Sandy's Sue Spargo Inspired Quilt

Sandy Name originally brought this quilt top to me not too long after I got my longarm quilting machine in 2011 and it scared me to death.  I was working really hard at learning how to use the ProStitcher on my Handi Quilter Fusion but had not mastered in any way shape or form the art of free motion quilting.  I told her I was not capable of quilting it at that point.  She said she would wait until I was.

Three years later, when Sandy saw the lilac splendor quilt on which I had done quite a bit of free motion work, she brought this back and said I was ready.  I had my doubts. (the Lilac Splendor Quilt didn't have the tiny tight spaces this one did).  Saved by the engagement and forthcoming marriage of my youngest daughter, I procrastinated quilting this for another few months (with Sandy assuring me she wasn't in a hurry for it) and because truthfully, I was just plain scared. Though I had better control over my machine, being almost 4 years now recovered from my 2010 back surgery, I continue to deal with severe arthritis in my neck and muscle spasms across the back of my shoulders which cause my neck to lock up tighter than tight whenever I have to look down for more than just a few minutes at a time.  So I worked just one to three blocks per day.

While I am grateful that I had the chance to do this quilt, partly because Sandy likes it so much and partly just to prove to myself that I could, it may very well be one of a very few freemotion quilts I ever do. The cross hatched borders were done with the help of my Pro Stitcher but all the other quilting is free motion (hand guided) work.