It was fun and quite easy to piece together and I was pleased with the color gradations and the chili peppers. Ok, the piecing is not perfect, but I liked it. I was dreading the day when I would have to free motion it because my Husky Varmit does not like to free motion. I wanted it quilted very densley so it would hold it's shape so I did triangles with straight lines in it very close together. This piece is 112 inches long and I knew it was going to take a while. The pebbling around the chili peppers looked OK until I turned it over and looked at the back...OUCH...not just loose tension, but no tension at all! I could pull the bobbin thread out very easily...so OK it was not hard to rip it out readjust the tension, and do that part again. But when I started the red pieces, my thread would break about every 10 inches or so, or it would shred. I discussed it with one sister (God bless her for listening to me whine) and she and I did some research. I took all suggestions to heart and tried to implement them...nothing helped. Finally I was resigned to quilting about 10 inches at a time...grrrrrr....3.... frustrating...., slow.... days later I realized that most of the thread breaks were happening when I would sew backwards. Going forwards and sideways was not so much of a problem so, I adjusted my quilt while stitching to go either forward or sideways. That went a little faster.
So I posted a picture on the 'sister' blog and Janie called me and said she was researching my problem (she also has a designer 1 machine) and she came across an obscure .pdf file that mentioned a 'freemotion' button. Huh? whasat? There is a free motion BUTTON? I went out to the studio, while she stayed on the computer to read line by line how to find this unkown button....and low and behold...we found it! Burried somewhere in the 'set' tab, there is indeed a FREE MOTION BUTTON! The black scrap below is one that I did right after getting off the phone. In all that swirling and going back and forth, NOT ONE THREAD BREAK!
THANKS JANIE!
Glad you figured it out Nan! Isn't it just like those husquevarnies to hide that button. I was swearing at my machine cause it wouldn't embroider...turns out I had the wrong foot on...duh. When all else fails, read the book...or call a sista!
ReplyDeleteThere's an old song from White Christmas about Me and My Sister (Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen). "Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister and Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man." I think we can re-write that to "Lord help the Husqyvarminster that messes with my Sister. . ." and I think I'll stop right there.
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