I have about 14 hours of machine quilting in the sunflower quilt this week.......I also filled 16 bobbins so far........used 12 different thread colors........and changed thread more times than I can count.........this is my kind of quilting and I am loving every minute of it!
I stitched for 6 hours today........here is a peek at how my day in the Thread Shed went:
Click Images to Enlarge:
I used a very dark chocolate variegated thread on this bright golden sunflower. I needed a high contrast to make a good impact on this flower.
If you click this image of the hen, you can see how great the variegated orange thread looks on her dark tail feathers...
I have found makeup brushes to work best for cleaning my machine during quilting. When I put in a new bobbin, I clean out the bobbin housing every time. It is amazing how much lint builds up. About every third bobbin, I remove the throat plate and clean all the lint out of the feed dogs.
I love these pin point oilers. They come in a 3 or 6 inch length. They oil your machine with precision....if you want exactly one drop of oil.....that is what you will get. The long oiler reaches down under and behind the feed dog area, where you normally are not able to reach for oiling. I have a Feather Weight 221, which requires regularly monthly oiling in 12 different locations.....the long pin point oiler is perfect for it. When the oilers are empty, you just refill them. Precision oiling with absolutely no oily mess on your machine.
The fabric in this sunflower contains yellow, orange and green. I used a dark orange and green variegated thread to give it the contrast it needed. If you are going to take the time to do all the threadwork.......you want it to show.
On the back of the machine is an accessory thread stand I purchased 2 years ago. It holds all kinds of thread.......large cones, small cones, stacked threads, crosswound threads, all brands of threads. Each thread, whether it is stacked or crosswound comes off the spool properly so there is no twist in the thread during high speed machine quilting. I leave all the thread spools on the stand until all the quilting is completed. They are right there when I need them, no searching around for thread.
A year ago I started using the Bendable Brite Lite.....looking back....I think I have been sewing in the dark all these years. It gives me incredible light exactly where I aim it, easy on my eyes. I even aim it at the stitching when I am ripping out a seam to see better. It is also great to check over the stitching I have just done to make sure the tension is balanced. No more sewing in the dark for me. I put one on my feather weight so I have plenty of light when I am using my travel machine.
I thought I would show you a......before......and.....after image. This is a pink sunflower before it is quilted. I just love this batik fabric.
I decided to go with a bright orange variegated thread I purchased from Patsy Thompson. If you have never been to her site click HERE
She posts the most gorgeous images of her free motion quilting!
Click this image to enlarge it and get a better look at how the orange thread enhanced this pink sunflower......it gives it such texture and dimension.
By 6pm I made it half way through the quilt.......that means from the right edge of the quilt which measures 100 inches tall..........to 50 inches into the center of the quilt. I have never done a quilt this size........I think 80 inches square was the biggest I had machine quilted myself. I have to tell you......it wasn't too bad getting 50 inches of quilt under my little Bernina. I accordion folded the quilt and pushed it under the arm of the machine as I went along. I saw Ricky Tims do that on The Quilt Show a few months back, and it works like a charm.. Thank You Ricky!
Someone else in the Thread Shed knew it was 6pm......and he was ready to quit for the day! This is Gunnr, a 2 year old boxer. He sleeps in a dog bed under my sewing machine table. He pushed his head up under the quilt laying all over my lap, and gives me a nudge when it is time to go!May Your Bobbin Always Be Full........especially during machine quilting,
LuAnn
To see my New Work CLICK HERE
To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE
To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE
To see Tutorials CLICK HERE