I woke early this morning with a plan: start and complete the machine quilting on the new quilt. Yesterday I jammed, piecing the back and pin basting the layers in record time.
Several test sandwiches whirled under the foot, I knew trouble was brewing because that little twinge of doubt about the thread color wouldn’t go away. The tension wouldn’t calibrate correctly. The blue thread peaking through to the top and the red thread doing it right back. I went forward because that was my plan. I really do know better.
The thread broke toward the end of the first row. Wrong needle, not one big-eyed steel tip in the box. The pin dots of color showing through on both top and bottom were driving me CRAZY. By noon I faced reality and trekked out to Esther’s. Thank goodness Marybeth was working.
Too small of a needle: confirmed. She was very nice and tried not to gasp when I said I was using a 75, I went home with 100′s and 110′s just in case. We discussed threads and I picked out a gorgeous yellow bronze silk thread by Clover. It’s disappearing into the top very nicely, blending well enough with the blue on the back not to look like Christmas lights. I also purchased All-Purpose Sewer’s Aid, massage oil for the sewing machine, it makes the thread slide through the mechanical parts like butter. I wasn’t going to take any chances!
Of course, since I was out I threw in the post office run, dropped off pattern stuff at the printers, and went to the grocery store. Back home by 3:00 I started again. First task: rip out 70″ of free-motion quilting. By dinner time I was tired but half-way done. Ecstatic with the results. Ready for tomorrow.
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Now about that knitting book. Wow, you gals really made me happy! What a fabulous go to list for my next project. I was getting discouraged about my knitting and now I don’t feel that way anymore. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that has starts and fits with the needles. And the winner of Knockdown Knits is:
#2, Kirsten. Yay! I have to disclose that I know Kirsten in real life and she’s going to LOVE winning this book. She’s a very well deserving knitter. She’s also a very accomplished clothes sewist. I always do the Random.Org number generator and I do it for real. No funny business. Not sure why I mention that other than to let you know that’s how I am, you can always play along knowing you have a real chance of winning. I’m also really tired. I’m off to bed now to dream about bindings and pattern instructions. You guys are going to LOVE this quilt!
Why thank you Kathy! I’m looking foward to all the fun knitting projects. I’ll see you in December when I get back from San Diego
What a great post! It’s really nice to see you at work.
you’re right – i am going to love that quilt. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Wowwww! I think that’s why I won’t ever be a good quilter. I think I can’t resist such a position to machine sew, lol… I am so beginner yet! lol…
I was ripping out loads of free motion just earlier today! It’s a patience tester, that’s for sure. Can’t wait to see the finished quilt. I love the fabric choices!
I look forward to seeing this quilt. Is it with the Denyse Schmidt cheater fabric? I love your look of concentration/determination, BTW.
Wow it’s really cool to see your work in motion. I did my first feed foot quilting recently, I’m get to use my free motion foot. Next time. I’m interested in those gloves….do they have “sticky” stuff to help feed the quilt through? AND I love the picture of you with the quilt over your shoulder..makes sense!!!
Nicole
oh it looks so cute! And I love the photos you posted that show you sewing! They are so great
Guess I’m going to have to pay attention to my needle size!
Can I ask about the yellow gloves? I’ve never quilted with gloves on – what or how do they help you?
I am allergic to wool, and have used gloves when making items for non-allergic people, but have never seen gloves like those…
I am not familiar with the massage oil and did not know clover made thread. Hmmm…something to check out. I use schmetz needles to machine quilt with but I use 80/12 or 90/14. Perhaps you could do a “tools of machine quilting post”. Love the bright yellow gloves. Mine are garden variety (literally) cheapos from Home Depot. They work great!
I always sew in bare feet too. Or at least my pedal foot is bare. I can’t wait to see the quilt.
Machine quilting is on my list of things I need to learn how to do. I’m glad that you’re making some progress!
I keep my pedal foot bare, too.
My left shoulder (I’m right handed) started to ache just looking at the photo of you quilting. The things we do for love. 
This post was super helpful! Thanks for all the details.
