Finished: "Drama Adorno"

On Monday I finished my Madrona Road quilt, just in time for the evening VMQG meeting. Alas, the colors in the photos aren't great, thanks to the dark, cloudy day that I have to work with, but here are a few shots of "Drama Adorno":

The quilt's title has the virtue of being grammatically incorrect in at least two languages, but I chose the name not just as a tribute to the design's lively, energetic character, but also because it's an anagram. I gave the solution to guild members on Monday night, but I'll let you figure out the puzzle for yourselves and save the answer for the comments section.

I haven't quite decided on my next quilt, but maybe my recently purchased Echino fabrics are calling the loudest? Decisions, decisions!

The Big Box: WIP Wednesday

On Friday, I drove to the local Juki dealer, picked up a big, happy box, hauled it home, and eagerly opened it:

I was a bit nervous about buying the machine sight unseen, but I couldn't find anything but rave reviews for the Juki on-line, and the TL-2010Q had all of the features I wanted for quilting. I'm ecstatic thus far. The fabric feeds smoothly and evenly for piecing, and I've got beautifully balanced tension while quilting with a walking foot. Even the bobbin winds perfectly! I'm also completely in love with the knee lever. I hadn't expected it to be so useful, but it's great to have when you want to turn the quilt in the middle of quilting. I also tried some practice FMQ samples. They're promising, but I think I'll need to play with the bobbin tension and build a new flatbed for my sewing table before I'll tackle any serious free-motion quilting.

I've been quilting my "Madrona Road" quilt and am about 2/3 of the way through. Here are a few views from this evening, front and back:

I had originally planned on FMQ, but I wanted to do straight-line quilting, and my side-to-side motion just isn't up to the task. Instead, I've been using a walking foot, and the results are terrific. Thanks to the extra room under the harp, combined with a thin batting (Quilter's Dream Request loft) the quilt isn't difficult to turn at all (especially with that wonderful knee lever!). I'm thrilled with how the quilt is turning out, and with any luck, I'll get it done in time for Monday's VMQG meeting.

Holding pattern: WIP Wednesday

I haven't made additional progress on my "Madrona Road" quilt, other than getting it basted:

There's a happy explanation for my lack of progress, however--I ordered a new sewing machine! I ended up going for the Juki TL-2010Q, sight unseen, and I should have my bright and shiny new toy either by the end of this week or early next week. I'm holding off on the FMQ until it arrives.

In the meantime, I did manage a little sewing for my poor, neglected Etsy shop, and I made half a dozen passport holders. The weather for photography has been terrible of late, so I don't have a full range of photos, but here are a couple of the passport covers:

That's all for now. I hope I'll be able to report happy quilting with the Juki in a few more days!

2/10: Finally, the sun is out on a day when I have time for photographs. Here are all six of my passport covers: