I was able to finish the quilting in just 2 hours of rental time. I bought a "Studio Card" that had 10 prepaid hours on it for $150. It included the $75 certification class and two $25 valet services. (After the class, if I didn't like using the Long Arm machines, I could have gotten a credit for the remaining $75 toward fabric purchases)
So, I was really happy to find that my first quilt took a mere 2 hours. Hopefully, that means that I can get 4-5 quilts done with this one card :) I have 10 projects to complete from Quilter's Academy 1 Freshman Year.
I chose to use a pantograph for my first one. It is a printed design, that I follow with the laser from the back of the machine.
It was a bit more complicated that I anticipated. It was a double row, so I had to go right to left on first set, and then stop, and start again at right side for second pass across, before I could move my quilt forward.
This is what it looks like on the quilt. I had predrawn lines to quilt with my home machine before I decided to go this route. After I wash and dry the quilt, they will disappear :)
And, THIS is the finished project! Carries Cowboy Corral becomes The Bird Nest
Done!
That was so much fun, I decided to get started right away on project 2 :) Stay tuned!
Lovely! You are making me want to quilt. And my neighbor even has one of those huge quilting machines in her basement. (neighbor = across the side street, and across that entire block, and the house just across from there). But I am going to resist the siren call and stick to knitting, at least for a while.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn! So good to hear from you. I've wondered if you have been knitting without blogging! It's been a while since I've seen your wonderful creations.
DeleteLOL. I think all your town is "a neighbor" :) Good idea though! Maybe I can find someone "near by" that has a machine ;) This rental card is not easy to buy, but husband thinks it is easier than buying my own machine :)