I certainly sympathize with your machine quilting woes. I recently had what I call a “smackdown” with metallic thread! I’m fairly new at this stuff though and thread is something I need to learn more about. I have never heard of massage oil. Perhaps I need to check into it. I also noticed your sewing machine is exactly like mine. Don’t you love it? I do! I hope your day of quilting is a fabulous one! D~~~~
Nicole: I have two pairs of gloves I wear. The ones in the picture are my ‘summer’ gloves, Fons & Porter brand. They are a light fabric with little rubber dots on the palms. I also like my ‘winter’ pair. They’re nylon with rubber coated finger tips.
I wrote more about my quilting gloves here: http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/2007/10/07/quilting-gloves/
Mama Urchin: I have a funny story about that. It hadn’t really occurred to me that I always sew barefoot until I went away to a sewing retreat last year. I sat down to the machine and realized I couldn’t sew with my shoes on! It was a common for a lot of gals there!
Donna: Yes I do LOVE that machine. It’s such a workhorse. It’s funny that you mention metallic thread. Marybeth is a long arm quilter and she was telling me she’d just gotten in a whole collection of new metallic threads to try out. I plan to go over to her studio once school starts and get a lesson. I’ll definitely share!
Taking advantage of the cooler weather, I see. I’m contemplating quickly quilting something before it goes back to the 90′s.
I always sew barefoot. It gives you more control over the pedal, I think.
i LOVE these pics. so nice to see someone else’s look while sewing. I’ll have to try the gloves and get some more education on needles because I can hear my machine doing a hammering thing when I sew on bias tape on edges and I know it means I’m doing something wrong, because I have Janome Quilter’s Companion and it should not do that, right? Please explain the oil thing, again, no formal sewing education!!! need to do that someday–on expanding list of things to learn! You certainly could do a book on all that!!
Your quilt looks beautiful, like everything you do! I would LOVE it if you would do a post on machine quilting. I want to try it, but I am scared to try.
I love that second picture – such determination! I’m glad to hear you got your quilting problems sorted. I’ll go change my needle right away, that’s probably why I had a spot of bother with my quilt yesterday, so thanks for the reminder!
Now that’s dedication! How big is that quilt? I can barely quilt a lap-sized quilt. Very nice pictures.
I like the look on your face in the second picture too. Focus! I’m usually so focused on my machine quilting that I forget to breathe or blink. So my face is probably blue when I quilt.
But I don’t understand the needle thing–I have the best luck with a Schmetz 70/10, especially with silk thread.
What great photos, Kathy. They say a million words….your script is fun embellisment to the pix. I’ve had some machine quilting woes of late…I also bought the sewers aid stuff. I haven’t ever paid much attention to needle size!
Aren’t you the cutest thing? i love the barefoot! are you a lefty? can’t wait for you to show us more!!!!
Ann: I’m right handed but I learned to use the peddle with my left foot. It felt awkward at first but you get used to it pretty quickly. The Janome 6600 has a knee lift which operates much more smoothly when driving with the left foot.
I used to make my quilt backs a solid color. Then I saw your backs and was inspired – I love the fun and unexpected of having a back made out of several different pieces. I doubt I’ll ever make a solid back again! I recently bought a walking foot for my 20-year old Viking Husky. I keep thinking I should want a new machine, but it serves my purposes well. I’ve machine quilted quite a few small things but cannot imagine dealing with getting the size of a large quilt through it.
i’m just starting my first quilt, and i’m most terrified of the actual quilting process.
i’ve made a quilted pillowcase (hand quilted, basted with those arched safety pins) and that took forever and drove me crazy. i WANT to machine-quilt my quilt myself, not send it off. but the thought of quilting it myself makes me sick to my stomach. oy.
(i’ve been reading you forever but have never comments, bad laura! bad, bad, bad!)
grrr i wish i could quilt!!
I’m so glad you posted that picture of how you were holding the quilt as you sewed. I’ve just started quilting a bed-sized quilt and was growing very frustrated trying to manage it all. It’s going a lot better now that I’ve copied your method!
The quilt back looks very beautiful. I can’t wait to see the front!
Hip Hip Hooray! I am NOT the only one who sews barefoot! My husband and grandkids tease me about always have one shoe on and one shoe off while I sew!
Love your site!
I so much enjoyed seeing you at work! You made me happy.