Matt Sparrow, the man-quilter, says he practiced 10,000 hours on his longarm machine before hanging out his shingle. I might not live that long, but am learning the value of practice. For me, the best way is to use a panel. Then if I mess it up it is not a huge waste of time and money like it would be if using a pieced top... but it is also useful when finished, unlike using a big hunk of fabric with no plan for it other than scribbling stitches.
This is the current practice panel. I wanted to use contrasting thread because it is easy to see. However, it doesn't show up much on the lighter areas, so I did lots of texture stitching in those. This has helped with confidence to do the fancy quilting I want for Cobblestone Lane. I'm particularly happy with the zig-zag as I did that freehand. It has a few squiggles, but far less than the last time I tried it. One key: stop telling myself that I can't do this and just do it.
"Hint of Ocean" is quilted and on my table. The label is not done, so I'll have to whisk it off to sew that on the back. I tried putting a few white shells on it and was not as happy with them as one shell and a piece of driftwood. This glass top table has a strip of black down the middle, making the runner seem longer.
Also, the window screen in the background is discolored by the window blind behind it. The blue is actually the same blue in the runner. I had to leave the blind down due to the blinding sunshine coming in on this lovely summer day!
I'm in the middle of putting the borders on Cobblestone Lane. Don't know why this takes so long, maybe because my meds have slowed my pulse to 48 - 52 most of the time? But it is better to be slow than stopped!
No photo but soon. I'm reading blogs though, and encouraged by your progress!
