My Goddess Has Spoken!

Even though I don't have an insert that fits this machine, it worked just fine.

Okay, so my "Express Your Love" Goddess Quilt isn't really a UFO, but I am somewhat behind. The real UFO is getting my Pfaff fixed, so that I can FMQ properly. It is definitely an UnFinished Object/Project, I've had problems with this machine since I got it 7 months ago. The Isacord thread was shredding or breaking multiple time per letter. So I switched it out for my Babylock to see if it was me. NOPE, it's definitely the machine! The Babylock stitched like a champ.

I was done in no time, after switching to my Babylock Ellegante

I love how the words intertwine so that you can read them multiple ways.

The Goddess was shouting at me to finish her words. It felt good to stitch them out, to own them.

Thank you Leah for creating this powerful project. I got the panel from Spoonflower to practice my FMQ and I am coming away with so much more!

So I'm going to take my Pfaff to the dealer. I have an appointment for Miss Frances this Thursday. I can get a free loaner for the time in the shop, I want the same machine so I can see is this a malfunction or just a quirky machine. Time will tell.

I'm linking up to UFO Sunday at the Free Motion Quilting Project.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Dusting Off My Embroidery Machine

One of the main reason I got my Pfaff (in JULY) was so that I could set up my Babylock to just embroider. So I guess it was time to dust off my embroidery machine, set it up, and get stitching.

Miss Ellie can now sit here, ready and waiting anytime I want to embroider, without having to break her down from regular quilting and set her up for embroidery.

I got the last two blocks for my library quilt, embroidered and pieced. Now I just need to quilt and join the blocks. I think I may see light at the end of this tunnel (I hope it's not a train or a librarian trying to "shhhhh" me!)  ;)

I'm linking up with Plum and June for Let's Get Acquainted and Free Motion by the River for Linky Tuesday!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Sew Cal Gal FMQ Challenge for July

Well, I'm just making under the wire for Sew Cal Gal's FMQ Challenge for July! I struggled mightily this month, not so much with the design (I loved Angela Walters' design), but my new sewing machine. Miss Frances (my new machine) was showing me whose boss and I think she won this round! I think I had some serious operator error or something.

I think I broke about 1/2 a dozen needles just stitching this much!

A lovely bird's nest on the back

Luckily this stitched up nicely

At my local quilt shop (Quilters Corner), where I bought the machine, they have a "Make Your Own Class" next Friday. Bring a project you are struggling with and they have someone there to help. Well, I signed up and will take this project. I think the problem is the thread (Isacord), it seams to want to twist. I know I had lots problems when I first started FMQ on my Babylock Ellegante. I just think this is part of the learning curve!

Today I'm linking up with Sew Cal Gal for July's FMQ Challenge and A Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Do FMQ Judges Live In Your Sewing Room???

The last couple days I've gotten some really kind comments on the FMQ on my Urban Nine Patch. Many say they would love to be able to FMQ, but just don't think they can do it. Well let me first tell you that I am NO expert, I don't even think I that good. But what I can share with you is how I got started, since it was just about a year ago that I first dropped my feed dogs. I hope this will give your the courage to try FMQ, maybe for the first time.

NUMBER ONE THING TO DO BEFORE YOU START- Check your sewing room thoroughly for any FMQ Judges that may be hiding in your closet.  What you are about to do does not need to be shown to anyone! (No judging, just doing)

9"x9" quilt sandwich - fabric, batting, fabric (use a solid color so you can see your stitches). You don't even need to baste this together. Use contrasting thread, different colors in the top and bobbin. DON'T use old, cheap thread!!! It most likely will break and give your heartburn!

 Don't start out on a big quilt or quilt sandwich. Start small, something big enough to hold on to, small enough to fit in you sewing machine throat without having to fold it. Try something 6" to 10" square or rectangle. If you don't have a solid, go to some place like Walmart or JoAnn's and pick up a small cut of cheap solid fabric. Don't use a print, it will be to hard to see where you are going and where you've been. This is just for practice.

If you have gloves, use them - you can even use garden gloves if you like. If you don't have them, don't worry. These are my favorite, Fons & Porter from JoAnn's.

Drop your feed dogs. There is likely a switch like this on your machine. This is my Babylock Esante, the switch is on the front of the freearm, it's on the back of the freearm on my Babylock Ellegante. Just look for it on your machine. If you machine is too old to have a switch, you can cover them with a Supreme Slider.

This is a Supreme Slider. I highly recommend this if you find out you like FMQ. It makes a WORLD of difference in your stitching.

Pull your bobbin thread up to the top and tuck them to the back. If you don't know how to do that click here and read a post I did a while back on how to start, stop and tie off.

If your machine has a speed control, put it on medium. If not, just be careful how hard you step on the foot petal.

Tension seems to cause most people the most tension when it comes to FMQ. I'm lucky, mine is digital and it goes back to the default setting when I turn my machine on. If you have a dial, take a picture or use a pencil to mark your normal setting. For goodness sakes folks it's just a dial - TURN IT if you have to, but you may not even have to.

Put both hands on the fabric, like I have my left hand. (I couldn't show both and take a picture.)

Push the fabric backward and just stitch a straight line (you have to move the quilt sandwich, no feed dogs). REMEMBER, you have already checked your sewing room for any sign of FMQ Judges.

Stitch a line backward by pulling the quilt sandwich forward.

 OH MY GOSH!!!! You just FMQed!!!!!

