2/3 of Center Quilted

My goal is to get the center of this quilted tonight. I'm already 2/3 finished. The left part in the picture still needs to be quilted. I like to machine quilt this type of quilting in one day if possible, with short breaks. That way I can keep the motion and size going instead of starting out large and changing size by the time I get to the end. Benjamin (11) helped me lay this out on a table for pin basting. I had cut down a large batting and somehow cut it one inch too short. Instead of freaking out about it (like I normally would, beating myself mentally about the head and shoulders), I had another packge of batting, so I just used it. I'll save this one for a slightly smaller quilt.

Benjamin had high-tailed it out of the MPR (multi-purpose room) by then, so I enlisted Elisabeth for helping lay it out.

I lay the backing out with equal amounts hanging off the table on all sides. I have a helper on the other end of the table. I lay the batting down and gently arrange it so that there aren't any lumps or pleats in it. We center the quilt top on there. Since I've been doing these past few on my DSM, I only pin one part at a time. I use straight pins and make them all point to the left. I'm right handed. That makes it easy to pull them out and throw them towards the magnetic pin cushion. I always have several bobbins threaded to keep the momentum going.

On something this size, I do a couple blocks' worth from top to bottom, removing pins as I go. Then I move over to the next couple blocks to the left. I do that until I reach the middle. I'll flip the quilt around the start at the top right corner again, meeting in the middle. That way there isn't as much under the sewing machine arm at one time.

The borders will take much longer than the center. This is free-motion, just filling it in. I have a heart in heart for the first cream border, then I'll do a medium stippling in the outer pinwheel border. I'm going to try another stencil in the outer border if it's the right size. I haven't checked yet.

~Joan