Maintenance Is Important

We had our first Beginner quilting class last night. It's be quite a while since I taught this class.  It was a bit rough but the students successfully created their first blocks with REALLY good points. I appreciate their patience while I get my teaching skills refreshed.
One of the things I meant to cover included tool maintenance: Oil your sewing machine, a new needle is always a good place to start when you have trouble with your stitches, put a new blade in your rotary cutter. I'm not 100% sure I got them all in but I'm sure that over the 8 weeks of the class we will get to cover all of them.
I hardly ever get to cover cleaning the soleplate of your iron, with an actual dirty iron to use for demonstration. This is really important, especially if you use spray starch/sizing or iron-on adhesives (pretty much all the interfacings I use are iron-on) which can leave adhesive residue on your iron. You can also get residue or melted fabric on your iron if you accidentally iron synthetic fabrics with a hot iron. These can be hard to remove and you don't want to scrub the soleplate of your iron with an abrasive. A smooth soleplate is really important to successful pressing. And a clean soleplate won't leave 'stuff' smeared on your fabric, potentially ruining your project.
I was rather pleased when I pulled out the class iron and discovered this: What is on the iron? It looks like it might be the print from a shopping bag. Whatever it is I don't want it melted onto the quilt block I'm making or anything else I'm pressing. Luckily there is a really easy solution to this problem, that doesn't require the purchase of a new iron. Which is important if you, like me, have a high end iron (the Rowenta steam station is my go to). But even if you have a $20 iron (is that even a thing anymore?!) you don't want to waste your money replacing it if you don't have to.  
Rowenta Cleaning Kit
   
Magic Iron Cleaner
        Either of these products will do the job. The Rowenta kit comes with the cleaning product and two clothes. The Magic Iron Cleaner doesn't come with cloths.  The clothes you need are an old (or new) 100% cotton terry cloth washcloth and a piece of 100% cotton flannel (the same size as a wash cloth - at least 12"x12"). The process is the same for both products.
  1. Plug in your iron and set it to a hot setting (I use the cotton or linen setting).
  2. Once your iron is hot squeeze about an inch of the cleaning product onto the terry cloth.
  3. Run your iron over cloth and the product.
It will smoke and sometimes make a sizzling noise. But, like magic, the stuff on your iron will disappear and you'll be left with this: After all the mess is removed you iron over the flannel to remove any remaining cleaner and you are ready to press your fabric.
Honestly the quickest and easiest cleaning job in my house.
Both of these products are available in our store.  One tube will clean your iron many times. I consider iron cleaner to be 'must keep on hand' item in my house. Give it a try and let me know what you think.  

What a year it’s been!

This has been a busy here at Chez Red Dragon. We have purchased a huge building, moved hundreds of miles, and opened a quilt store in said huge building. Red Dragon Quilts is now a quilt store in Anthony Kansas and soon this URL will lead you to our online shop. Website development is in progress, and as you can imagine, taking longer than we had planned.  
Our shop logo
  I hope you'll stop in to see the online shop, check the blog for updates on new fabric arrivals and new patterns that are available in the shop. We also have a new FaceBook page and will soon be posting pictures of the long arm quilting and other activities on Instagram. I just have to learn how to work these new things. Hopefully those things don't take as long as the website. Next week I"m going to finish up that post about Quilt Market. We attended our first Quilt Market in October. It was amazing, exciting, and a bit overwhelming. We can't wait to attend in May. The new fabric collections that we saw were marvelous. Thank you for stopping by and we hope to see you again soon.    
A peek inside the new shop

The New Normal?

