QUILTsocial | Issue 07

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
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UILTsocial
| issue 7 59