How much throat space is needed for Machine Quilting on a DSM?

Today, I basted!!!  Had to bring the 2 large tables in the house -- too cold outside!  I have PVC legs to put on the table legs to bring up the surface to my height - no bending over!!!  But the job is done, all mess put away, and I am ready to MQ this MOUNTAIN of Jamestown Landing (my way)!  I say "My Way" because I didn't make the strings for the HSTs, just used large blue triangles instead.  Thank you Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com for her continued inspiration!  

I machine quilt on my domestic sewing machine (DSM), a Janome MC6500.  This machine has never had a problem with thread - I've NEVER fussed with tension other than the transition from regular sewing to machine quilting.  It has been a workhorse.  It is 7 years old with not one bit of trouble and I've never had it serviced.

How much space does a person need to MQ this one?  There is a fuzzy photo, you might see that I have 8 7/8 inch from the housing to the needle, and my quilt is 87" x 104".  This is the largest I've quilted - it will work, with some fiddling, and patience needed near the center.  I will work perhaps 2 hours a day, not longer because I don't want to strain neck and shoulder muscles. 

Below is my favorite quilting pattern, a kind of paisley I learned from PatsyThompsonDesigns.com. I now use Schmetz Microtex needles for quilting, but Schmetz regular quilting needles are good as well.  The Microtex seem to last longer and I use them for regular sewing well beyond one quilt.  The thread I'm using is variegated cotton (YLI) with soft shades of pastels which add some sparkle to the mostly all-blue quilt.  I feel brilliant with this choice of the subtle added color, AND I alrelady HAD some on hand!  

I have also learned that setting my machine to a certain speed  - not too fast, not too slow, and then flooring the foot pedal gives me the best control and most even stitches.  I use my left foot on the foot pedal and my right knee on the knee lift - so glad I learned that efficient technique!

I pile my quilt around the needle - definitely NO ROLLING - and keep adjusting, futzing, moving, plumping.  My sewing table/surface is flat, and opens up wide.  However, having that extra space means I have a tendency to pile UFOs, etc., on the surface. Bad me!  Occasionally, I've quilted a stray block or bits of fabric onto the back of my quilting project!  One time I quilted my Machinger onto the back.  Duhhhh! 

One thing leads to another ...

A friend surprised me with this beautiful hanging basket chock full of flowers.  It looked so cheerful, I added a decorative birdhouse, usually kept inside the house.  THAT looked even more cheerful and I added the church, and then added the quilty Jim Shore birdhouse, that no self-respecting bird would EVER move into.  Never-the-less, the end result looks a little like a Christmas Tree - all very cheerful and happy .  On the shepherd's hook almost out of sight is yet another birdfeeder, another BARN.  Unfortunately, with the owl occasionally living in our little back yard, we seldom see other birds, so the cheerful bird houses will have to do!  Look at that GREEEEEEN grass - hooorayy!

Below, the purple/red batik, is probably the last of my practicing of making cosmetics bags.  I have that tab (left of the zipper) on the zipper figured out.  I still need guidance on zippers and will check with my local gals - there are so many versions - I don't remember having problems waaaaay back 35 years ago!  LOL.  These cosmetics bags called for fusible batting - I think next time, I'll try fusible interfacing - it may be less bulky.  This one turned out pretty good!

Buttons, and Practice

 Today I vowed to "practice" regular sewing, and relearn long-forgotten dressmaking techniques.  I used to be reasonably competent, before quilting took over my life.  Yikes, fumble fingers, what foot???, where is the right foot???, where is my instruction book???, what thread??? change this and that, up and down, "how do I...?", "I forgot something", etc.  The item on the left is a nearly finished zippered pouch, and called for fusible batting, and scraps.  My zipper was an old one with metal teeth - uhhhh, not a great idea.  And the buttons for a little pizzazz?  I have a half-gallon jar full of possibilities, but didn't find many that added "pizzazz".  There seems to be an art to using them effectively.  Why do we save them for 50 years???  LOL  I"ll give myself a "C-" for the finished project, and an "A" for effort.  I'll try again, and do better on the zipper ends which remain crumpled at each end, not sharp and neat.

