And the quilting continues..

Well, after Jenny (my Janome sewing machine) had her little melt down, (see here for the details !) things seem to be going smoothly.  [And I said that very quietly so that she didn't hear me and take revenge the next time is start sewing ]


I am trying to get more creative ...so thought I would try something different border for the border again.  First I practised my design on paper...

then drew it out onto the border with chalk...

I used this cool Clover chalk device..

 it has a little roller wheel and you just run it along where you want to draw...cool!

I only chalked one edge at a time because I was afraid that it would rub off as I was moving the quilt around. Anyway I did that for the first 2 sides, then I got brave lazy, and just went free hand for the last 2 sides!






I think that I am getting better, but still ...even when I draw it out...am inconsistent and irregular in places. I am sure that it gets better with more practice...I am just not sure that  I will live long enough to get really good at this! :)

and the winner is...

Thank you all so much for helping me celebrate both my 1 year blogging anniversary and the 100 follower mark!
What fun comments! I am actually quite relieved to see that many of you have thought about what name you would have liked to have ...so I am not alone!  HaHa!

And all those talent ideas! Wouldn't it be nice if we could do all those things?? But I guess we all have our own talents, and we should celebrate those!

OK...OK...on to the draw....Drum roll please...

                                                    
I used a very high tech technique for picking a winner...my daughters drew the names out of a bowl! ( I even made her close her eyes LOL)

The winner of the little frame purse...

is.....

And the winner of one thread catcher....  (other daughter !)

is...

Congratulations! I will send you both an email to get your mailing addresses, and thanks again for playing along!

THANK YOU

Thank you all so much for all your helpful hints and suggestions!! It really is amazing how many small things you have to think about .....or forget to think about! The needle, thread, tension, cleaning the lint, and even that little disc thingy that holds the spool of thread in place (thanks Patti)!! I think I need a check list like a air plane pilot...you know the pre-flight check....I will have a pre-quilt check-list! :)

Anyway...I did take in all the suggestions, cleaned out the lint (and yes, it sure does collect under there !!) changed my needle, tried a new spool of thread.

Then, yesterday, my Jenny (Janome machine) had what, in my medical opinion, was an epileptic seizure! What might that look like, you ask???
Well, all her lights started flashing, she kind of stammered several times...broke her needle and then groaned ...jammed up and stopped!
...what did I do???  Called a "Code Blue"! Blue as in that was the kind the language that I used!!

Then spent the next hour pulling bits of thread out!!

I think what happened was a small loop of the bobbin thread was loose ??? and caught in the bobbin mechanism. Don't ask me how that would happen, but the bobbin mechanism was certainly jammed. This little piece was stuck in there!

In any event....after wiggling and jiggling and whistling a tune....it all came loose. 

I cleaned it all out, changed the needle (oh, well, it was time to change it anyway!) , rethreaded the machine...and all was good!

                                         

I spent the rest of the afternoon, with NO PROBLEMS!!!  Really??? What a drama queen "Jenny" is! Just needed a little extra attention??  

Then I saw this add for the Janome Horizon...

                                          

Every Project a Journey????? Boy they sure aren't kidding !!!

p.s.  just a reminder...

***Last day for entry for my Celebration Give Away !! I will making the draw tonight!*****

Work in Progress Wednesday

Well, it is a New Year! And even though I did not make New Year's resolutions, I am going to try to get some of my UFO's finished before I move on to new fun stuff. Not that this isn't fun, but I do get a bit bored, and wander off to try something different sometimes!  But, come to think of it...... I have quite a few WIP so I can still jump from one thing to another LOL!

So today is Work in Progress Day over at Lee's blog, Freshly Pieced  I think it is starting again today!



and also at The Needle and Thread Network!

So what am I working on? Right now...I am doing the FM quilting on "Paris"

I have stayed with my old fall back pattern, the echoed teardrops...

I now have a little folding table that I keep beside my sewing table. It holds the weight of the quilt as I am working...

This makes a huge difference! I still need to stop and manoeuvre the quilt frequently,but it doesn't drag so much ......especially this one because it is big.. (about 104" square, I think) .

I am still having occasional problems with the thread shredding!

I have changed the needle, rethreaded the machine (like a million times!), checked the tension, and yes Monika....I remembered to close the needle plate this time :)!
I am using Gutterman thread. If it was the thread, I would think it would happen more often...no???
If any of you more experienced quilters has any other suggestions, I would be happy to hear them!!

Sometimes I think it happens when I inadvertently sew over a thick part of the quilt, with several layers at a seam. I try not to do that ..but with my superior FMQ skills...it still happens sometimes!

It doesn't happen a lot, and I may sew for half and hour without it shredding, then it does it again. I am not sure if I am pulling on the quilt, or if I am getting tired...or if my sewing machine is getting tired ?? I even tried slowing the speed down a little thinking that might help, or at least make sure that I am not sewing over those thick seams.

Of course as I am sewing, there is a little voice in my head that keeps saying ..."the thread is going to break now....the thread is going to break now..."  And I swear that the minute that little voice starts saying "hey, this is going good, maybe  it's OK now!"...ZING...there it goes again!! Do you think my sewing machine can hear that little voice in my head????

*****REMINDER******
Don't forget to check out my Anniversary Celebration Give Away ! Entry closes on Thurs Jan 5, so better get your name in there~!!

New Addition

We don't have any pets here any  more. I used to have a dog, (died several years ago) but now we travel quite a bit, and it is hard to take pets along. I actually don't miss them, really, especially the cleaning up after them part!

But my daughter, who has just turned 24 years old......wow, when did I get that old???

Anyway, she has been talking about getting a puppy for a couple of years, and this week she did!

It is a "Puggle" which is a cross between a Pug and a Beagle! And even my DH and I have to agree...SHE IS SOOOOO CUTE!!  Her name is Zoe.

And don't let this picture fool you, that is the 4 minutes that she was lying down after running all over the house for 2 hours!! And if I went into another room...she was right on my heels...or under my feet! She just loves being with people. OK, maybe I could have a pet again!

*****REMINDER******
Don't forget to check out my Anniversary Celebration Give Away ! Entry closes on Thurs Jan 5, so better get your name in there~!!

Check out the Giveaway!

Ever have that feeling when you are not sure what snack you want to eat..salt or sweet?
Well I have found the perfect solution...

Chocolate covered pretzels!! mmm

(and that is all there is left of the bag!! ...ooooops!)

And don't forget to check out my Anniversary Celebration Giveaway! Entry closes on Thurs Jan 5, so better get your name in there~!!

Celebrations!

It is time for Celebration!!  Not only is it a new year...but I have passed a couple of big milestones here on my blog.

First it has been over a year since I started this blog!!  A whole year !!
It has gone by quickly! I started quilting just about a year ago...and although I had been sewing for many years, I really didn't know anything about how to make a quilt. I made my first real quilt for my daughters wedding, and although I would now do a lot of things differently, it was very special and I am glad that I attempted it. (and they love it too)

I have learned soooo much since then! And largely from many of you here in blogland! I truly appreciate all the skills, knowledge and helpful tips that people share. I started this blog to share some of my tips, ( some of what NOT to do !) from a beginners perspective, because I wanted to give something back...and also to document my progress.

I was amazed when I started to get followers!! And honoured...after all, I am no expert! But it has been fun, and I have made some good friends here....many friends that I have never met in person...but friends none the less.

And..  my second milestone is that I have now passed the 100 follower mark !! WOW !! I really am happy to have you all drop by for a visit now and again...and love to hear from you so please keep those comments coming!!

Sooooo anyway....how to celebrate???   Well I think a giveaway is in order!  Well, maybe because I have passed 2 milestones ....two giveaways are in order !!  Now these prizes are made by me, and they are not perfect by any means! If you want perfect, I can point you in the direction of some other bloggers LOL!

I want to especially thank my followers, so you must be a follower to enter.

So first....to enter to win one of my little frame purses...

....Tell me what your name WOULD be if you could have picked it out for yourself!  I always wanted the name Chris or Christine!  Not sure why...I don't think I even know someone with that name, but I used to pretend that was my name when I was young.  So...how about you?

For the second prize... leave a second comment....to win one of my new (experimental) thread catchers!

......tell me what talent you would like to have if you could pick anything....sing??? dance??? play the piano?? speak Japanese?? Paint pictures?? ride a bicycle?? What would you like to be good at?

I will print off all the comments, put them in separate baskets, and have a "helper" draw out the lucky winners!
Contest closes on Thursday..Jan 5, so get your comments in soon! Be sure to have your contact information available, if I cannot contact you, I will go on to the next name drawn.  Good luck! :)