QUILTsocial | Issue 07

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Being able to use this variety of thread brand and thread weight is very exciting and so stress-free. The less I have to mess around with tension, the more quilting I do and the happier I am! Let's have a quick peek at that slight tension issue that I had. It occurred when I was using the yellow thread on the top. Keep in mind that in this sample below, I used PINK thread in the bobbin. I don't see any pink thread – do you? This is the sign of an excellent sewing machine that is able to handle different weight threads (35 weight in the top and 50 weight in the bobbin for this example) and gave me absolutely no thread pops on top. Starting and stopping When you start free motion quilting, you must bring up that bobbin thread to the top of your work. If not, you're going to get a mess on the underside that is nasty to get rid of. If you have no idea how to bring up that bobbin thread to the top of the work, check out this <strong>QUILTsocial</strong> post where I've explained it. 50 weight thread was used consistently for the bobbin, top threads varied from 30 to 40 weight Top threads were all used in the horizontal position I also love the fact that the stitches are very nicely formed and well defined. That makes the project look awesome even if the stitches aren't super consistent. We really need to get over that fear that everything has to be perfect! No sign of the pink bobbin thread In the example below, you can see that some of the yellow thread came through to the back of the blocks. Mostly when I went around the corners. I could probably have left it like that as it only occurred in one or two spots, but I knew that I could make a slight adjustment and get the tension correct. In this case, I tightened the top tension slightly and it worked like a charm. Always bring the bobbin thread to the top of the work I'm using the Open Toe Free Motion Spring Action Foot so I can easily tuck those two threads to the back of my work. Use Needle Stop Up/Down and tuck the threads to the back of your work Nicely formed stitches on the front A little bit of a tension issue Ugly thread nest Nicely formed stitches on the back Corrected by slightly tightening the top tension An even uglier thread nest Q 58 .com | issue 7 UILTsocial
Start by anchoring the beginning of the line of stitching with a few very tiny stitches. This is very easy to do since you're completely in control over the length of the stitch. Slowly start the sewing machine and move your fabric slightly while you take a couple of stitches. Once you have your anchoring stitches, you can bring the machine up to the speed you're comfortable with and stitch to the end. Just before you get to the end of your line of stitching, slow the sewing machine down and take a couple of small stitches to anchor the end of the line of stitching. Then use manual scissors to clip the top and bottom threads. Scissors can be used on the sewing machine, but I really like to control the length of those threads and I'll always have a long tail on the bobbin to bring to the top if I cut those threads manually. After filling the bobbin and placing it back in the bobbin case, I again bring that bobbin thread up to the top (sometimes this is hard if you've cut the bobbin thread short when inserting it into the bobbin case). I often leave that bobbin thread long so I'm in control of the length at all times. I start about ½'' over the previous stitches. I take one or two tiny stitches to anchor the end, then go into my previous stitches to secure the beginning of the new line. This is best done manually to get the new stitches to follow the same stitch length as the old stitches. Then finish the line of stitching. Using the Needle Stop Up/Down, the needle would stop in the fabric block at each corner, making it very easy to pivot. Once I had that first row of stitching, I just moved the block around without pivoting to get the quilting design. That's a lot of information to digest, but the bottom line is that using the Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 960Q to quilt these rag quilt blocks was so easy that I was kind of disappointed when I ran out of squares. Not to worry as I have a couple of other projects in the wings that I can pull out. But quilting these small squares is a great way to try a new design or perfect your stitch length and it's a rag quilt. These quilts are meant to be loved, used as a car quilt, used for the dog. It's a super quilt to practice on and uses up a lot of scraps. Have a great day! Ciao! Elaine Therault The end of the line of stitching is anchored with a couple of small stitches What to do when the bobbin runs out You know it's going to happen. The bobbin will run out at some point and it won't be at the end of a line of stitching. The question is 'What to do?'. The first step to clip all the loose thread ends on the top and bobbin of your work as you don't want to have loose threads that cause unsightly messes. Restarting after the bobbin ran out One last piece of advice To quilt the rag quilt squares, I started at the outside of blocks and worked my way to the center in a squarish/ roundish spiral depending on how I felt. No two blocks look alike – the more consistently inconsistent you are with your quilting, no one can tell which one is the right one! You'll see the quilting motif tomorrow. Since there wasn't a lot to hold onto, I did pivot my block for the first row. Normally this is a NO-NO when free motion quilting, but these blocks are small enough that it's OK to pivot and easier to maneuver. I also used the guidelines on the stitch plate to keep the lines of stitching the same distance from the edge of the block. Trim any loose stitches on the top and bobbin side Use the Needle Stop Up/Down to pivot on the outside stitching line for these small blocks Q .com UILTsocial | issue 7 59
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Q .c UILTsocial …eat, sleep, quil
Page 3 and 4:
editor's letter If you've been foll
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QUILTsocial issue 7 c o n t e n t s
Page 7 and 8: Join the fun! www.NorthcottFabricCi
Page 9 and 10: sewing feet used • embroidery foo
Page 11 and 12: 5. Hoop the linen fabric and place
Page 13 and 14: Vintage stitching Textured pieces n
Page 15 and 16: skill level easy finished measureme
Page 17 and 18: Photo courtesy of H.A.Kidd and Comp
Page 19 and 20: materials • fat quarter neutral f
Page 21 and 22: Laughing flowers wall quilt templat
Page 23 and 24: Quote for printing on inkjet fabric
Page 25 and 26: Press all the layers together so th
Page 27 and 28: Slip stitch the binding to the back
Page 29 and 30: let's make the Wonky Squares quilt
Page 31 and 32: Finish sewing the partial seam on t
Page 33 and 34: a clever way to make a more interes
Page 35 and 36: Labels HeatnBond bias tape maker an
Page 37 and 38: Question 3 - What type of batting?
Page 39 and 40: Press facing pieces over edge of qu
Page 41 and 42: Every label should include the foll
Page 43 and 44: Piece 3 in position Foundation piec
Page 45 and 46: If you want to keep the little labe
Page 47 and 48: Did you notice that my backing has
Page 49 and 50: The biggest beef I have about bindi
Page 51 and 52: Designed for the details. Featuring
Page 53 and 54: Sewing the Y seam Before we get sta
Page 55 and 56: Get more quilting fun in A NEEDLE P
Page 57: Stitch length is determined by how
Page 61 and 62: QUILTsocial bloggers Jennifer Hould
Page 63 and 64: Get your game on! Bring your quilti
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QUILTsocial | Issue 07

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