It's worth it to persevere!

The other night I hauled out my sewing machine to start quilting the "wee woodland" quilt for DS, meaning it's the first time I've ever done free-motion stitching on this machine (a Pfaff Select 4.0, I can't go on enough about how awesome this machine is when it functions properly).  So I take some scrap batting and fabric and read the manual, put on the walking foot, lower the feed dogs, thread the machine, take a deep breath, and start quilting the scrap piece.  Tension was off.  Fix the tension.  Try again.  Tension is still of.  Adjust adjust.  I finally get it perfect, but I decide to test a little more before plunging into quilting his actual quilt.  Good thing I did, because it started birdnesting.  BAD.  I spent the rest of the night, and half a fucking spool of thread trying to fix the issue.  I was ready to give up and fling my machine out the window.  Finally I just decide to put it all away and go to bed, and phone the sewing machine repair place in the morning.  He didn't really help (if you're in my town, you already know who I'm talking about, and you probably know he's a jerk.)  So, I just decide to rethread, slowly, carefully, making sure the thread passes through the tension ring properly, change the needle, and...  voila!  SO HAPPY!

I don't have images, so I'll just describe what I'm doing.  Just up and down, wavy lines.  I tried a meandering stipple but I didn't like how it was turning out, I was making WAY too many mistakes doing so many curves, plus the fact I chose a chocolate brown thread, which on the back is very noticeable, meaning all my mistakes show loud and proud...  I ripped out the stipple but even the wavy lines have their little jumps and bits that don't look right.  I'm trying not to get bent out of shape about the imperfections, it's my first machine-quilted quilt, also, I'm sewing it all on the floor!  So I think my mistakes are forgivable.  Adds character, right?  Right.  And from far away (without my glasses on) it looks just fine.  I also bought fabric pens on clearance at Michael's so I can sign the quilt when it's done!

I already have plans for my next quilt(s).  Not only do I have two charm packs of Moda's Grand Finale (and plenty of backing left over from the current quilt that happens to match well) to make a throw/large baby blanket, and a charm pack of Countdown to Christmas that I plan on making into a table runner, but I'm also waiting for my order to come it at the local quilt shop; I ordered a jelly roll of Circa 1934  and I'm SUPER excited to have it in my hot little hands!  With that I'm following this tutorial, although it's too late to participate in the quilt-along, boo...  I always find these things after they're done with!!  It would be nice to have a local quilt-along, or stitch-along, or knit-along.  Actually, there are knit-alongs through Threads in Time once in a while but it's never timed right for me.  I never do swaps either, even though Craftster is full of them.  Maybe one day.