Farmer's Wife Friday - 2.28.14

Welcome to a new feature on my blog.  I’ve decided I will post my updates on the Farmer’s Wife quilt each Friday until it’s finished.  Here is the quilted portion:

And some stats:

Bobbins Used in Quilting: I wound 10 to start with, and I'm on #8

Hours of Quilting: around 15 so far (should be pretty close)

Blocks Quilted: 30

Blocks to Go: 98 (plus the border)

Things I have learned so far:

• Don’t test the Juki.  She will win.  I’m not sure how this happened, but she sewed right through a basting pin, no problem. 

• I’m not sure my Juki likes FMQ directly sideways.  Any sort of angle to a line helps.  And probably improved hand/foot speed coordination as well.
• I agree with Leah Day that I need to alter my FMQ foot.  I can’t freaking SEE with the metal across the front.  Must fix that before I do another quilt.  On the other hand, my foot doesn’t really hop that much, so that’s not an issue for me.
• I need a tiny light for the back side/under the arm of my machine.  The light in front is crazy good but then there’s a black hole behind.
• Stitch in the ditch is killing me with my FMQ foot.  Alas, the tiny pieces in the blocks render it way too difficult to use my walking foot, not to mention I’d have to swap out feet like 20 times in each block.  The positive, I’m sure to get better by the end of this project!
• My mantra: Leah Day’s advice that washing and drying the quilt will cure 90% of quilting mistakes.  I’m not sure I’d have two blocks finished if I picked out each mistake I’ve made.  “Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!"

And some of my favorite blocks so far, although they’ll be even prettier once it’s finished and laundered.

The quilting is definitely not perfect, but I’m happy.