I'm so lucky to have mom22smartchix wanting to "invest" in my longarm improvement. She kindly donated this homespun quilt top for me to "play" on and I decided that I would use each block as a "sampler" of stitches. That seemed reasonable at first. And a great "resource". And it is. But it hurts.
I chose to use 30wt thread -- which is HEAVY and shows every little glitch. Basically, it's the thread that is used to topstitch jeans to give you an idea of what quilting with it was like. I had just heard Angela Walters (who I deeply admire as a longarm expert) say that she didn't rip out stitches if things weren't perfect. I chose that philosophy on this quilt. Otherwise, I would have ripped out more than I put in. Plus, ripping out stitches on solid homespuns is never a good idea.
I learned a lot. I learned there are some fillers that I can do and want to do again.
I learned there are some fillers that I am not ready to put on a quilt that I plan to give as a gift.
I learned that I don't know as many fillers as I thought I did. But I made a few up.
I learned that skinny rectangles don't lend themselves to some stitches.
I learned that I should have been burying my stitches rather than backstitching. They look like little nests.
But I learned! And it was humbling. And it was painful. And it helped me grow as a longarmer.
I hope you are learning (even if it creates a little "pain")!!!!
Jan
