Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Time well spent

Well, this past 3-day weekend was put to good use.  Not only did I get to quilt, but I got to hang out with my husband and kids and help a friend unpack boxes at her new house.  It was a great weekend. 

I was able to finish a baby quilt that I can only show you teaser photos of.  When I gift it, you will see the whole thing.



Even though I like the look of multicolored threads in the quilting, I kept having issues with the tension on my machine.  I used 100% cotton threads from 3 different brands, but they all felt a little different to the touch.   It gave me a bit of trouble having to adjust the tension every time I changed out the thread to a different brand.  I have a Juki 2010.  Does anyone else have this problem?  I just hate having to experiment with tension while I'm quilting a quilt.  The seam ripper and I were well acquainted during this one.

I also started quilting my flying geese quilt.  I wanted to do more than straight lines, so I did some echo quilting, stitch in the ditch and point-to-point quilting.  I have a feeling this will be a lot easier once I get brave enough to use my FMQ foot, but that will have to wait for another time.  Until then, I will keep stopping with my needle down and turning the quilt.



I decided to go with Anna Maria Horner's Hand Drawn Garden Rose print for the back.


It's just too large of a print to cut it up, but as a backing it should look amazing...at least I hope so.


  

I still have 2/3 of the quilt to go, but I'm hoping to have it done by Friday.  Wish me luck!

36 comments:

  1. love those teaser pics, I really like the multi colored thread!

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  2. Can't wait to see more of the baby quilt. Looks fabulous with the little teaser.

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  3. The quilting looks great, even if it was a PITA. What kind of thread were you using in the bobbin? I've found that Aurifil 50wt plays really nicely with most threads. Any time I change threads on a quilt I test them (and the tension) out on a small practice quilt--then I don't have as many issues on the real deal. Also a great way to practice your FMQ before putting it on a real quilt too :-)

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  4. Those baby quilt teaser pics are killing me! Sooo cute. Can't wait to see the full reveal.

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  5. You are doing fantastic! Even though you had tension issues, I love the look of the different threads used on that baby quilt!

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  6. oooh I love the different colored threads! hmmm I might have to do one now! love your flying geese also, glad you had a nice weekend!

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  7. It's gorgeous! FMQ is a lot easier, with practice. When I'm stressed, I go back to my walking foot for the control...because I'm so Type A.

    Your fabrics are lovely!

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  8. I have the same Juki, and it's a great machine for FMQ. Just make a small quilt sandwich and give it a whirl! Oh and I can't wait it see your geese quilt finished. I have it bookmarked (your version) as one I want to do soon!

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  9. Looove the 3 threads. I am not a fan of the tension issues either, very annoying when you just want quilt your heart out! Gorgeous backing for your geese.

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  10. The quilting using multi colours looks great, can't wait to see the whole thing.

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  11. Everything looks beautiful and can't wait to see more of the baby quilt! Thanks for sharing.
    Freemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday

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  12. 2 good quilts, not much help on the quilting, so far I have not done any on the machine except for tiny bit in the ditch on my CQ piece , keep telling myself to have a go . I do have a walking foot so really must make an effort

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  13. I'm excited about seeing that baby quilt. The quilting looks really awesome, but I'm no help when it comes to the tension problem :(

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  14. The multi colored quilting looks great. What a fun idea for a baby quilt.

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  15. Can't wait to see the finish! Your teasers are beautiful

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  16. Love those baby quilt teaser pics. Can't wait to see the entire thing... sorry about the tension issues :-( The flying geese look fantastic!

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  17. Love the backing fabric and the multi coloured thread is really effective, worth all the effort!

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  18. I loved them all. I really like the multi-color quilting. And I have had tension issues, too, when I've changed thread. It's frustrating to say the least.

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  19. about the tension. Are you using the same weight thread top and bottom? Are you using a big enough or sharp enough needle in the machine? Either Quilting needle size 80 or 90, or microtex needle same sizes is sharp for going through layers. A needle can make an enormous difference. (I teach thread/needle workshops so feel free to email me. leeannaquilts@gmail.com
    Leeanna Paylor
    lapaylor.blogspot.com

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  20. Everything about this post screams fun quilting!!!

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  21. Hi, I'm stopping by from iQuilt Thursdays. I really like your choice of 3 or 4 different thread colors with longer stitches on the baby quilt . I don't see the tension problems, but perhaps that's cuz you've ripped all of it out. Yuck! I've never seen anyone do this technique and I think it's "sporty" or "catchy" or...anyway, cute! Julie @ RunningHen.blogspot.com

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  22. I love the different colored threads, though it's a bummer it wasn't an easier process... can't wait to see the whole thing!

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  23. LOVE that backing fabric, and I agree- it is too pretty to cut up! Messing with the tension during quilting would freak me out too, but I have to say that the end result with the different thread colors is pretty awesome!

    Thanks for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  24. This is beautiful! I love what you're doing with this quilt!

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  25. It must be beautiful. Can't wait to see the rest.

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  26. I can already tell I love the first quilt! Great colors and I love what you are doing with the thread.

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  27. The colored threads really add to the quilt (at least what I can see). Stitches look good in the photo. Excited to see the entire quilt.

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  28. I LOVE your quilting choice for the PB&J! It is fantastic! Hopefully worth the frustrations you encountered. And the flying geese quilt is turning out so lovely. It was pretty before...now it is just gorgeous! Can't wait to see them completed! How large are they? How much of the AMH did you use? Cause you didn't have to piece it, correct?

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  29. hi, janet! I haven't checked in for a while. ugh! I hate when I get so busy I can't find the time to visit friends. =)

    your baby quilt looks amazing! I love the different threads. it's actually something I was going to try on the strips quilt I'm doing. now you have me a bit worried, though, because I was going to use different thread widths, too. wish me luck!

    I'm not sure how much you've quilted on juki yet, but I did have a few tension problems in the beginning. they seemed to have ironed out now on their own. another juki gal told me the same thing. it's just like these machines need to be broken in a bit and then they are good to go.

    the flying geese look awesome, too. love 'em! have fun with the quilting. your fabric choices are yummy, as usual. =)
    hugs!

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  30. LOVE the variations in thread colors you used. I hate it when tension is an issue too. Makes it such a bad diversion from having fun quilting altogether. I am no help with that as I have a Janome sorry:( Hope you get the kinks worked out real soon,

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  31. That thread variation is great. I hate tension difference. I love the AMH. That backing is incredible.

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  32. Love the sneak peaks and the flying geese,nice quilting.

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  33. I can't wait to see the whole quilt! It looks stunning :) I don't have to play much with the tension on my bernina, but I do change the tension every time I change threads on my longarm. Were you using the same thread in top and bobbin? I find my bernina prefers that :) Thanks for linking up!

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