Longarm quilting and U.F.O.s

Dear Emily,

I can say with an almost certainy that all people who quilt, and people who sew for that matter, have U.F.O.s. Unfinished quilts. Did you know that there is even a website for people who have U.F.O.s? And P.I.G.s? Projects in grocery bags. I have lots of those. That is a new one and I think my favorite. At our parents' house I've had a P.I.D. Project in drawer. (yeah, I made that one up but I am sure I am not the only one out there with a P.I.D.) Mine is a very large queen quilt top. I've been waiting for an extended visit to quilt it on our mom's fabulous long arm quilting machine.

Remember when they finished the basement a few years ago, our parents framed off a room by the outside basement door for a plant room, a place for our mom to store her plants in the winter? She had those gorgeous brugmansia trees that she brought inside every year. 

Then she decided to get a longarm quilting machine, something she's wanted for quite awhile. The plant room was the best, and I think only, place to put it.

Yesterday Mom and I went to Joann's so I could buy fabric for the quilt back. The quilt is too wide for regular quilt backing fabric so I had to get muslin. Fabric generally comes 45 or 60 inches wide. Quilt backing is 108 inches. I had to get the widest muslin at Joann's. 120 inches. It is just barely going to fit on the quilt frame.(I can machine quilt on my fabulous Janome but not something this big.) Can't wait to get started!

A sneak peak at the quilt top:

I haven't used the longarm quilter yet. The quilts on Anthony's and Caroline's beds were quilted on it but Mom had to do it because I was too pregnant with Gabe to stretch across the frame to reach the machine. Have you used it yet?

We still need to lift it onto the frame. Unless our brother stops by we will have to do it ourselves.

It looks a little intimidating, don't you think?

xoxo

Monica