Harley's Debut

I didn't purchase leaders for Harley's frame - the fabric that is attached to the rails to make it easier to load the quilt parts on the frame. It would have been ANOTHER $100 for the leaders. The "instructions" that I downloaded from the Pfaff website had directions for making leaders. They are rectangles of fabric. How hard can it be????

Well - not hard. I picked up some gridded fabric pictured above (the store leaders have a one inch grid printed on them). It even sort of goes with my room! I got out my lil ol' serger and quickly zoomed around the edges of some leaders - and attached them to the frame. I even made one for the batting rail, which is not something included in the instruction book. They worked very well so for under $20 I got my leaders and some left over fabric - maybe it will find it's way into a quilt! I think it's sailcloth.

So - now on to the "first quilt." It took me quite awhile to load it up - a learning thing - when I've done it a few times, I expect it will get quicker.

The actual quilting didn't take too long. But... of course - first time nothing works out perfectly. I totally forgot about tension and it wasn't until I started rolling up the first "row" that I could see on the back that the tension was very bad. I adjusted the tension, kept going and finished it. But then I went back and pulled out the first row and redid it. Much better.

I didn't try anything fancy - just a freehand sort of wavy line. It will take me awhile getting used to the speed and idiosyncrasies of the machine. I will also have to learn how to "bump" over bulky seam joins, etc. I didn't expect perfection first time out, that's for sure. I'll have close up pix of the quilting on my next post.