I started a new full time job...

By the way, after completing a second practice sandwich on the quilting beast, I noticed bits of black, rubbery flakes all around the machine, so until I can get the motor repaired, no more LAQ-ing for me. I am really sad. I was ready to quilt a real quilt on it. The brushes look fine, so it's something more internal and more involved that I do not believe I can take care of myself without someone in the know guiding me. But I have not taken it into a repair shop because one of the long bolts that go through the inside of the motor housing to hold it onto the motor-mounting bracket has stripped threads and will not let the nut come loose. And the minute a small motor repair shop hears it's on a sewing machine, they balk. So until I can just bring them a little motor that makes a belt turn, well... I'm kind of stuck. I think I have a neighbor who can cut the bolt and free the motor from the machine.

Learned a New Thing Today

Okay, I just have to test this out. Finally saw a note on how to create the streak stake strike out on a blog post, so this is my test using two different codes.

In Blogger, you change your view from "Compose" to "HTML". Then before the text you want stricken with a line through it, type "<" then either "s" or the word "strike", then ">" and at the end of the text you want with a line through it, type the same thing, only put a "/" before the "s" or "strike" in the closing set.

So it would look like this, only with no spaces in the string of characters:
< s >mistake< /s >

Cool!

A Little Tweak Here, Another Tweak There....

And finally--success!!

I took some time yesterday and today to play on the quilting beast, and it was so much fun. Of course, being the first time I've really ever stitched on a long arm, I didn't expect to do anything productive, just play and take care of whatever might come up. I didn't have a clue what that might entail, but I figured there were lots of things I didn't know I didn't know, so I was ready for anything.

Fortunately, it went well--I didn't break anything!! However, as you can see, some tweaking of the tension was definitely needed.

The solid green is the back of my test quilt sandwich so you can easily see how the stitches started out, what a bit of tweaking did for it, and how it finally finished today. As I made small-ish changes to the top tension, I would test by trying out a row of loop-de-loops, waves, the alphabet, just getting a feel for the movement and speed. Clearly, making only adjustments to the top tension wasn't going to do it, so today I decided to adjust the bobbin tension. Fortunately, a little more than a quarter turn did the trick.

Then today when I first started stitching, the machine would barely move and sounded terrible! Oh, no. What happened? Did I do something wrong?... RELAX! It's just a simple sewing machine after all--nothing foreign, just a different size and configuration, really. Guess what? All it needed was a drop of oil in the bobbin chase, then all was well again.

So, I'm learning a bit about my LAQ machine, about loading/racking the quilt and moving to each new section, and getting a feel for coordinating my movement and speed with the machine's speed. My final few rows look better than I expected after just a couple hours of actual stitching.

I think I'm going to like this!!

Now to load the next sandwich and see if I can get better at loops and stippling...

Sweet, Sweet Gigi

Nope, not "the" GG, but a new Gigi. She is 90 years old! I hope I'm in this good shape and look this sweet when I am 90!

The "new" quilting beast that fell into my lap last month is supposed to be my focus right now (delayed by travel and illness--all better now), but in a weak moment, I did a little window shopping on Craigslist. A few clicks later, this sweetie came into view. No! Be strong! Got to concentrate on getting to know the quilting beast. I haven't done any of the things I want to do for my long arm set up, haven't started practicing--I don't need any distractions! Look away!

I resisted the temptation to look again for two days. Then just a quick peek. I'm sure someone else already claimed her, and I will be out of my misery. Oh... there she is, still waiting for a home. So there's probably something wrong with her that I'm not seeing in the ad. Hmmm... there is no bobbin winder attached--what else is wrong? Look away!

Yes, she's pretty, do you see how beautiful her decals are? They're in great shape, but she is not the last pretty-Singer-66-red-eye-treadle-for-a-good-price-near-my-own-home that I will see. There will be another when I am really ready for one. Look away!

Yesterday afternoon, I just had to look again. There she was, still just as pretty as ever! Okay, call just to see if they forgot to take the ad down. Uh-oh! She's still available.

I started asking questions, most of which the owner couldn't answer. It was her grandmother's machine that she kept all this time, even though she doesn't sew. She couldn't answer most of my questions, suggesting that I'd really need to come look and see if the bobbin case is there, if this black thing in the drawer is a bobbin winder, or.... Oh, jeez if you come, and if you like it, you can have it for $50!

Who could resist that? She's only a 30 minute drive away. She's in a clean garage, and has been in the house or garage her whole life. She runs and makes a nice stitch, though, of course, she needs a new belt and a thorough cleaning, since the oil and grease has practically solidified, and it looks like all the metal parts are lacquered.

