Embroidery on Sailboat Quilt

I put a few lines of embroidery on the quilt this afternoon, and this evening I got a Hotfix crystal applicator at Hobby Lobby, and several packages of crystals in blues and crystal.  I'll scatter a few crystals in the water on the quilt tomorrow.

,,,>^..^<,,,     Sarah Lynn     ,,,>^..^<,,,

Mosaic Sailboat Quilt, Binding On

Late last night (early this morning, really), I finished putting the binding on the Mosaic Sailboat quilt.  I was planning to embroider the cables and rigging on it and put Swarovski crystals in the water, but I don't know that it needs it.  And -- the defining reason not to -- I have a gazillion other things to do.  ;-)  However, I may enter it in our local fair, in which case I need to put a hanging sleeve on it -- and then I just might do the embroidery and Hotfix crystals. 

The fusible Pellon under the top makes this quilt a bit stiff.  I may put tabs at the top so that it can be used as a wall hanging.

I was surprised and pleased at how well my HQ16 handled all the thicknesses of the many seams, the Pellon, batting, and backing.  There are 8,550 one-inch squares (half-inch, after sewing) in the top.

 

Here's the back.  I had a small delay in the quilting when I came to the bottom of the backing before I came to the bottom of the top, and had to remove the quilt from the frame, add a couple of inches to the back, and then reload the quilt onto the frame to finish the quilting.

Three-Quarters Done Quilting the Mosaic Sailboat Quilt

I've rolled the quilt forward -- and the heads of the little green Martians, masquerading as fishermen, have made their appearance.  I'll be done today!  (I think.)

Still taking it slowly, because the quilt is so thick.  No needles broken... no skipped stitches... no tension issues.  I like my HQ16!  Larry just hung a new 4' LED bar light over my frame; that helped immensely.  I also ordered four little cluster lights, 3 bulbs in each light, for the underside of the HandiQuilter handles.  It's nice to actually be able to see what one is doing!

The first eleven pictures are from Tuesday's quilting; the last six were just taken.
 

Teensy likes to keep me company as I quilt.

Photos just taken:

Lower portion of the sail

 

The aforementioned Martians (aka fishermen, garbed in moss and tree camouflage)

,,,>^..^<,,,     Sarah Lynn     ,,,>^..^<,,,

The Mosaic Sailboat is the Practice Quilt ... for this: The Mosaic Lighthouse

People are wondering... so here's a picture of the Mosaic Lighthouse Quilt.  The sailboat quilt (below) was made with leftovers from the Mosaic Lighthouse quilt, and was put together for the sole purpose of discovering whether or not my HQ16 can handle all the thicknesses of oodles of seams on lightweight, fusible, gridded Pellon, with possibly two layers of batting (maybe one wool, one polyester, for loft), and the backing.

The HQ16 is doing such a good job on the sailboat quilt, I'm getting anxious to get back to the lighthouse quilt!  The mosaic part of the lighthouse quilt is 60" x 80", so it will just fit atop a queen-sized mattress.  The hang will consist of nautical blocks all the way around.  I have not yet begun the nautical blocks.  When the quilting is done, I will do embroidery on this quilt to better define the lighthouse and keeper's house.

Quilting the Mosaic Sailboat Quilt

Yesterday I finished piecing the backing for the Mosaic Sailboat quilt, then pieced together enough batting for it, and loaded everything on my frame.  I cleaned and oiled my machine (HQ16), threaded it, and got the tension just right.  By then it was a quarter ’til eleven, so I quit for the night.  The overhead lighting above my frame is not very good, and it’s a bit difficult to see when one is quilting with dark thread on dark fabric at night.  I need to get a light bar to go over it!

Since my quilting frame is in the front part of our walkout basement, and there is a patio door and a big window in the front wall and a smaller window to the side, it’s well illuminated during daylight hours. 

Today I started quilting.  First the border... and then...  the mosaic part.  All those little squares on the fusible gridded Pellon, with the multitude of seams.  Would the HQ16 be able to handle it?  And if not, what would I do about the Mosaic Lighthouse quilt?  This smaller sailboat quilt, after all, is my practice piece so that I can find out if the machine will quilt through quilt top, Pellon, batting, and backing.

Well, it did!  It did, it did, it did.  It handled this thick, dense quilt like a trouper.  I’m happy and relieved!

<running to end of doghouse...  swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet swing feet>

I’m taking it slow and easy, so as not to break thread or needle, or, worse yet, throw the machine out of timing, and guiding the machine is a bit of a chore; but it’s quilting it – and with perfect thread tension, too.  Wheeeee!!!  I did have to raise the hopping foot two full swivels, but the hardest part about that little job was blundering around in Larry’s none-too-clean toolbox for the right size of crescent wrench.  I never did find one small enough; so I used one of those plier clampy things ----- oh! – it’s a vise grip, isn’t it? --- instead.

Some of my curves were not as 'curvaceous' as they should be when I first began, until I found that I had to really get a grip on the handlebars and steer this thing where I want it to go, when it’s traveling over all the seams on the Pellon.  But... the fabric is busy enough that (I hope) the uncurvy curves won’t show much.  And, after all, this is my ‘practice piece’! 

The next thing I need to know is, will it drape, is it usable as a bed quilt, or must it of necessity be a wall hanging?  Determining that issue will be the deciding factor in whether or not I add nautical blocks to the sides of the Lighthouse quilt for the ‘hang’ at the sides of the bed – or just put a couple of borders on it and call it done. 

Here's what's done on the sailboat quilt so far: