Learning as I go...

So, Harry's quilt is sandwiched together and ready for hand-quilting.  I think this is my favourite part - I've certainly mentioned that before!

This is the eighth quilt I have made and my skills have improved dramatically as I have picked up tips and techniques from around the globe and have found the confidence to stray away from the instruction books to suit my own way of quilting and sewing.

Chain-piecing is something that I now dare to do, and boy, does it save time.  I can now just zap all my carefully cut pieces through my machine, snip them apart and repeat as necessary.

Then there is the back-breaking task of layering the quilt top, batting and backing fabric.  To start with, I cleared my kitchen table off and systematically pinned then basted the layers together.  Now, after reading somewhere (not sure where, but it could have been one of many quilt blogs I read now), I spread each layer out on the floor in my living room, securing with masking tape and a couple of heavy books for good measure.  What a revelation! 

Nor do I baste it all together now - I use safety pins... I'd wondered why the quilt shops always had loads of them!  I'm sure any quilters reading are saying 'she's finally caught up!' 

I have my first order for a custom-made quilt for a friend's daughter - it felt so good to spend someone else's money on fabric of my choosing!  I'll photograph some of the fabrics to show you soon.  Then there is another quilt being built for after that...  Plus heaps of ideas for more quilts for me!  There really is no stopping me now and I love it!