I Didn't Think I Could Do This
I have read horror stories of people trying to load a partially quilted quilt on top a long arm, jumping from domestic machine to long arm quilting. I had read about pleats and tension issues and quilts that weren't square... I had certainly read enough to scare me! I've had this queen size quilt that I've been longing to finish but have also been burned out with it in my small domestic machine! This morning I got a burst of bravery and tried loading it onto the long arm. Obviously I had to load it differently. I put the whole quilt on the backing bar and attached it to the take up bar. I'm taking the pins out as I roll each section up. The top basting row was the scariest, since I had very little backing fabric on my leaders, but that part is done and it's pretty squared, all things considered! One thing I am SO thanking the lucky stars for is that I stabilized the blocks and sashing with my walking foot on my domestic machine years ago, when I first attempted this! That step is helping tremendously now!
I started this quilt in 2018 I believe, finished the top in 2020 (or 2021... I don't remember) and it's time to get it finished and on my bed!