The very day that my Juki sewing machine arrived home, I returned to my Lotus blocks.  And to my delight, those curves came sliding smoothly out of the machine like butter!

I'm so, SO glad to have my trusty Juki back. They have taken good care of me and my machine, returning it, the few times I've sent it in, always like new.  This time I sent it in because the stitch quality had very gradually gotten "off".  I am informed that I was oiling it too much!  My habit was to oil the machine every 4 or so bobbins (which is less than the manual advises).  Anyhoo, they said the bobbin was slipping because it was drowning in oil.  Poor guy.  Thought some of you who have Juki's might want to know...

There's just no comparison between sewing on my Juki and sewing with my Kenmore, which I suppose is only fair given the price difference!  The Kenmore is an entry-level machine for sure.  I really struggled to even sew a straight seam with the Kenmore, despite giving it a good cleaning.  Well, it probably needs to see the machine doctor.  The Juki sews so straight, so powerfully and with a purr that makes me smile.  Plus, the thread cutter built into the foot pedal and the knee lift lever to lift the feed dogs - these "little" conveniences actually save me so much time and just generally make me love sewing that much more.

So, yeah, I'm glowing.

Back to the quilt.  After sewing blocks, I auditioned a few border possibilities.  Without a border this baby quilt was a tad on the small side for me.  I added a 3.5" cut border in the low volume alphabet print to give those pretty blossoms just a bit more room to float.

I like!

And speaking of floating, I expect many of you have beat me to your lotus finish.  Christiane of

Quappworms Quilts

in Germany used my free

Lotus block tutorial

to make this literal take on lotus. 

Look at how beautifully her blocks are set on point and with the mini lotus flowers floating near the border.  The dark blue water and pale blossoms mimic the elegance of nature. It's a gorgeous quilt!

If you've finished your quilt or your blocks, I'd love to see!  You can share your work in the

Stitched in Color flickr group

or with Instagram hashtag #StitchedinColor.  Or, you can add a link to your photo in the comments here.  Thanks for sharing!