It's been a busy 'stay-at-home' period for us.  When last I posted on my blog we were moving all the sewing stuff to the basement, where the longarm quilting machine live(d).   This did NOT work out. There was plenty of room for quilting and sewing and storing supplies.  That part was fantastic. The problem was light.  We had some lovely lighting over the longarm.  But we had some trouble with the lights flickering.  I don't think we'd ever spent the amount of time with those lights on that having the longarm there requires.  The other issue is a total lack of natural light. There was a great deal of discussion around the issues we (I) was having working in the basement.  Then the AC came on.  Did you know that it's very difficult to quilt while wearing a parka?  The more you know.  We knew that the house was not well zoned.  But we are a doors open kind of house.  With the doors open it's not quite so drastic, but the kitten thinks a quilt on the longarm is a great place to sleep.  Bent frame bars aside, most people don't want extra cat fur on their quilts.  I know, I don't.  So we had the door to the basement closed, which exacerbated the temp issues. Then the daughter decided to move in with her boyfriend.  And we decided that was the best solution.  We cleaned out her room, the decided the carpet should go (pins, carpet - please no!).  We pulled up the carpet and replaced the floor.  It has now become the new sewing room and it is lovely. The room has some interesting decor.  Faux brick and a lovely mural of NYC.  (These are blocks from the Tara BOM my mother and I have been doing). I've left the brick and the mural wall will become a great design wall.  I just need to get some flannel (I think) to put up.  There is a great window, lots of natural light. It faces west, though, so the sewing table can't be in the window, I'd be blinded half the day.  It is a nice place for the daybed though.  I need some more pillows and it will double as a nice couch for sitting and doing handwork. Today is the first day since we moved all the stuff that I could actually able to use the longarm.  I was going to use it Sunday, but the stitch regulator wasn't working properly.  I was terrified that it had gotten damaged in the move (we hired movers, because it is so heavy I didn't think we could manage it ourselves).  The service line isn't open on the weekend so we just closed the door and ignored it until this morning (much harder than it sounds).  Prior to calling immediately when they opened I pulled up the manual, unplugged EVERYTHING (it's the most common first step on all the FAQs) and plugged everything back in following the diagrams.  VOILA - works perfectly.  Thank goodness. Here is a picture of the frame in place.  The clutter and the cabinet have been moved out.  The daybed stayed.  Mother says she will sleep there when she comes to visit. I finished up a nice charity quilt and put another on the frame.  This was all done free hand and I'm pleased with how it came out.  I really love edge to edge/all over quilting designs both doing them and the way they look. ≈ The color on the second photo is not 'true'. The backing is a great green.  I'm still working on getting pictures to turn out well.  Any tips?  I'd love to have them. A second is on the frame but I'm still deciding on the quilting design, and whether I'll use white thread or a lovely blue thread. It's been a good July.  I'm looking forward to more quilts (several arrived in the mail this week - look for pictures coming soon) and cooler weather.