DH has fashioned a few old wood thread spools into doo-dad-type-buttons by cutting them in half lengthwise, and drilling out sewing holes.  I have a small spool supply as you see in the photo - that should last me another 50 years!  LOL  

What about you?  Do you USE your carefully saved buttons?  

Practicing 3 little bags  

First one, brown batiks --  I didn't know how to resolve the issue at the end of the zippers with that fold thing.  Crumpled corners are not attractive.   This was my "C-".  Arranging buttons artfully is not as carefree as we think!

Second one (blue) looks great, but upon inspection when FINISHED, a seam on the zipper was not deep enough and pulled away.  I "fixed" it with hand stitching - looks terrible (not shown).  This is a "B-"

Third one, (red/black)  is good all way around - an "A"!  I added a bit of grosgrain ribbon to the zipper pull.

Practice is good!

Is it Spring finally?

Despite my long absence from blogging, I HAVE been quilting!  Here is the completed top of Jamestown Landing.  Even by substituting HSTs for the string units, there are over 2000 pieces, and is queen size.  I have the batting and backing and "one of these days" will get it sandwiched and then quilted.  

I have lost all my favorite blog addresses - another job to find them again, and then get them in a Reader.  I am  perturbed with Google Reader that my blog list went totally away without the chance to get it copied or ??????  

 These tulips are "passable" ... this is the first year when blizzards, heavy snow, heat, then blizzards, have definitely damaged my spring tulips.  But these poor quality tulips are better than nothing!

Poppies are coming up and spreading everywhere!

And we have our friend, the screech owl, who spends some days with us, some days elsewhere.  We are watching for his mate and youngsters.  While we love to see him, we miss the songbirds which are, unfortunately, nowhere to be seen.  We may as well take down the feeders.  Even goldfinches only stayed a few days and then disappeared.

We haven't cut grass yet, and my front garden has suffered the same fate as the tulips - just a crummy garden this year.  Only a few daffodils appeared, and only a few red tulips - there should be 3 dozen - I think 6 came through.  Maddening!  We are trying grasses this year and day lillies.  The mugho pines look pitiful, with a lot of ugly yellowing around their bases -- they do not look promising either.  

I am reading my post and holy smoke, I sound cranky!  Snow and blizzards did a lot of damage and we all look forward to lovely spring.  This is a harsh climate here in western Nebraska and during the last blizzard, one poor local resident became lost and disoriented and froze to death.  Rescue efforts on snowmobiles saved her adult son who tried to come to her aid - there are times when one needs to stay safe at home.  We are glad to see spring.

Home Again

Two weeks ago, I flew to my younger brother's home west of Milwaukee, for his retirement party.  During that time I also rented a car and then drove 40 miles south of Chicago, to visit old homes, old friends, old schools, old church - much has changed, both good and bad.  It was all a very rewarding excursion/vacation. This blog post includes photos for family purposes.  However, there IS one quilt photo included!

Since I currently live in a small western Nebraska town, with only 5 traffic lights, and NOT having driven in traffic in umpteen years, I was a teeny bit concerned with driving through Chicago, not being familiar with heavy traffic, and unfamiliar highways.  Brother kindly loaned me his GPS gadget, and while I politely refused, he fortunately convinced me to use it.  (I am too stubborn!!!)  I was happily converted to it's usefulness, and managed the drive relatively easily.  Thank you little brother!!!

This was one of the first quilts I made, for this now-retired brother, when I became obsessed with quilting.  It was from Eleanor Burns and would enjoy making another, in the same pattern.  It was so comforting to see it again, well-used and cared for.

This is one of 2 boys, of 15?? grandchildren.  This family produces girls!!!!  Look at that face!  What a solid "chunk" he is.


The kids corner at the retirement party.  They had space to run around, play, and there was even one Kids Table of refreshments, just for them.  This party was arranged by his 4 daughters and one son - it was so lovely!  They did a beautiful job!

The gift, card table.  I'll bet there were over 100 guests.  People from the neighborhood, his church and many related to his hospital career came to show their friendship and appreciation.  It was all so touching.  

My brother was shocked and humbled at the gifts, cards, letters of appreciation, fishing equipment (part of his retirement plan), and a LOT of gift certificates!

More of his "stuff".

His wife, also named Elaine, also enjoyed festivities with her big smile.  At the back of both their minds are the never knowing, "what will retirement be like?"   There are many projects on the "to-do" list.  Fortunately, he is clever and mechanically gifted and can manage most projects himself.  

During my stay outside of Milwaukee, I rented a car and then drove south of Chicago, to see former homes, former digs, former schools, and church, as well as rekindling a friendship with a high school friend of mine.  While we've been visiting ala E-mail, we hadn't actually SEEN each other in uhhh 53 years.  We were both thrilled to find we just picked up where we left off and both enjoyed each other just like the girls we once were.  She and I drove all over old territories, looking at the changes.  Wow, there were a LOT of changes!!!  What used to be "rural" was full-blown TRAFFIC - UGH!

Here is my old grade school - the only thing that remains the same is that the word "Lutheran" is still used and it is mostly on the same physical location.  The building has been rebuilt twice ?? since I was there.  I recognized a member of my 5-student class on one of the Church Committees. 

Here is my old church, again, having been rebuilt so I could not possibly recognize it.  At the corner is major traffic.  "it used to be" old country roads.  Now there is only traffic.

Here is my first house, now much enlarged, but looking unloved now.  There was an enormous amount of rain during my visit (remember hearing of cars falling into sinkholes in Chicago?)

Next door, was a home where my brother once lived, purchased, needing attention when he moved in, looking very nice now.  The owners were outside, and remembered my brother, and also knew my girlfriend who was driving me on this expedition today.  

I used to live here (without the trailers, etc.) ages ago, and was happy to see it looked well-kept and cared for, with flowers and gardens.  

When my folks moved from the farm, they built this home, still looking OK and cared for.  All was so dreary with the rain and storms and flooding, it was impossible to find much sun.

The last photo is not taken - that of whatever was left of my old childhood home, a farm.  I knew that trying to find it was going to be sad, but I could not even FIND a trace of it - not a tree, not the creek, not the grape arbor, not a rock that Mom had moved into a garden.  The area was filled with debris, trash, garbage, overgrowth, and apartments on one side, an unattractive strip mall nearby.  When you live on a farm, the earth becomes everything, life, care, love, hope, food, the future.  It wasn't there now.  I knew where it was supposed to be, but decided what I remembered in my memories was so much better, I didn't pursue looking farther - there was no point to a photo.

The End.

More of Jamestown Landing (my way) Progrss

Here is today's effort of making blocks into rows of Jamestown Landing My Way.  Thanks Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com for this lovely design!  My version replaces the string units with the large blue and white HSTs.  As is frequently the case, some of the fabrics I used looked kinda "wrong" and weren't "matching".  As is frequently the case, it is THOSE odd fabrics that give it life.  

Here is a close up of "odd" fabrics that add to the quilt's personality.  My goal is to do just one row of blocks a day - sometimes when pushing myself, it gets overwhelming and I lose enthusiasm.

ISP issues

Oh great, I lost computer/phone power again - we have been struggling with our ISP over 2 months.  Today, phones/Internet has been ON and OFF at least 8-10 times.  However, finally the TVs work OK, after numerous calls, techs, and even re-wiring all the cables, yet the problem continued - bad or no TV reception.  They even replaced the buried cable, the "hub" on the pole in the alley, resulting in no improvements for TV.  Finally, I called another person, who "goosed" power outlet somewhere and that seems to solve the TV issues -- I am saying that today, tomorrow might be different.  The TV issues were the original problem.  However, we realize now, that the phones are out and we've noticed we're not receiving any calls - unlike normal traffic.  The Internet connection is also out much of the time, which I attributed (wrongly) to an old computer.  We realize now that it is the ISP and connections, not us.  We've been keeping a log for 2 weeks of issues and sporadic problems - I want to holler to someone, 'THAT'S NOT MY JOB!" to keep these logs!!!.  Yet another tech (is this 5 or 6 or 7?) comes Monday -- he said he'd call first - I had to remind him THE DANGED PHONES WON'T WORK - THAT'S WHY YOU ARE COMING!!!!    When I started this post, I HAD a connection.  5 minutes later, NADA.  If he does not get me fixed Monday, I am going to mention the name of the company - this is getting ridiculous.

(OK, I feel a little less frustrated!)

Yep, power is back on!