This is a copy from the rant thread but is relevant to the black and white jobby which Im sincerely trying to finish before the end of March ....
Black and white jobbyWhen I first started quilting I found the most difficult aspect of any quilt of a certain size was the layering. I simply didn't have the area available or, at that time, the expertise.
Step forward to my rescue our Not So Local Quilt Emporia which offered a FREE layering service ... 505 style!
This was a great boon! They had the space, the expertise and the products ... which you didn't have to buy but generally you did ... the batting, the 505 and while you were there a stray FQ or two (or three) might just jump into your basket.
So it was win win for all concerned!
Time went by and I became more proficient at quilting and indeed layering and all but the biggest projects could be layered by myself at home on my devils table (it extends but is oval so larger items still try and escape!)
Last year I started making a quilt for my nieces' (now rapidly) upcoming 21st birthday ... it was going to be a double and even though I was going to QAYG it in two halves, I knew I would need help with the layering so I made my appointment with the Not So Local Quilt Emporia and toddled off with my quilt tops, batting, backing and 505 ...
Things had changed ... not only did they now charge to layer ... £5 per quilt top, which meant £10 as my double quilt was in 2 sections and counted as two ... but quite frankly, I think they did a perfunctory and really poor job of it!
The wrinkles will disappear as the 505 dries I was told ... Yeah Right!
Of course I said nothing. One of the woman who now runs the shop quite frankly has always scared the living bejeezus out of me (and others I've been told)!
I took my quilts home and looked at them rather sadly. They were appalling!
So I set to ... ironing the tops out trying to achieve something half decent and in the end folded them away ready to be quilted early this year.
Here we are March 2019, and I know that I have been procrastinating about Lucias quilt aka The Black and White jobby, so yesterday I brought it down and suddenly realised exactly WHY I had been so reluctant to start on this beautiful quilt.
It was as bad as ever! Leaving it for 6 months had not improved a thing!
So I set about ironing the tops, desperately trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear, and was getting somewhere near abouts or so I thought....
I took it to the machine and started with some stabilizing stitches ... lengthways, crossways and on the diagonal
and as I did it started to pucker .... these are great big max length stitches and the top was wrinkling under them...
Pathetic! I have never in my entire time of quilting had a pucker or wrinkle and the only reason I could fathom was that it had been layered so shoddily.
Half an hour and a phone call later; I was ripping the stabilizing stitches out, separating the layers (which was very easy, no surprise ) joining the backing halves, inserting and stitching the last piece of sashing to complete the top and then joining a double beds length of wadding too .... GGRRRR .... which is not as easy as you would imagine ...
but it is done and in an hour or so I will be off to see Andrew of White Orchid Longarm Quilting to get Lucia's quilt professionally quilted !!!
It wont be cheap and I had really wanted to quilt it myself, but I know my limitations and a whole double bed size is just too much, but luckily although presently unemployed I do have my redundancy payment to dip into....
But one thing I do know ... I will never go to that Not So Local Quilting Emporia for layering again ....
and am indeed considering a full embargo, as their workshops are expensive and you have to schelp everything you would possibly need over there and if you perhaps forget your cutting mat or light, they dont let you borrow one of theirs, you have to buy one instead!
Thank you for listening, but unsurprisingly I'm still p****! Maybe things will be better after I get to White Orchid.
I have been to Andrew and am (hopefully) going to be very happy at the resultant stitch....
I have asked him to send a pic and when I get a pic of the pattern I will post it!
I was also really happy with the finished ie in one piece quilt top ... It looks really modern and hopefully she will lke it ... for that pic you will have to wait as its waiting its turn at White Orchid!