I use my channel locks every single time I quilt.  But not for straight line quilting.  I use it to square up my quilt,  straighten seams and blocks, and make sure everything is falling into place the way it should.  The push of a button and I can guide my machine down a wobbly seam line and adjust my quilt top so that it appears straight.  It doesn't work magic, but it does help!

Luckily I had a great quilt to try it out on.  

Tip -  if you do try straight line quilting,  just use your finger to push the machine along in the direction you are going.  Don't grip the handles -  just a simple push with your finger down the frame will ensure no wobbles or wonky lines. Yes, the machine is that light and that amazing that I can push it with my finger to stitch.

 If your borders or blocks are slightly wobbly or uneven,   the straight channel locks are unforgiving.  You line will be a straight line,  but it may not match up with a wonky seam line.      

 This quilt is just so cute.  I love the colours - so different.   I used a combination of spirals, straight lines and wishbone quilting in the teal and green blocks.   In the print blocks, I did a simple geometric maze to lightly quilt. 

Batting - Hobbs 80/20

Thread -  Superior SoFine in pea soup green ( I forget the number and am too tired to go downstairs and look! )

 Her quilt was pieced with oranges, whites and aquas 

 I did a lot of straight line ruler work on this quilt -  stitched all the chevrons along the seams, and then many parallel lines.   You would think that quilting a straight line with a ruler is easy.   Nope.   This one was a bit more challenging because I was making the lines on a 45 degree angle to the quilting frame.   I'm still trying to find some ways so that my machine ruler base doesn't 'catch' on the quilt or the ruler won't slip slightly.  So, I'm not perfect, but I did find myself obsessing over some wobbles here and there.

Figure 8's,  curves,  pebbles (large and small) spirals, and u-turns can be found throughout the quilt.

I love the back as it really shows the texture...

I will always say this, but I am so thankful that people trust me to try things out on their quilts.  I may not be perfect at it yet, but I know these experiences really takes me to the next level.
And I really appreciate that.

I have a new tutorial featured over at Moda Bake Shop.   It's called Maritime Baby Quilt, and is just that -  a nautical themed baby sized quilt, using Hearty Good Wishes line by Moda.

 I quilted this with some u-turns, pebbles and ruler work.  I stitched in the ditch the smaller patches in the centre of the blacks to create a bit of dimension.

 I like the texture the quilting creates on the backing!