In Your Words

Share.

That's my word for 2013, my mantra, if you will.  (I explained why over here.)

When I read about this challenge, I wanted my word to be somewhere I would see it regularly, where it would have the possibility to imprint on my subconscious even if I weren't deliberately thinking about it.

And that's when this idea popped into my head!

I have often bemoaned the idea that I quilt in fits and starts - churning out a quilt in a day or going whole months without touching my machine at all.  I've figured out that inertia is my friend or enemy.  When I am actually quilting, I can hardly think of anything else and hate to stop; however, once stopped, I find it overwhelming to start again.

True confession:  I'm also not the world's best housekeeper.  Not even close.  So frequently, after one of these bouts of not quilting, I have to get out the vacuum and dust my machine.  Not because of the lint or the loose threads, but because of actual dust.

So what could be a more perfect project?  I made a dust cover for my machine that has my word of the year on it!

I've been meaning to make one of these covers for years, although I wondered if covering the thing up would make it even less likely for me to get started.  I'm hoping, though, that the word on the outside will be a reminder to uncover it and rediscover that feeling.  I'm also hoping that I will be more likely to get sewing if I know I don't have to dust first!

For the background I used one of my all time favorite fabrics with words on it.  It was hard to cut into what little I have left, but I'm glad it will be so visible.

And for those days when I'm feeling a little more sassy, I lined it with this fun fabric that I've never been quite sure what to do with.  Kind of like a mood ring for my sewing room!

It's the last day of the hop, so be sure to visit the other bloggers hopping today here:

Quiltin' Jenny  (Jenny- that's me!)

My Collection of Things  (Jeni K.)

Shade Tree Quilting (Judy C.)

(Rosemary B.) at “that other blog”

Pat Sloan, The Voice of Quilting (Pat. S.)

Dachsies With Moxie  (Agnes B.)

Sew Many Yarns (Lyndsey M.)

Tomorrows Treasures Today  (Denise D.)

The German Mom  (Tina S.)

Christa Quilts (Christa W.)

Read, Quilt, Cook, Pray (Aletta D.)

Sew We Quilt  (Mdm. Samm)

Thanks to Madame Samm and to Linda from Buzzing and Bumbling for being our awesome cheerleader and keeping us all organized. 



Tweet

WannaBees Get it Together

On Wednesday the WannaBees got together to check our progress on our group house quilt.  Well, we were supposed to get together, but only Laura, Jodi and I were able to make it.  Although we missed the others, it was so nice to see Jodi’s new sewing room and to sit quietly working together. 

Jodi's kitchen.  The focus "unity fabric" is the vase.

While Laura was embroidering her block and Jodi was appliqueing her second block, I was, unfortunately, unstitching.  And you know how much I hate that.

Laura's fabric choices for the dining room.  The "unity fabric" will be the seat cushions.

You would think I had learned my lesson last spring when I was having so much trouble with the Twin Engine quilts.  You would be wrong.

Yes, even though I vowed never again to use spray baste after the previous fiasco that couldn’t be explained by any other reason, I did it again.  I did it without even thinking of the repercussions or the irreversibility of it. 

I can blame it on haste, trying to get the block done before our get together; I can blame it on my forty-three year old memory, which gets worse by the minute.  After all, my previous machine had no trouble with the spray baste, and I happily quilted many spray basted quilts on that one. 

But the Pfaff, she is a more delicate flower and she likes what she likes.  When I have everything right she is a dream.  When I literally gum up the works, she revolts. 

I had gotten a bit of quilting done before I gave up in frustration.  When I showed Laura and Jodi, they had the exact same advice, advice I was loathe to follow, and I knew they were right. 

Rip it out. 

I pouted and argued and whined, but Jodi simply handed over her trusty Sammi Seam Ripper (have you met?) and went on with the conversation.  So there we sat, Laura embroidering and Jodi appliqueing, both making lovely progress, while I took two steps back.

But I’m so glad I did.  I ripped it out and threw the backing and batting right into Jodi’s trash.  The block itself is barely tacky at all, and I think it will be better when I give it another go. 

Sometimes it takes a good friend to point you in the right direction and sit quietly with you while you do the distasteful task.  Thank goodness for friends like these!



Tweet

Top Ten of 2011

Isn't it my obligation as a blogger to do a retrospective of 2011? Here are my top ten favorite things that I blogged about this year:

1. Snowmageddon And reading all four books in The Twilight Saga in a week!
2. The See Greer Grow Quilt 
3. Really getting the hang of FMQing on my machine
4. Welcoming George to our family.  This little dog has his moments when he makes me crazy, but I forgive him every time he snuggles up on the couch and buries his head behind me to keep his nose warm!
5. The Bear's graduation and starting high school.  Also, I finally finished his quilt.
6. Achieving the goal of having a quilt I worked on in a show other than our own guild.  A technicality but still a highlight.
7. A Day with an Angel
8. The Modern Blocks Quilt Along.  You can click on the tag "quilt along" to see all of them.
9. The Chill Out Party What a great way to celebrate without stress!
10. Joining the SeamedUP team!  Especially the part about getting to be on the podcast. 

What were the highlights of your year?



Tweet

FMQ Tips and Tricks from an Expert

As I have been whining about mentioned, I'm having issues with free motion quilting.  I have fought the good fight, but I needed help.

Monday I went on a field trip to Discover Sewing.  I bought my machine at their Sandy Springs location and have gotten some great help there; however, the teachers there are definitely more comfortable and familiar with machine embroidery and beautiful heirloom sewing than they are with quilting.  Sometimes when I go in there for help I feel like I know more about FMQing than they do.

I decided to try the location in Duluth.  Obviously no one can be an expert at everything, and with a small shop it's hard to have an employee/expert for every technique.   I called and made an appointment with Jeri.  Jeri, when I asked if she does a lot of quilting, says, "I do a lot of everything!"  So maybe I have found my expert.

Jeri gave me some great tips.  She sat down at my machine, started from scratch, and walked me through threading and the whole nine yards.  Sometimes when you've been sewing for a lifetime and quilting for 16 years, you don't think you need to revisit the basics.  That is not the case with me.  I think a lot of us who learned from a grandmother, mother, friend, etc. may have been shown the basics, but never really officially taught the "correct" or official way to do something.  Some of us *ahem* may also believe that we do not need to read the owner's manual or other instructions. 

For example, I have read a lot about the needle or presser foot being up or down when threading the needle.  Jeri told me that the presser foot has to be UP while you are threading the needle so that the tension discs are open.  Otherwise the thread might go off to the side.

She showed me how, after it is all threaded except for the eye of the needle, she puts the presser foot down and gives the thread a little tug.  If it is taut, then you know that the thread is between those discs.  If it pulls easily with the foot down, the thread didn't get seated in there quite right.  (With the foot up it will pull smoothly.) She explained that those awful nests on the underside of the quilt are almost always due to the thread being out of the tension discs or mis-threaded somewhere else.

I asked about the thread position.  She showed me how some spools have these little ridges (why?  WHY?) that the thread can catch on.  Make sure the thread comes off the other end if you have it horizontal.  But she said there aren't hard and fast rules anymore about horizontal v. vertical positioning because the thread manufacturers are using so many different types of equipment to wind thread.  You just have to experiment and see which way works best.

Jeri showed me how a cap that is bigger than the spool can cause the thread to get caught.  Use a cap that is the same size or smaller than your spool.  She also showed me how the thread sometimes gets twisted around the pin.  Her trick for avoiding that is to slide the spool almost to the tip of the pin.  Clever!

Another thing she showed me was how to use the needle threader on my machine.   In my new owner classes and having it in for service, no one told me this tip.  I have even had a teacher say that mine must not be working and needed adjusting.  Apparently it's not in the literature or website either.  The needle must be all the way up, in the highest possible position, for the needle threader to work.  (at least on the Pfaffs...but maybe on all machines.  I have no clue.)  The needle threader that I haven't been using for almost 2 years because I thought it needed adjusting worked perfectly every time today.
 

I've been round and round about my tension.  It turns out that, for whatever reason, my machine is defaulting to a 5.2.  But the same machine in the store is set on 4.6.  We got my machine sewing well at 5.2, but even better when we turned it down.  I will have to ask next time it is serviced if I can change the default setting, because that was one thing Jeri didn't know.  Jeri also told me that most of the tension issues with FMQing are with the user - either going too fast or too jerky or, most often, too slow.  She told me she tries to get a tune in her head while she's working to keep a steady rhythm going. 

We discussed needles and thread.  While this is so much about personal preference, Jeri says she uses cotton machine quilting thread with a size 90 quilting needle.  Just FYI.  She also mentioned that any shredding of the thread is usually a clue to change needles.  Usually it is a nick or break in the needle that you might not even be able to see.

I cannot even begin to thank Jeri enough.  When you're looking for a new machine and wondering if it's worth it to go to a dealer or just get the best price you can on eBay or the big box store, this is where it makes a difference.  They spent an hour with me and wouldn't let me pay them a dime - said they just wanted to make sure I was happy with my machine!

Now I'm off to see if I can finish the second Twin Engine quilt.  I hope to have awesome news to report back tomorrow - preferably that I'm DONE!

Wish me luck,



Tweet

One more DONE!

Still fighting with my machine on the second Twin Engine quilt, but I did manage to get See Greer Grow done.

 DONE done.

 With a label.

I was able to pass the quilt along to the elated grandma.  She is going to hand deliver it to Greer for me.  I only wish I could wrap that baby girl up in her quilt in person but, alas, Delta charges a heckuvalot to fly to California.

I'm going to have a session with a quilter at my sewing machine dealer on Monday to see if we can solve the other issues because I am also DONE with trying to fix it myself. I'll let you know how it goes.

Anniversary Tryptich

This Saturday will be my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary.  My cousins were pretty adamant about no gifts, but I wanted something more than the standard gold foil embossed card.

