Big Project for next year.

I have contemplated this for quite some time and this year I decided to take the leap and just do it. I really enjoy English Paper Piecing. I love Katja Marek's designs. Her New Hexagon and New Hexagon 2 books are among my favorite books. Her Quilt Alongs (QALs) fill many of my BOM books. She offered QALs for free on her shop site, but you did need the patterns or books to follow along. She has since retired, I hope she is enjoying it and I also hope that she will keep designing . My Homage to Grandmother's Flower Garden is nearly complete. Opening the store distracted me from it, but I have pulled it back out and made a great deal of progress this month. This pattern is available from many quilt shops, including ours. Paper Pieces has the QAL programs that Katja put together for free, but you do need the pattern or books to use the programs. Back to my Big Project for 2025. Along with her books she also published a perpetual calendar which has graced by desk every year since I bought it. While I am going to attempt to make all the blocks from this book, I'm not crazy enough to think I could actually focus on one project long enough to make all those blocks, one a day, for a year. I know me better than that. Instead I'm going to try to make all the blocks from her first book. There are only 52 blocks. I should be able to do that - right? Best of all Paper Pieces has a set of all the pieces in miniature so the blocks are all done in 1" finished instead the regular size. Smaller seams should make this faster - right? I have no idea when I purchased the pack of paper pieces for this project. I found them a few weeks ago while sorting through my scraps for some fabric to make a Mini Maker Station. The Mini Maker Station pattern is free and well written. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a way to keep track of all your bits and tools while sitting and stitching. She also has tutorials if you want or need some guidance. If you think you might like to make one of these but can't find the magnets and metal pieces let me know. I acquired more of them than I can use myself and I'm happy to help you out. The kits aren't offered for sale in our shop, but you can contact me through the customer service email  for our online shop. The pattern designer has offered them in her Etsy shop, but none have been available for quite some time. When I decided I wanted to make a few more of the Mini Makers (they make great gifts for your sewing family and friends) I sourced the magnets and the metal pieces, but I couldn't buy just the few I needed. If you are interested in following along with my Big Project making tiny blocks check back next week for Block 1.  

New Year – New Block of the Month (and a tutorial)

I love a new Block of the Month program, fondly referred to, by many quilters, as a BOM. I love them so much I usually have more than one going at the same time.

They are a great way to tackle a large or intimidating project, especially if you are a little more disciplined than I am. I nearly always end up with a catch-up month (or 2) where I have to get more than one month's worth of the project done because I've fallen behind.

At Red Dragon Quilts we have a couple of BOMs for the coming year (these are all available now, start anytime - your program on your schedule.) I'm going to post my version on my blog starting January 2025, for those who might want to follow along. If you want to join me on any of these programs check on our website for details.

This post is about something else that I like to do with my BOMs. One of the challenges of BOMs is keeping track of those blocks for a whole program. Some people like satchels. Satchels come in a variety of sizes and will fit most blocks. Some quilts have larger blocks that will not fit without being folded. I prefer to keep my blocks flat. I don't like when they have creases or wrinkles and if the first block is 16x16 you aren't likely to find a satchel of the proper size. In our old home I had a large flannel covered wall for a design wall and I would pin larger blocks there. Gravity on the wall Things did get a little crowded sometimes but I found it very motivating and inspiring. The real problem there was that I often ran out of room, or needed the design wall for laying out a finished project. This brings me to my favorite way to store BOM blocks - a BOM book. You aren't going to find one of those in your local shop. They are easy and quick to make but best of all - reusable! BOM Books

In the above picture you will see three of my BOM books. The large blue one holds the background blocks for appliqué quilts I am working on. I will cut out all of my background blocks from my fabric and place them in my book along with all the fabrics I am using for the appliqué pieces. The appliqué blocks I am currently working on are stored in a different type of block keeper.  But that's a topic for another post. 

The middle size one was made for my Mrs. Miller's Apprentice quilt. I put a button/loop closure on it which I NEVER actually use. You can see the tiny binding on the edge of this one. 

The small book is where I have been placing the 4 inch blocks for my Dear Jane quilt.

My BOM books are mostly made from stash. (I've been quilting and sewing for a bit and my stash might be reaching critical mass.) Even when I have to buy material for a BOM book it is not a costly project. Even for the biggest book I have made I only needed 1 yard of cover fabric and 3 yards of flannel. This all came from stash. 

