Humbug bag

I traveled up to Pine Needles Sewing Center for my first Mastery class on my Bernina Aurora 430. MOST of what was covered I had already figured out- but it was WELL worth the drive. I learned a few things that were really incredible. The course was project based- we made a Humbug Bag. The bag is okay, but not my favorite. It has a lining in it, but exposed seams, as the lining is just overlocked to the edge of the outer fabric to hide the "quilting" (basically we tried tons of decorative stitches, used the twin needle, and did some couching)- I also don't care for how the zipper sticks up. But it is SUPER easy to make, so a good little gift, I think I would do it with a proper turned lining though (to be fair, we barely referenced the pattern, so maybe it calls for one and we just didn't do it?)

Although the class was "free" ($75 if you didn't buy your machine there! Do this enough times and I'll earn my money on that purchase, haha), I thought the kit was kind of expensive. It was probably a fair cost for what was in it (2 mettler threads, 1 YLI variagated- though mine you couldn't even tell it was variagated, I was disappointed, a twin needle, a jeans needle pack, 2 Fat quarter, one backed with interfacing, some cording, and a zipper), but it still seemed expensive. I think I was mostly annoyed my variagated thread was goldenrod and sunshine- if you looked closely at the spool you could tell there were 2 yellows, but you can't tell at all on the sewing.

#1 The reason the threader is so freaking hard to use is that I was doing it totally wrong. Doing it right makes it way easier. The right way is very different from my Kenmore. It is exactly like the video the Bernina sight has, I just didn't process what happened in the video.

#2 The reason my bobbin case kept falling out was user error (I figured it was). I put it in, and it clicks. I figured that was right. It really has to CLICK. I mean seriously CLICK. Then, it doesn't fall out.

#3 The reason there is a screw on the back of all the feet is for the seam guide. You can use it on any foot, not just a walking foot. Seriously awesome.

#4 I don't think I really need a 1/4" foot. The straight stitch foot seems good enough for me, for now.

#5 I totally need a free motion couching foot. Before this class, I didn't really even know what free motion couching was (although I had seen it in a video, and just though "neat") now that I've done it- amazing. See the cord in the bottom left corner of the bag? That's done with free motion couching. SO COOL.

#6 Heel Tap really is difficult. They actually should rename it heel stomp. I'm still not sure why I would want that.

#7 Knee Lift isn't that useful for most sewing. I never used it today, despite them telling us "you won't be able to live without it". Still, I'm very glad I have it. I like it for freemotion quilting, and it is good for pivoting on garments.

#8 Bernina Bobbins are expensive. But I bought a tube of them. I'm done for now.

Quilt Guild and Art

Last night I went to my first guild meeting. I joined the Old Capital Quilters Guild
I am pretty sure I was the youngest person there (and mistaken for a high schooler, as they were expecting some girls from 4H!). There were a few women who looked to be in their 40's or 50's, but as expected, the crowd skewed towards older women. I sat at a smaller table of ladies, and the women were nice and chatted with me. My goal of this is to meet some people in the area, but the set up is so huge (about 100 people) that I think that would be tough if you don't already know each other! There are 'small groups' and I might try to join one of those.

The guild seems to do a ton of charity work. They collect quilts for the hospital, they do a block a month (I'm going to try this) where someone assembles the blocks together. This meeting they also talked about place mats for meals on wheels and stockings/pillowcases for the troops. If I have some quilting time this month, I might try either of these.

Each month, the meeting has an activity. This month we watched a movie called "Stitched". It was a pretty spectacular introduction to art quilting. I know what art quilting is, but I have never seen it to this degree. It is truly amazing- the men and women who do this sort of quilting are without a doubt true artists, their medium is fabric and thread. I think it is a little frustrating, because I doubt the typical "quilter" (uh, me...) could aspire to this level, you just need formal art training.

The video showcased the pull between art quilting (many of whom do NO patchwork or applique, but paint their quilts) and traditional quilting. Things like "why would you put that on a bed?" (um, you wouldn't) or that these people shouldn't even be called quilters (uh?). I'm wondering how they found people to be interviewed because they come off sounding like ignorant old biddies.

I've known for awhile that while I like some traditional quilts, and like piecing, I lean towards modern quilting, mostly in color. However, seeing all these award winning traditional quilts, and award winning art quilts, I realize that I really lean away from traditional. Maybe after I finish my Master's degree I'll have to go and try to do some art classes, and see if I can transfer some of the information to quilting. Heck, even a color theory class would be nice!

For those reading my blog who don't know what art quilting is, or only barely know (like I did), here are the three artists/quilters featured, and a work that I loved by them.

