Well, I finished the practice quilting on the small piece that Kim loaded up on my A1 Quilting Machine after she put it together. I used up all the space. So, I unloaded it and loaded on a real quilt.
This is a quilt top I made years ago using 4" red squares from a fabric exchange I participated in. I can't remember if it was through Pieces Quilt Shop or through Issaquah Quilters. Either way, I ended up with two red quilt tops which have been languishing in incompleteness for 10 or more years now.
I purchased some quilt backing from Connecting Threads a while ago, thinking I'd use these tops as practice when my A1 got here. The backing is icky, too.
For the last few days I've been thinking about how I want to quilt it. I'm still conflicted. I think I'm going to use the Versa-tool ruler from HandiQuilter, and do a gentle curve on each seam, but I may change my mind tomorrow (but probably not). It seems boring, but I need the practice.
 |
| The back is on the frame. |
 |
| I used the table to size and cut the batting - worked great! |
 |
| All loaded up, ready to quilt. |
I decided to add the centering tape to the machine. I did it while I turned up Dread Zeppelin and let the neighbors enjoy that one song, too. I can't help myself - I love their songs!
So, then I tried to wind some of the thread I want to use onto a bobbin using the Bobbin Winder that came with the A1. What a piece of junk. Kim was having trouble with it and fussed with it when she wound some bobbins for me. I'm having a different kind of trouble with it. I fussed with it a little then gave up. I hot and tired. I'll give it another try in the morning. I'm not sure what to do with the bobbin it messed up; half of it is wound good, the last part is screwy. I don't know enough about tension to know if this is acceptable or not.
