The Quilting Step

I came home from the last 2015 session of Empty Spools with a burning desire to do some quilting. Not the piecing step, but the actual put-it-together-so-it-can-be-completed step of quilting the quilt. I was also eager to try a bit of the "matchstick" quilting that Jacquie Gering had discussed in our class. I had the perfect candidate.  Here's my progress so far.

Just straight-line quilting on this one, but it's a good match for this piece, which doesn't need anything else going on atop its organized chaos. 

This is the first round; the lines are 1/2" apart. My walking foot is the perfect measurement for this. You only have to mark your first stitching line (down the center of the quilt).  The rest of the lines use the walking foot as the guide. Work from the center out to each side, and remember not to stitch only in one direction (meaning, don't always stitch top-to-bottom. Turn and sew the next line bottom-to-top, then top-to-bottom, and so on.)

And the back. Love this fabric!

Next I'll stitch between the initial lines, making the lines now 1/4" apart. True matchstick quilting would have me add another line after that, making the final lines be 1/8", but I think that will be overwhelming for this piece: I might stop at 1/4".  We shall see!

The quilting is both relaxing and somewhat drone-ish. I have a good book on the iPod so I can go for hours, as long as my back holds out. Don't forget to get up and stretch!

I'll keep you posted on the progress. Thanks for stopping by!