Curved Cross Hatching and Straight Lines

I love making progress on Green Tea Sweet Beans. I'm about 3/4 of the way there! I'm not very good at quilting for hours. I'm much better quilting for a little while and then going back later so progress is slow but steady. I decided to really make the applique pop in this block. I quilted very close straight lines in the background and outlined each applique piece. I basically held a straight ruler next to my foot and just kept on sewing up and down. 

I felt this fabric was busy enough for me to try out curved cross hatching. I didn't mark a thing. I just followed the lines on my curved ruler. It's not perfect but I got some great practice. I also learned how to outline around applique pieces. I didn't think you could use a straight ruler but you can! You just use the straight ruler to move around the applique piece which is a great guide for your foot. I'm still new at this but I can definitely see how practice helps so much!

As you can see, I have a helper. That's Molly keeping an eye on things. I think she's really interested in the laser light from the long arm. That's what I use to follow pantographs. I usually shut it off but Molly is entertained by it so I leave it on. What we do for our pets!!