Reporting in

Definitely a lot easier to see what I’m doing! I can actually backtrack along lines of stitching without having to guess whether I’m staying on the same line or not (of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t go off the lines occasionally still (as you can tell above!), but that’s more about getting my speed under control).
I’m not sure if the new needle is an improvement or not – it’s hard to tell so far. I’m not even sure if I’m using the right sort of needle, because I haven’t quite got my head around what the different needle sizes and types mean yet (for those of you who understand such things, I’m using a 90/14 quilting needle – if you think I should be using something different, please do tell me, because I have no idea!).
I have a theory about why I’m struggling to get the right speed though, when I thought a few months ago that I had it sorted. With this cold weather, I’ve been wearing socks when I’m sewing, rather than my normal bare feet. So I’m not able to get the same feel for how much I’m pressing down on the foot pedal. I think I might try the next panel with bare feet (might have to put the heater on first, though!) and see if that goes any better.
Anyway, this pattern is called McTavishing. My version doesn’t quite look like the examples I was following, but I felt like I was starting to get the idea by the end. Probably should have picked something simpler as a test for the new foot, but I’m not very good at keeping things easy (as you may have noticed…).
P.S. Yep, just tried without socks, and it’s working perfectly. Cold feet for me from now on!