Teal Quilt Update

Remember my teal quilt? The top has been pieced for a while, and since I'm keeping this one, I had to get backing, batting, and thread for it. So it was on hold for a while for other priorities, until its turn on the long arm came up. Here it is before I fixed the upside-down bottom border. It's fixed now. 

Finally everything came together: top, backing, batting, thread, and long arm time slot. I got everything loaded and stitched the first pass of freehand meandering. Advanced the quilt and stitched another pass. 

Then I checked out the back where I could see it around the roller. Oh, no. Disaster. 

Eyelashes everywhere. 

Some background: 

 - This machine was new in March 2025 and was professionally installed. 

 - It's shared by 78+ PebbleCreek Quilters who have been trained and certified by our Long Arm Committee to use it. 

 - Only the approved thread can be used, in order to not have to adjust the tension. 

 - We used to use Superior 50 wt. So Fine thread but due to numerous thread breaks, the Committee recently switched to 40 wt. Omni.

 - Due to the change in thread type, the Committee has only stocked basic colors. If they don't have the color you need, you have to buy it yourself. I bought a 6000 yard cone of the approved 40 wt. Omni in a teal color. 

 - Very strict rule for all users using the long arm: NEVER TOUCH THE TENSION.

There is an instruction book for all long arm users to refer to, which includes trouble shooting. 

 - I made sure the machine was loaded correctly. It was. 

 - I checked that the machine was threaded correctly. It was. 

 - I checked the bobbin tension and found it to be good. 

 - Made sure the machine, including the bobbin case area, was free of lint. In addition to being a heavier weight, the Omni thread is much hairier and fuzzier than So Fine. I brushed it out before starting and after each pass. 

When these steps fail, the procedure is to send a group text to the 5 members of the Long Arm Committee. Whoever can respond will text Got It to all and then reply to the user. 

Okay, I was already frustrated, and I'm old, I'm not much of a phone person. I've never started a group text before. I could have cried. It took me a while to figure out that I need to put all the names and numbers into my contacts first, then start the text. Finally I was able to send a photo and a request for help to the Committee. 

One of them got right back to me and half an hour later she arrived at the Fiber Arts Room to help. Together we spent about an hour trouble shooting. She found that the tension, although it looked like the correct setting, was actually one whole revolution too tight. That only partially fixed the problem. We fiddled and tested, fiddled and tested, again and again and again, for about an hour and could not get a satisfactory result. Still getting eyelashes on the back, but not quite as bad. 

Finally we tried another cone of thread, white. Perfect stitching. We tried black and the stitching was acceptable, not perfect but much better than the teal thread. Since the machine was stitching beautifully with white thread, there was nothing more we could do, but I couldn't use the teal thread to quilt my quilt. 

So here's where I'm at today: 

 - I have a top I spent 9 months designing and piecing, that I love. 

 - I have the perfect backing for it, 

 - I bought batting. 

 - I bought expensive thread that now I can't use.

 - I have to rip out two passes of very bad quilting plus numerous test patches in the margins. I don't have and cannot get any more of this backing fabric, so I have to rip out every stitch. 

 - I must use only Omni thread on the club's machine; Omni thread in my color didn't work, so now I don't know how I'll get this quilt quilted. It's too big for me to quilt on my domestic machine. 

 - I don't want to pay to send it out for quilting because this quilt is just a vanity project for me. It doesn't have a purpose and doesn't coordinate with any rooms in my house, so it will probably just sit in a closet. 

I'm beyond frustrated. 

PCQ has a Long Arm Users group that meets once a month under the direction of the Committee. Tomorrow is the December meeting. I plan to take this project and the teal thread to the meeting. Maybe one of the other Committee members will have a suggestion. If nothing else, I can start ripping out the bad quilting. 

Sigh. 

Link Ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 12/15;  Alycia Quilts 12/19

Positively Scrappy

 A few months ago I was working on another scrappy Pinterest-inspired project, but I put it on hold to work on my Crossroads Wheel blocks instead. Here's the original inspiration photo, credit StitchMischief Dec. 2020. 

When last visited, I had all the blocks made and sewn into columns. I took them to Social Sewing this week and got them sewn together. Now it's a finished top:

Easy-peasy Plus blocks, black or charcoal prints against colorful low volumes. Sometimes these kinds of light prints can be hard to use so this was a good use for them, light but colorful, contrasted with the black. I like that the half drop layout prevents the blocks from looking like a big grid. 

The blocks finish at 8" so the quilt will measure 56 by 72", a good throw size. Since the colors and fabrics are gender neutral, this quilt can go to whichever of PCQ's charities needs it. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 12/12

The Scrappy Pinterest Project

 A little over a year ago, I saw something inspiring on Pinterest (no attribution that I could find) and thought it would make a good charity quilt project for several reasons. 
 - I could cut and partially assemble it in strips to make it easier.
 - It would use up a lot of random scraps that might not go together so well in a curated palette. 
 - I could work on it at social sewing by kitting it up and having all the parts ready to go in a project box. 

I printed out the Pinterest image and added pattern notes. If anyone knows the source of the original Pinterest image please leave a comment. I would like to credit the source if possible. 
Update: I'm told the pattern is called Three Patch. It's in a Kim Brackett book called Scrap-Basket Knockouts. Please refer to the book if you want to make this pattern, rather than my notes, in order to give credit to the original designer. 

At the time I started it, one of PCQ's charities needed twin bed size quilts, but now that organization has enough for several months at least, so we're focusing on throw size quilts now. I had planned to add additional rows of blocks to make the top longer, then add borders to bring it up to twin size. Not needed, so I just made it the size shown, 54 x 66". 

Now, 13 months later, it's a finished quilt. 

I cut a lot of strips with my 2" die cutter. I joined light and dark strips and sub cut them into twosies, and packed them up in my project box. That way, I could just pull random pieces and lay out four blocks at a time at social sewing. I have to admit, I got pieces turned the wrong direction many times so my seam ripper got a workout with this project. I attribute that to the social distractions....

After starting this project it occurred to me that it would look good with a red and cream color palette, a little less chaotic. So I dropped this multi-color version and jumped into what became Cherry Jubilee. 

Anyway, back to the scrappy version - It's finished and donated. Being gender-neutral and suitable for anyone, it can go to whichever agency our charity committee leaders want to give it to. 

I like how the little bits of extra-bright turquoise pop; it keeps it from looking dull and boring. I have no idea how many different fabrics are in there. Most came from scraps from both my own stash and PCQ's. Some were cut from FQs and from backing off-cuts. When the top was finished, there were still enough twosies in the project box for another top. One of the other girls on the charity committee expressed an interest, so I gave them to her along with the pattern. 

I showed Kevin the Quilter my red version, and he wanted the instructions also. Scrappy piecing is so his thing, so it wouldn't surprise me if in a few months he sends me a photo of his version. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 12/5,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 12/8