Hollis Chatelain: Innocence (this quilt didn't even get an award at the show featured, but it got viewer's choice.) If you click on the link to the side, it will show the detail: all over the quilt, images of children are stitched into it. Amazing quilting. (Since last night I've been very inspired to learn more about show quilting- and this one seems to come up a lot in the "Why didn't my quilt get a ribbon" -FAQ authors will say "this one didn't get a ribbon either" - it is clearly a very highly respected quilt, I still don't know what the judges were thinking. The winning quilts were very good, but this is just an amazing piece of art.

Another quilter featured was Caryl Bryer Fallert. I didn't know it at the time, but I had actually heard of her. Leah Day mentioned her in a blog post just a few days ago (about using clamps in the ceiling to support the weight of the quilt) and I've been eying a line of fabric called "Gradations" that she apparently designed. (Funny thing about fabrics- I have a line of fabric I love- Mixmaster's, apparently it was designed by Patrick Lose- a quilter I also admire.) Feathers in the Wind was the quilt featured in the show. I love the sense of color she displays in her works. And look at this gorgeous dance quilt.

The final quilter featured was a man named Randall Cook (each was kind of related in the art world to the other. Caryl mentored Hollis, Hollis mentored Randall. Guess Caryl is just top of the chain!) Each of the quilter's had caused a stir in the world of quilting: Caryl being the first to win a major show with a machine quilted quilt, Hollis for winning with a painted quilt (no piecing or applique!), and Randall for his "pornographic" (haha) work. Here is the stunning quilt he made. I guess they are right, you don't see too many nudes in the quilt world. I think I have the smallest draw to Randall's art, but it is also just amazing. I tried to find one of his quilts that most caught my eye, and when I did, I realized it is one of Caryl Fallert's designs... What I find most interesting about him is he does traditional quilts too, and was shown doing hand quilting (though I think he mostly machine quilts).


Overall, the quilt guild meeting was inspiring, and has me really wanting to try some new forms of quilting. And to get to go to the Des Moines quilt show later this month. I was already to not go, but now I want to see what show quilts look like in real life!

Embroidery!!!

Picked this (and a quilt kit) up at the Bernina dealership today :)

Anyone have any idea how this works? The class I need was yesterday, so I'll have to wait a bit... It came with a carrying case, but I don't see a manual...uh oh (ETA: The manual is in the regular one...so hopefully I can figure this out a bit.)

Mmmm...yummy

We just got back from a week long trip to Texas (17 hour in the car yesterday!) It is SO nice to be home. The quilt store called and my embroidery module is ready to be picked up, so I need to finish all my homework so I can get into the car again and drive to Cedar Rapids. But first, I am enjoying one of my favorite Texas treats: New Caanan Farms Jelly (and mustard!) on crackers. We bought 6 jars (3 for me, 3 for Kevin, but I bet he eats my mustard too) and in my opinion, that wasn't enough! Yum, yum, yum!

Our trip was more than just jelly though. We spent a few days in Fort Worth with my sister. I am so thankful for that time. Her kids are growing SO fast. Getting to hang out and play with C., B., and L. was just fantastic. C. is in Kindergarten now and is a baseball champion. I already can't keep up with him. (Quote of the week "Get under the ball, Aunt Jessi! Move your feet!") B. and L. are almost 2 years old now and just adorable. Chasing them around was the highlight of my week.

In Austin, we got to visit with my parents, including a day of wine tasting (not my thing: but it is Kevin's thing: he picked up 4 bottles!) and we got to see Kevin's family. Michael and Rachel, who went on the cruise with us, are now pregnant (mostly just Rachel), and Jill's and Kelly's children C. and R. are growing up fast too (though we just saw them for graduation). This C. also loves baseball, and R. just loves everything: she is smiley and expressive (oh but if you tell her "no" she has an amazing glare.) We played lots of games together, one of our favorite family traditions. We didn't get to see much extended family, but thankfully, we got to see Nan (she stopped by the bowling alley, and also brought us some pie before we left). Oh- and at the bowling alley, C. managed to get both a spare and a gutter ball: behind the bumpers. What a feat! (I think he did about as well as I did- I play with bumpers too :) Funny though, I found that when the ball hits the bumpers, I pretty much never hit a pin. Might as well get the gutter balls, as my good throws never need the bumpers.)

Mod 6 Done!

I finished the Mod 6 quilt last night. It is a sixty-inch square (a unit we call "One square Jessi") and the biggest quilt I have done. As I've mentioned, I did it in 4 pieces and joined it together quilt as you go, with sashing. This was MUCH harder than I anticipated. I wonder what it would have been like on my old machine, because the Bernina was not interested in feeding it through- as it was sold to me on being able to feed anything through, I was somewhat surprised (seriously- it went over 6 layers of denim without hesitation, why was this so tough?)

This was also the largest thing I have ever bound, and I cut my binding thinner, as I don't like it when it was so thick. This turned out to be a mistake, as I didn't have a deep enough seam allowance on the back, so some of the binding didn't actually get sewn down to the back of the quilt, and frayed when it washed, I just zig zagged that down.

This is the very first project I've free motion quilted. Each of the quadrants has 5 squares with filler designs (that I've been showing) and there is a loopy meander over the entire quilt. I am in LOVE with FMQ. (Which Kevin says he always reads as F my quilt, I suppose because of FML that people use on facebook? I'm not one of those people.)

Isn't she beautiful.
(You should be able to click to enlarge it)
So here's a question- should I sign it? People always say you should sign your quilts, but I never do. I kind of consider this my first "real" quilt, do I need to start?

Welcome Nina!

What was the teaser about yesterday? Well, my Kenmore 16221 can't do alphabets- but my Bernina Aurora 430 can! I got a new sewing machine!!!!! (Or "sewing computer" as the manual says)

On Saturday Kevin and I drove up to Cedar Rapids and spent some time at the Janome and Bernina dealers, asking lots of questions and looking at a few different models. On Sunday I drove up and spent about an hour at each sewing on different fabrics, and then another hour at Bernina talking with the salespeople, waffling about an upgrade, and talking about prices/ packages. (Friday I also went to Brother, but I ruled them out before I test sewed.)

So after looking at the three dealers near here, I narrowed it down the the Janome Horizon 7700 and the Bernina 430. Honestly, I think I'd be pretty happy with either machine. I feel like on the internet you get lots of "my machine is best!" but very few people who have used lots of different brands and can really say best.

So why did I go with Nina here?
Although people say Bernina's are really expensive, I felt like it was a great value for the money. (Also- I don't want to sound "rude" talking about money, but it is really hard to find pricing information about sewing machines, so I will say that I paid $2099 pre-tax, with trade in for the Bernina. I think it was $2600 without trade in. The Janome was listed at $2999 and I was offered $200 for my trade in.)

Here are the major differences I noticed:
The Janome Horizon has a HUGE throat space. The quilt shown above barely even touched the inside of the machine when I was sewing on it (though not in the absolute center)- on my Kenmore, I was having to bunch it up already! This was something that really drew me to the machine. It also has an automatic thread cutter, which was really nice to use (but not a deal breaker), and MUCH better memory than the Bernina (something like 20 "spots" of memory where you can put in quilt labels and such. The Bernina has 60 spots of memory- each holds 1 letter, or stitch. It's just not comprable, Janome wins here.) It also came with many more feet (but who ever uses half of those?). The dealer was going to "throw in" a sewing table ($500 value, but you can get good ones like Gidget 2 for $250ish) a rolling travel bag, a cone stand, and for me the free motion bobbin case ($60 value).

The Bernina felt better sewing- it could really fly and the stitches were beautiful. It didn't even notice the seam as it jumped it for jeans. You can wind the bobbin while still sewing. The dealer offered stronger support. It had more throat space then I had, and the dealer (and the internet) said that king size quilts were definitely doable on it (and I don't make those...) It had all the features I wanted (the Janome had them too) - locking stitch, basic alphabets, needle down, good lighting, knee lift, lots of decorative stitches and buttonholes, good free motion quilting. The thing that sold me was the price- the Janome might have more features, but not $1000 more (for me)

And then this: Bernina's special offer: the embroidery unit. It's $800 if you add it when you buy the machine, almost twice that if you add on later. That was HUGE value for me, as embroidery was something I kind of wanted to look at (and while Janome offered a good amount of stuff, it wasn't quite the same level of stuff). Getting it free: big deal. The Janome doesn't have embroidery capability, you can't add onto it later. (Kevin did point out: something you can never add: space. But I actually think he prefered the Bernina, they really sold the mechanical features, the motor, the Swiss quality, that is what a guy looks for)

And last, at least in that dealership the Janome 7700 was as good as you get, absolute top of the line (not sure if that is true of the brand). For Bernina, the 430 seems to be mid range. There is room to move up, and they offer good trade up, even years down the road. I've always been told Bernina has "expensive feet" but I found most to be reasonable, and to be about the same as Janome anyway (though maybe you can use generics there?) I've seen mixed reviews on the Horizon but pretty much no negative on the 430 (well, except that while they really hype "Swiss Made" the label say "Made in Thailand" I had a heads up on that thanks to patternreview.com, but their website says assembled there with swiss parts. I'm thinking it is a non-issue, but salespeople should be more careful with their talking points. )

So after test sewing, I decided Bernina: all I had left to think about was: do I upgrade to the 440? It comes with the BSR (stitch regulator for free motion quilting, it senses how fast you move the fabric, and stitches exactly the same size each time), walking foot, 1/4" foot, an extra alphabet, a good number more decorative stitches, but was essentially the same machine. Once I heard the price, the answer was NO (can't recall what it was, maybe $3,400?).

But they offered me a deal to add the BSR to the 430: $2999- that put it in line with the Horizon (they say buying it on it's own later is like $1400). After playing with it for awhile, I decided my money would be better spent on a few feet for the Bernina (I got satin stitch, open toe darning, and whatever the #10 is...it was recommended) and fabric to practice on. The sales people were very helpful, and didn't pressure me, just pointed out the reason that this line is great is these things can always be added later (for a higher cost). Already, I am very happy with my decision. I came home and immediately started free motion quilting (as seen in picture) and I LOVE IT as is! My stitches already look pretty even, I'm not getting eyelash pulls on the back. With the BSR it was always beeping at me that I was moving the fabric too fast, with the machine- I can set the needle speed, then play with the pressure on the foot pedal, and go as fast as I want. I finished a portion of the quilt that would have taken me 3 hours on my Kenmore in about an hour. This baby flies!

The embroidery unit wasn't in stock, so I get to pick that up later. I'm nervous about it- I really don't know anything about embroidery. It does not come with digitization software, and apparently that is expensive- but I can use pre-made designs.


I'll post a more thorough review later when I've had it for more than a day, but I think I'm going to be very happy with Nina! (And that's pronounced in the spanish way. Kevin said to me "Bernina is a swiss company, not spanish- stop saying it like it is one of Columbus's ships." That made me decide my actual machine was likely Spanish.)

Another FMQ post

I actually did these designs before I did that Halloween wall hanging, I just never posted.


This one is based on Monster Teeth, but I chose to do curves instead of squares. I think they remind me of amoeba.

And this is the one I designed myself. I am happy with it, but I wish I hadn't chosen to make the heart in the center. Although I love the heart in the center, I don't like the line to get it there. I also need to work on keeping my lines parallel!!!!!!!



Here is a close up on the front.


Finally, something exciting happened this weekend. I'll post about it soon, but here is a hint. (This also shows off Kevin's amazing Macro tubes- this yellow fabric is the same as above, what an amazing close up...the weave of the fabric looks like it is loose, and it is NOT.)


Lastly, I start class tomorrow. I am taking two classes again, which pretty much takes up all my time when combined with work and skating. I won't be sewing much :( Though I definitely will be making time for it on weekends when I don't have big projects due!

First Applique

Last night I attended a class at my local quilt shoppe (Common Threads -I will note I almost refuse to shop there because of the extra "pe" on the end of shop, but they are really great, so I forgave them)

 

We did raw edge applique with this adorable Patrick Lose design.  (I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to learn to satin stitch, but it's such a cute project, and the raw edge is really good for it, that I'm okay with it.)  I learned how to use steam-a-seam (just like fusible interfacing, really) and then, it's covered with a thin layer of tulle and quilted down.

 

I also learned how to add a hanger holder in the back, so I will hang this in my office in October.  I love it so much!  I hope I can go back next month for another project.  And I'll probably get into applique at home too!

 

 

I'm looking to buy a new machine, and Kevin says to go ahead and just go fancy to avoid paying the "beginners tax".  But fancy machines are SO expensive.  I'm really conflicted on what to do...

Tonight's progress...

So I think I will have the whole math quilt done by the weekend, but I'm going to need more thread: spool number 1 (and a big one) is empty, and the only other one I had was a small one. I've done half, and have less than the amount of thread I used left. The math quilt tells me this means I don't have enough. (Though maybe if I rip out less? Of course, I already had to rip out tonight.)

I haven't tried the hearts yet, but do plan to do the converging heart pattern tomorrow. Tonight I tried two more designs based on Leah Day's designs (I promise I'm not a stalker! Seriously best FMQ resource ever).

The first design is based on Spiral Illusion. I love this design (one of my very favorites I think), but I've tried it before and keeping the second spiral straight is HARD. So I cheated a little and changed it. I call my design "Double Spiral". It has the base of a square spiral, and then from the middle I come back out with a round spiral. I'm getting better at straight lines- I found out that if I space them the size of my foot I can use the spring as a guide. Very nice short cut.

(Funny- I left a comment on her blog, after skimming the comments there. Then I read them again and realized the comment right before mine actually says they did the same thing as I did here. Guess my idea wasn't too original.)

I also tried my first stem centered design: Leaf Vein.
I kind of forgot to tilt them upward. I like how it looks, but it doesn't look like its inspiration.

If you can draw it, you can quilt it...

I have a feeling this will prove not to be true, but I have been doodling hearts since I was a little girl. My hands know.the motion, so quilting them should come easily, right?
Here are two heart based designs I doodle at lunch. Which should I try to quilt?  I think maybe the stacks will be really hard...but I worry I'll loose the echo on the other design too fast, so it won't show up well...