And....we're off!

Well, I started quilting Allietare today.  It's a heavy quilt so I am going to do it in short bursts.  I enjoy the luxury of having free time now in retirement. I used to race to complete things in a weekend of machine quilting, along with all the other errands and household stuff.

My quilting isn't perfect, as I find it so hard to maneuver a quilt on my Aurora 440. It's tough on the wrists and shoulders. I am burying thread tails as I go along. That's a habit I never developed. When I stop to reposition the quilt sandwich, I do it with the needle up, and line up the needle carefully to minimize little jigs and jags.

So, if it's not perfect, it's at least better than my last machine quilting effort. And that's fine for me. I am not one to enter shows. I see so many quilters torment themselves for not achieving perfection. It's a process, and I feel this way:  I don't have to be perfect. I just have to concentrate, slow down, and do the best I can on a given day.  

I refuse to let the pursuit of perfection rob me of my joy in doing this. I love doing this, and I can't let it turn into frustration.  

Quilting on the center is going to be plain, and it will try not to compete with the piecing. 


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