Custom Computer Quilting.

So Rob and I went to training to learn how to use our Statler Computer system to do custom quilting…and also to refine our all over quilting. Honestly, I struggle with computers….and I struggle with memorizing system operations ect. I need them in digestible chunks and I need to do them several times before I will know what I am doing.  I am a person who can see something crafty or artsy and I can do it without stressing or thinking about it much…but linear -technical things no so much.

However, Rob is the peas to my carrots….he can totally do it. In fact they just say what the operations are and he memorizes it without actually doing it….How someone can do this? I have no freakin clue because I was falling asleep in the class..like literally. I was trying not to be disrespectful….But I can only listen to tech talk for so long before I start drooling, my eyes glaze over and I  zone out. It was serious work to pay attention.  Then on top of that I wanted to come home and start practicing right away. Rob was so busy he couldn’t. So it took a few weeks…he still remembered. How in the world? I have no clue–> cause my brain can’t.

So we put on this quilt. Annette made it from my scraps…thank Goodness I had all of these scrappy quilts..Just saying. So Rob used this to practice some Custom quilting. We started out slow by choose an all over in the center and then he added a design on the border. There’s lots of math and tweaking…finding the right design ect.

I think it’s beautiful and Rob chose all of the designs himself. I think he’s pretty good at that.  Then we decided to do a custom quilt with blocks, different sashing designs ect.

This quilt is a Sew Kind of Wonderful quilt called Urban Winter ( I think). My friend Donna made it for me for my birthday…and I decided to custom quilt it on the computer so I could test things.

I have some thoughts on computer quilting. So I will say them ..good- bad -& ugly. I spent more than a day completing this quilt. custom quilting on the computer is no fun for me. I pretty much dislike it. I need to refine my skills obviously. It’s going to take practice to learn how to size everything perfectly ect. This one isn’t perfect. Cause I was learning. But what I will say is that even if I know how to do everything perfectly I will always hate custom quilting on the computer. One reason is that I am just standing there pushing buttons —watching the machine quilt…..which is painful. BLAH!

It takes longer to custom quilt on the computer because we have to set all of these boundaries, in put everything each time you advance the quilt ect… Then you still have to stand there and push buttons the whole time it quilts everything out.  I honestly do not know how anyone makes money computer quilting? It takes so much more time than to just learn the designs myself. I stand there pushing buttons mindlessly thinking about a million other things I could be doing. I cannot get lost in the process of quilting this way.

So here is the conclusions I have come to personally….Computer custom quilting is good for a couple of things. 1. accurate perfect designs. 2. it’s good for people who can’t quilt well freehand.  I would rather spend hours learning a design at this point than torture myself pushing buttons in front of a machine. It actually makes me feel like I am sitting at a desk crunching numbers for medical insurance again….that makes me want to die inside. Can you tell how much I enjoy that? I am not knocking anyone who uses a computer..clearly we are. But given the way my brain works….the fact that I love freehand quilting and it’s a creative outlet for me….computer quilting just isn’t my favorite.

I will keep practicing. I will do enough to refine my skills and use it when I need to use it. But Rob is WAY better at it and he gets it. He doesn’t know how to freehand..so if it’s his only option I can understand why you would want to do it. But I am starting at  the machine while it’s quilting and I just want to grab the handles and go. No Bueno.

So that is my 2 cents worth on computer quilting. All over designs are great for me..because I can set the machine leave it and come back when it needs to be advanced. But custom….not my favorite.

I think every process in quilting is worth trying, learning and experiencing. They are all filling a gap and working for someone. We all don’t have to like everything. :)

Thanks for following along.

Charisma