The Pourpoint Commission: The Long Dark Night of the Quilting

Current status: 

Quilting.  Lots of quilting.  It will never end. I have binge-watched the LOTR trilogy and am working my way through Daredevil and I still have a long way to go.  However, I want to capture a few thoughts in media res.

Where we started

• The PVC quilting frame is sufficient unto the purpose--I could not do the project without a frame, that's very clear--and the break-down-ability is a critical success factor for my environment.  But, this comes at a cost: I have to keep pulling the fabric tight (somewhat minor nit), and the pipes come loose from their corner joins every time I shift the frame at all (irritating AF).
• The ordinary quilting wisdom definitely applies here: start in the middle of the piece and work towards the edge.  Things get wonky if you don't, even if you think everything's pinned down right and tight.  
• I'm using Wm. Booth's 60/2 unbleached linen thread for the quilting.  I think it's a little more coarse than is quite right, and also it is showing up super obviously against the dark green fashion fabric; but it's working just fine.
• It's very hard to judge whether I'm getting the same padding thickness from piece to piece (or even on the same piece, betimes).  I expect this is one of those cases where, if it's your whole career, it becomes second nature to eyeball it. 
• After, hm, 16 hours of work I think?, I have finished quilting both back pieces and most of the right front, and my current best rate is about 6" of quilting in 10 minutes.  That rate is unsustainable for long periods, though, because your eyeballs start aching.
• I really need to find metal button forms ASAP. I may be able to kludge some of the 18th/19th century repro stuff for this--they'll get covered with fabric anyways.  But I need to prioritize lining up some test objects.

Back to work.

[1] This issue is exacerbated by some already-done parts getting smushed down by the clamps at the side of the frame, as I have to adjust the working area.