The elephant wedding quilt project beginning

The holiday is over and I'm ready to get started on my summer project.  My grandson and his bride to be picked the Elephant Abstractions quilt by Violet Craft as their wedding gift from me and I have nearly a year to get it done.  So, let's get started.  This may become a tutorial for paper piecing that I'll post as a tab later but let's see how this goes.

Getting organized is probably one of the most important things to do with a project of this size.  Mom was an organization queen and I learned from her so getting the steps to being ready for this project really isn't so bad.  To start with I had to take the pattern template pages to the office supply place and have every page printed to be used.  The templates in the pattern came printed front and back so you wouldn't use those and not have a pattern in the end.  Okay, that's done. It took awhile to cut all the templates apart and stack them in order.  There are 97 templates.  I have my work cut out for me.

Then, I always stitch the lines on the template pages without any thread in the machine top or bobbin.  I do that for 2 reasons.  For one, it makes folding on the lines so much easier.  And, I'll fold on those lines over and over.  The other reason is that when you're ready to tear off the paper, you have lots of holes to make it tear smoothly and cleanly.  Okay.  All the holes are stitched in all 97 templates.  Whew!  That's done.

Okay, paper templates are ready and stacked up in number order.  It's time to get the fabric washed and ready.  I wash my fabric before sewing just because I've always done that.  All this fabric is from the quilt shop so I know it's not going to bleed colors or anything like that.  But there could be a bit of shrinkage here and there. It is cotton after all and cotton shrinks. I'd rather have that out of the way now rather than have a surprise later. But, will I be able to tell which grey is metal and which is titanium once it's washed?  I decided to write the names of the fabrics detailed in the pattern with permanent fabric pens in the selvage of the different fabrics.  I don't want to get mixed up.  That would be bad.

And, I ironed each piece of fabric and folded it for cutting later in the process.  This pattern's color coding is by designs printed on the templates and by name.  So, just having the names won't help me much when I'm picking up fabrics and sewing them onto the template paper pieces.  So, I copied the designs from the templates off my printer to pin them onto the fabrics as well.  Okay.  I think I'm ready to start sewing.  Hmmmm 97 templates??  How long do you think this will take?  I'll try to post my progress and further hints and suggestions for paper piecing as I go along.  Keep checking in.  This is going to be FUN!!

Happy Holiday this Weekend!!

Those that know me are aware that I move twice a year and this past couple of weeks we were so busy with the Spring move.  But, we're here and it is so nice to be back  home in the Northwoods looking out over the lake and listening to the birds outside my window.   We were supposed to have company this holiday weekend but unfortunately that got postponed so the Big Guy and I are getting little things done around the yard and trying to relax a little more than usual.  I need a little relax time to get my creative juices flowing again.  When I'm so busy I can't think up wonderful things to do or tell you about.

This is the Memorial day weekend with parades and picnics and folks getting together.  I do hope that's the case for you and your family.  It's a time to remember those that have fought and put their lives on the line so we can live in this great country.  We probably all have someone close to us that gave his or her life protecting our way of life.  Honor them with a flag in the wind and a prayer of thanks on our lips.

I told many of you at the last FW Club Class that I'd be working on a paper pieced elephant quilt by Violet Craft this summer.  It's the pattern my dear Grandson and his bride to be picked for their wedding quilt so I've been busy the last couple of days starting to get the fabric ready, the templates stitched with holes for the paper piecing and the chart of what fabric goes where.  I think it's organization that will keep me 'on track' with this quilt.  But,  I hope you will follow along with me as I work on this one.  I'll try to post pictures so you can see how it's coming.  It's going to be a paper piecing tutorial so if you've not done PP, you'll learn some tips that I tell people when I teach PP classes.

So, I'll go watch a ball game with my hubby and then work a bit on some quilting.  I hope your holiday is a pretty one filled with all things good.

Information about the FW Case Cover Pattern now available

You FW gals sure have done a nice job with your FW Case Covers.  We had a bunch of them at the FW Club Class again on Sunday.  You know I had to take a picture!

