Progress

My ankle and leg are feeling so much better that I decided to try some long-arm quilting on my Gammill yesterday.  I still have two quilts left to do for the ever-patient Teresa, who brought me six quilts in March.

I oiled my machine real well and let it run on the lowest speed for about twenty minutes (with no thread in the needle) to get it warmed up and lubricated after weeks of sitting unused.  It was purring contentedly when I got started!

Here is Teresa's autumn-themed quilt top, rolled down to about halfway.

When you load a quilt, it requires several trips around the machine to smooth out all the fabrics and batting and make sure it is rolling up without any wrinkles or pleats.  I made sure there was nothing on the floor for me to trip on as I travelled around the frame.

On the back of my machine you can see the cheap door mirror that I place on the table. 

It is kind of hard to see what is happening on the back side of the quilt while it is mounted.  You would have to stand on your head, or climb under the machine to see how things are going on the back side.  Or, you could keep rolling it back up to see your quilting stitches.  But usually, the reflection in the mirror lets you detect any knots or what I call "Chutes and Ladders" on the back caused by bad tension.

So far, so good on the quilting and the foot and leg!  I wore my ankle brace, socks and sneakers for support, and did not get swollen or very sore.

Now it's off to Rex Hospital, possible for my last visit to the Coumadin Clinic there before they turn me back over to my own doctor for follow-up.