NOW – STOP DOING THIS!

Not organizing your fabric scraps

Will you ever use fabric scraps if you can’t even tell what you have?  Our favorite thing is to organize scraps by colors.  If you don’t have them organized, you might as well throw them out because they won’t be used and they’re taking up precious space!

Overly criticizing your work

Do you nit-pick and over analyze your stitches and points?  Stop it.  Seriously, just stop.  You’re not doing anyone any favors and especially yourself by trash talking.  Why not celebrate that you actually made time to sew?  Congratulate that you finished a project.  Be happy that you created something that didn’t exist before.  That’s pretty cool.

Cutting the same place on your mat      

Want a quick way to wear out your mat?  Always cut at the same place.  Mats need time to heal. 

Sewing over pins

Sewing over a pin causes problems.  Needles bend, dull, or worse—break.  If you have a habit of sewing over pins because you haven’t experienced issues yet, please stop now.

Not maintaining your machine

Clean your machine regularly.  Change the needle when you see stitch quality decrease or hear a gentle thud sound.  Take your machine to the mechanic once in a while.  Be good to your machine and she’ll be good to you!

Not completing your projects   

Having too many unfinished projects is discouraging.  If you find you have a project you started, but haven’t returned to in years, probably you’re discouraged or simply not interested.  This is a great opportunity to donate your half-done project to your guild or a friend who might love a head start on a new project!

Unthreading the machine incorrectly

When you change a spool color, the first thing we normally do is just pull the spool off the machine and pull the thread backwards through the tension discs.  Easy? Yes.  Bad for your machine? Yes.  Time to break the habit and cut the thread at the spool and pull it out through the needle.

Using dull cutting tools

This is a no brainer, but sometimes you just hope our rotary cutter will make it a few more squares or that the frayed fabric edges from your shears aren’t that bad.  Sewing is much easier with crisp edges and choosing to using high quality sharps can help alleviate a lot of frustration and save time.

Using low-quality thread and fabrics

You knew this was coming!  Low quality threads shed lint, break, and may not stand the test of time.  Similarly, fabric quality will affect how long your quilt will last.  We recommend buying the highest quality you can afford.  This will make sewing and quilting much more enjoyable.

·       If you want to get good at quilting, quilt daily.

·       Stop stressing about perfection. Perfection does not exist past 25 inches! Actually, make that 5 inches.

·       Don't be afraid of your tension dial - it was put there for a reason.

·       Quilt because it makes you happy, not because you need to "finish this damn quilt!"

·       If you've never quilted before and are waiting for that perfect day when the kids are grown or you're retired,         STOP WAITING! Today is the day, now is the time, get off your butt and do it!

·       Eat, Quilt, Sleep, Repeat.

FIRE QUILTS - What I learned making a little quilt for my brother

My brother is a retired CalFire firefighter. My dad drove the boy up to Potter Valley in Northern California the night he graduated from San Marcos High School to begin working the summer as a summer job. He never got to go to the graduating party or, more importantly, to get into trouble the night of graduation. Needless to say, my dad felt this action was very important.

Forty-some-odd years later, he retired from CAL-FIRE (formerly the California Division of Forestry) and I promised him a quilt. All these years he said he always wanted an "original work of art" for his house. So, I decided I would make him a nice quilted wall hanging. Easy, right? Don't think so.

Shawnee always seems to difficult things up. I don't know why - it justs seems to be what I do. I take the simplest of tasks and complicate it beyond words. So, let me tell you how the infamous FIRE QUILT came into being - it's a good story of a quilter and her brother.

See, my brother, Brian, has always sent us photos he took while fighting fires. Some pictures of his colleagues working, others he got friends to take of him doing this and that. One particular photo has been my favorite showing him in front of a fire. I told all my friends one day I would make that into a wall hanging for my brother when he retired. Years I searched high and low for good FIRE fabric. I saw lots of fire fabric, but most of it was novelty fabric and it never achieved what I wanted the quilt to say. Then, there was the content of the quilt - well - I come and go on that subject.

