Cheesy Photo

QB1 took this photo of me while we were @ Paducah last week. This was the cardboard image of Eleanor Burns in front of her shop in downtown Paducah. We had walked all day & I have been recovering from wrenching my back (no clue how I did that!) so I was forcing that cheeser smile.

Funny story........QB1 & I got to the tent that Quilt In A Day has @ the fairgrounds & QB1 is standing in line to get her book autographed by EB. She's like #5 in line. Well one of the show henchmen comes up & says that book signing is stopping @ person #3 - QB1 was a little angry because she'd been standing there........THEN after EB comes down off the stage - she walks past all these OTHER people that were not even in line & signs books.........oh my! QB1 was NOT happy...........It wasn't EB's fault. Her employees should have stood in the back of the line & stopped people there...But oh well. They had lots & lots of fabric discounted - but I just didn't see anything that screamed it needed to come home with me.

We really had a good time though. Lots & lots & lots of vendors. That's my FAVORITE part of the "show". I bought a bunch of patterns - some thread (that I'm not going to use)and 3 new pantographs & not much else. The fabric was overwhelming. But I just am NOT going to buy it for $9 per yard. I don't need it that badly.

Oh yeh! I think I have my thread issues corrected. I fiddled & fiddled - said some REALLY ugly things - and finally got the stitches to look NICE. On top & on the bottom. Bourbon is going to like his sheet quilt. Babtist Fans on blue pinstriped sheets. Thread is some plum/purple that I have NEVER used. This is one ugly practice peice. Good thing he don't care. I , probably, won't post pictures of this doggy quilt, fix the tension, practice peice..........it's not my best work.

Sam

Thread Woes

Oh My Gosh! What is the opposite of the Midas Touch? What ever it may be, I have it.

I have spent all day - not an understatement - ALL DAY - with thread tension issues.

I am so angry with myself right now - that I am afraid to even TRY touching any machine.

I bought Superior Thread at the Paducah Show on Friday.

I finished quilting the Grandbaby's Quilt yesterday - BUT ! I have fiddled with the tension SO much with the YLI thread & the Superior thread that I can't get it right on my Perma Core thread. The stitches LOOK good, but now? NOW???? The top tension is so tight, the thread keeps breaking. What's the solution? Loosen the top & tighten the bobbin. Yes, that would be it, but I'm not ready for another 3 hour round of thread fighting. There is NO winner in a thread fight. Trust me, I won't lie!

ACK !! I am so aggravated right now. Absolutely, not kidding, rotten to be around, don't even want to say nice things to the dog, want to punch holes in the wall, ugly ugly personality, just plain angry. Can't be any more angry that that?

And I want a Coke & a Chocolate bar. I know I'd feel better after those. Guess what? Don't got none.

Sam

Quilting the Grandbaby's Quilt

ACK !! I am frog stitching. Major, big time FROGGING. I am backing the quilt in a Cowboy print. Bucking Broncos. It's an older Michael Miller fabric. And since the top is a dark navy blue - I wanted to quilt it with navy blue thread. Well.........the only dark blue thread I have it YLI.

I don't know what YOU use, but I don't use YLI. I have about 12 cones of YLI that I got when I bought the machine. I can't make it work, I have never been able to make it work. It shreds easily, and has too many slubs in it. I hate it. I dislike it, I can't even pretend that I like it.

But it was NAVY BLUE !!

So I loaded the quilt up, and quilted 2 rows of stars & loops. Well, now I am frogging said 2 rows. It's going to take me 2 days to frog stitch all this quilting. The top looks great, the back looks like ......... nasty. Loops and little nests. I fiddled with the tension, I fiddled with the bobbin tension, I threaded & rethreaded the machine.........I said some really NOT NICE words about that YLI thread, and NOW I am frogging it all out.

Cotie's husband once told me that 2 minutes quilting on a long arm equals 2 hours of taking it all out. I think he's understated that action. I am a 1/3 done, of frog stitching. I been doing it all night.

I'll re-quilt it later next week. I WILL use navy blue thread, but a guarantee you, it won't be with that YLI thread. Not even one inch.

Anyone want some YLI thread? I am serious. We can trade. I'll count how many I got. (have some mono-filiament too. I refuse to quilt with that stuff too)

What brand do I like? What brand do I buy? PERMA-CORE. Love the stuff. I never have tension problems with the PERMA-CORE thread. But I used up all my navy blue.....

And just for the record. I have used the YLI on a Gammill Optimum and had the EXACT same issues as I am having on my Nolting 24. Yes, maybe you're right, maybe I HAVE convinced myself & now it's simply a mind thing - but right now it's a seam ripper thing. I ain't using that shtuff again.

I was SO hoping to have it quilted & the binding sewn on for the trip to Salem (Opelika, AL) this coming week. Darn it.

No pictures because it's ugly right now.............!!!!!!!!

Sam

Grandbaby's Quilt

Until i finish his I-Spy, this one will do!

1st photo is with out borders, the last 2 are shown with it hanging off the railing of the deck.

Sure wish you didn't see all the crud UNDER the deck, this month or next, we are building a planter around the bottom of the deck & it will have my hydrangeas in it. Then you won't see under it any more!

Sam

Bug Jar Quilt

Shortly after Christmas last year, my friend Donna in southern California, asked me if I could contribute any fabric to make some Bug Jar Quilts.

There was a very tragic accident & one brother of 3 was killed. The Aunt(s) of the boys wanted to make the quilts for the younger boys. I thought this was a beautiful idea & was brought to tears over the whole incident. I dont' wish to intrude in the family's privacy & won't post photos of the boys, nor their names. I thought it was just wonderful that they shared the photos with me.

I managed to send a nice selection of prints & the Aunt(s) were gracious enough to share photos of the compeleted quilts. It's so nice to recognize some of the prints that I sent!

I was honored to be asked to help & doubly honored that they used what I sent. It makes me feel so proud of the nice things that quilters do for one another

Sam