Her wooden cabinet is in far better shape than many I've seen, but the wood is so dried out that when we lifted the front "flap" to lean the machine back to look underneath, the screws holding the hinges literally popped out and flew to the floor. No worries, it will sit back in place well enough to  support the open machine until I can feed the wood and refinish the cabinet. The drawers and drawer "slots" are all intact. There are only a few accessories, a couple of feet, one extra bobbin, but it appears the bobbin winder assembly is there in a drawer.

I'm so happy I found Gigi, and I will look forward to becoming well acquainted with her, but that is going to wait until I get rolling with the quilting beast first!

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

GG's Birthday

Hi! This is GG. I am Gramma's guest blogger on my birthday. At school my teacher gave me a gift pack with a little notebook, pencil, stickers and a birthday bracelet. My friend Allie made me a card. Mom and Dad had a pink bouquet of flowers delivered to me at school. I sure felt special and a little embarrassed.

Tonight we are going to a surprise place for birthday fun, and I am really having a hard time figuring it out. Also this weekend me and Gramma will make gingerbread cookies and curl our hair and have other great fun.

Fun Times

I just spent some quality time watching Bonnie Hunter on quilt cam with my sweet GG. We have lots of plans for her birthday weekend beginning with a little sewing on her vintage Sew Easy machine and baking gingerbread cookies as we always love to do. I think she will help me with the next post on the blog, and we'll include a picture or two as well. More to come soon!

Look At Me! I'm Quilting!

Ha ha! I know, I know--wrong side of machine, nothing loaded, cords in the way. This was moments after bringing my new LAQ set up into the living room where it will now live. But I'll be zooming along soon.

I got a good price on an 18 year old APQS Ultimate II long arm quilting machine and 12 foot table. Everything I've found online about this machine indicates it is a solid workhorse. We rented a large truck to get it home. Cleaned it up.  (See that bobbin area? It was really gunked up with a thick layer of oily, dusty stuff.) And bought a bunch of sundry items to get me all set up the way I want to make quilting fun and efficient. Bringing the price of that bargain up a bit, but we all knew that would happen, right?

I spent time online trying to find out how to start. You know, stuff like what you do between loading the quilt and actually quilting?  Which side of the machine do you work from? Do you have to hold the thread tails to start? Do you lock the stitching or just start moving? Little things I'll only need answered once, but are so important to someone who has never done more than play on a long arm already set up to go one time for a couple minutes many years ago....

Got my answers, so now I can roll on. I have stitched one line on a practice quilt I loaded. But, I discovered I really need those side clamps and straps that are missing, or I have to keep one hand holding the side of the quilt while the other "drives." So once I get some Velcro to make straps, I'll be good to go.

Though having side clamps is all I MUST have right this minute to do some practice quilting, I've decided to set myself up like shown by Sharon Schamber on YouTube. I've been shopping to get canvas, muslin, dowels, clamps, key rings, and Velcro. When I have the Velcro in hand I'll be able to hook up side leaders, then look out!

Also, I've just got to say the folks at APQS are wonderful. I'm sure there are lots of great machines out there, and great companies supporting their long arm customers. But APQS is getting nothing from me right now except a relatively small sale on some replacement parts and accessories I need. But they seem committed to making me feel every bit as valued as a person who just bought their most expensive set up. They must know that a happy, loyal customer is likely to look at them first when upgrading, and that is not all that common these days. So if you are shopping around, even for a used machine, I can give them my hearty endorsement for their warm, considerate and generously helpful customer service.

Now to get this set up put together!

I Can't Believe I Did It!

But I did!   Do you know what it is?   Do you know WHAT I DID?

Enabled by ladies from Bonnie Hunter's workshop hosted by the Thumb Butte Quilt Quilter's guild (more to come about that), I learned of a used long arm quilting set up for a good price in a thrift shop in Scottsdale, and I bought it!! (BJB--please contact me--and Cindy and Lynne, thanks.)

The machine looked in excellent shape, though dry oil wicks and dust attested that it had not been used in a long while. I plugged it in, turned it on, and faked a few loopedy loops. It runs, sounds good, and rolls smoothly. The table is sturdy AND 12 FEET LONG!! The user manual, photocopied pages typed in Courier font in a report folder, shows a purchase date in 1995. It is an APQS Ultimate II. I'm told APQS still has parts and still supports service on this workhorse, so I am thrilled!
I brought the machine head home Wednesday, and we will rent a truck tomorrow to pick up the table. The only place it will really fit other than the garage is our "formal" living room. Fortunately, we only use that for the Christmas tree and holiday dinners. They can still happen in that room, but the LAQ will now be part of the decor--LOL! It's going to look great draped with tinsel and blinking lights next December!

Okay, now I'm going to need a lot of basic information, education, resources, suggestions, and help. Bring it on!!

Squirrel!

Oh, Easy Street, you were nice to stroll along... And then I stalled. And now I am distracted.

But Easy Street is not a ufo, no no no! I didn't get far enough along for it to be considered unfinished. It's not really started. But it did spawn a few spare units to be used in a quilt some time in the future. Not right now though, because I have lots of other things to do.

I still have plenty of hand quilting to do on my DD and SIL's anniversary quilt. AND I have drafted out a special quilt for GG that I'd like to make "next". And I want to make that cute little flower basket quilt. AND I wanted to get back to my EQ5 program and learn to use it so I could draft a few blocks on my own and play with some quilt design. Oh, AND I got to join the Thumb Butte Quilters of Prescott this week for two days of fun with Bonnie Hunter in workshops both days. Two new quilts were started there.

AND now I have another project which I will write about in the next post. I think this one may trump all others for a while, except the hand quilting.

Wait until you see what I did!!!

It's All Stitching Fun

I started Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery quilt right along with every one else. You can go to Bonnie's latest linky page to see everyone's progress. I decided to use Bonnie's suggested colors because every one of her quilts I've seen is beautiful.

With permission from Frances at Fabadashery

And as it turned out in the reveal, this quilt is bright and fun and beautiful. And I would enjoy making it in Bonnie's suggested colors, but I wasn't sure I wanted to decorate my bedroom around that combo.

I kept trying to figure out a color scheme including the units I had already completed--gray and white with black and purple and white with black. Nothing was really inspiring me, so I stalled.

Then I saw Frances' beautiful Easy Street here! It is exactly what I'd like my quilt to feel like. Oh, no! She didn't use any gray or white w/black. I wanted a warmer, cozier, but still colorful quilt, but I was starting with the units I had already pieced with gray and white. That's why I was having trouble moving forward with my quilt, I think.

Sooo.... I have decided to put all the units I have already cut and stitched and unstitched and restitched and stitched more units of aside--I cannot believe I am saying this--and start all over with new colors.

Before I started following Bonnie and her scrap happy way of doing things, I don't think I would have considered this, but I know now that those units I have already made will not go to waste. They will wait for me to use them in another project. And in the meantime I will be happily stitching away on a quilt I will really look forward to using.

Frances, your quilt is beautiful. Thank you for the inspiration. Bonnie, your quilt is beautiful. Thank you for the inspiration and the fun mystery and a new way of thinking and enjoying the whole quilting process. I can't wait to share my progress!

A New Friend and Step 2!

Did you see this post on Bonnie Hunter's website two days ago? Allison in Plano invited Bonnie to visit her home to see her collection of vintage quilts and sewing machines. In that second picture I count no less than five treadle machines and lots of other beauties. Wow!

I had barely finished reading that post when I received a nice comment on a post I had done on December 20. The comment was from Allison, and in it she asked about the problem I was having with my "new" Singer 404 that I had posted about on December 3. Was this the same Allison from Bonnie's post? Yep!

Since I had JUST finished reading that she works on vintage machines, I accepted her generous offer of help.

With Allison's suggestions, I believe I have figured out the problem. Without Allison, I was ready to start taking things apart and adjusting things I know nothing about, but I am willing to learn--even if it would have been the hard way. But with Allison holding my virtual hand and going through some basics step by step, I discovered that it was the NEEDLE! That's all it took--a new needle!

I'll have to sew on it a little while to know for sure, and that may not happen for a few days as I am happily piecing Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street on my FW, but it seems to be fixed. Thanks, Allison.

Now back to those funny flying geese--step 2 of Easy Street almost finished!

Catching Up and Adding On!

Easy Street with permission from Bonnie K Hunter

I finally got my 4 patches done for step one of Easy Street, Bonnie Hunter's 2013 mystery quilt. You would think I could do a simple 4 patch, but I guess I usually work with larger pieces and less matching, so fudging works. But on these pieces I know I need to be more precise. I've almost finished the flying geese in step 2, also.

I wasn't in a hurry, because I thought I probably would want to make the quilt larger to fit our king-sized bed, but without seeing it, it was hard to know exactly which parts needed to be increased by how much. Since I was behind already, it was no big to deal to wait for the reveal before deciding for sure.

It is beautiful!! You can see it partway down this post on Bonnie's blog. I definitely want to go ahead and make it king sized, so off I go to cut more gray and b&w 4 patches. I'll let you know when there is something else worth looking at!