Flawless!

This was a really nice activity!!! I have a "love/hate" relationship with Harriet at times. It is clear she often has a mind of her own, particularly when it comes to tension. This time though, I found the "sweet" space. I find it interesting that on the rare occasion I quilt others quilts, I am fine, but the minute I put my own quilts own, I often have a "fight" on my hands. Just as well since like children, you would prefer they misbehave at home than out, so I just have come to expect this. I have investing a lot of money in all kinds of gadgets to get my tension adjusted and I have finally (I guess) figured out how to do it---at least for this quilt. I used a panto I already had loaded from an earlier quilt. It looks like ginkgo leaves. The lightening isn't that great but hopefully you can see the pattern. The rounded pattern is a great contrast to the sharp pattern of this quilt.

I am now going to quilt a more complex pattern on another quilt---and at this stage, Harriet is still happy. One thing I have found that really helps with even tension is pressing my seams open. I also do NOT iron my quilts---I press with only a minimum pressure. This ensures the edges doesn't get stretched out and remain straight. I use steam though, although I have read that steam is what stretches the fabric, but definitely, I can tell those quilts that I "ironed" vs "pressed".

It is my plan to quilt the four quilts that are currently just tops, and then put binding on all of them, prior to working really hard on another quilt. I think I will put the binding on my machine so I can hurry and truly move them to the finished pile.

Have a great evening!