Test Drive

What a day!

Only a week ago I was stressing that we would be homeless with a machine worthy of a truck to move it.  On the Caz Scale of Anxiety, this would be right up there at the top.  

I am so pleased to announce that we have a place to live!  This has coincided nicely with the arrival of the Gammill.  We shall get the keys to the new house and be able to move the machine straight into its new home in the sun room.  Happy Days!

I did need to actually go to the shop for more than just a looksy.  It was planned ages ago, but in true form, I had to make up my practise quilt between getting the kids ready for school this morning, dropping them off, and then signing lease agreements.

I knew that any quilting I did on the machine, on my first go would be rough.  I didn’t want to dive into the stash and piece anything, and certainly didn’t have anything prepared.  I put my thinking cap on, and came up with a solution that came together in about 10 minutes.

Master 8 (Yesterday … Happy Birthday Lachlan XX) had a doona cover which had ripped when being taken off for a wash.  It was his first doona cover on his big bed, when moving from his cot.  It has his favourite animal on it … DOGS.  I had stuck it in the scrap bucket to save for a rainy day.  I had thought I might cut it up and use it in a project down the track.  It was perfect.  I trimmed off the sides, so that I had a top and back.  Then the top was trimmed further so that the backing was bigger by about 4 inches all around.  A scrap piece of leftover cotton batting was the perfect size.  Ready to go in 10 minutes flat!

I am pleased to say that some of what Kay showed me using her machine, has stuck.  I did have to be shown the correct way to load again, but this will become easier with practise.  The electronic winder makes loading and advancing the quilt a dream!!

I am not at all daunted by free motion quilting from the front of the machine, however a pantograph is something that I had no clue about how to calculate, load and measure.  It was this that the lovely Steph, guided me through today.  I wasn’t fussy about the pantograph pattern as my son won’t notice.  I also was not worried about the thread colour.  I changed colours in the bobbin halfway through, just using up odd filled bobbins that were there and wouldn’t get used.

I am pleased to report I had a blast.  I can see how I need to improve in places and learn to listen to the machine a little more.  Being a non stitch regulated machine … I am going to be concentrating on slowing down and being more precise.  Points will improve too.  

I have been on a high all afternoon.  I had planned to square and bind tonight, but a little man had other ideas.  

 It is with him in bed, untrimmed and unbound.  The sure sign of a quilt, that will be loved for a long time.