Intervention

Thanks to Liz (Frog Quilter) I was finally able to get my brain around piecing the backing to this quilt. I know you won't believe me, but it did take a good 12 hours of working,thinking,working,thinking to get it on the frame.

I think that we tend to forget that there are somethings that we forget. I had not pieced a backing for at least 2 years. Most of the stuff I do is miniature or at least no bigger that 36x48".

Where do beginning quilters learn how to piece a backing? I don't think that I ever took a beginner class, so I don't know if most teachers include this aspect or not.

Until I got this new toy, I really didn't know that the seams in the backing should go in a particular direction if a longarm quilter was to quilt the top. Did you?

Once I had it loaded--that took about and hour--which is not to bad for a beginner, I ran my pantograph 6 times over the quilt top and it was quilted!!!!












That took me about 2 hours since I did other "stuff" in between the rows.













I took it off the frame last night and made the binding for it. I am now in the process of sewing it down. I will take it to Guild tomorrow night and hope to get a full picture sometime next week. Then I will post the finished photo. I can't believe that this is actually the first finished quilt from my new toy!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!

This will be a Christmas Present for a very special little girl. When she saw it on my design wall she immediately asked for it. I will put a special label on it for her so that she will know that it was the first quilt that grandmommie quilted on her new machine in 2009.

Have a great week!!