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Saturday 8 January 2011

Ups and Downs (& new info added***)

Ups - the top for the A Needle Pulling Thread quilt is done done done!!  I will baste and quilt it today.  Check out the retro "Coppertone Summer" colors!

all the trimmings after squaring up the blocks

I am REALLY happy with this top.  All the points just lined up uber-perfectly with the exception of two, which are pretty darn close. (I can't stand sloppy pieced quilts).  Another up - I started digging into the pile of snow I shoveled off my deck.  We make snow caves with the kids every winter.  Isn't this cool!!?  My littlest can stand up in there, and they sled off the top.

i heart winter forts

And the downs - I stayed up after the kids went to bed to fiddle with the new bobbin case I mentioned in the last post.

about $30 CAD, also for 7700P model

I made some sample quilt sandwiches with scraps and started free motion quilting.  I don't know.  It looks the same to me, though the top thread looks better, the back is filled with "eyelashes".  That's where the bobbin thread is all straight and the top comes through, especially around the curls.  I marked on my sample "top" and "bottom: and the number of the top tension dial for future reference.  I upped the top tension a bit and it helped the back to look perfect, but then the bottom thread was popping through the top.    Alright.  I admit defeat.  

crappy backside - really crappy

I guess the next step is to take it back to my tech and have him set the bobbin case for me.  It seems like such a simple thing to do on my own that I find it frustrating to not be able to do it myself.  I'm like that.  I want to do it myself!  lol  I will head over to the Free Motion Quilt Project to ask Leah Day.  I am sure she reviewed her new Horizon somewhere on her blog so I know she has one.  I'm wondering how she's dealing with all this.  I will post my interview results : )

much better, but the bottom threads pop through now.

Off to do more happy ups - finishing the boy's summer quilt.  And coming up with a name for it as I go.  I love naming quilts.

have a great day,
~Monika

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*** additional edit.... 
HEY JANOME OWNERS, READ THIS!!  
I found this on Leah Day's blog.  She does own a horizon and actually says that dropping the feed dogs turns a great machine in to a tension nightmare.  So she leaves them up when she FMQs!!  WOW. Click the link here:



4 comments:

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

I know this is not really funny......but I was laughing out loud!!! I have those same little "eye lashes" and they did get better with higher tension on the top, but I am anxious to see your solutios! Thanks for blazing this trail !!
And cant wait to see this quilt...the "teases" look great!

Becky said...

Frustrating about the new bobbin case not working. I just play with the tension too until I get it as good as I can. I guess my solution is to use fabric on the back that is really super busy so that no one sees the eyelashes (hee hee, I don't square up my blocks either :-P)

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

Thanks for checking this out...great advice ! I will have to try this out. Of course, I have so little experiece with free motion that I wont have much to compare it too HaHa! I will get practicing\!

Heather said...

Love the colourings of the quilt trimmings. Will be looking forward to the finished project.

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