The Quilt That Almost Wasn't...

This past weekend, I FINALLY decided what design I was going to quilt on the Christmas Stars quilt and started quilting it.  However, my thread kept breaking frequently.  ARGH!!!!  I re-threaded the machine till I was blue in the face and changed my needle 3-4 times...you know...the basics of what to do when your upper thread breaks.  

I googled "upper thread breaking" for my particular machine and I saw where some people had to use a size 16 topstitch needle in this machine when using thicker thread.  (I'm using Sulky 30 wt. cotton...this is the first time I've used a thread this thick.)  I didn't have a "topstitch" needle, but I did have a 16 "jeans/denim" needle.  Tried that.  Still breakage.  :(

I also saw that you should loosen the tension with thicker thread, so tried that as far as I dared...still breakage!  

Okay...so now I'm about to throw this quilt in the back of the cupboard and forget about it!  Double ARGH!!!  

Then today I received an email from Superior Threads and in it they mentioned that they had a troubleshooting guide.  I went to their site and pulled up this guide.   Before I discarded the idea of finishing this quilt...or running out to Walmart for topstitch needles...or abandoning this thread and buying something else to use...I decided to follow their suggestion and loosen the tension all the way to "0" and gradually tighten it back up from there.

GUESS WHAT???  It WORKED!!!  I usually sew on this machine with the tension around "3" on Juki's scale of 1-4.  But at 1.5 I was no longer seeing the top thread on the back of the quilt sandwich and my thread is NO LONGER BREAKING!!!   In my timidity, I just hadn't loosened the tension enough before!

It is a pleasure to machine quilt once more and this quilt WILL get done!!!  I had originally hoped to enter it into the quilt show next year (borrowing it back from its recipient after Christmas), but there are too many issues with the stitching from where I was having trouble with the thread/tension, so I'm just going to have to do another quilt to enter!  ;)

My machine quilting still isn't very good, but it is getting better and I'm glad I did take the time a few months ago to practice practice practice!  It definitely made a difference.

"Done is better than perfect!"  Though it's not "done" yet...it is well on it's way to being so!  :)

This past Monday was the grand opening of the new Hobby Lobby store in Morgantown, WV.  Guess who was in attendance?  My good friend (and neighbor), Kathy, joined me.  Though neither one of spent very much there that day, I know I WILL be going back in the future!  It's nice to finally have one in our area!

We spent the rest of the day together going to ACMoore and then out to eat and had a great time together!  It's always nice to spend some relaxed time with a good friend who "gets" you!  

Loretta

Some Quilting Updates...

Quote for the Day:

“It's tough trying to keep your feet on the ground, 

your head above the clouds, your nose to the grindstone, 

your shoulder to the wheel, your finger on the pulse, 

your eye on the ball and your ear to the ground.”

~author unknown

I have that decided that as much as I would love to JUST hand quilt my quilt tops, it is really unreasonable to think that I will ever get all of the quilts done that way.   I'm going to have to resort to machine-quilting some of my quilt tops to get them done in this lifetime.  I don't have the room or the money for a long-arm quilting machine, and if I did have the money I'd buy myself one of the "sit-down" long-arms, anyway.

However, the money issue makes it a moot point.  However, I decided that I was going to buy a machine with a larger throat/harp area that would at least make it a little easier to wrangle large quilts through it so I could get some quilt tops quilted.

After a lot of research and reading reviews, I decided on the Juki TL 2000 Qi.  And as if it was a sign from heaven, www.sewingmachinesplus.com offered a $100 off any purchase over $500 for Memorial weekend!!  With the free shipping offer, it was too enticing of a deal to turn down!  :)  

It took about 10 days for it to arrive because there was an "error" on UPS's part.  UPS wouldn't tell me what it was, but I think they routed it wrong and it ended up in Timbuktu!  

But, she finally arrived and she is NICE!!!

The body is all metal so she weighs a freaking ton!  The extension table is plastic, but most are, anyway.  She is mechanical instead of computerized and only does a straight stitch.  However, she also does 1500 stitches/minute, so she FLIES!   She is made for quilting!!  

I put her to work as soon as I got her set up.  I'm using her to piece my next project...a rainbow baby quilt...

When the top is done, I will get to use her to machine quilt it.  For those who don't know this, Juki is one of the primary companies that makes industrial sewing machines, so they are hardy, built to last, and take on the work load!!!

I am seriously thinking about selling my Husqvarna Viking Platinum 775 computerized machine and just using the Juki for piecing.  If I need to hem or sew on knit fabric, I can use my Husqvarna Viking Scandinavia 400 machine...which is my "embroidery" machine, but it does regular sewing like zigzag, too.  (When you sew in knits, you have to use a zigzag or a special stitch to keep the stitch from breaking when the knit gets stretched.)

I just don't have room for all of my machines, so I'm giving the sale of the Platinum 775 some serious thought.  I currently have one of my three Singer 221 Featherweights and my Featherweight table up for sale.  There is someone who has expressed interest in it, but nothing is final, yet, so if you live nearby and are interested in it or know someone who might be, pass the word along.   I'm asking $175 for the machine and $75 for the table.

On the hand-quilting side of things, I've finished up the row that I've been working on on the Sherbet quilt...

I have rolled the quilt and am getting ready to start the next row...

 Loretta