LAL#8: Fast & Frugal Method for Joining Batting Scraps by Machine

After loading the backing of my Modern Baby Clam Shells quilt on my frame a few days ago, I discovered that the package of crib sized batting I was planning to use was going to be too small for my 42" x 42" baby quilt.  Why do the batting manufacturers assume that everyone is making rectangular baby quilts, anyway?

With no nearby quilt shops open on a Sunday evening, I was determined to come up with a solution that didn't require shopping.  I briefly considered hacking a piece out of one of the batts I'm saving for larger projects, but then I started noticing all of the nooks, corners and cubbies throughout my studio where I had odd-shaped batting scraps squirreled away.

What you see pictured above is only what was left after I tossed the really skinny strips, the bits of batting that I couldn't identify, as well as remnants from battings that I tried but didn't enjoy using.  This left me with the remnants of Quilter's Dream Wool, Quilter's Dream Cotton Select in Natural and in White, Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 blend in natural, Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 in Black, and Hobbs Tuscany Wool.

I've been hoarding saving these batting scraps for about 20 years.  The smallest batting scraps are useful for cleaning the rails of my long arm machine, and I do use the bigger pieces sometimes for samples or for checking and fine-tuning tension, but I have not been using them up at a rate that keeps up with new batting scraps being trimmed away from finished quilts!  Desperate times (no batting for the baby quilt + batting scraps taking up WAY too much space in the studio) called for desperate measures.

How to Join Leftover Batting Scraps by Machine

First things first, I had to do my best to identify and sort the batting scraps.  If I cobbled together a Frankenstein batting that was part wool, part 100% cotton, part polyester, and part 80/20 blend, then the loft and feel of the quilt would be totally different from one section to another.  Even worse, those battings would shrink at different rates the first time the quilt was washed -- disaster!  So do as I say, not as I did, and try to get into the habit of bagging and LABELING your batting scraps as soon as possible after trimming them from a finished quilt, while you still remember what kind of batting they are!

Pictured below are two fairly large remnants of Quilter's Dream Cotton Select batting in Natural, perfect for my baby quilt once they're joined together.  I laid both pieces on my cutting table, side by side, both with the right side up (dimples up, pimples down for needle punched batting) and overlapped the two rough-cut edges slightly in the center.  Then, I used my longest acrylic ruler and my rotary cutter to cut a clean, straight line through both layers of batting to create edges that abut perfectly.

The bits I'd just trimmed from each batting remnant were perfect for testing stitch settings, to see which stitch would hold the batting edges together securely without puckering or creating a ridge along the join.

I tried a few different stitches, but I was happiest with the 3-step zigzag (stitch #16 on my Bernina 750QE), once I'd maxed out the width at 9 mm and stretched out the length to a bit beyond 3 mm.  I'm using 50/2 Aurifil thread in a creamy Ivory to match the batting.

This is one of those tasks where I really appreciate the extra throat space in a 7 Series Bernina. You can't join batting with right sides together because you don't want any seam allowance at all, just raw edges butted together with a light stitch holding them together.  Once the batting is quilted into a quilt, the quilt stitches will be what keeps the batting where it belongs inside the qult.

I started out using my Open Toe foot #20D for this with my Dual Feed engaged, and that did work, but I quickly realized that the walking foot would be better because the walking foot helps feed the fabric from either side of the needle, whereas Dual Feed rides along in dead center position behind my needle -- right on top of the gap between the two batting pieces that I'm trying to make disappear!

It was a lot easier to keep the two batting edges right up against one another with the walking foot, so that was worth the minute it took me to dig it out of the drawer and pop it on my machine!

Ta-da!  Can YOU see the vertical seam going down the middle of that batting?  I'm not necessarily going to do this on a show quilt, but this is going to be just perfect for my baby quilt!

There it is on the frame, ready for the quilt top to go on next.  I'll spritz the batting with some water first and let those wrinkles hang out overnight.

But Rebecca, Aren't There Other Ways to Join Batting Scraps?

OF COURSE there are other ways to do this!  I'm writing this post so I can remember how I did it the next time I need to do it again, not because this is the only right way to do it.  Some quilters like to whipstitch the edges together by hand.  Some quilters prefer to use a regular zigzag or some other utility stitch built into their sewing machines.  There is a fusible batting tape that some quilters love using -- BUT -- you must be 100% certain that you have correctly identified your batting fiber before you go anywhere near it with an iron!  Wool batting should not be ironed, and neither should any of the polyester fibers, as they would melt.  If you know it's 100% cotton because that's the only kind of batting you have ever used, then go ahead and try the fusible tape method.

