First Tries and Mistakes

Well, I finally quilted a quilt on the long arm. It was a whole lot easier than doing it on my sewing machine. It was a whole lot faster too. I would not go back to trying to quilt on my regular machine despite the fact I made mistakes and had to unpick several rows or that I had a little trouble with the placement. I figure all of these things can eventually be mastered. The truth is I made mistakes in quilting on the sewing machine too and with a more experience than I had when doing this one on the long arm.

I view these quilts as learning experiences. I will get better but only if I learn from each quilt. So lessons from quilt number one.

1. Don't rush the planning and placement. I was so eager to get quilting that I didn't quite get the pattern set the way it would look best. I quilted a leaf/vine pattern. I got the size the way I wanted it and I flipped the directionn0f every other row. It looked good. But as I started quilting it I realized I should have off set every other row as well. The pattern would have filled the space better. 
2. Trace back isn't necessarily going to put you right back where the thread broke. Take time to nudge to get the needle in the right place before resuming sewing. better yet get back to a junction of threads. If you are slightly off it won't be as noticeable.
3. When a thread breaks un-stitch enough that you can knot and bury the thread. Don't think you are going to stitch over it and lock the stitches in place.
4. Take care in pinning and leave them in until it is done. I had pinned the top to the leader in such a way that it folded over. When I got to the last row I was concerned about not having enough space for the final row of stitching so I unpinned it. Which removed tension and caused a little buckling.
5. Don't be stressed while quilting. You are more likely to make mistakes if you are stressed. So if your daughter is nagging you to get it quilted, don't start until you are ready. Also if you are getting frustrated. walk away for a few minutes.
6. Remember this is your work, you are learning, mistakes happen. minor mistakes add character. As Jenny Doan says finished is better than perfect. Also she said that she never had anyone turn down a quilt because her points didn't match.

But if I am being Honest the biggest lesson I learned is Don't wait three months between quilts. I had forgotten so much that I was getting very frustrated. So that being said I am eager to get the next one on and quilted. It really was a lot of fun. The next one is smaller so it won't take as much time. I just need to get the back put together and put it on the machine. 

What mistakes did you learn from this week?