Working like a dog!

I've been really pushing myself to get the quilting done on the green wedding quilt since I plan on delivering it on Thursday the 8th. I also want to take it to show and tell at guild on the 6th.

So far I've finished the quilting in the center of the quilt. I used a stencil to do the design in each of the 50+ colored blocks, and I used another stencil to do the curvy design in the white sashing. I used my Pounce in the colored blocks and used a marking pencil in the white since my blue washable marker seems to be dried up.

In the first border--the multi-colored one shown here--I used the Pounce and another stencil but had some difficulty seeing the white chalk on the busy fabric.  But I got the job done. I used a kind of Celtic rope design for this border.

Next I did some freehand stitching in the diamonds in the third border. And then I began doing pearls or circles in the second border, again, freehand. I'll continue the circles in the fourth border as well so the diamonds will be flanked by a row of pearls on each side.

Then I have the final border which is the multi-colored fabric again and is 6 inches wide, finished. I don't have a stencil that would work in that border but I'm thinking of doing a simple grid of some sort to contrast with the more elaborate designs in the body of the quilt.  I learned for real what I've read about and been told, that elaborate quilting designs don't show up well on "busy" fabric as in the first border on this quilt. So I'm pretty sure it'll be a simple design.  It's also easier and faster to do a straight line design and I'm under the gun to get this one finished!

I'm using two colors of variegated thread by King Tut for the colored blocks and multi-colored areas, and a plain white thread on the sashing and white borders.  Since the backing is a pale blue with some green splashes, I'm using a blue thread in the bobbin.  I spent a bit of time getting the tension set up correctly before I began any quilting and I'm quite pleased with the results so far.  I admit, I've had to do some un-sewing in areas where the bobbin tension was off--mainly as I stitched large curves--but not too much.

The main problem I'm having with this quilting is skipping stitches. I think my sewing machine has hiccups.  I'll be stitching along and suddenly the machine stops but I keep moving the quilt.  Most irritating!  I have rethreaded a hundred times, rewound bobbins equally as many times, and changed needles several times, using different sizes, but no luck.  If I didn't have to get this quilt finished I'd quit and take the machine in to be looked at but that will have to wait until I finish. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  Even though I'm near the end of this project, I'll try any suggestions to get the stitching better.  Thanks.

So, woof, woof, this dog is going back to work on stitching pearls in the white borders.