Nostalgia & Falling Through the Hourglass

Here are some closeups of my first attempts at quilting on this new HQ-16. The video that came with it is basic, but helpful. I used a size 16 needle (recommended by my salesperson), but think it is too big. The batting for the first one is Hobbs Heirloom (80/20) and the second one is just Warm 'n White.

This rather homely little one is about 30" square, from scraps made into a split nine patch and great for the first practice quilt. My tension was bad (shows on the back). I tried several patterns, all free motion, and am binding it just to have another UFO finished. The quilt is NOT curved, just hanging on the back of my sofa. LOL.

This one is a top that I make many moons ago and seemed like a good one to try next. I can do leaves, so just covered this simple hourglass with them to get the feel of the machine. I adjusted tension as I went and finally got it right. As you can see, I'm a doodle quilter. I can do regular patterns from templates, but have a plaque in my studio that say, "It is more fun to color outside the lines."


The thread is variegated 50 wt. with a pre-wound bobbin in Superior's Easybobs. It took less than 1/4 of the bobbin, which surprised me. I thought I'd be changing bobbins all the time.