If you see the bobbin thread or loops on the top, lower your tension. If you see your top thread or loops the underside, raise your tension

This is my normal setting for my machine for FMQ.

If your having lots of problems, start by cleaning your bobbin case -- it is amazing how fast it gets linty. You may also just need to just rethread your bobbin or top thread.

Practice! Make yourself a dozen or so little practice quilt sandwiches.

YOU CAN FMQ! Just do it!

I'm linking up with the fabulous Melissa at Happy Quilting for TNT Thursday!


Color Me Quilty!

Pat

P.S. I would LOVE to know if anyone tries FMQ for the first time! I really want to give you all the courage to Try New Things!

ARGH! The Case of the Missing Foot Petal!

When I inherited my mom's sewing/quilting stuff, I brought numerous TRUCK loads of stuff to my house. It has taken over the upstairs of my house and it has taking many months, but I have gone through all of it. I have duplicates of many things, but what I don't have is two foot control petals (you know the petal that runs your machine). Both Babylocks will run with the same foot control petal and my mom only used the Ellegante for embroidery (you don't use a foot petal to embroider). So I'm sure she packed the additional petal into a box and put it in the barn at my brother's house. ARGH!!!! Normally this is not a problem, but I had to send the foot petal into the repair shop with my Ellegante. Do you know how hard it is to sew with just the start/stop button??!!

Sewing with the start/stop button!

lots of little pieces

Second row completed!

 Well, I was able to get my second row of my Urban Nine Patch completed (after a bit of cursing). Would it be rude to call the repair shop and ask how/when my machine will be done??!! I want Miss Ellie back!

I did receive something fun in the mail....

...another pack of QuiltCon fat quarters to play with from the Fat Quarter Shop. I feel another challenge block coming on!

Today I'm linking up with A Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday!



Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Every Story Needs a Happily Ever After!

To go along with "Once Upon A Time", I now have "Happily Ever After". I'm doing everything double since I'm making two twin sized quilts for two adorable little girls. I have quite a few more embroidery blocks and each one takes over an hour to do. I like the results so far, so I think it will be worth the time!

Embroidery Library design

While organizing my ample fabric stash I found these great purples. ( a mire fraction of purple stash)

This is my favorite!

Fairy Frost! How can I not put this in the quilts???

I like this one too!

I was also organizing my stash yesterday. Since my whirlwind Christmas sewing frenzy, my stash looks like the Tasmanian Devil has visited my sewing area. When I'm all done, I will show pictures.


Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Try New Things (TNT) Thursday: Problem Solving

TNT Thursday is a great way to take a risk (to succeed brilliantly or fail spectacularly) and/or to solve problems. I'm fairly new to (seriously addictive) quilting and machine embroidery, since I inherited my machines and stash a little over a year ago. Many times I hear or dream up something I think would be cool in a quilt, only to find out the devil is in the details. Yesterday's post, I showed were I was trying to embroider "Once Upon a Time" only to have serious puckers and tucks in the block. It is a very "dense" design and I had enlarged it to go in the biggest hoop I have (7" x14").

First attempt at machine embroidering this large "dense" design

Added a basting line in Embird (embroidery software)

Added an additional layer of stabilizer

Note to self: set the basting line farther from design or it will be stitched over. (Not the end of the world, but it would be easier to remove when done)

Still a bit wavy, but no puckers or tucks.

I will probably cut the block down and add borders. It will help with the waviness and soften the design.

Preparation is the key to successful machine embroidery, and probably a lot of other tasks. But the big takeaway here is if you don't try new things, take a risk, you can never succeed brilliantly!

I'm linking up with the wonderful Melissa at Happy Quilting for Try New Things (TNT) Thursday.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Once Upon a Time: A Story Book Quilt

It feels good to get back to a quilt project and I've been thinking about this one since I threw it up on my design board a few weeks ago. With that 1001 Peeps fabric, it just said story time. So I found some cute embroidery to go with it and started last night.

I have several other sayings to add in to this quilt. (The design is from Embroidery Library)

I like how the colors go together.

Unfortunately it puckered as it stitched, so I will have to redo. But I like the colors and I think if I set a basting stitch around the edge and put a second layer of stabilizer, it will be fine next time.

So I guess I can say I'm happy to be back making a quilt!


Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Spine Tingling Machine Embroidery

I will be working on Christmas, right up to the last minute! I did get a little machine embroidery done yesterday.

Humphrey wants to know if I have his present ready!

If your looking for my giveaway, click here. There's still time to enter!


Color Me Quilty!

Pat

An All Around Good Day at Quilters Corner

I had a great day yesterday at Quilters Corner, a local (Ithaca, NY) quilt shop. I took an Intro to Machine Quilting class. Cyndi, one of the fabulous owners, taught the class and had some great tips. The best tip was how to knot/tie- off at the beginning and end, which helps immensely in eliminating the thread blobs on the backside of your quilt. I will put together a tutorial (hopefully for Friday).

Done with a walking foot!

Quilters Corner is also where I took my Baby Lock Ellegante in for repairs. And oh YES, I got it back yesterday. I even got to use it in class. YIPPEE, SKIPPEE! Linda, one of the other owners, was fantastic at getting it working. Fixing, what appeared to be, a lot of past sins (missing screws, loose wires, etc.). It is now running like a champ!

While I was there, I spotted some fabric (4 of which were on the sale shelves) that just had to come home with me!

I'm collecting orange, because it seems to be several family members favorite!

Sew all-in-all a fabulous day! Thank you to all at Quilters Corner! Today, back to work. UGH!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat