No sewing again today -

 

 

Those pesky "chores" took over my day - 

 

But I did do some more "un-sewing" on my Imperial Bargello - 

 

I was too lazy to take a photo - 

 

So here's one from a couple of weeks ago - 

 

That looks about the same - 

 

I know that some people don't like to "un-sew" - 

But I don't really mind -

It's relaxing and I can let my mind wander - 

 

There's always the next project to think about - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Bobbins -

 

 

Today I played with some bobbins - 

 

All polyester - but different weights -

 

So I'm going to document what I did here - 

In case I lose my notes -  

 

Ignore the two GREEN "test runs" on the left - 

 

Top thread - Finess - THICKET BROWN - 50 wt - 3 ply - polyester -

Since that is what I'm using on my Imperial Bargello -

Might as well test it with the thread I want to use -

"High quality" thread - brand new -

 

Then I changed the bobbins - 

 

#1 - BLACK - Maxilock - 50 wt - 3 ply - polyester - 

Also what I'm using on my Imperial Bargello - 

"Serger" thread - but same weight and type as Finesse - 

 

#2 - NATURAL WHITE - Bottom Line - 60 wt - 2 ply - polyester - 

"High quality" thread - but older - it's been in my stash for a while - 

 

#3 - Natural - Connecting Threads - EssentialPRO - 70 wt - 3 ply - polyester -

Also older - from my stash - 

 

#4 - CREAM - Decobob - 80 wt - cottonized polyester -

The CREAM one is in the bobbin now - I forgot to take it out for the photo - 

The BLACK is the other one that was included in the sample pack - same type - 

"High quality" - brand new -

 

I wanted to minimize the variables - 

 

Kept the top thread the same - 

 

And the tension settings on both the top and bobbin the same - 

 

To see what would happen -

  

The bobbin thread broke on the Bottom Line and EssentialPro -

And I got eyelashes, too -

 

The TOWA gauge ranged from 270 to 300 to 400+ - 

 

So fiddling with the tension might produce better results -

 

I have also ordered some different threads - 

 

As recommended by some friends - 

 

And will play with them when they get here - 

 

For now - I'll stop whining - 

And get back to "un-sewing" my Imperial Bargello - 

While I think about my next "sewing" project - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -   

Round one -

 

 

Well - I made it through my first "round" - 

 

Of redoing the quilting on my Imperial Bargello - 

 

And took it off the frame -

 

While it's off and I'm "unsewing" the rest of the wonky bobbin rows -

 

I can experiment with other thread combos - 

 

I had a brand new cone of Grace - Finesse - thread in the top -

50 wt - 3 ply - polyester -

 

And it kept breaking just like my "old" Maxilock - 

50 wt - 3 ply - polyester -

 

It "should" work -

 

It's the recommended brand/type and "brand new" -

 

So maybe it's the bobbin thread - 

 

Right now it's a bobbin filled with "brand new" black Maxilock -

Maybe it needs to be a lighter weight - 

 

I have a couple of Decobob bobbins - 80 wt - that came with the sample pack - 

 

I can play with the cream/beige one - and if it "plays nicely" -

 

I can use the black one to finish off the rest of the redo - 

 

It's the only black lightweight that I have -

 

So I hope it works - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Quilting again -

 

 

I found some thread that Gracie likes -

 

50 wt - 3 ply - polyester -  

 

BOB told me to check the manual - 

 

And I should have listened to her sooner - LOL - 

 

It's the same type as the Maxilock Serger thread that I've been using - 

 

So my thread breaks could be due to the thread being OLD -  

 

Anyway -

 

I got some NEW thread - 

 

And chose a LIGHT TAN for the top thread - 

 

And BLACK for the bobbin - 

 

Then re-loaded my Imperial Bargello - 

 

And re-quilted some of the lines that I had previously "un-sewn" - 

 

The top tension is tight enough that the back side doesn't show light pokies -

I'm talking about the row in the middle of the photo - 

 

The row on the right is one of the ones that I'm trying to replace - 

I don't like seeing the yellow pokies on the back - 

But I can't take out all of those rows just yet -

I need some of them to hold the batting in place - 

While I redo the first round - 

 

On the top - 

The row on the left - in the red/gold section - has black pokies from the back -

But you can hardly see them - 

It's the one with the threads looped so you know which one I'm talking about - 

The next row to the right - in the white/gold section - shows the black pokies - 

But I'm hoping that those will come out in the wash -

 

Black pokies on the top should blend in more than light pokies on the back - 

 

I could always use the same color of thread on the top and the bottom - 

 

To hide all of the pokies - 

 

But sometimes that just doesn't work for me -

 

And I can deal with pokies - 

 

Far better than I can deal with thread breaks - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Testing -

 

 

Today I tested ten different thread combinations - 

 

Different top threads -

But the same bobbin thread weight/type -  

 

And  f found a few that Gracie didn't like-

 

And some that she did - 

 

 

I tested two of the Grace sample threads - 

 

And Gracie liked them both - 

 

Surprise - surprise - LOL - 

A GREEN solid -

 

And a MULTI-colored variegated -

 

 

 

 She also liked this YELLOW combination -

 

 

For my own records - 

I tested each thread combination - four different ways - 

• Regulated Cruise - 10 stitches per inch
• Regulated Cruise - 14 stitches per inch
• Regulated Precise - 10 stitches per inch 
• Regulated Precise - 14 stitches per inch 

 

I haven't thoroughly analyzed all of the results yet -

 

But I did notice that she didn't particularly like the "Regulated Precise" mode -

 

Nor did she like the 14 stitches per inch - 

 

So tomorrow I'll narrow it down to the "Regulated Cruise" mode - 

 

And 10 stitches per inch -

Then re-test the same combinations -

 

Plus a few more just for fun -

 

I think she likes 50 wt. polyester best - 

 

So - if all I have to do to make her happy - 

 

Is change the "mode" and lengthen the stitch -

 

And find her favorite thread type and weight - 

 

I think I can do that - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Playtime -

 

 

Is a better word for me than WORK - 

 

So that's what I'm going to call it - LOL - 

 

Anyway - 

 

I'm still having tension issues with Gracie (my longarm) - 

 

I had the dealer come out and re-set some things for me - 

And she behaved nicely while he was here - 

But when he left - she started acting up again - 

 

He reset the bobbin and top tensions - 

And now she likes to break the thread - 

 

I think the top tension is too tight - 

But he's been doing it for years - 

And I've been doing it for a few months - 

 

So I don't want to change any of his settings - 

But I need to play to see if I can make her happy - 

 

I tried a bunch of different things - 

One at a time - 

And made notes as I went along - 

 

But my CDO* decided that I had to be more "orderly" about it - 

 

And I found a really cool download - HERE -  

If you click on the link - it's the second one listed - 

The FMQ Troubleshooting Tracker by Quiltsmith - dot - World - 

 

So I printed a couple of copies - 

 

I think that maybe Gracie doesn't like my thread - 

 

So - for the "official" first round - 

 

I'm going to keep the needle size and all of the settings the same - 

I'm just going to play with various threads - 

 

And I think I'll start with the "sample" pack that came with the machine - 

 

Gracie "should" like those - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

 

 

*CDO -

It's like OCD - but the letters are in alphabetical order like they should be - ;)) 

Pressed -

 

 

My Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold is pressed - 

 

Ta - Dah!! - 

 

My camera doesn't like all of the YELLOW and RED - 

But the colors are pretty true in these photos - 

It's BRIGHT - 

But it's still PRETTY - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Webbed -

 

 

My Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold is webbed - 

 

But not pressed yet - 

 

 

So that's next on the agenda - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Back to it -

 

 

Today I got back to the webbing - 

 

Of my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

And finished the first vertical seam - 

 

Before I got interrupted - again - 

 

I have hopes for more progress tomorrow - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

No sewing today -

 

 

So my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

Looks the same as ii did yesterday - 

 

As they say - 

Tomorrow is another day - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Not much progress today -

 

 

On my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold -

 

I started sewing the first vertical seam - 

But got interrupted - 

 

And didn't get back to it - 

 

So maybe tomorrow will be more productive - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

More webbing -

 

 

Today I finished the rest of the webbing - 

 

Of the horizontal rows - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold -

 

Tomorrow I should be able to sew the vertical seams - 

And press it for the "glamour" shots - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Partial webbing -

 

 

On my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

Took place today - 

 

I do mine a little backwards  - 

 

And start with the bottom two rows - 

 

Row #8 is on the left - 

 

And Row #7 is on the right - 

 

 

I flip Row #7 over on top of Row #8 - 

 

And sew them together - 

 

But I don't clip the thread between them - 

 

So they wind up being "webbed" together - 

 

Then I add the next row - and the next - 

 

I got part way through the stack of rows - 

 

And should be able to finish the horizontal seams tomorrow - 

 

Then I can sew the vertical ones - 

 

Yeah - I know - 

 

Everyone else sews the vertical columns first - 

 

Then the horizontal rows - 

 

But I do my "Webbing with a twist" - HERE -

 

And it makes sense to me - ;))

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

 

The next step -

 

 

In my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold- 

 

Was to decide which blocks to put in which row - 

 

And this is what I came up with -

 

I tried to mix up the fabrics - 

 

So the same ones wouldn't be in adjacent blocks - 

 

And used the table insert on my frame to lay them out - 

 

I didn't want to put them all up on the design wall in the hallway - 

Since I wouldn't be able to get a decent photo - 

And I'd have to take them all back down anyway - 

So after I decided on the order - 

 

I made the piles for each row - 

And put them in order for "webbing" - 

Which is the next step - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

The last set -

 

