Quilting True Hope

This afternoon I sandwiched the True Hope quilt and got started on the quilting. It has taken me a while to decide on what I wanted to do with it. If you'll recall, I made a rule for myself a while back that I would not tackle a quilt any larger than my ping pong table. My sewing machine might be able to do it, but my knees can't take crawling around on the floor trying to sandwich it. It seems like a good rule of thumb, and this quilt is as large as it can possibly be. It actually extends just a smidge over the edge, but not so far that I couldn't tape it to the lip of the table.

There was plenty of room for the batting and the top. I suppose it could be a few inches larger and still work, but I'm getting close to the limit here. I'll have to remember these dimensions for future reference.

Feeling uncharacteristically confident, I chose a bold red for my thread color. I think this might be the first time I've chosen a thread color that would actually show.

It always feels like I'm half finished when the sandwich is made. Next, I set up the machine for free motion quilting and went to town. My plan was to do some wavy lines in those center bird panels with the intent of suggesting the flight of the birds. I put some marks every one inch across the six-inch panel, and used those as guides, but not strict markings.

This is looking the way I'd hoped it would. I'm not sure if it suggests birds flying, but it's what I was trying for.

Here it is from further back so you can get a better idea of what I'm going for.

Here's how it looks on the back.

The hardest decision I've made on the quilting is how to quilt these flying geese blocks.  I finally settled on a sort of intertwining fern.  It will be hard to describe what I'm doing here, but I'll give it a try.  I'm starting on each edge of the block and working toward the center.  I'll go up one side of the row of blocks, then down the other, and when I'm finished, these "tendrils" will intertwine.

I'm only just getting started with this, but I think it's going to be okay. After I'd done a few blocks, I was dying of thirst, and so I took a break.  It's never a guarantee that I'll return to the sewing room once I break, but I want to. It was important to get up and walk around since my knee stiffens up on me when I sit in the same position for too long.

My family is meeting up at Matthew's house this evening to go to the Hillsboro Farmer's Market held every Tuesday evening. Matthew went for the first time a few weeks ago, and he suggested this meet-up. I'm always up for a good Farmer's Market, and it would be good to have another choice in addition to the Portland Farmer's Market. Matthew lives within walking distance of the market, so it doesn't get much better.

It's been a relaxing and restful day at home today, but the rest of the week is going to get a lot busier. The tomatoes are coming off the vine faster than I can process them now, and I'm going to need to make some pasta sauce starting tomorrow and the next day. Also, we're heading out for an annual get-together at the home of our friends Greg and Jan this weekend. We'll be taking the trailer, and traditionally, I provide dinner on Friday night when the crowd is lighter. I have some simple dishes in mind, but they all need to be prepared ahead of time to make things easier once we arrive. So while I'm boiling pasta sauce, I'll also be making dinner for the following night (not to mention dinner for Mike and me for the same night).  Lots of cooking in my future. 

I hope your day has been relaxing and restful as well.  Any quilting going on at your end?