I made this Pathfinder quilt top back in February as part of the blog hop for Sassafras Lane’s My Favorite Things fabric line. I loaded it on my longarm and about a quarter of the way through it before frustration set in.
I tried ruler work for the first time, and I didn’t plan ahead very well — or practice at all, for that matter. I hated how wobbly and messy my quilting lines were and got angry with myself. And so it sat. For 2+ months.
Patience while learning a new skill is hard, y’all.
But earlier this month, I finished it. My longarm skills didn’t magically improve in the last 2 months (duh) and my quilting on this one is SO far from perfect. But! It is done. And I learned some things. And my longarm frame is finally empty again and ready for me to keep building my skills. Even if it’s hard.
I learned (or RElearned) a couple lessons about the importance of planning ahead with this one! I eyeballed the triangle points instead of taking the time to mark reference points — and it shows. My quilting lines are not consistent whatsoever from triangle to triangle, and it’s because I didn’t plan ahead.
I also learned another lesson about backing fabric choice. I used a Kona cotton solid wideback because it’s easy BUT in retrospect I wish I had used a print. All my quilting bobbles don’t scream at you from the front because the prints catch your eye instead…and using a print fabric for the backing would have hidden a lot of my messy quilting as well. Now I know!
Could the quilting be worse? Of course. It holds the layers together (so it’s functional) and parts of it actually look pretty nice. But could the quilting be better? 100% yes. I just need to practice, practice, practice to improve my skills.
Nonetheless, I really do enjoy these bright and happy fabrics and how they play together with my Pathfinder pattern. I hope to gift or donate this quilt to someone who will love it!
The stats:
- Measures 60″ x 60″.
- Pattern is Pathfinder by me, and available in my shop!
- Fabrics by Sassafras Lane for Windham Fabrics.
- Backing and binding are Kona cotton.
- Pieced with Aurifil 50 wt thread in #2600 (Dove).
- Longarm quilted with Aurifil 50 wt thread in #2600 (Dove).
I love it! And even the “uneven” quilting tells a story: this is the quilt you learned on. Nobody but a quilter would be critical of it, anyway.
And by a quilter, I mean the person who quilted it 🙂
So, so true! 🙂
What a cool quilt! I think your quilting looks great. It’s all about practice. You’ll like the next one better but still not be satisfied. It’s a trick to keep us making things!