Finally, after my brother retired, I decided to try my hand at dying fabric to get some decent fire fabric. Some worked, some - not so much. (Some of my efforts are on my Pinterest page.) Ended up with one pretty good piece, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it. At one point I thought I would just frame the fabric piece and let him hang that as "modern art." That hung on my bedroom door for a year or so - no forward movement on either finishing it or making it into something.

One day I got the great idea to make a Convergence quilt similar to Ricky Timms. I can't say I am in love with it, and it was easy enough to do, but it didn't thrill me. Then, one night as I was thinking about the convergence quilt as I went to bed, I must have dreamt about the FIRE QUILT. I got up the next morning and sent my brother an email asking if I could cut up the FIRE FABRIC panel I gave him, but kept here to finish. His answer was typical: "I don't care what you do with it." Duh. Doesn't he know NEVER say that to a quilter?

This was a beautiful piece of 'accidental art,' done for my brother and it had all the elements of fire, ashes, burned trees, etc. all in this dyed piece of fabric. He may not have cared, BUT I CARED! What if I made a terrible mistake and cut up the one piece of fabric that came out decent? What if I ruined the whole thing? what if, what if? I was a mess, but I decided to pair up a great piece of batik and the 'fire fabric' and cut it into a convergence quilt. Making that first cut terrified me.

What I decided was I would do it. If it was ruined, perhaps I could make another piece that looked like it. He would never know the difference (I would, but he wouldn't.). Regardless, I calculated the size of the piece of dyed fabric and then calculated the size of the pieces I was going to cut. I was almost sick cutting a stupid piece of fabric, but I did.

Convergence quilts are very simple. Whatever size strips the focus fabric is cut, the accompanying fabric is cut the same from the opposite side. The strips are sewn together attaching the largest focus fabric to the smallest accent fabric all the way across until they are all sewn together as a new piece of fabric. Dig around until you find a good border - and Ta Da! a quilt is born!

Not so quick (or easy). What in the world do you pick as a border? I thought I was going to go crazy over that dilemma. I think I picked out a good piece of batik. It was pretty O.K. Interesting. But I still wasn't in love with it. I sent my brother a picture of it and he named it the CEDAR FIRE. This was a big fire in San Diego County in 2003 which destroyed more than 1800 homes and more than 200,000 acres. Three people were killed and one firefighter died. I lived in Poway, California, and my brother came down from Northern California to help fight the fire. It took almost 3 months before the fire was considered "contained." This fire was horrendous. I lived in Poway, near Rancho Bernardo, California, and we were all traumatized for more than a week. The smoke was heavy and the ashes clogged our swimming pool filters, car filters, windows, and essentially everything!

As I loaded the CEDAR FIRE onto my Gammill, I prayed I wouldn't mess it up. I had no idea what I was going to do other than perhaps make a few "flame" quilt patterns on it. Let's face it - this was only a strip quilt, plain and simple.

QUILT SOLUTION:
Remember a convergence quilt is actually a simple quilt. I think the secret of quilting a simple quilt can be to keep the quilting simple, but add interest and depth. I figured a variety of threads mixed together or even on top of each other could be one way to go. I have a bad habit of being heavy-handed with thread, so I needed to tread lightly.

I found a website that actually talked about the analytics of fires. I know, who would write something on their website about how fires burn, move, and look? Either an arsonist or a firefighter, ha! But, I actually sat and read it all and took notes. Figuring flames travel upward, I actually started the quilting at the bottom of the quilt and moved my quilted flames upward I quilted 'fire flames' using a Superior trilobal polyester as a base over the body of the quilt - but not the borders. Not a heavy quilting, and actually that looked quite nice.

The next step I needed to convey the feeling of fire, so I used a Superior Metallic copper-colored thread. Again, I created more flames going from the bottom up to the top. Lastly, I added a dash of black metallic here and there as flames have black on the outsides (or so the expert says). Looked good - so I stopped. I used one of my friend's ideas to create swirls on the borders to represent the winds created by fire storms using Superior Fantastico and allow the flames to creep into the border area and the wind quilting to creep into the flame area. That was all there was to it. Nothing fancy. No spectacular free motion quilting designs, just simple flames and using great Superior metallic and Fantastico threads! Anyone can do this and the result is an exceptional quilt I hope my brother enjoys for many many years!


Future Fire Quilts: Valley Fire and Rim Fire (Yosemite, CA)

QUILTING WITH MY SISTER-IN-LAW

I BELIEVE I already posted about my sister-in-law, Nancy, a couple years ago. Keep in mind I have known her since she married my brother about 43 years ago. All this time, she knew I was a sewer and quilter. Never once in all those years did she even say she liked quilts. My mom made her a couple quilts - but she didn't seem to me to be excited about them. One went missing for a few years and found out her son had taken it. Luckily not to use for the dogs! My brother is a retired firefighter with CALFIRE (we used to call it CDF) up in Ukiah in Mendocino county, northern California, and they have all their children and grandchildren up there.

Well, she called me up one day and asked if she could come down for a week or so. Oh, and by the way, would I teach her how to quilt! Quilt teachers LOVE to hear the words, "will you teach me how to quilt?" We live to hear those words! I've taught a lot of people to quilt, but I never had to live them while I did it. Needless to say, we both survived the experience, and she has actually asked to come back. She did have to ask me to take a time out once or twice (which I deserved - remember this is family), but we are still friends and I am proud to say she has excelled at this new hobby.

Recently, visiting one of our longtime friends in north, Northern California (Weed, CA), she mentioned she was learning to quilt. Our old friend (not old person, but old in time we have known her) immediately said, "Oh, I have a quilt my mom started. Can you finish it for me?"

WAIT!! Come back and I will have this story finished - and I will show you her finished quilts!

Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds - April 9, 2016

It never rains in Southern California - right!

Traveling to Carson, California to introduce myself to many California quilt guilds.

So, what in the world do you bring with you to tell everyone I lecture about THREAD and SEWING MACHINES? OMG! Well, that is a story in itself, but I believe I did okay trying to convince everyone they all NEED to know how to use thread and needles in their sewing machines (including embroidery and longarms, too). A lot of guild representatives were afraid this subject was way too boring while others figured all us quilters knew all that stuff. . . So, I felt like one of those guys at the county fair who kept trying to get people to watch him slice and dice! Not particularly a pleasant feeling, but I could tell people figured no one could say anything interesting about a spool of thread and how to use it in a sewing machine.

WELL, MY FRIENDS - Let me tell you - I convinced several guilds this is fun. Actually fun and interesting because it is something everyone can go home and use right away. No story about how thread is made, blah, blah, blah (I have sat through enough of those myself).  THIS IS GREAT STUFF, we all need to know and use.

So, my day ended having convinced several guilds this is all most excellent. I had one my friends (also student) with me and we ended up having a terrific time with a lot of very interesting people. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but we had a great time.

Next blog is: QUILTING WITH MY SISTER-IN-LAW, Nancy. Nancy came back down from Northern California to spend a week with me for another "Quilt Camp." You won't believe what she brought with her this time. Evidently, when I started teaching her to quilt I forgot to tell her never tell your friends, "Oh, sure, I can finish your mom's old quilt for you" (thinking all the time that she would include ME in her intentions). We all love our friends and family, but offering to finish someone else's quilt after it has been in storage in a cardboard box you can bet you are in for a few surprises. . . and we were!

QUILTING WITH MY SISTER

 WELL - Christmas 2015 came and went quilting with my sister, Robin.  She came in from Arkansas and brought a few jelly rolls.  She said she wanted to "whip up" a quick 1600 inch quilt for a friend.  Great idea, but I couldn't let it go at just a 1600 inch quilt in straight lines - no - not me.  She thought she was going to sit down and sew a whole bunch of strips together and Ta Da! an instant quilt!
Right. Like I am going to let that happen? No - I just had to put my two cents in and I convinced her if she was going to make a 'strip' quilt, to at least put a little style into it.  I showed her some photos from Pinterest and she relented to a "V" strip quilt.  That's when the fun started.

FIRST - she explained she had no pattern. I told her to just sew strips together on the diagonal.  I forgot that although she is a fantastic garment sewer, she doesn't know that much about making quilts. I think that was a mistake. She had no concept of what a rectangle should look like made out of fabric strips.

EASY, I said. Just like this . . . and I printed out a diagram and taped it to the window above the sewing machine. Just sew them at a slant.  I soon found out beginners have issues just sewing strips together, let alone on the diagonal. Turned out this whole idea wasn't the best thought out idea I've had.

So, here's a picture of the diagram from which I figured she could get the idea after I sewed the first couple of strips into the beginning block.

I thought this shouldn't be too hard. Easy Peasy. Forgot - forgot -forgot!

First, this is a classy style for a jelly roll. Shouldn't take too long and we can visit and get other Christmas stuff done. I realized it was off-center (which I carefully explained added an artistic element to a quilt).  and I figured she could just start it and when she got about so far, I would whack it off on the sides creating a left and right edge. The whining started about that time, but continued for 3 days! The sounds coming from my sewing room were awful. She kept telling me she knew how to sew (and she really, really does!), all the time explaining she also knew what a rectangle looked like, but this was no rectangle.  "Don't worry" I promised her, "It'll be a rectangle soon."
Less whining and more sewing. Jeeze!

I soon realized beginner's PULL on their fabric something awful. If you add the 'diagonal' component to that - I can only describe it as a mess.  She kept whining it was never going to stop and it was going to go on forever. I gave her a left edge to make one side shorter, but that didn't help a lot with the fussiness. While I like scraps quilts and their originality, beginners tend towards matching and coordinating. So, she spent a lot of time selecting WHICH colors should go where out of a jelly roll! Oh Boy!

I wasn't standing over her since I had things to do, too. She kept pulling those strips and telling me she was going to be sewing forever. When I looked at what she was doing, she was pulling, pushing, and stretching the poor strips into an un-Godly shape! Ultimately, I could only listen to her sewing and whining for so long, and here is what she ended up with AFTER I whacked off the left and right side. Can you see where this went wrong?

Not bad. We can work with that. Of course, not as long as I would like to see it - but let's face it: there was no way I was going to get another whiney row out of her!

So. . .  a little trimming, a little quilting, and a whole lot of stroking (both sis and the quilt), she finally ended up with the  photo at top.

The PHOTO at the top of this post is the great Christmas Quilt on a bed with the binding. Not bad for 3 days of Quilting at Christmas! Now, do you think she is going to ask to do this again?
We'll see. She's back in Arkansas trying to forget (probably involves alcohol), I'm sure.

What's the moral to this story? Think twice before offering to quilt with your sister at Christmastime. Don't try 'thinking outside the box' with a beginner - they don't get it.

Higgly-Piggly scrap quilts work great for some, but a lot of beginners don't see quilts the same as an experienced quilter.
Sewing with my sister - would I do it again? YOU BET!
REMEMBER - it's not just the final quilt - IT'S THE JOURNEY WE ENDURED!

I had a great time and I think after a little time to heal, she will agree with me?
AND HERE IT IS FINISHED and given to her friend!! I still think she should have made it longer-don't you agree?

Can quilting be used as part of the STEM initiative in the Elementary School curriculum?

I am going to start a page about using quilts, quilting and literature to teach elementary kids about quilting. The most important objective I wish to accomplish is to introduce this rich, uniquely American craft to young children as just that, an American craft with all the "hidden riches" of the Core Curriculum and STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math).

Introducing children to quilting is not intended to create "seamstresses" out of any of the students, but to educate them relative to the diverse lessons quilting contains. If you think about what I have written, I am sure YOU can come up with even more theories contained in quilting:

• Art - patterns, color theory, repetitions, and just plain enjoyment of an individual creation.

• Literature - stories, books, and articles that link quilting to real-life and families.

• Critical thinking - teaching analytical skills that cause one to 'think' about how to solve a particular problem or issue.

• History and traditions - "The world sews - America Quilts!!" But, where did American quilting come from? Why have we treasured it so much? But, more importantly, can we continue the tradition?

• Science - Where did dye colors come from (other than Michaels)? What were the first colors used in dye and how were they invented? Does that mean now that we are in the 21st century, all colors and dyes have been discovered? No. just ask Heather Purcell from Superior Threads, she creates new colors with the help of science all the time. Plus - we all had such a great time dyeing fabric last summer!! Whoo hoo!