Speaking of wool, I haven't tried my machine stitched joining method on a lofty wool batting.  I am definitely going to have to join batting for my monster-sized 120" x 120" pineapple log cabin quilt when I get around to quilting that one, because I need at least 128" x 128" of batting and backing and batting doesn't come that wide.  I think I'll whipstitch the extra length I need by hand to ensure my stitching doesn't flatten the loft along the join.

PSST!!  I'd Love to Quilt for YOU!

By the way, if you or any of your quilty friends has a quilt top or two that needs quilting, I'd be delighted to quilt for you!  My turnaround for edge-to-edge quilting is currently running about 2 weeks, and you can click here to find out how to book your quilt with me.

What do YOU do with Your Batting Scraps?

I'd love to know what you all do with YOUR batting scraps.  Do you save them at all or throw them out?  Do you use them in small projects or join them together?  Do you have a good system for keeping your batting scraps organized so you know what kind they are, what sizes they are, and so you can find the right piece when you need it?  Let me know in the comments!  Meanwhile, it's Tuesday again...  And that means it's time for the Long Arm Learning linky party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Something(s) to Show For Myself: Geese Arcs, Vintage Quilt Repair, and Clam Shells

Hello, my lovelies, and Happy Wednesday!  I've been "distracted" by work and a series of minor but mildly disabling medical maintenance over the past week or so, but I was finally able to get back to my projects a few days ago and have some progress to report.

Two Arcs Completed, Forty-Six Arcs to Go...

First and foremost, I have actually begun piecing my son Lars's Geese In Circles graduation quilt!  This needs to be completed, as in bound, labeled, and delivered to the church office, no later than May 26th.  I've paper pieced two of the flying geese arcs so far, which leaves 46 more to be pieced and then all of the cutting and curved piecing that needs to happen to the dark purple background fabric to complete the blocks.  

I Love How the Darker Colors Recede Into the Background Fabric!!

As soon as I'd finished piecing the first arc, I laid it on the background fabric to make sure the colors are working the way I want them to against the dark purple.  I was super hesitant about some of these color choices and I definitely would not have chosen such dark shades of blue and green had I not been able to preview and play with color and value ahead of time in my EQ8 design software.

72 x 96 Geese In Circles, XL Twin Graduation Quilt EQ8 Design

I ended up printing this foundation paper piecing pattern from EQ8 onto two sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" copy paper.  I carefully taped them together, aligning registration points with my light box, and then I had 48 copies printed out onto blueprint paper on the large format printer at Staples.  

Oversize Foundation Paper Patterns Printed on Blueprint Paper

Yes, one of my readers did alert me to the fact that you can buy large enough sheets of newsprint to fit this foundation pattern in one piece (thank you!).  That's why I went to Staples in the first place.  The problem is that I can't fit those huge, odd sized sheets in my printer's paper tray, and the large format printers used by the FedEx Office Store as well as Staples print onto paper that comes on giant rolls.  So even if I bought the oversize newsprint from Staples, they can't print my foundation patterns on that paper!  I chose blueprint paper because it's the lightest weight paper they had for the large format printer and it's the same stuff my pineapple log cabin foundations were printed on, so I knew it would work for what I'm trying to do.

Too bad I didn't think to number the patches on that master pattern before I had the copies made!  Ah, well...

Meet Goldilocks, my Bernina 475QE

I pieced the first arc entirely on my new "Goldilocks" Bernina 475QE travel machine, to put her through the paces, get acclimated with the new machine, and to identify what all I'd need to pack up and take with me in order to sew these blocks on-the-go.  Isn't she a cutie?!

The B 475QE, or any of the new 4 Series Berninas, are fully featured machines that could easily be the one-and-only for many quilting and sewing enthusiasts across a variety of skill levels.  She sews beautifully, purrs like a kitten, and has all of the features I've come to rely on heavily when I sew on Big 'Nina the 750QE.

In My Studio: Goldilocks B 475QE on Left, Big 'Nina B 750QE on Right

I'm including this photo of both machines in my studio to give you an idea of the relative size of these machines.  

As you can see, these large foundation paper piecing patterns can definitely be pieced in the smaller (normal sized) throat space of the 4 Series Berninas:

FPP Oversize Flying Geese Arc on my Goldilocks B 475QE

...They just fit BETTER in the oversize throat space of a 7 Series Bernina:

FPP the Same Oversize Flying Geese Arc on my Big 'Nina 750QE

So, in answer to my husband's silly questions: No, I will not be selling my 7 Series machine now that I bought the cute little Goldilocks!  I love my B 75QE and I'm totally spoiled by having all of that roominess; I just wanted something smaller that would be more portable.  The hope is that, with the big machine available in my studio for sewing in solitude and the smaller machine ready to take to a sit-and-sew or quilting bee for uninterrupted stretches of social sewing, I can be more productive and move these projects along faster.  The more quickly a project progresses, the less I grow bored with it and the sooner it's finished.  The sooner a project is finished, the sooner I can tackle the next idea that's tickling my fancy, and the faster my skills develop.  

After ensuring that Goldilocks can handle my geese arcs just fine, I switched back to my Big 'Nina so that I could make a direct comparison between the two machines.  The vintage Craig's list desk where I've got Goldilocks set up in my studio works fine for my sergers and vintage Singer Featherweight machines, but it's not ideal for a modern Bernina because the kneehole of the desk is too narrow to accommodate the FHS Free Hands System presser foot lifter (a feature I can't live without!) unless I shift the machine to the left significantly and am no longer sitting with my body centered on the machine needle.  Using the B 475QE machine at this particular desk workstation requires uncomfortable ergonomic compromises!    I am also accustomed to always sewing with my machine recessed into a cabinet, which gives me an enormous work surface compared to the slide on accessory tray.  So it felt good to sit down at my plus-size Bernina again!  

I'm going to bring Goldilocks to my bee on Monday afternoon, where I assume I'll be setting up at a kitchen table or something like that instead of at a desk with a kneehole opening.  I don't anticipate any issues using the FHS in that scenario.  However, I am toying with the idea of ordering just ordered one of those SewEzi portable sewing machine tables for my Goldilocks machine.  Even if I can't manage to cram the folded-up table into my little convertible coupe, I will still be able to use it with my Goldilocks machine when I want to do some piecing downstairs in the living room.  I have a fantastic studio, but when my husband is home I like to hang out with him in the evening instead of hiding away upstairs, you know?

Let's see; what else do I have to share with you today?  Between piecing the first and second geese arcs (and shopping for a portable sewing table), I took a few moments to piece some irregularly shaped  fabrics together for that vintage quilt repair:

Vintage Quilt Top Undergoing Surgery.  

In the photo above, this formerly yarn-tied 1970s era quilt has been removed from its original backing and batting and is on my design wall awaiting repair.  See those two large holes near the center of the quilt?  Since the damage spans multiple patches in the original quilt, I'm piecing several fabrics together from which I will cut out patches in hopes that the repairs will be less obvious that way.

Like the Fabric Mix, Not Sure if the Perpendicular Piecing Lines Are Too Straight

I am trying to stick with the original quilter's color palette, spirit and print selections as much as possible, and I think the mix of fabrics that I pieced together in the photo above does a good job of blending into the way the original quilter mixed disparate fabric prints and colors in this quilt.  However, I might have made my piecing lines too straight and perpendicular to blend in with the original quilter's freeform piecing style.  I deliberately cut and pieced random angles for the next patch, and here I could not resist incorporating a couple of fabrics that reflect the current owner of this quilt (who is the quilter's granddaughter).  The music notes are because she's a phenomenal vocalist, and the Tula Pink Disco Kitties fabric (deliberately bleached to blend with the older fabrics) is because she was unjustly deprived of a kitten recently under dubious circumstances.

Tula Pink Disco Kitties Scrap With Musical Notation Fabric

The Kaffe Fassett prints in both photos were also bleached, by the way.  His prints have the right style for this era, but the colors were just way too bright to blend with the faded original fabrics.

New Patches Overlaid on Large Holes on the Design Wall (not sewn)

There are lots of smaller damage spots that will need to be repaired on this quilt as well, and I'm planning to repeat some of these same fabrics for smaller patches in those areas.  The original quilter used several patches of almost every fabric, so mixing my new fabrics across the face of the quilt will help them to blend in.  That strip of solid lilac fabric will blend better once there are a few other patches of lilac fabric in other places!  I had considered fusing some kind of lightweight stabilizer to the entire quilt top, but now I'm leaning towards stabilizing weak areas on an as-needed basis, both to minimize time involved and to preserve the softness of the original quilt.

I'm looking forward to loading this vintage top up on my longarm machine and turning it into a quilt again!  I've decided to do either a freehand meander or a very basic, loopy edge-to-edge pantograph in an off-white thread.  I don't want the quilting itself to be what jumps out at you in the finished quilt; its job is to securely attach the fragile quilt top fabrics to the batting and backing for strength and stability.

My 40 x 40 Modern Baby Clam Shell Quilt is Now Officially a WIP!

One more thing to show you before I go: I've started cutting out clam shells for the Modern Baby Clam Shell quilt that I designed a few months ago!  This baby was born in mid-December, and I'd like to get the quilt to her sometime BEFORE she starts kindergarten...  It's not my top priority with Lars's graduation quilt deadline looming over my head, but it's definitely on my radar, so to speak.

Cutting 9.5 Inch Clam Shells from Layer Cake Precuts

Y'all, tracing around templates and cutting pieces out Old School style with a scissors takes SO LONG!!!!  It took me the entire episode of Bachelor Home Town Visits and I still have several more print clam shells to cut out as well as ALL of the turquoise Grunge textured solid fabric remaining to be cut out.  This would be so much faster if I'd purchased the regular size Accuquilt GO! die cutter that fits their giant clam shell die rather than the GO! Baby cutter...  But I'm not buying a new die cutter just for this baby quilt, so I'll continue with my tracing, scissoring, and grumbling for the time being.

Cutting Progress for my Clam Shell Quilt

Such a happy mix of prints for a baby quilt, don't you think?  Cutting these shapes out of 10" layer cake precuts is yielding a pile of quarter circle scraps that have interesting possibilities as well.  Perhaps a Mill Wheel baby quilt is in my future?

Okay, my "quick catchup" post rambled on forever as usual, and now I need to get ready to take my son for a haircut, drop him off at his evening activities, meet a friend for dinner, and go to choir rehearsal.  

My To-Do list for this week includes:

• Piecing more flying geese arcs
• Getting the borders on my pineapple log cabin quilt so I can store it out of my way until I'm ready to quilt it (most likely AFTER my Paducah longarm quilting workshops with Beth Calle and Judi Madsen, and AFTER I finish quilting the vintage quilt repair job, the baby clam shell quilt, and Lars's graduation quilt)

I'll be linking up with:
Colour and Inspiration Tuesday at www.cleverchameleon.com.au

·       To-Do Tuesday at Stitch ALL the Things: http://stitchallthethings.com

·      Midweek Makers at www.quiltfabrication.com/

·      WOW WIP on Wednesday at www.estheraliu.blogspot.com

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·      Needle and Thread Thursday at http://www.myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com/  

Taking a Break From Longarm Tension Tantrums -- Because I Needed a Win

I needed a break from playing Sherlock Holmes with the longarm machine over the weekend, and APQS Tech Support was closed anyway, so I dug around my studio looking for a small victory, something I could cross off my list easily without pulling out any of my hair or screaming profanity.

Remember This Quilted Machine Cover for My Bernina?

I started this quilted machine cover for my Bernina 750QEE back in 2014, and you can read about how I made it in this post.  The fabric was heavily free motion quilted on the Bernina (this was before I was even considering purchasing a longarm machine), then the monogram was machine embroidered on the Bernina.  I added some bead bling by hand.  Unlike the (boring gray) cover that came with the machine, my cover was designed to fit the machine when it's recessed into my cabinet, and I incorporated a cutout at the back to slip around my multiple spool holder.  

No, This Is Just Not Cute Enough For Me

But I didn't like the way it gaped at the back opening, so I ordered a vintage 1950s frog closure from an Etsy seller...  and, when it arrived, I realized I had NO IDEA how to attach it to my sewing machine cover!

Well, after four years of not using this machine cover at all because it wasn't finished, I decided to go ahead and just DO IT on Saturday afternoon.  First, I hand basted the edges of the opening together with huge slipstitches, plain old all-purpose polyester thread, and then I basted the two halves of the frog closure in place with the same thread, using big, ugly stitches and trying to keep them away from where the "real" stitches would go.

Tacking the Frog In Place With Embroidery Floss

I found the right shade of turquoise DMC cotton embroidery floss in my stash, and just tacked the frog in place at the inside and outside points.  Two strands of floss at a time, three stitches at each point.  It's not going anywhere.  It sure felt good to FINISH SOMETHING!  

YAY!  I Finished Something!!!

You know, there are so many people who love to sew but shy away from trying any kind of hand stitching because they think it's too hard, it takes too long...  Well, when your machines are throwing tantrums and you're contemplating chucking them out the window just to watch them smash when they hit the lawn, there's nothing like the total control of hand stitching to clear your head and fill your confidence bucket again.  The needle goes exactly where I want it to go, every single stitch.  The tension is perfect, every single stitch.  No thread nests.  The worst thing that can happen in hand stitching is a knot, and the solution to that is simple -- cut a shorter length of thread next time!  

Yes, It Matches My Chair...

I also cut, joined, and pressed binding strips for my Paint Me A Story bear paw quilt over the weekend. 

Binding Ready to Go For My Bear Paw Quilt

After pressing the binding in half lengthwise, I wrapped it around one of my acrylic rulers before sliding it into a zippered plastic storage bag that came with a set of pillowcases.  I also included the binding thread spool and bobbin, because why hunt around for it later?  Now I've got the top pieced and pressed, the backing pieced and pressed, and the binding all ready to go for that project, all hanging neatly together in the guest room closet until I'm ready to quilt it.  That feels pretty good, too.

See How I Label Things Now That I'm Organized?

And remember how I told you all that I've joined the Charlotte Quilters' Guild?  Well, I noticed at the September meeting that everyone was wearing a handmade fabric name tag, so I've been thinking about making one for myself before the October meeting.  I have a few orphaned sawtooth star blocks made from beautiful hand marbled fabric that I was unable to use in my bear paw quilt because the red fabric was bleeding horribly, but I couldn't bear to toss them because I love the fabric so much...  Well, armed with the knowledge I gained from the Victorious Bloodbath of my Jingle Blocks, I decided to try soaking out the excess dye with hot water and Dawn dish washing liquid.  It worked!  

Bloody Orphan Blocks, Rescued and Redeemed

Aren't they cute?  The two larger blocks are 4 1/2" with seam allowances, and the smaller block is 3 1/2" including seam allowances.  Of course I like the baby-sized block the best, but if I'm going to hand embroider my name in the star I'm better off with one of the larger blocks.  Too bad my name is REBECCA instead of ANN or PAM!  

My plan is to baste additional fabric strips around the star block so I can hoop it properly and embroider my name, probably in white perle cotton.  Then, depending on my mood, I may or may not add some bobbinwork, additional hand embroidery, beading or whatever.  There needs to be some kind of batting and stiffener.  And I want to poke around Michael's and see if I can't find those super strong magnets for pinless badges, because I don't want my name tag to hang around my neck on strings like a feed bag.  But at least the blocks are ready to play with now.  Another itty-bitty win!

Pinned and Ready to Sew

Oh, and the other thing I got done over the storm weekend was pinning two more sets of pineapple blocks together, ready for machine stitching.  OH MY GOSH, pinning all those seams is a pain in the arse!  None of the seams nest and it takes me three or four tries to get each pin right through the seam line of both blocks.  I am starting to wonder whether it wouldn't be faster and more accurate to tack those seam intersections together with hand stitches.  What do y'all think?  I only have three out of six rows stitched together, and then there will be just as many seams needing to match when I join rows together.  This top would be done by now if the pinning wasn't so tedious!

Well, it's Monday now, the skies are Carolina blue again and the sun is shining.  APQS Tech Support is open and my APQS dealer has reached out to offer her help as well.  It's time to confront my enemy!  Wish me luck.

Today I'm linking up with:

• Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com
• Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/09/design-wall-monday-september-17-2018.html  
• Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts http://www.cookingupquilts.com/ 
• Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/ 

• Moving it Forward at Em’s Scrap Bag: http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com.au/ 

Pineapple Log Cabin Block 35 of 42: This Is What Six Hours In the Studio Looks Like

NO, I did not meet the weekly goals that I posted about last time.  NO, I have not loaded Tabby Mountain onto my quilting frame yet, let alone started quilting it.  However, I did manage to complete one more 17 3/4" paper pieced pineapple log cabin block for the California King sized bed quilt that I've been working on "off and on" over the past few years.  This one makes 35 blocks completed out of the 42 blocks I need for my quilt.  And, because I used a timer to carve out one-hour increments of sewing time from my crazy busy schedule this week, I can tell you that piecing this ONE block took me a whopping SIX HOURS.  That's just piecing time, since I've already cut all the strips for this quilt.  

Pineapple Log Cabin Block 35 of 42

So, at six hours per block, that means I already have 210 hours into this quilt, in addition to the hours I spent cutting up approximately a bazillion 1 1/2" strips of assorted blue, green, and neutral fabrics before I started piecing.  

It Feels SO GOOD to Sew On the Final Corner Triangles!

And, with seven blocks remaining to be pieced, that means I'm still about 42 hours away from having my blocks finished and ready to be sewn into a quilt top.  And there are 97 pieces in every block, so there will be a total of 4,074 pieces in this quilt once it's finally finished.  Uff da!

Finished Block On Wall, Beside Neglected Tabby Mountain Quilt Top

One thing I am enjoying about these pineapple blocks is how different they look up close versus viewed from a distance.  As I'm selecting fabrics for each block, I worry that it's getting too busy and I don't have enough value contrast for that secondary design to show up.  Then I pin the finished block to the design wall, step back, and it's amazing how that cool windmill with blue and green blade pops out at me!  Love it!

So, it's not like Tabby Mountain has been totally abandoned.  I designed a quilt label in my Bernina v8 Designer Plus digitizing software and stitched it out on leftover solid magenta fabric.  

Machine Embroidered Quilt Label, Ready to Go

Cute, right?  I love how my little paw prints turned out!  I've preturned the top and right edges of my label because I'm going to applique those to the back of my quilt once it's quilted and trimmed, and then the bottom and left edges will be sewn into the quilt binding.  I included care instructions because I'm going to be using a wool batting that requires a cold wash temperature.

The run stitch fonts I used for this label are built into the digitizing software.  With my software, I was able to lay out and preview all the lettering, and I digitized my kitty paw prints from scratch in about 30 seconds -- just imported the black and white clip art and clicked one button, then positioned them around the lettering the way that I wanted them.  And then I printed out an actual-size template of the label design so I could preview how it would look on my quilt.  This is why, for me personally, the Bernina 750QEE or 770QEE coupled with Bernina Designer Plus digitizing software is a much better way to go for embroidery than buying the 780E, 790E, or even the 790E Plus.  If you paid MSRP for the machine and the software, the current 770QEE machine + Bernina Designer Plus software together costs $1,500 less than the 790 Plus machine.  Although it's true that you can tweak embroidery designs at the machine with the 790 more than you can with the 770, what you can do as far as editing designs right at the machine is and will always be extremely limited compared to what you can do at your computer with digitizing software.  And, with complete control to edit, combine, and even create embroidery designs completely from scratch at your computer, your embroidery design is already exactly the way you want it when you transfer it to the sewing machine -- no further editing required.

Stitching Out My Label On My Bernina 750 QEE Sewing Machine

What's more, technology is constantly changing, at a much faster rate than the mechanics of our sewing and embroidery machines.  Once I've created the quilt label or any other machine embroidery design in my software, it will stitch out exactly the same on a Bernina 700, 750, 770, 780, 790, or even an 880 machine, since they all use exactly the same embroidery module.  When a new and improved sewing machine model is introduced, it typically costs thousands to upgrade machines -- but historically it has only been $500 to upgrade the Bernina embroidery software to the newest version, and you can even skip and upgrade from every other version.  For instance, I went from my version 4 Designer Plus software to version 6 for $500 several years back, and I just recently upgraded from version 6 to the current version 8 for $500 rather than having to repurchase the full $2,500 software package each time.  And of course, upgrading your software is completely optional to get the new features.  There's absolutely no reason why you can't keep using whatever version of the software you are comfortable with regardless of new updates that are available.

Well, I've got a dress rehearsal today at 2:30 and a VOX concert tonight at 7:30 PM.  It's the Verdi Four Sacred Pieces and Poulenc's Stabat Mater -- gorgeous music that was awful to learn, but a joy to sing now that we've got it down.  I can't wait!

Today I'm linking up with:

• ·       Let’s Bee Social at www.sewfreshquilts.blogspot.ca/
• ·       Midweek Makers at www.quiltfabrication.com/
• ·       WOW WIP on Wednesday at www.estheraliu.blogspot.com
• ·       WIPs With Friends at www.mamaspark.blogspot.com

A Slice of Elation, Topped With a Dollop of Misery: Design Wall Monday, With Machine Embroidery

Good morning!  I'm so close to finishing this quilt that I can almost TASTE it, which is the elation part of this post.  The misery part is that I am really, really sick and my throat feels like I swallowed broken glass or gargled with razor blades or something.  It hurts so much that it's making my eyes tear.  I don't know if it's the flu, strep, or what, but I'm going to the doctor at 10:30 to find out and hopefully get some kind of magic make-it-go-away medicine.  

Machine Embroidered Label Appliqued to Quilt Backing

But meanwhile, I got my math quilt labeled and ready for binding!  My favorite way to use machine embroidery is to personalize quilts, either with embroidered monograms, quotes, or just a label like the one for this quilt.

Designing the Label in Bernina Embroidery Software

This label took me only a few minutes to design and digitize in my Bernina Designer Plus embroidery software.  It's as easy as typing into a text box, picking one of the True Type fonts from the drop down menu, and resizing the block of text to fit into the hoop I want to use.  Save to USB drive, plug USB drive into Bernina 750QEE sewing machine, attach embroidery module, and press GO.  Yes, there are lettering stitches built into my sewing machine, but I use my embroidery software instead so that I can lay out all the text the way I want it and stitch it out with perfect spacing as a single embroidery design.  If you use the built-in lettering stitches to sew out a lot of text, you need to carefully mark every row of stitching and it's easy to mess up the alignment.  Plus I have many, many more lettering fonts to choose from in my embroidery software.

Label and Binding Fabrics Selected From My Stash

I am able to print out an actual size template of the label design from my software that I can use to check that it's going to be legible and look the way I want it to look.  I was able to find the perfect solid orchid fabric for the label and a black and white striped binding fabric in my stash, which was great.

Stitching Out the Label Design

I starched my label fabric twice on each side of the fabric, then sprayed it with 505 temporary spray adhesive and affixed it to a layer of tearaway embroidery stabilizer before hooping it.  I also floated an additional layer of tearaway stabilizer beneath my hoop and reduced my top tension to prevent bobbin thread from showing at the edges of my satin stitches.  It took about 20 minutes for my machine to stitch out the design, and then it took me another 30 minutes or so to carefully remove all of the excess stabilizer from the back of the label, using a tweezers to remove the bits of stabilizer that were trapped between rows of stitching.  I don't want my label to be bulky, stiff, or scratchy; I want it to be just as soft and snuggly as the rest of the quilt.

Tabby Mountain, Final Layout With Replacement Fabrics

Meanwhile, my replacement fabrics came for the Tabby Mountain quilt so I could swap out those Cat Eyes prints that I wasn't fond of.  And again, it's not that I don't like the Cat Eyes print at all -- I just didn't like it for these giant triangles.  It would be cute cut up into smaller patches for another project, and it would be cute binding fabric.  I replaced them in my quilt with three Kaffe Fassett Collective prints instead, and I like it much better now.  I have someone special in mind for this quilt and it "fits" her better with the fabric substitutions I made.

Original Layout With Busy Eyeball Fabrics

The scale of the Cat Eyes print was just too small for the big triangles, and the print didn't read well at a distance.  It looked muddy to me.

Kaffe Fassett Collective Print Substitutions

So, as soon as I get the math quilt bound, I'll be able to start piecing the Tabby Mountain quilt top.  That should come together fairly quickly, and then it's destined to be the SECOND real quilt for my longarm machine!

Because I have another goal for 2018, in addition to buying more fabric and drinking more wine.  My number one quilting goal for this year is to become proficient with my longarm quilting machine.  With that in mind, I'll be choosing more quick and easy piecing projects so I can focus on improving my quilting skills.  Then, once my quilting ability is on par with my piecing and applique skills, I can go back to more complex projects without fear of "ruining" them with shoddy beginner quilting!

Today I'm linking up with:

• ·       Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com  
• ·       Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts http://www.cookingupquilts.com/
• ·       Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
• ·       Moving it Forward at Em’s Scrap Bag: http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com.au/