Quilting my sampler quilt

I have put together my sampler quilt and am really pleased with how it looks. I've decided to try and quilt it on the machine - mostly shadow quilting around the blocks with some hand quilting around the teapot and Dresden plate.

My first attempt at machine quilting is going well. I have used basting glue but will also use quilting safety pins to help keep the pieces together.

In my last quilting class my teacher showed me how she lays her quilt over a trestle table and uses monster bulldog clips to hold the quilt in place while she pins the layers together. This method looks much easier than laying the quilt out on a large table. I have been using 3 dress making cutting board to make my table big enough to fit the quilt which worked well but leaves me very little space to walk around the room.

Another great tip for quilting was to use rubber dish washing gloves when your machine quilting. Simple but great as the material doesn't slip under your hands!

Charlie testing out the quilt

I'm hoping to get more machine quilting done this week and get the quilt finished. It would have been great to finish it before the new year but I'm not sure that's likely to happen.

sampler quilt top finished

Front of quilt - machine quilted

The back of the quilt - My first attempt at machine quilting 

Quilting lessons

This year I have started quilting lessons for the first time since I was 16 years old. Through a 'Bear & Craft' Sewing group that I go to I've had the opportunity to have lessons which I attend once a month on a Saturday.
We are making a quilt simply called a 'Sample Quilt'. Each time we make a block using different methods. I am enjoying the classes and have learnt so much. Even sewing quilts on a machine doesn't scare me as much as it used to.

Block 1. Pinwheel Block.
This is a four-patch block that introduces the use of templates and accurate hand piecing.

Block 2. Double Monkey Wrench

This block included half square triangles and machine piecing (scary as!!)

Block 3. Attic Windows

This is a hand-pieced block teaching mitred corners and raw edge applique

Block 4. Log Cabin Block

This block showed us a classic and versatile machine pieced block.

Charlie thought it was time to give his approval of my block.