• Engineering - I honestly didn't think engineering played into the whole quilting curriculum until I thought about some of the patterns I have created and realized sometimes I had to "engineer" the method used to complete the project. Such as the mouse pincushion. One thing we did recently in Thrilling Threads. There was the matter of the wire mouse tail holding the spool of thread. Without engineering, the mouse would either be sitting on her face or rolled over from the weight of the thread....that was a good one!

• Technology - You would think technology just doesn't have much of a role in an old American craft such as quilting. Anyone who even peruses the quilt magazines today realizes everything dealing with quilting has gone 21st century. The magazines themselves have all gone to digital editions and speak about adding technology to quilting through computer programs that not only design quilts, but the computers that now power our sewing machines, embroidery machines, and even our Longarm quilting machines! Someone has to know how to build bigger and better equipment and software programs, AND LASTLY,

• LIFE SKILLS (a hidden benefit) - Just teaching children how to handle a needle, thread the needle, tie a simple knot, do a running stitch, and sew on a button is LIFE ALTERING for them. I cannot explain how all of a sudden boys and girls are going home and beginning to repair all their stuffed toys, their friends' toys, their parents' pants, pockets, and anything else they can use a needle and thread to 'create' something they can use. It is a life skill they will always remember and use. It also allows students to be creative with what they have at home or what they can obtain. Again, it is not designed to create seamstresses out of anyone - merely an appreciation and use of a skill. Remember not everyone can afford to take their pants to a tailor for a pocket or hem repair. Teach the children and they will always know how to do it, forever!

I will try to post some lesson plans as I develop them in order to share the integration of quilting into any curriculum.  I sincerely hope other teachers may read this blog and would like to start such an educational thread in their elementary school.

My thanks to my friends in quilting and the 3rd Grade teachers at Tuscany Hills Elementary School who have embraced this project for several years before I ever heard of it, and to those brave teachers who are allowing me to 'mess around' with it! It was their perseverance that got me thinking about this all over again.

How to move a Longarm Quilt Machine – DON’T DO IT ALONE!!!

(and don't include alcohol or easily excitable friends!!)

Next came moving day. Like any quilter preparing to begin a new project, I organized. I read article after article about longarms. I prepared with blankets, tools, men (at least 3), trucks, trailer, moving van? I was getting overwhelmed fast. Hopelessly stuck – and here is where quilters are a unique group – one of my friends (a longarmer from Hemet CA) graciously volunteered her husband to organize and help move this behemoth. She said he had moved her Gammill three times and was an expert. Easy Peasy! Right! In my mind I knew with such an expert, this would be no problem. Well – right! Did I have a lot to learn.

So today we moved it. I figured you just picked it up, put it in the truck and drove it home. Popped it in the house, plugged it in and started quilting. Oh was I wrong – soooo very wrong. These machines come delivered from the company in 3 CRATES. YES, CRATES that are 12 feet long. I didn't know that before I took on this – guess I choose not to think about it. Needless to say Baby had to be taken apart to get out of her former home, and then further disassembled to get up my steps and into my house. All the time three men were unbolting, unscrewing, disassembling pipes, bars, plastic, light bars, and anything else they could get their wrenches on. All I could do was stand and pray to God someone would know how to put all the pieces together again. Yes, please let someone say they could put it all back together again.

Well, so far today Baby is inside her new home. Not dropped, scratched, or bent. All the pieces are lying quietly in the living room while the table and the quilting machine ‘head’ is in the den. This is no walk in the park. I don’t know why any quilter would volunteer her husband to help move a longarm. This is a test of patience; finding the right tool when you need it; leverage physics, blankets, balancing, and an awful lot of sweat. I swore if I ever sell my house, it will have to be to a quilter and the Gammill goes with it! Thank God my sons weren't here or there would have been pieces of a very expensive machine all over the pavement. But Baby is in now. Not put together, but inside and safe.

After my friends left, I was so tired, I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep, but NO – friends and neighbors knew the machine was coming today, so guess what? Just like when you have a new baby at home, everyone has to come by and visit. What does the new baby do? Sleep. So I had the pleasure of showing off Baby unassembled and quite honestly, not as impressive (other than size) as they all thought Baby should be. I had to explain she’s not assembled, which means they will all have to come back and inspect the next phase. That will be tomorrow…maybe. We will have to see if Dave and Nancy have the guts to return to the scene of the crime and if any of us can actually move or bend after yesterday. This was not for the faint of heart. I realized you really have to love this to go through this, notwithstanding using friends to help bear the torture.

It made me wonder about all the longarms I see advertised for sale on the internet in towns all over the country I didn't know existed. How in the world do these things get packed, shipped, and assembled by the totally unsuspecting? Thank you God for quilting friends who just roll up their sleeves and say “we can get this done.” So, what do you think tomorrow will bring? Will we find all the parts? If we do, will any of us senior citizens remember where they go? Don’t know. That is for another day. All I can say is thank you Dave and Nancy, thank you God, and pray for us all. These are the times that try quilter’s souls . . . to be continued . . . 

SURE – DON’T WE ALL WANT A LONGARM MACHINE?

Well, after 30 years of quilting, piecing, stitch in the ditch[ing], begging quilters to please, please, please, “Do this one quick thing for me by this weekend?” . . . I got a long arm quilting machine. It has taken me a long time to think about it (like 10 years), then there was the ‘discussion’ with other long arm quilters (another 10 years), then I progressed into the ‘I’m actually looking at them phase,’ (another 5 years).  Needless to say, this is nothing I have rushed into. Notwithstanding the number of quilt tops I have sitting in my sewing room waiting to be quilted. I figure if I never quilt for anyone else, I should be busy for years.

I looked at as many longarm brands as possible; high-end, low-end, unknowns, all of them. From day to day, I changed my mind. I finally heard through the grapevine about a cherished Gammill that “may” come available and I thought that would be the way to go. A known quilter’s pride and joy would make a terrific jump into the long arm foray. That was more than a year ago. It took my quilter friend more than a year to finally decide to let her “baby” go and countless conversations on my part trying to convince her that I would be the perfect home for “Baby.”

The last time I spoke with her while she was still undecided was around October or November and she said to wait until after the holidays (which came and went), then there was “the call.” I am telling you it must be like getting the call your new baby was ready for adoption!

So – where do you start with the whole longarm migration situation? What do you do first? Well, money was probably the first thing I thought about. We had to ‘do a deal,’ and I have to say, it must have been like negotiating to buy a child . . . not that I would know, mine were delivered to me. So, I asked the most difficult question: “Do you deliver?” I was really, really, hoping there was some magical method to transport a 1,000 pound machine that I didn't want to have deal with. NOPE, not going to happen. Talk about scared to death.

Since I didn't just wake up one day and decide I would like to become a longarmer, I had to decide where I was going to put it. That was no small task. It is sitting in the middle of my den as I write this simply because I still don’t know where it is going to finally reside. Who knows, it may stay there forever. As a classically trained quilter (is there such a thing?), I immediately cut out a “template” from paper using the dimensions of the machine. My friends and I drug that stinker from one room to the other, considered everything from moving out of my bedroom, giving the living room up to the ‘monster,’ dining room, den, spare room, back porch. You name it.  I tried to think of what that room would look like with a monster sewing machine located there. I was exhausted just moving the machine back and forth in my head! Anyway, I decided to practice what all quilters do; put it in the middle of the house, walk past it for a few weeks, or thereabouts, and hope that inspiration would tell me what to do! I loved that because I didn't have to make any decision at all, just keep walking past it for a while or so like we do with a indecisive quilt in progress.

Too tired to post tonight…going to sleep to dream about where to put Baby…..

HELP!! MY MACHINE WON'T SEW THIS THREAD!!

This has happened to all of us.  We know there are a couple things we can do - but we refuse to believe that we COULD have threaded the machine wrong, put in the bobbin backwards, or possibly have a dull or bent needle in. Like, we know we just put a new one in! Right. 

The THRILLING THREADS ladies have come up with a no-fail method to walk you through the right steps to take in order to get that machine up and running again. I have to say that I still walk up to a student and ask, "did you re-thread it?" No. Did you take the bobbin out? No. When was the last time you changed the needle? I don't know. What size needle is in your machine? Don't know. What size thread are you using? Dunno, green thread, I guess. It's things like this that keep a lot of service people in business. Easy fixes for them - expensive for you. So, here are the four (4) steps to run through every time your machine stops sewing:

REMOVE AND RE-THREAD the TOP and BOBBIN thread delivery.  Believe it or not, the number (1) problem experienced with machines is that the machine is threaded WRONG.  Sometimes the thread does not get placed correctly in the tension disk or take-up lever, or while sewing, it can jump out.  Take the time to remove the thread (correctly: cut the top thread and remove the needle thread through the needle) and re thread the upper thread with the presser foot raised.  Then, pull the bobbin out and check to see if there are any little "bits" of thread or fuzz in the bobbin case.  Replace the bobbin, making sure to have the bobbin in correctly (and facing the right direction for the machine).  Try running the machine again to see if this was the problem.  

IF NOT, then . . .

TENSION:Check the thread reference or a Thread Journal for that particular thread.  If no reference, DROP the tension to number (1) and sew a few stitches.  Take time to look at the sample, front and back. If the machine is sewing, but the stitches are wonky, continue adjusting the tension up in small increments. Don’t keep moving tension UP THEN DOWN and UP AND DOWN.  Starting with (1) on the dial and moving tension up is the best way to adjust the correct tension.  

IF THIS HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM, then . .

CHANGE NEEDLE: Size does matter!! Using the wrong size needle with a particular thread counts for a lot. If the needle is too small for the thread there will be shredding and breaking. If the stitch is still wonky, the needle is too large for the thread. How to test a needle for the right thread? Cut a length of thread about 12” long, take the needle out of the machine and thread it on the piece of thread. Tilt the thread so the needle slides from one end to the other.  If the needle does not slide easily from end to end, the needle is obviously too small. If the needle goes WAY TOO FAST, it is probably too large. Change the needle to a correct size.

AND . . .

CHANGE NEEDLE if it has been in for a long, long time . . . you know who you are – just want to get one more project out of that poor needle! DON’T!! Figure the cost of a needle – this is the cheapest fix on a sewing machine.  Using a needle that is either dull or bent (and the eye cannot perceive either all the time) can ruin the timing on your machine; not to mention a good project.

BALANCE THE THREADS: Make sure the size of the top thread (needle thread) is GREATER OR EQUAL to the size of the bobbin thread. Using a larger size thread in the bobbin than in the needle makes wonky stitches. Balance the two threads by using a larger size thread on the top than in the bobbin. If that doesn’t work, use the SAME THREAD in the bobbin as on the top. IF THIS STILL HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM - - - change to a different thread! Don’t let thread be frustrating. Switch and see if that fixes the problem. (That’s why we have a thread stash!)

It's not where you start, but the journey that matters. Are you enjoying your quilting path?

Recently I read an article asking, "Has your quilting path changed from where you began?" Consider this: when I began with my Gramma, I saw quilting only as some squares made out of ‘leftover’ ugly fabric sewn together (That’s why it was leftover; if it was pretty, we would have used it.). They were definitely higgledy-piggledy and I saw no redeeming quality to them. I was living in an age of “everything had to match; toilet seat covers, tissue boxes. Absolutely all living room furniture had to match and you were truly blessed if you had a bedroom “suite” that was purchased at one time with every piece matching the other.

Not only did furniture have to match, we all walked around with index cards in our purse with snips of fabric on them for each quilt we had in progress. Maybe that is where we all got the habit of not finishing one project and going on to another because we could not find the ‘matching’ fabric. Yes, I was one of those ladies walking into the quilt shop or fabric shop holding up my little pieces of fabric saying, “No, doesn’t match!”

Well, have I changed! Scrap quilts now grace my home everywhere. Each quilt tells a story in term of friends, places I made the quilts, and even down to where I got the fabric. I still haven’t cut into my “Liberty” fabric I bought at Liberty of London . . . I haven’t found the perfect pattern yet. One day I will find the best pattern for it and until then, I pet it every time I gaze upon its beauty in the closet.  Truly, every quilt tells a story, mine all do.

My house now looks like it was a collection site for the local thrift shop. I can honestly say there is not one piece of furniture that matches another! Where there is any doubt, I have artfully used those silly round wooden tables that are fortunately covered top to bottom with either an old quilt, or something I tried to make to spruce up the place. If I would only start decorating with more of my UFO’s this place would be outstanding! My quilts now are not just an art show; they are a peek into how my quilt path has changed from a beginner repeating everyone else’s quilt seen in magazines to ‘how did you think of that?’

But, I digress. Back to my original statement: Has your quilting path changed from where you began? I certainly hope so.  Somewhere along this path I discovered quilting boredom. It wasn’t just me, it was people who would come into the quilt shop and say they wanted to do something different, then turned around and walked out with exactly the same thing.  You see we are all scared to creep out of our comfort zone. What if our project looks like child’s art hanging on the refrigerator? How will we explain that was all we got out of class? Well, we wouldn’t look very proficient to our friends after taking all those classes would we?

Sometimes quilters worry about what the ‘Quilt Police’ will say rather than practicing something new. Or, worse yet, we take the class to learn something new and then never use it!!! As a quilt teacher, I see that all the time. Looking at newly finished quilts that looked the same as the last ones, I often ask why they didn’t consider using this or that technique we learned in class. The answer is always the same, “Never thought of that.”

In asking one question, it poses another question; how do we remember all the stuff from all the classes we take? I didn’t say I had the answer, I am asking for answers. The quilt path won’t change for any of us if we don’t exercise new skills. My problem now that I’m older is remembering new skills. It is so easy to just slip back into doing the same thing. If you are afraid of looking weird to your friends, quilting isn’t the hobby for you. All quilters look weird to their friends from time to time. That’s why we have friends (You know those are the people who like us in spite of ourselves!).

Push the envelope on occasion. Keep a file not just for future projects, but with skills you want to practice. Refer to this file when you are trying to think of a different way to put on a binding or a different foot to use. If you get into the habit of checking your New Skills file, you will undoubtedly begin to think of expanding your quilt path.

I had a friend who was about an advanced beginner level. Her best friend asked her to make her a quilt and she said she would. They went shopping for a pattern and what do you think the friend picked out? A very complicated quilt pattern done with circles! Not only was it all circles (which beginners haven’t done yet), she also did not like the cover photo and wanted the selected six different fabrics reduced to three. My friend wanted to make a quilt for her friend that her friend would value, and then came over to my house. First thing I did was laugh and ask if she was taken any strong prescriptions at the time. She told me she loved this dear friend, and if this is what she wanted, then this was what she wanted to make.

First, it took a month just to arrive at fabrics we thought would work. Next, I had to teach her how to sew circles. We cut up, like, a hundred “pie and crust” pieces of muslin. I told her to go home and stack them by the sewing machine. Every time she got 15 minutes she was to sit down and at least try sewing one circle. It took her a year to make this quilt. Her circles are perfect all through the quilt. He colors came out exactly the way her friend wanted (Not my colors, but that is what happens when you make a quilt for a friend.).

Cheryl had NO IDEA what she was in for.

Cheryl's one-year quilt! Viola!

The point is, sometimes you have to practice a particular skill until you are ready to introduce it into one of your quilts, or not. But you do have to practice one way or another. I tell my students that all quilts are art. That is what our foremothers gave us. Not just thriftiness, not just utilitarian, but how to take our imagination and make art to enliven our lives. I then remind them of what I learned a long time ago: BAD ART IS BETTER THAN NO ART.

Art isn't a neat project.

So, take out those magazines and tear out the things you want to learn. They are never going to happen collecting dust in the closet. Start a “New Skills” file folder and put things to be learned. Once a new skill was practiced in a class, place a photo of the skill inside so you will be able to recall the skill and practice it.

Now, let’s get out there and start practicing! Let’s make our Quilting Path start to curve or wobble, or even change a bit. Quilting changes. Don’t stay stuck in the same old Sunbonnet Sue path; enjoy!

...and definitely not for the faint of heart...even the dog gave up on me!