Want to make your own? Here is my method (it's not really a pattern):

The first step is to determine how big to make your book. This first step requires knowing how big your blocks will be. This information is often available from the shop where you sign up for the BOM program or if you are just wanting to store quilt blocks for any quilt, should be stated in the pattern.

 You will want your book to be at least 1 inch larger on all sides.

For example - if your blocks will be 16" you want your book pages to be 18". I like to use cotton flannel for my pages.

You will want a cover for your book. I like to make the cover a little 'fancy'. I use quilting, fancy fabric and/or printed designs.  You will also need an inner cover and, if you plan to quilt your cover you will need binding.

Your cover should be  1" larger on all sides than your pages. If your pages are 18" you will want the cover to be 19". I like to cut my covers and pages as one piece - booklet style: for our 16" block example: 19" by 38" (19 by  19x2) for the cover, 18" by 36" (18 by 18x2) for the pages.

Once you know how big you want your book to be you have to do a little math to determine how much fabric you need. I usually make my books with 24 pages, but you can use 12 and place your blocks on the front and back of the page. I like to put the block on the front of the page and extra fabric or left over pieces on the back.  This is especially useful if you need to save fabric from this current or prior month for some future month's blocks.

 I have also made BOMs that required you to make more than one block per month.  You'll need to decide how you want to store those as well.  I still (usually) put the whole month on one page.  But this is your book and you get to decide what you like best.

To determine how much fabric you will need for a basic book for this example using 16" blocks.  These measurements include 1/4" seam allowance: 

      • 2 pieces: 19" x 38" for the cover (1 outer and 1 inner) don't have to be the same fabric
      • 3 (12 pages) or 6 (24 pages) pieces: 18" x 36" cotton flannel for the pages (each piece will make 4 pages (front and back) - so if you want more pages add the appropriate number of pieces)
      • 1 piece: 19" x 38" fusible interfacing or batting for the cover
      • Binding if necessary - quilter's choice for width and long enough to go around the cover of your book

Once you have your fabric, and cut the number of pages you want we can start assembly.  I use a 1/4 seam for all steps. If you want to use a larger seam allowance make sure you adjust the measurements for your pieces. 

In this case my printed panel piece was sewn on to my cover.  First apply fusible interfacing to your outer cover. Press the edges down a quarter inch on the decorative panel, place the panel, centered on the right half of your outer cover  and top stitched the panel on to the outer cover of the book. 

Layer your inner cover and outer cover, right sides together and sew around, leaving an unstitched space for turning. I find that a three inch space is more than sufficient. Two inches is tricky for me, especially when I use a heavy interface.  I usually leave this space on the top or bottom long side center of my piece (where the spine of your book will be). But not always. As you can see from the picture I left this opening on the left side short edge.

 Clip the corners and turn the right sides out. 

I always need to use a tool to get my corners. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press your opening with seam allowance inside and top stitch around the entire cover. This will close your opening and give a nice edge to your cover. 

If you have chosen to make a quilted cover you will make your 'sandwich': Outer cover, batting, inner cover. Quilt as desired and apply binding to encase your edges. 

Once your cover is complete set it aside and work on your pages. Your pages can be hemmed, left raw, or edged with a serger or zigzag on your domestic machine. I like to serge my edges.  

Once your pages are edged you will sew them into your cover. 

Place your cover outer side down. Center your pages on the cover and using a ruler and marking tool (I use a pen) draw a line down the center of your pages where the book will fold. If you look carefully on the bottom of the next picture you can see that I marked the cover separately and used that help line up my pages.

Pin the pages into place and sew a seam along the line. I will back stitch on both ends of this line of sewing AND sew the line at least twice.

Et Voilà -  your BOM book is complete.

Other optional features: you can add a button and loop closure to close your book. You can add ties to tie your book closed. I have done both to great effect but as I seldom actually use the closure I don't generally add those anymore. 

The flannel will hold your blocks in place if you only place one block per page. If you stack more than one block you will want to pin the block to the page so they don't fall out. I always pin my blocks because I live in fear of losing them.

If you live in a humid environment you might want to consider using brass pins to avoid rust spots forming where the pins are. I haven't ever found this to be an issue, but it's something to consider. 

Let me know if you have questions, if this is confusing or needs clarification. I'm happy to help and, since this is the first of these I've ever done, I'd really like your help to make it better and, if I make more, I'd like to know how to make them 'right' the first time.

I'd love to know if you found this useful and if you use this to make a book for storing your quilt blocks send me pictures. 

This post includes "affiliated" links to items in my quilt store: Red Dragon Quilts. 

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.