I keep having ideas about incorporating photos and crazy quilt style patchwork.  I thought a small, postcard sized piece might be a good chance to try it out.  My machine does so many cool stitches that it went really quickly and easily.

I thought about adding more pictures, but in the end I just chose the wedding photo and dates.  My aunt loved it.  What do you think about this combination?  What would you use it for?

Happy Anniversary Aunt Terri and Uncle Jim!  I love you!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. You have to understand that my parents love to entertain, and my dad is a great sport, but Mom does not like to be the center of attention. She does not celebrate birthdays - not because she has any hangups about her age, but because she doesn't want anyone fussing over her. Speaking in front of a crowd would about give her hives.

(I remember the year she was the president of her golf association and had to give a speech at the end of the year party. She made my dad come in and do it for her!)

So yesterday she thought she was playing golf with some friends and coming back to the house for a quick swim. She suspected, much to her dismay, that "one of them got a cake." (They did. It was to die for!)

She was having such a nice, low-key time relaxing with her friends that she didn't even notice the husbands congregating and fixing drinks in the kitchen while the ladies swam and had wine out back. She never looked up to see me carrying in catering from EastSide or setting up the buffet. In fact, her only clue that something was amiss was when Gracie appeared with a gift.

But you should have seen the look on her face when the men came out the back door singing "Happy Birthday to you..." and put that hat and glasses on her! Once she got over her shock, all she could say was, "Next year, I'm leaving town!"

My dad gave her a Kindle for her birthday. The parents had all gone in one for my husband for Christmas, and Mom had been eying it. I remembered a cute tutorial at Moda Bake Shop for a Bookkeeper, and whipped one up. My mom is no ordinary mom, so why should she keep her books in a plain gray case?
I used some of my favorite fabrics from my 1 1/2" strip drawer (thank you Bonnie Hunter!) and had so much fun playing with Rene's decorative stitches.
I love the lining fabric that says "P.S. I love you." It is leftover from Gracie's nursery set and is the perfect touch to those special projects.

The one thing Moda's pattern didn't call for but I added was a closure of some sort. You could do whatever you wanted, but I just stitched on a little Velcro button so the Kindle wouldn't slip out of the case and get damaged.

I hope it works well for the Kindle and that Mom gets many hours of reading pleasure with her new toy. I also hope that every time she opens her case she remembers that

I love you, Mom!

Sewing Machine Shopping

I finally got down to the nitty-gritty of buying my new sewing machine. After 17 years with my trusty New Home My Excel, it was a daunting task to find her replacement.

I started by doing research online and by asking my Yahoo group mates at Stashbusters and Mystery Quilters. They helped narrow down the field to Janome, Pfaff, and Bernina. Unfortunately, none of these brands allow dealers to advertise prices online, so I had no way of comparing machines in my price range without driving all over Hell's Half Acre to see them. The good news is that I got to touch and sew on each machine before making my choice.

My first stop was Ashby Sewing Center. They represent Janome and Pfaff, among other lines. They were incredibly helpful and informative! They let me sew on several machines, and even let Gracie try out the variety of decorative stitches on the Janome. Although I really love the Janome machine, the Pfaff has some incredible features for a very similar price, so that moved up to the top of my list.

Right around the corner is the Atlanta Sewing Center where I could see the Bernina. Although the Bernina is a fabulous machine and the hands down favorite in my guild, they are much more expensive. To stay within the budget I had established - which covered the top of the line quilting machines by both Janome and Pfaff - I would have to go to the most basic Bernina with the knee lift option and the least number of stitches. It was missing several key features I was looking for. To get the same features I was looking at in the Janome and Pfaff would cost me more than DOUBLE in the Bernina. I just couldn't do it.

This morning I decided to call around to other dealers to see if the prices were pretty standard across the board. Imagine my shock when I found a Discover Sewing almost 30 minutes closer to my home (I didn't even know they sold Pfaffs until I went online.) who had the same machine for almost $400 less! It was too great of a bargain to pass up, so I got right in my car and drove down to get it. Even better, they matched the deal offered by Ashby to throw in the Fab-u-Motion kit. With her 10" throat, I foresee lots of free motion quilting on this machine.
So without further ado, I'd like to introduce Rene, my new Pfaff Quilt Expressions 4.0, named in honor of my late grandmother.
Gram didn't have a creative, quilty or stitchin' bone in her body - I don't ever remember her knitting or crocheting or doing anything even remotely crafty. No, she was a party girl who loved to celebrate and be with her family and friends. She was famous for demanding a second drink (well into her 90s) with the classic line, "A girl can't fly on one wing!"

When she died in November, she left her grandchildren a small inheritance to be used for something fun. While a sewing machine might not have been fun in her book, this Pfaff with all of her bells and whistles is the ultimate indulgence as far as I'm concerned. So here's to you, Gram. I miss you and love you so much. Thanks for the memories, and all the ones yet to be made.