Life as a shut in is not for me

I hope that you all are well. We are getting by very well but most of the progress on get the work area set up has come to a bit of a stand still. Sure we are home and have the time, but we can't get out to get supplies we need or bring in people to help move the heavy stuff. We also had planned to put some of the things in a garage sale or CraigsList, but that's not off the table for the time being. Not being able to clear space makes it hard to rearrange the furniture into a useable configuration. Part of that not being able to get out has impacted work on the Academy of Quilting review. There are a couple of items in my quilting toolbox that need replacing and working my way through the book was an excellent excuse for replacing those items. Not being able to run out and buy them has put a stop to that. Oh sure - I could purchase with sidewalk pickup or have them mailed from Amazon or some other online merchant. However, you will find as you start quilting and collecting tools, that you have definite preferences and I have learned that I need to look at things before I buy them. Otherwise you chance getting buyer's remorse and, worse, fill your work space with tools you never use. Since what we really need today is some good news and happy thoughts I'm going to chat about one of my favorite quilting activities today. A couple weeks ago, on March 7th, The Sweetie and I went on a shop hop. What is a shop hop? A great way to find new things to inspire your creativity, talk to quilter's and quilt shop owners, and support small local businesses. There is often a chance to win some great prizes and depending on the theme (there is nearly always a theme) a quilt to make. I've seen everything from a cheap/free block (the more shops you visit the more blocks you can collect and the bigger your quilt). There are lots of options for participating in a shop hop.  The number of shops will vary. The March hop we went on had 12 shops. It covered a large area of Kansas and driving time was over 8 hours. The hop ran for a week but we only 'hopped' on the first Saturday. All the shops were closed on Sunday or we would have gone half way (half the shops) on Saturday, and the other half on Sunday.  I wish I had taken better pictures and made some notes so you all could join us on the trip.  Next time! We had a great time, admired a lot of great quilts, fondled a of beautiful quilts and even bought a few things. My favorite part of the trip was getting to go to the actual physical location of one of my favorite online shops - Fabric Essentials. I enjoy Block of the Month (BOM) quilts.  Often these are run on a schedule controlled by the quilt shop.  If you find it late, you're out of luck. If you are already doing one, and can't afford to pay for two, you are out of luck.  These things really frustrated me in me early love affair with BOM programs.  Not only did I get to see the shop where I spend so much of my online shopping time, I got to meet the owner and her staff, who have all been so amazing to deal with. Marsha (the owner) is just as wonderful in person as she seemed by email and phone.   She also recognized my name when I checked in for the shop hop.   I don't really think that I am a VIP shopper extraordinaire (I don't spend that much money) but I have been a regular customer for a few year.  Even then, I was really surprised to be remembered. Fabric Essentials offers a number of BOM programs but the best part of their service is you get to be in charge of starting dates and timing.  At least until they sell out.  I enjoy the customer service I have received so much that whenever I find a program I want to do I check to see if Fabric Essentials is offering it and get it from them if I can.  Other than the great customer service, and the flexibility for starting the programs when it's convenient for the quilter, Fabric Essentials also includes a bundle of extra fabric (in case of mistakes) but most important of all - BACKING.   Before I got the long arm it wasn't quite so pressing.  I had plenty of time to source, choose and obtain backing fabric.  But now that the ability to quilt the top is sitting there, just waiting for a quilt to grace it (and my quilting time is much short so things get done MUCH faster), having the backing is just one less thing I have to obtain before I can start and it's already paid for. I recommend anyone who quilts or wants to quilt to seek out and take advantage of shop hops (or any craft knitting shops also have hops).  Shops have different personalities, they carry different types of fabric, different styles of patterns.  Finding a shop that matches your personality is an excellent way to fuel your creativity.  If you have a regular shop it's great to get out and see what else is out there.  You might just find your next great thing! Speaking of BOM programs - One of the issues I've seen shops deal with is BOM participants who bail on the program.  The store has invested in the fabric and patterns and they are out that money if the participant doesn't pay.  They customer has agreed to pay a number of payments, but I'm not sure how you enforce that if they don't.  I've participated in some programs that were unsatisfactory.  Poor quality fabric, missing fabric in the packages for example.  But so far (other than poor quality fabric) the shop made good and I received what I paid for. This year I'm doing two projects (one with my mother, which has been great).  One of the shops is now 3 shipments behind and has not responded to emails requesting information.  They had already been late with a prior shipment.  More specifically, the first month arrived on time, the second was late the third arrived on time and since then I've not received any communication from the shop.  This does NOT bode well. I realize that with the pandemic crisis things are difficult for people.  But communication is key to success in most things, especially business.  Also, the issue didn't start with the pandemic.  Luckily, for me, I received the complete pattern with the first shipment (sometimes the pattern is sent 1 part per month along with the fabric for that portion of the quilt, in which case I would be out of luck).  Since I have the pattern I can search for the fabric at another shop and complete the quilt (taking the chance that the fabric dye lots won't match) and I'm not out the money for shipments I haven't received.  How long to I wait before I write this one off and start looking for fabric to finish the quilt.   Anybody have any advice or words of wisdom to share?  I'd love to hear them. I have no new quilting to show you this week but here is the first of the blocks for the BOM my mother and I are doing:

Moving Day Becomes Moving Months

It's amazing to me how something that seems like it should be pretty quick can become never ending.  A not insignificant part of the never ending moving is that I am no longer 26.  I can't haul boxes down flights of stairs as quickly, for as long, nor as efficiently as I could before.  The fact that the moving isn't finished hasn't stopped me from sewing, but sewing takes much longer because I have to go upstairs for things that haven't been moved yet.  It also takes longer because things are not set up efficiently yet.

Which brings me back to The Quilter's Academy.  I have worked my way through the first 4 chapters, which are about setting up your space and acquiring tools. I have started getting my space and tools together, but I want to share pictures and I can't really do that yet.  However, my general opinion of this section is good.  As with all things, it's important to keep your own preferences in mind.  What you like working with is more important than the author's suggestions.  For example, I like my work areas more spread out than other people may.  It forces me to move around which is important for me.  My mother likes to have a pressing surface and a cutting surface  she can swivel her chair (or herself) to so she doesn't have to get up. 'You do you' is REALLY important to your enjoyment of the process.

I'd like to talk about sewing machines first (not the order in the book) The book discusses types of machine and places you can acquire them on any budget.  Sewing machines can be very expensive.  Cheap machines are readily available, but come with some draw backs.  Often the lower quality of cheap machines can become expensive, if the machine needs frequent repair work or replacement with a new machine.  Some old machines, while high quality when they were new are not worth purchasing used.  I had a used machine that was great when new, but the gears were made of type of plastic and after a certain time the gears deteriorated and, as they were no longer made, couldn't be replaced.  We found this out after we had some regular maintenance done.  The black powder that was one some things I sewed wasn't from the black velvet I had been sewing, it was the gears inside falling, literally, to dust.  To make things even more fun some of these models had gears made from a different plastic, which didn't have this problem.

Some of the sewing machines recommended in the book are no longer available and there are machines currently available that weren't available when the book was written.

Finding a used machine is a good way to go, if you know a little something about them.  If you are new to sewing it's hard to tell if that good deal really is a good deal AND if the problem you are having is your inexperience, or that the machine needs to be adjusted.  We went on a shop hop (these are great fun - I highly recommend them) and at one of the shops a lady had brought in her machine because she was having tension issues.  During a brief conversation between the quilt shop owner and the quilter I learned A LOT of things I didn't know.  Were you aware that machines should always be threaded (up to the needle) with the presser foot in the up position?  I always did it this way, because it's the way I was taught.  Turns out that the tension on the thread doesn't set correctly on some machines if the presser foot isn't up.  For a new sewer this could cause a significant amount of frustration.

Some good places to find a used machine: store that sell and service machines will sometimes take old machines in trade on new, some servicers will buy used machines and fix them up for sale.  Goodwill and Salvation Army stores have them, but not too often.  You often have to take machines from Goodwill and Salvation Army on faith.  They aren't tested and you often can't try before you buy.  Other options include Ebay and Craigslist.  If you get a used machine from someone other than a servicer plan to take them in for a tune-up and service after purchase.  When I've had my machine tuned up it generally cost around $100.  Some people recommend having your machine tuned up every year, other people recommend only having service done if your machine is having some trouble.  I'm in the second camp.  I don't get servicing done unless there is a problem.  I am pretty dutiful about oiling my machine and replace the needles fairly often.

One machine that I recommend for consideration is Ever Sewn. This is a newer brand (at least to me).  It is on the less expensive end, but is decent quality for the price.  I bought one a year or so ago.  I was trying to do machine quilting and I couldn't get my, higher end, old machine to work.

My older machine is a hand-me-down from my mother.  She bought it new years ago and didn't like it as much as she thought she would.  It's a New Home (Janome) Memory Craft and cost (as I recall) around $3,000 when she bought it. It is a great machine and sews well. It does embroidery (using computer program cards, which aren't available anymore). I've sewn clothes and many quilt blocks with it.  I use the embroidery function to personalize things and for knitting needle cases.

The manual has a section about quilting with the machine. So I thought I'd give it a try. I was unsuccessful.  The underside of the quilting was a nest of tangled threads, no matter what I did.  Prior projects I'd tried quilting had also been unsuccessful and I'd read everything I could find about how to use your domestic machine for quilting.  This was probably my 23rd attempt.


As an experienced quilter/sewing machine user, this was incredibly frustrating.  In fact, I had considered giving up trying to learn to do machine quilting.  (Luckily I didn't give up)  I talked to the Janome dealer local to me, I hit the internet (as you do)- trying to find some help.  I even watched a couple videos.  I saw that Leah Day had a blog post about Ever Sewn machines.  Leah Day is a rich source of information about quilting and I am sure to post lots of links to her site, especially her information on free-motion quilting on a domestic machine.  Further internet research followed and off I went to Missouri Star Quilt Company, since not only did they have the machine, they were having a sale.  It's 1.5 hours away, so not a trip for the faint of heart, but not so far it's out of the question.

Four hours (more or less) later I was home with this (the is my old sewing room set up):


This little machine resulted in the following (and you can see a bit of Leah Day's site on my iPad in this picture).

The only change in the two samples is the machine (the lighter thread in this picture is the quilting from the old machine, I trimmed off the nests but didn't pull out all the prior stitching).  And the expensive machine did NOT do a better job and the and it wasn't user error.  A new quilter would be more likely to think they were doing something wrong and give up.

If you have some experience with sewing machines or have a friend or family member who can offer assistance a used machine is definitely a good option.  But if you don't have experience or a helpful person to offer assistance I think it's pound foolish to take a chance on a used machine.  You just never know what you're getting.

I also agree with the Quilter's Academy: spending money on a cheap new machine from a big box store is an iffy proposition.  Why set yourself up for possible frustration when you're already taking up a totally new craft? As a long-time and experienced sewer I wouldn't buy a cheap machine from a big box store. Do your research, learn as much as you can about the machines you are interested in, read reviews of machines (there are a lot of them out there), most dealers will let you try out the machine before you buy (not an option at places like Walmart) and buy the best machine you can reasonably afford that is appropriate for your intended purpose.

If you have to buy a cheaper machine because you can't afford your dream machine that's okay too.  I really want a new Pfaff.   I bought a new one about 20 years ago.  It was a great machine, but they don't last forever, especially when you sew nearly every day.  I would love to have another - some day.  But right now the Ever Sewn was the best I could afford at the time and has performed very well.   Do I still want a Pfaff - you bet I do.  The Ever Sewn is still a great machine and I'm happy with it.

My only other commentary is to accept that not every machine works for every person.  The reason I have the Janome is that my mother can NOT sew with it.  For me, other than quilting, it sews like a dream.  She once gave me a used Viking, she loved it.  I had nothing but trouble.  I couldn't sew 1 inch without it breaking the thread.  New needles, a trip for servicing, different thread brands and weights - still had the same problem.  Mother would come visit and use it - sewed like a dream.  She'd get up and I'd sit down - nothing but trouble.  I have no idea why.  But if you try several machines and find you have a much better experience with a machine you can't afford, put it on your 'some day' list and save up while you build your skills.

In closing here is a picture of the most recent quilt I quilted (on the long arm).  The maker was very pleased with how it came out, and that IS the main goal.



Next week - Cutting tools.

Once more, from the beginning

I first learned to quilt from my paternal grandmother. Back in those days you either knew someone or could manage with books, usually from the library. I was very lucky.  My interest in fiber arts was encouraged by my elders.  These interests are many and varied, including knitting, sewing, embroidery, weaving, and crocheting.  It was always nice having someone to ask advice or a little hands-on assistance.  I was never afraid to try figuring 'it' out myself, thanks, in no small part, to their 'can do' perspective. The last couple years my mother and I have been working together on BOMs (Block of the Month).  It's been a really fun activity for us.  We share our excitement over the new block/project, encourage each other to finish, and, best of all, have someone to talk to when you meet a roadblock, need encouragement, or are confused by the instructions. The first one was table runner kits from an online quilt shop.  This series was 12 different pieced table runners or toppers and included the pattern, and all the fabrics for the top, back and binding.  Of the 12 there was only 1 I won't finish, which is a pretty good percentage, in my experience.  I donated the kit as a door prize for my aunt's quilt guild.  I'm sure someone out there will love it.  You can see those we finished posted here as I get them quilted on the new longarm. The shop didn't offer a table topper BOM again so we found a Murder Mystery BOM quilt project.  It came with a chapter a month mystery story, but didn't include the fabric so we had the opportunity to customize our blocks from our very generous fabric stash.  I didn't do as well at finishing these blocks as my mother did, but we had a lot of conversation about the blocks and the story.  Part of my issue with this program is that it was a community project and the community was nearly all on Facebook, which I abhor (my issues with FB go back to the early 2010s, but that's a story for another venue).  There were discussion of the who-dun-it and prizes for finishing the blocks, which I would have really enjoyed.  But all this was done on FB and so I was shut out.  The completed quilt top was nice (mother finished her's and I am looking forward to quilting it for her) and the designer has a great website.  This year's offering looks interesting.  If you don't mind using Facebook I recommend looking into joining this BOM.   It's too bad there wasn't some other way/place for the community aspects to be enjoyed. This year mother and I are working on the Tara BOM.  We are getting our blocks from Connecting Threads. We just received Block 5.  I'm a couple blocks behind, because I'm in the middle of moving my sewing room and it's still a mess across two floors of my house.  But I hope to get caught up before Block 6 arrives in March. My mother often commented about how much she was learning about making the blocks from the designer's block directions.  We often discussed the new to us techniques and how they made getting the blocks together correctly.  Seams and points came together with so much less effort that we were used to needing.  This got me thinking about how much information is available to us and the quantity and quality of the many learn to do source available to us these days.  I stalk a lot of tutorial blogs and websites.  How much valuable information did I miss because I was lucky enough to have family teachers and because I started this journey so many years ago? At the library (I love libraries!) I found a how to series: Quilter's Academy ( the link goes to the first book in the series).  It looks interesting and so I purchased the first three.  I plan to work through the books and post my review, by chapter, here.  I also plan to include links to a variety of tutorials and other information from around the web that I find is useful and relevant  to the information presented in the chapter.   I hope to learn a lot of useful information, improve my quilting, and I hope someone out there will also learn something from my journey. I hope you'll join me! I have no affiliation with the links presented in this post.  

Brave New World

Happy New Year! This seems like an auspicious start for a new year and a new venture. Last September my mother and I purchased a long arm quilting machine.   This wonder currently resides in my basement, much to my delight. I am having a great time learning to use it.  It certainly has an interesting learning curve.  I had some prior experience using a rented machine following pantographs.  I'd done three or four quilts on the rented machines before we moved to Kansas City.  But having one at my disposal with no concern about how much time the quilting takes has really opened a new world to me.  We didn't get the computer add on, so no computer assist to fall back on. Learning free-motion quilting has been full of ups and downs.  But now, four months in, I feel more confident and, also, more aware of how much there is yet to learn.   I have become much better friends with my seam ripper than I'd ever expected.   If only I could go back and redo the first few quilts I quilted, using all the things I've learned since.  But that way lies madness - right? I plan to start putting pictures of my finished projects on an instagram page.  It will be great to have a place to view my progress and share it with my family and friends.  In the mean time - here are the two most recent quilting projects I have finished:    The Santa quilt was done using a holly themed pantograph.    I hope this close-up helps see the quilting a little better.  The quilting is done using Glide thread in gold.  It has a lovely sheen.  Many of the fabrics also have shiny gold designs on them so the quilting blends nicely.         I also finished this lovely tree skirt. It was all done using free motion quilting.             I even changed the thread colors: the background is done in cream, there is a line of gold on the red trim, the trees are done in green and the tree trunks in black. It was very time consuming but I am so pleased with the results. Both of these were finished just in time - hours before Rob's annual Kris Kinder party.  I have been working on a free-motion whole cloth quilt - nothing to hide mistakes in the quilting except more quilting and LOTS of space to fill with interesting designs.  So far all I have to show for my efforts is a tangle of thread I've pulled out.  I've also ordered a couple pieces I need in order to work with rulers.   It's a good thing my mother and I have a collection of tops finished and waiting for quilting.