Random Thoughts on Not So Random Quilting

I am feverishly trying to complete my textile works for the Regeneration exhibition. My pieced work currently measures 1x2metres (LxW). In one of my more lucid moments, I had the good sense to not embark upon sub-quarter inch straight line quilting that features in many of my other pieces such as my Desire Lines series. Nevertheless, my quilting plan still involves in excess of 1800, 3-4in single lines of stitching in many different coloured threads, in addition to 70+ longer lines. Each to be carefully placed and each with quilting tails to be dealt with at either end. The following thoughts have come to mind as I tackle this quilting plan:

• it would be wonderful to have a sewing machine that, when you start a line of quilting, automatically brings the bottom thread to the top of the quilt leaving a 6in tail;
• it would be really, really wonderful if my sewing machine snipped the threads at the end of a line of quilting with long tails and brought those tails to the top;
• much as sewing thread tails in can be therapeutic, it would be brilliant if a machine could sew the tails in neatly as you quilt;
• try to prepare your household for the reality that there will be a lot of threads floating around that will catch onto everything. Bribe with cooking if required;
• an in-studio timer helps prevent the cake from burning when you are out of earshot of the oven timer;
• a lot of quality thread is used up and thrown out with all those tails;
• when you snip the tip of your pinky with sharp, pointed scissors, the blood really gushes out;
• this haul of thread I purchased in January 2007 in a close out sale has been a great investment;
• when I set up the machine on the dining table for a bigger support area, the knee lift doesn’t fit – it’s pointless thrusting your knee outwards in thin air;
• summer cricket on ABC radio is an ideal accompaniment to quilting even if a test doesn’t run to five days (especially if the Australian team is prevailing);
• quilting a large quilt in sections helps make the project more manageable but joining the sections neatly together is still a pain;
• be easy on yourself, if you are joining two sections together, plan to attach a dark section to a dark section not the lightest colour in the quilt top to the darkest colour in the quilt top;
• making a quilt that is wider than you design wall makes it hard to hang up the quilt to see how the quilting is progressing
• Microtex sharp needles work well on high thread count Pimatex fabrics but still need to be replaced regularly; and
• ignore clunking noises at your peril – if it sounds like the bottom thread is all gnarled up, it probably is,even if it looks perfect on top.

I’m finishing the main quilting phase but still have lots of tails to sew in, not to mention blocking, facing, sleeve and label. I’ll be pleased to see the back of this quilt. You can see it too: