Longarm Killing Quilt Is a Finish

I've been calling this quilt "The Longarm Killer". I was quilting this quilt when I had the thread break that wrapped around the bobbin race, and got the needle stuck down and was basically a whole plethora of problems. I had to cut the needle in half to get the quilt unstuck and get it to a repairman. When I got the longarm back, and I tried to finish quilting this quilt, I again had nothing but problems with it, There's nothing unusual about this quilt. All of the fabrics in it have been used on other quilts, it's got a batting type I've used on dozens of quilts, the thread I was using I've used on other quilts, it's not even a bunch of really tiny pieces everywhere with tons of seams. All of the HST's in this quilt are bonus HST's from double sewing diagonal lines on another quilt. 

I ended up finishing quilting this quilt on my Bernina 440, and had no issues with it. I sewed the binding on with my New Janome M7, and it did great!

Here is the stitching on the front.

And here is the binding stitching on the back. It looks just like the front, and you can't ask for better than that! I guess this quilt only kills longarms, and leaves DSM's intact. I haven't been so glad to get a quilt finished in quite a while, all the problems finishing this UFO was really getting to me. I was tempted to put it aside, and at one point I even debated tossing it out of frustration, but I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it. 

I made four masks on the M7 and it sewed like a champ with those too. There was no bogging down on the bulk of the pleats. So far I am quite happy with the Janome M7, and I'm anxiously awaiting getting the acrylic surround for my cabinet so I can try quilting on it. 

The new cone of thread I needed to finish Miss E's quilt arrived, and I've been quilting my hour per day on the Bernina. I'm past the halfway point now, and the second half always seems to go faster than the first half. This is a pretty large quilt to quilt on the Bernina after being used to the longarm, so my arm isn't too happy with me, but I should be able to finish quilting this quilt before I get the surround for my M7, so I know I won't be cramming quilts through the smaller space for long. 

I also had a chance to work on some of the super scrappy black/white log cabin blocks I started a while back. Those are getting closer to being done, and my vintage Singer 201 is sewing great after it's spa treatment. 

I've chosen a pattern for another baby quilt, and I need to cut the sashing for one and get another cut, then those two will be on my current project list. I chose a pattern for a third baby quilt, but I need to buy and download the pattern before I can start on it. I have sashing that needs to be cut for several quilts, so if I could get into doing that, I'll be able to move several projects to the quilt top stage! Now all I need is some motivation!

New Kid in Town

There'a a new kid in town!

That's my newest granddaughter that I haven't gotten to meet yet, but that's not actually the kid to which I was referring...

I was actually referring to MY new baby, a Janome Continental M7! I've never owned a Janome machine before, and I've heard mixed things about them. I've heard from lots of people who loved them, and a few people who hated them. But, I've learned that that's pretty universal about any machine brand. Sometimes I think it's more a matter of which machine you click with and feels intuitive to you, and not nearly as much about the machine itself. I've been looking at machines for a while, and when my longarm was still giving me fits after it came back from being serviced, I decided to look at something with a larger harp than my Bernina 440. I love my Bernina 440, but the larger harp Berninas were just out of my price range. I know people who hate Berninas too, and I've had two I loved. After reading everything I could find on the machines I had it narrowed down to, I decided on the M7, because really...13.5 inch harp???

I traded in my Tin Lizzie, and got this machine. It will do well in the Arrow Quilty cabinet I had the Tin Lizzie in. I've already ordered a new acrylic surround for this machine, and as soon as it arrives I'll be ready to quilt on it. For now I'll be doing some smaller stuff on it to get familiar with it. 

Today I was pretty busy doing other stuff, so all I got to do was make a bobbin and get it threaded, but I prepped some masks (SO over making masks) and I'll sew those up tomorrow on my new machine.

I actually got the machine late yesterday, but I made myself finish quilting the UFO that had been on the longarm and I was finishing on my Bernina. I've ripped out so much bad stitching on that quilt because of the longarm messing up that I don't even want to look at it anymore. Once I get the binding on, which will be another test for my new baby, I won't have to look at it anymore. 

I realized since now my biggest machine is a sewing machine and not a longarm, I can actually do all the big stuff on it (assembling quilts, borders, quilting, binding), and I could lower the backflap on my Bernina cabinet. Then I started thinking about how I liked the position of my Bernina cabinet better than where my Quilty cabinet was...and a total sewing room rearrange was happening.  I think I've got the furniture positions settled, but I had way too many projects out, and that stuff is everywhere, but I'll show you the rearrange anyway.

When you walk in the room the first thing you'll notice is my green Olivia cabinet with my Bernina 440 in it. The window in this room is really high because it's a basement, so I don't think I'll care that the machine is under the window. 

Turn to the right and you'll see my newly relocated Quilty cabinet with my new baby in it. I used to have one of the cube storage units horizontally under the window, but it needed to be moved, so now the matching units are together (and piled high with projects on top)

Turn to the right again, and you'll see the wall with three doors. I used to have my design walls against this wall, moving them as I needed to access places. The middle door is to a bathroom, but you can also access the bathroom through the hall, so I just blocked that door with my thread cabinet. Again, there's stuff all over the place, and I haven't hung the picture my sister made me up yet. The closet in this room has never had a door on it, but I'd like to get one put up. I plan to get an over the door ironing board hanger, and get my ironing board out of the way unless I am actually using it. I think I'm going to add a string to the back of the larger board I put on top of my ironing board, and hang it too. 

Rather than move my design walls all the time, I decided to clear this wall and put them against it. I haven't mounted them, and I'm not sure I'll bother. To get to the corner I'll have to move the rolling cart next to my Bernina, but that's simple enough. I dug out these blocks the other day when looking for something unrelated. I had planned to make a throw sized quilt set 5x6, but I realized these were the colors requested for one of the baby quilts I need to make, If I make two more blocks, I can get two good sized baby quilts from these blocks. I chose a fat quarter to make the extra two blocks from, and I might have enough extra silver squares to make both blocks. I haven't counted, but I think I do. I recently bought another bolt of Kona silver, so I can cut more if I need to. I just need to cut the sashing, and then I can assemble two baby quilts, one for a baby due in July, one extra baby quilt.  

The center of the room is empty because my vintage machine is set up in the living room. I did get rid of some stuff while I was rearranging, and with the green cabinet's backflap down, I have extra room anyway, so should I decide to move my vintage machine back downstairs there is plenty of space for it. I honestly didn't think I had enough space to have the design walls set up permanently, but I guess I actually did, I just needed to think about things differently. 

Now, for those of you who read my blog and have a longarm, I've got some stuff I am offering up to the first person who contacts me about it. 

I've got M sized bobbins, an open toe quilting foot, some Bobbin Genies and longarm needles. Since I no longer have a machine that uses them, I don't need them, and they were going to use my Tin Lizzie as a parts machine, so I didn't feel like I needed to include these extras in the trade in. First one to contact me gets them, and I'll even pay the postage!

*The longarm accessories have been claimed.

A Change of Pace

I've made about 200 face masks and I am so over making them! 

Here's a pic DD#1 sent me of her kids wearing the masks I sent her. Is it cute or heartbreaking? Could go either way on that.

In my mask making, I used up 18 yards of fabric, 18 yards of interfacing, and about 500 yards of bias tape! 

This drawer started out completely full, plus I used up a couple of rolls of bias tape. On the plus side, with so much of this drawer empty, I got to rearrange a few things storage-wise, and I'm very happy with the changes! I do have a big pile of bias tape scraps that I plan to piece into scrappy binding, but I really wanted to start FMQ.

If it's needed, I can make more masks later, but I needed a break from making them. They aren't hard to sew, but they aren't stress relieving in the slightest, for me anyway.

The youngest in the above photo is turning two in May, and I haven't quilted her quilt yet. I started working on that, and it is just the thing for me to work on. Her quilt is bright and cheery, and spirals are just fun to quilt! It's a very welcome change. I haven't done any FMQ for a while, and it's a pretty big quilt to quilt on my Bernina, but I know whatever wobbles are obvious close up will be less noticeable once the quilt is finished. I try to vary the size and shape on my spirals so I can both have a bit more fun with it, and fill in the spaces better. 

Now I've got four baby quilts to make, and I haven't started any of them. The due dates range from July-December, so I really need to get started on those too. Thankfully, baby quilts don't usually take that long to make, so I should be fine. 

My life, like everyone else's, is pretty upside down right now. To add to all the craziness, the post office messed up when my daughter filled out a change of address card, and now we aren't getting any mail, but she's not getting our mail either. I have a couple packages that are MIA, and the bills I knew were due I paid online. I'm sure it will all show up someplace eventually, it's just frustrating. 

Oh, not to mention the city is replacing all the gas lines in our neighborhood right now, and they are saying they may just cut through our artificial turf to do it, which given how much it cost us is not impressing me. I'm trying to get them to roll it back instead of cutting it. I had been trying to keep the windows open because the weather has been great, but with all the dust that's being kicked up from all the digging, that's not practical any more. I understand it needs to be done, it just seems a lot on top of everything else. 

How's your quarantine going?

Bad Advice

I am still making face masks. I am longing to quilt, but I know for sure making face masks is what I am supposed to be doing. You want to know how I know? I had opened a brand new bolt of interfacing to make masks, and I ran out of that bolt. I thought I was done, but I decided to check in the closet and see if I had any other suitable interfacing to use for the inner layer of the face masks. What did I find in the closet, but a second unopened bolt of the same type of interfacing I had been using! That's really weird that I had two bolts of that type of interfacing, it's not something I use very often, so it's not something I normally would have a stockpile of. I still have a bit of the heavyweight interfacing I use in DH's scrub tops, and that I normally do buy by the bolt, but two bolts of lightweight interfacing? I do remember buying one bolt when Joann had a 60% off sale. I have no recollection of buying the second bolt. At any rate, with more interfacing to use, and a bit more wire left with more due to arrive this weekend, I'm still making masks. 

DS the Younger is in the Army, and he needs to wear solid black masks, I made 20 so he can share with his comrades in arms. I made he and his family some more fun masks to wear when he's off duty. The masks I made for on duty are only black on the outside, the lining is a cream color. Why did I do that???

There is some REALLY bad advice being given about making masks. If I see one more tutorial for reversible masks I'm going to lose my mind! I am no medical professional, but I am married to one. You know what? Real medical masks are NOT reversible, for good reason. Let's say you have one of these reversible masks. You are out doing a couple of essential errands. You don't want to wear the mask in the car, and since you are alone in the car you don't have to. You put the mask on to go into the grocery store. You do your grocery shopping, get in the car, remove your mask and drive to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. You go to put the mask back on, but which way did you have it on before? Does it matter?

Let's say you have a cold, it is still cold and flu season. You coughed a few times into your mask at the grocery store, and that side of the mask is "germy". If you now put the germ-y side of the mask out, the "germy" side is towards everyone else.

What if you are perfectly healthy, but someone you didn't notice without a mask coughed on you at the grocery store. If you put it on the opposite way, now the "germy" side is the side towards you, and you are breathing it in. 

This is greatly oversimplified, and I know a homemade mask is not going to keep all the germs out, but using them with some common sense added in will help. I line all my masks with a solid white or cream, though any color will work. The important thing is the sides shouldn't look alike, and it should be easily apparent which side is meant to wear towards your face. I've made a few with flannel linings, and those are easy to tell which is which too. I opted out of flannel, because it's starting to heat up in Southern Arizona, and I felt like it would soon be too hot to wear a flannel lined mask. 

Another piece of bad advice I've seen? Use waterproof fabric so the droplets can't get through. I understand their thought process, but evidently they forgot you need to BREATHE though the mask. Yeah, the tutorial suggesting using waterproof PUL fabric, not good advice. I've also seen tutorials with things that aren't going to make it through the wash, that's fine, but I'd consider those disposable, not reusable. I, personally, want to use materials that will survive the sanitize setting on my washing machine. 

There are some fantastic tutorials out there, and honestly, I'll be surprised if wearing a mask in public doesn't become mandatory, especially right after the shelter in place bans lift, whenever that will be. If you want to try making masks, and you have the supplies to do it, go ahead and try. In my opinion, whatever that's worth, the surgical style masks that start with a rectangle are going to fit more people. I've tried fitted masks from several different patterns I found online, and although I checked the scale on the patterns I printed, I found that the fitted masks are just that, fitted. I made several fitted masks from different patterns, and NONE of the ones I tried fit DH correctly. If I had taken the time to rescale the patterns, and made more prototypes, I'm sure I could have gotten a fitted style to work for him. Instead, I've given away 80-90 or so surgical style masks already, and I'm already making more. 

This is the bag of finished ones we haven't given away yet. DH has given masks away at the hospital, I've mailed some to family and friends, I've given some to neighbors. This is  two gallon ziploc bag, and I've already emptied it twice! I don't know exactly how many masks I've made at this point, but I think it's about 130-ish. I just had someone tell me that interfacing is very hard to find right now, so I'll likely make masks until I'm out of interfacing, or until the demand is gone. I'm guessing I'll run out of interfacing first. 

I find this kind of funny, I kept knocking the nose wires on the floor, so I decided I wanted to stand them up in a cup or something. My sewing room is no where near the kitchen, so I looked around, and found a solution. This is the thread I will use to quilt Miss E's big girl bed quilt. Her birthday is in May, so I need to finish this face mask project so I can get her quilt finished! Until then, the thread can corral the nose wires for face masks.

My sister moves to Tucson tomorrow, so I got her a housewarming gift 2020 style.

Oh yeah, I made her a face mask too ;-)

The Longarm's Back in Town!

My longarm is back, and I just quilted a little on the quilt it acted up on. So far so good, but I only quilted about half a block. Now I can go back to my FMQ an hour a day, and if all goes well, I can knock a few UFO's off my list in the next few months. 

I already made about 50 masks, but those are almost gone, so here's another 45 prepped and ready to go. I saw a news conference that mentioned after the quarantine ends, people may be asked to wear face masks in public, so soon everyone may need them. After this I could probably make about 50 more masks with the supplies I have on hand, but I'll run out of wire first. I've been using a non woven interfacing for a middle layer, and I'll run out of the one I've been using soon, but I have another brand on hand I could switch to. I had no idea when I bough a bolt of interfacing last year that I'd be using it for face masks!

I had something funny happen about face masks. In one of my facebook quilting groups someone asked is anyone had a 10" square of smiley face fabric. She didn't mention why she needed it. I actually have a piece of yardage with smiley faces, so after a few private messages, I sent a WOF piece on it's way. I ended up finding out she was making face masks for a nursing friend of hers. I was glad I sent more fabric than she asked for, and she sent me a photo of the masks she made with it! 

DH is on vacation this week, and since Covid-19 wrecked our travel plans, we've just been at home. I had ordered two dressers a while back to replace the purple plastic drawers I had. DH finally had time to assemble the dressers so now instead of plastic drawers holding my fat quarter- 1 yard fabrics I have these dressers.

I could have gotten taller dressers, but I opted for counter height ones, so I could use the tops as another work surface if I needed to. The 8 drawers in these dressers couldn't hold all the fabric from the 24 plastic drawers I'm getting rid of, but with some shifting of other things in my sewing room, I did manage to empty all 24 plastic drawers. For now my blacks and neutrals are being stored elsewhere, but I was still happy I could consolidate stuff and make it work. I've been debating busting a bunch of novelty prints by making a bunch of pillowcases, and if I do that, I could likely move at least the blacks into the dressers, if not the blacks and neutrals. 

I've got two baby girl quilts to make, and now that I've talked to the moms about what they want, I've got a couple ideas mulling around in my brain. I need to get as many face masks as I'm going to make finished, so I can get back to quilting!