 

Of blocks was sewn today - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

 

So now it's time to play with the layout - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Bright -

 

 

Is putting it mildly - 

 

I did a trial layout of the blocks that I have so far - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold -  

 

 

Then I sewed another set of blocks -

 

I have one more set of blocks to make - 

 

Before I can do the final layout - 

 

But something tells me that it won't matter much -

 

Because I don't think anything -

 

Will tone down all of that RED and YELLOW - 

 

And it's too late now - 

 

Unless I add a sashing between the blocks -

 

And that would destroy- 

 

The whole "Upstairs/Downstairs" thing - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Blocks -

 

 

Today I got back to basics - 

 

And sewed together some more blocks - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

 

I sewed THREE sets of blocks - 

 

And I did not have ONE tension issue - LOL - 

 

I haven't given up yet - 

 

I WILL figure out my longarm tension issues - 

 

Even if I have to call the dealer to come out to check it for me - 

 

In the meantime -

 

Jack - my seam ripper - and I have another date tomorrow - 

 

To "un-sew" some more of the wonky quilting lines - 

 

On my Imperial Bargello - 

 

On the bright side - 

 

The wonky tension makes it easy to "un-sew" a row - 

 

I just have to snag the bobbin thread and pull - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later -  gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Re-doing -

 

 

The re-do - 

 

It feels like I'm back at square one - again - 

 

The tension is STILL wonky - 

 

On my Imperial Bargello - 

 

The YELLOW pokies don't look that bad -  

 

But the BLACK bobbin thread is STILL just sitting there - 

 

I've tightened the top tension in a couple of "full" turns - 

And a few "quarter" turns of the dial -

And STILL have tension problems - 

 

 

I didn't have much time to play with it  today - 

 

So I'll play with it more tomorrow - 

 

And start over AGAIN - 

 

Set the bobbin tension with the "drop test" - 

 

See what the TOWA gauge reads - 

 

Then adjust the top tension - 

 

Ignoring the number on the dial - 

 

I have a preconceived notion of what that number should be - 

 

And that's probably part of my problem - 

 

It doesn't really matter WHAT the number is - 

 

If the tension is good - 

 

And if the top tension gets too tight - 

 

I'll loosen the bobbin tension a little - 

 

And start over - again -

 

Or maybe it's time to change the needle - again - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

The first round -

 

 

Of the quilting "re-do" has been completed - 

On my Imperial Bargello - 

Now I have to un-zip it - 

And "un-sew" the rest of the YELLOW bobbin thread rows - 

But if I get bored doing that - 

I can always take a break - 

 

And play with the last five sets - 

Of my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

The segments are just sitting there - 

 

Waiting to be pressed and sewn together - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

The first few rows -

 

 

Have been re-quilted - 

 

On my Imperial Bargello - 

 

 

The top doesn't look that different - 

 

But the back looks much better - 

I can "live with" the YELLOW pokies - 

More than I can the YELLOW thread on the back -

 

Besides - the pokies will probably disappear - 

 

When it gets washed anyway - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Progress -

 

 

Today I sewed the tubes - 

 

For the rest of the segments - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

And un-sewed each set at the appropriate spot - 

 

Pinned each batch - 

 

And put them on the cookie sheet - 

 

Now all I have to do is take one stack - 

Lay them out in order - 

Press them -

And sew the blocks together - 

 

Assembly-line style - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

No sewing today -

 

 

But I did get one batch of segments pressed - 

 

And pinned - ready to be sewn - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

Set them on the cookie sheet - 

And then partially un-sewed another batch - 

Some days are just not as productive than others - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Re-loaded -

 

 

I re-loaded my Imperial Bargello - 

 

After I un-stitched the last row of the first round - 

 

So it's all ready to start the re-do tomorrow - 

 

 

Then - 

 

For a change of pace -

 

I sewed another set of blocks - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs - Marigold - 

 

And there is another batch ready to un-sew - 

 

At the appropriate spot -

 

So I have a couple of things to play with tomorrow - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

 

Last row -

 

 

I got to the last row on this first round of un-sewing - 

 

And - wouldn't you know - 

 

The tension is a not as bad on this one - 

 

 

But the color is still wrong - 

So out it comes - 

But it's not going nearly as quickly -

 

As the stitches with "wonky" tension -

 

BOB says to just keep going - 

 

I'll get all of the stitches pulled eventually -  ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 

Slow and steady -

 

 

Wins the race - 

 

I un-stitched several more rows today - 

 

It's really not that bad -

 

The bobbin thread is loose and easy to snag with the seam ripper - 

 

There's just a lot of it - 

 

I'm working from the back -

 

So the YELLOW bobbin thread is the stuff I'm pulling -

 

 

And I'm putting a pin in at the end -

 

To mark where there was a line of stitching - 

 

I'll have the first round un-stitched soon - 

 

Slow and steady - ;))

 

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -