Storms and chickens

[Valkyrie]

Any course you want to see - they are free for 24 hours only. Not to purchase, but a binge watch day of all sorts, quilting, art, cooking, photography etc.

[Egluntyne]

Dang! I missed it.

[Luvachicken]

Dang! I missed it.

 

Me too

[Valkyrie]

I watched a few - Ann Petersen is good, as is Marti Michell. I like Angela Walters and I'm already doing a couple of her courses, so the one I saw goes with a book I bought recently - that helped to see how it was done. One lady I fast forwarded through and slept through some of it too! Glad I hadn't bought that one - I'd have been miffed! And a learn about your sewing machine one. Which was really annoying as her Bernina quilted in all directions and my machine hates going backwards or going left and diagonally backwards isn't much better - so I have to shift the lot just to free motion quilt. Circles and pebbles it does not like at all! And here I was watching all these things thinking "I really, really, really want a longarm!"

[Plum]

Try a Teflon sheet on your machine bed, it helps it move smoothly. Daft question but do you remember to lower your feed dogs, ask me why I mention that

 

I did catch the free day and spent hours watching Jane Dunnewolds class on fabric dyeing it was excellent! Saw some of Chistine Camelli's one on fmq shes excellent like Angela Walters and Leah Day but a bit more creative. By then i was going crosseyed. Hope its repeated sometime.

[Valkyrie]

I can guess! I bought some Teflon sheets for when my friend came round - a pack of 3 I think. Set it up with my machine with just one slit for the needle and stuck it down with parcel tape (nice and shiny and also slippery!). It worked really well. At the moment I've been using the large super slider but I think I may have killed it! I do wash it but found it needs sticking down with all the extra fluff being churned up and around. Probably great for smaller quilts - even quilt as you go perhaps? The teflon worked a treat and so dear friend went home with the same one - even though I thrust the packet at her! So I have 2 spare at the moment. It's heaving the monsters around the outside of the machine that is taking it's toll - actual fmc area isn't too bad - apart from the machine being a pain in the derriere when it refuses to do what everyone else's quilting goes all around and up and down and in and out. Mine goes down and down and to the right but diagonally left up - or even left it coughs and splutters and makes the biggest bird nests that a blinking stork would be proud to have! So the quilt has to be turned. Even on practice sandwiches. Turn again. I think I'll call the machine Dick - Whittington (and it has to be male because my old ladies behave).

 

I have the dyeing one on my wish list, but never got round to watching - it. That would have been the last one but I couldn't take any more either! I am liking the idea of cutting half the batting away so that you only have a smaller amount in the throat space on larger quilts. Leave the middle bit and quilt that, then join the other bits as and when. I will probably have a go at that because I have one really huge quilt to do next.

 

I've finished a UFO! I did back to front binding and instead of hand sewing, I did a herringbone stitch with Dick. He usually kicks up a fuss doing fancy bits, but he did well - the only time he choked was when the quilt got caught up between my fat tum and the table. First time I've managed to use the embroidery bit successfully! Too yukky to take pics outside, but DD and her other half held up her quilt yesterday while we were at Great Fosters - terrific back ground to her quilt! I think I'm going to have to find pretty places to do the photo shoots other than over the cube run!

[Plum]

Celebration time UFO finished! how many does that leave. The cube run is a great place to photograph it as long as there's no poo. How about a fence or bush or boat by the ocean like Kaffe does

 

How did you get to name a machine Dick they're all female and hard working if temperamental. I don't understand a machine that sews sideways the feed dogs go back and forth and a needle goes up and down when free motioning which you do with dogs down. Perhaps its getting caught on the edge of the skirt. I'm going to hunt for a sideways machine. Even an embroidery one moves the work except when zigzagging. You've got me puzzled unless you've got a long arm they do the waltz.

 

I finished a quilt recently after 2 years but can't put it up as photobucket does not give freebies for forum any more. I put it on UKQU though.

[Valkyrie]

Apparently it's something that the Janomes do/did! The ladies that used Janomes for demonstrating feathers in the older days - Patsy Thompson and Amy Johnson seemed to have the same issue - Patsy Thompson always turned her quilt because hers didn't like sewing backwards. I know Leah Day preferred to leave the feed dogs up. The new bobbin race has helped a lot and as a result I can drop the feed dogs now, so that's an improvement too. I also need to go slower - which was not the way I was taught - fast as possible she said! I've seen since that's not necessary and hopefully I'll work out my stitch length to the speed eventually.

 

Cube is covered in poop. It's under hawthorns and a big oak tree - probably even got squirrel poopies too, mostly poxy pigeons though!

 

Flikr? I've given up with photobucket, not keen on Instagram because I don't like having too many apps on my phone, although now I can see lots more quilts on the laptop via that! The only other link is by Pintrest and that seems a lot easier to use.