Longarm Quilting Sessions 2, 3, 4 . . .

After our initial success using “Millie” the longarm sewing machine that our friend Carol owns, we planned another date. Of course, weather and illness canceled the first date but we rallied. We were happy to be able to get together – we always have a good time!

Our bag was packed – this time we only brought two quilt tops with us. You will find all the details in our first experience with the longarm in these two posts: Longarm Quilting Extravaganza Part 1 and Part 2.

Update for Longarm Quilting Extravaganza #1

The first quilt top chosen as our guinea pig was Ripples. Sue and I thought it was only fair that the very first finish by Millie should be given to Carol and Ken. Carol said that it fits perfectly on her loveseat. That makes our hearts happy!

Longarm Familiarity Increasing

During the first session, it was really all about learning the process. Loading the quilt has gotten easier in that we all know what needs to happen. However, the first quilt we tackled in our second session might potentially give us fits. The quilt top had been previously layered for quilting on my domestic sewing machine. I don’t like or need a lot of extra fabric for the backing. The extra fabric has gotten itself flipped and quilted down just one time too many for my liking.

This first picture shows the leader fabric with the backing pinned to it, along with a wee bit of the black batting we tried for the first time. Also, you can see how close to the leader fabric the quilt top has been basted. Fortunately, we had no issues with the size of the backing but we were all worried through the last row. Carol is starting us off, using the same pantograph that we used during our first session. It’s a good go-to in my book.

We taped the starting line on the panto after messing around with the alignment of Millie. Carol says it is so much easier with all three of us. There’s no running around the machine, double-checking anything because we all have a post. Between the three of us, we somehow even manage to remember to unlock the roller when we need to advance or unroll the quilt top. Most of the time, anyway. HAHA!

Longarm Stitching is Getting Quicker

After Carol got the first row quilted, we rolled it up to check the tension. It was spot on! We’ve learned that Millie likes a thorough cleaning after each quilt finish. We all want to keep Millie happy!

The pantograph we used is called “Loop the Loop” by Urban Elementz, which is the same pantograph we used during our first session. Why not stick with a good thing? Plus, we’re all comfortable using it. Carry on.

Longarm Do It Already!

After unrolling the quilt again, Sue took the helm. She is quite comfortable using Millie now and she sped through the next row.

It wasn’t long before it was finished!

Longarm Off the Rails!

Before our lunch break, we had the 2020 Monthly Color Block quilt all quilted. Woohoo! After we got home, we advanced it to the binding stage. Once we got the quilt off the rails, we had lunch and realized we never took a picture of the 4-Patch Plus quilt top. Carol finished it up between our sessions, as we were having tension issues when we left. She figured out the issue – Millie was not happy with the way she was threaded. This quilt should also be given to Carol as she loves fabrics from the 30s as well as pinwheels. It was such a quick make, maybe she will find one made especially for her! Ken has been a great photographer for us and we thank him for that!

Longarm Quilt Top #2

Our last quilt for the day was the Make Ours a Double, which is a favorite of both of us. I adore everything about this quilt – the red and white polka dots, and especially the red and navy bandana print. This made me happily remember my youth. I often had a red bandana hanging on the side of some painter’s pants that were all the rage way back when.

She took the helm on this quilt top from the get-go. It wasn’t long and we were advancing past the first row. I was allowed to quilt one row – the rest of the quilt top was completed by Sue.

Again, it wasn’t long before we asked Ken to take another picture.

Longarm Donation-to-Be

One more small quilt was finished during a longarm session. It’s called Beothuk, another Sandra at mmmQuilts sew-along that we completed in 2019.

We tried a different panto on this small quilt. It’s called Modernish #1 by Urban Elementz and it’s the same one that Carol used on the Cubs Quilt for her son.

This quilt finished at 42″ square and has been donated to my school’s PTO. They are having a silent auction and I’m kind of interested to see what it would sell for. I shared the backstory behind the name, Beothuk, too.

Longarm Session #4

I had one last longarm session with Carol while Sue had to work. We had issues with Sue’s car during one of our visits and it ended up staying overnight. Carol came and picked me up early the next day and we finished off this table runner. Sue’s car was ready before we had the runner loaded but we persevered and got it quilted anyway!

This time we used a star-filled pantograph called Cosmic by Urban Elementz. I took my time because I knew getting those star points looking good would require a pause before switching directions. This is another offering for our Etsy shop.

We have another planned longarm quilting date coming up this weekend. The task at hand? Why, Chase’s dinosaur quilt, of course. I’ll share the details soon.

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