upgraded" to a small quilting frame.  A normal size quilting frame is too large for the area I have designated as my quilting area.  It is just the right size for me to sit and quilt for short periods at a time.  I'm very busy these days in the country.  But I'm truly on my way now, and hope it won't take quite as many years to quilt as it did to create the top :-)



FIRST STITCHES

This past October I went for a relaxing visit with my sister Mary in Texas.  While there Mary gave me my first "hands on" quilting instruction.  She has been quilting since the 1980's and so finds the process easy.  I am starting off using a hoop to quilt in, not an easy method but all I have at the moment.  As I began the process I found "it's not easy!", not near as easy as piecing a quilt :-) .  I will be starting at the center and working my way outwards.

Getting ready to quilt





First stitches



One thing I learned about the quilting process is that there is a lot of fine coordination between fingers and needle.  I had to establish a rhythm first (called rocking the needle) and then it started to go smoother.  My first stitches are slightly uneven, but I've been assured stitch quality will improve the more I work at it, and that some of the uneven stitches are due to the size of squares and numerous seams in this quilt.

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