Recently I've started working on a quilt for my mom called Winter Wonderland. We both made the same quilt back in 2011; hers is in blues and mine is in blacks and browns. I promised to quilt hers over a year ago, but am only now getting around to it.
The first step to quilting it is to outline all of the embroidery. It's slow, detailed work, but I'm halfway done with it. Once I've finished that, I'll go back and quilt the background of each block.
I'm also burying all my thread tails on this quilt. I've been doing that for about a year now. I used to just stitch in place a few times when I started and stopped, but I feel like pulling the threads to the top, tying them in a knot and burying them is a little more secure. (Not that I've ever had a quilt come undone doing it the other way.) I also think it looks a little nicer. In any case, I was trying to explain it to my mom and mentioned that I use the cheater needles to bury the threads. She wasn't familiar with them.
Instead of threading the needle, you press your threads down through the slit on the top and they'll pop down into the eye, threading your needle. You wouldn't use this for all of your sewing, but it's invaluable for things like burying thread tails. (I'm using the John James Easy Threading Needles for this - aka cheater needles.)
I have both of my machines set up right now and so in between working on this quilt, I'm also practicing my FMQ (free motion quilting). I recently took the Free Motion Fillers class with Leah Day on Craftsy. (Hint: If you're interested in taking one of her Craftsy classes, she offers a 50% discount on them if you go through her website.) I've started quilting some of her fillers and plan to put together the sampler so I can try them all. One thing I've already learned is straight lines are very difficult to quilt.
I have to mention one thing before I finish. This time last year, our Sam was so sick we didn't think she was going to make it. We had to carry her to the litter box to go to the bathroom and then hold her up. However, she's doing amazing now. She's more playful then she's been in years. She has a birthday next week where she'll turn 14 and I'm so very grateful that's she's here with us to celebrate another one. Thank you to everyone who prayed for her!
"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged."
Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
