Technology
This morning I was able to send a Skype video message to Caleb who is studying abroad in England and Scotland. How cool is it to be able to share our daily discoveries and events nearly instantly where just a few years ago (okay maybe longer then a few years ago, but still...) we had to wait for telephones and snail mail and other slower vehicles to move information?
It's the same with my long-arm. DW and I can do it the manual way with me driving and doing his every move and command, or, I can set up a few measurements or points, select a motif, and send him on his way for a time.
Oddly, when DW is working with technology, he's actually a little slower in the time it takes to accomplish his quilting. While I do have the ability to speed him up in his stitching capabilities, I don't feel like that produces the best quality stitch and feel that slowing him down a few notches is the right thing to do.
When I am free motion quilting, I can speed things along a bit and I don't have to set up measurements or points. I just go where I foresee the next section of quilting needs to be incorporated and jog along on my merry way.
But, this is only true for simpler free motion pieces or those that are relatively easy for me to adapt into various sized spaces. Complicated quilting such as cross hatches or pebbles requires a lot of time using either method you select.
Technology continues to improve my quilting life, but I feel like the quilting industry has hit a plane of sorts. At this point it becomes artistic interpretation and continued improvement using all our available resources; I am lucky enough to be a part of that and I embrace the opportunity to grow further with my skills.
We finally get the third of our little quilts on the frame this morning and I will be using both technology and good old fashioned free motion quilting to complete it. After this one is completed later today I will move on further into the stash to see what I come up with next. I'm thinking I finally get to do the No Guilt quilt (hopefully) and am very excited to spend some time on that one!
It's the same with my long-arm. DW and I can do it the manual way with me driving and doing his every move and command, or, I can set up a few measurements or points, select a motif, and send him on his way for a time.
Oddly, when DW is working with technology, he's actually a little slower in the time it takes to accomplish his quilting. While I do have the ability to speed him up in his stitching capabilities, I don't feel like that produces the best quality stitch and feel that slowing him down a few notches is the right thing to do.
When I am free motion quilting, I can speed things along a bit and I don't have to set up measurements or points. I just go where I foresee the next section of quilting needs to be incorporated and jog along on my merry way.
But, this is only true for simpler free motion pieces or those that are relatively easy for me to adapt into various sized spaces. Complicated quilting such as cross hatches or pebbles requires a lot of time using either method you select.
Technology continues to improve my quilting life, but I feel like the quilting industry has hit a plane of sorts. At this point it becomes artistic interpretation and continued improvement using all our available resources; I am lucky enough to be a part of that and I embrace the opportunity to grow further with my skills.
We finally get the third of our little quilts on the frame this morning and I will be using both technology and good old fashioned free motion quilting to complete it. After this one is completed later today I will move on further into the stash to see what I come up with next. I'm thinking I finally get to do the No Guilt quilt (hopefully) and am very excited to spend some time on that one!
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