WoW!!  I can't believe all the interest in the FW Case Cover pattern that we've been working on this Spring.  I have the okay from Laura Coia and her SewVeryEasy You-tube site to make this pattern available to anyone that would like to purchase it.  Laura's You-tube was the inspiration behind the cover and even though I made several changes to her instructions, I felt it was important to ask her permission.  I sure didn't want to break any copyright laws and such.  I encourage you to go watch some of her You-tubes.  She covers many sewing things.

Anyway, if you are interested in the pattern, go over to the 'items for sale' tab over there on the right and you'll get all the information you need.  If you have questions, email me. I sent the pattern free to the 1st 5 people that emailed me for the pattern and they sent revisions that I incorporated into the pattern.  It is now ready and for sale.  Go check it out.

Okay, I'm off to take a bobbin lace class and then, it's back to doing all the stuff we all have to do!

Finally, it feels like SPRING!!

In many parts of the country the spring weather isn't such a new thing but here in Michigan it was a long winter this year.  Finally, the past week it's actually looked and felt like Spring.  I'm so happy when I wake up to sunshine and even a little warmth.  I hope everyone reading this can have as pretty a day as this one.  The only drawback is that the lawn needs to be mowed again already.  Mowing season has begun.

But, besides all that, I wanted to show all of you the lovely FW case covers some of the ladies finished and brought to FW Club class on Friday.  Of all four cases, not a single fabric was repeated.  Isn't that amazing?  And, every one was finished off so nicely.  They look GREAT!  Thanks, gals, for taking the class and being so kind as to allow me to take this picture.  I love them.

I will try to get a picture of the case covers brought to today's class.  This is the last Club class for the season and I'm a little sad.  I do enjoy planning and coming up with things for us to do at the Club classes.  And, I always enjoy the suggestions you all have for me.  I'll have to start thinking up new things for next winter's classes.  Do let me know what you'd like me to show you and tell you about.  There is so much to learn about these sweet little machines.

I'm happy to announce that the August FW Club Retreat is now full.  I hope you got in because I'm planning for a whole lot of fun.  I'll be posting things over on the retreat tab to the right.  Keep checking it out all summer.  I'll be emailing things, too. 

And, I have some dates added for maintenance classes in the fall and the first few Club classes as well.  Get them on your calendar so you don't forget and plan something one of those days.  I hate it when you can't come. 

I guess I'd better get moving here and get the final things ready for today's class.  Hopefully I'll be able to post more often now and I'll be thinking of things about your FW to tell you and maybe other things as well.  Have a great day.

Happy MAY DAY-- and some info about our Retreat in August

Good morning, all

I meant to get all this information out to you yesterday but you know how it gets.  I was working on the things we're going to do at our FW Club finale this weekend.  Oh, you SO don't want to miss this one!

Anyway, I have a new page, over there on the right, just for the FW Retreat information that's going to happen in August.  The dates are Friday, August 17, thru Sunday August 19.  You can check in on Thursday for a small extra cost.  Go check it out.

The retreat is now full but if you would like to come I'll be happy to put your name on the waiting list just in case someone would have to cancel.  Send me an email if you want to be put on that list.  My email is jdquilts123@yahoo.com.

And, a reminder about this weekend's FW Club Classes.  Call the Quilt Patch at 517-423-0053 to get your name on the list and check out the class schedule tab over there on the right for more details and a list of what to bring.  This is our last Club Class until fall.  Do try to come.

Okay, I'm off to keep working on things for you to do at class this weekend.  Isn't it fun playing with our sweet FW machines?

It's time for another FW tip. And, let's get ready for May's Club Class?

Whew!  It's been a crazy busy couple of months and I know me, it's going to stay busy while I get things packed up and moved to the UP for the summer.  We've had to wait for this weather to break but it looks like Spring is finally getting settled in.  I hope that's the case in the UP as well.  We can't go until the ground thaws.

But, you all send me questions and I get more ideas of things you need to know about your sweet machines.  This time I'd like to talk about the motors and the lube that needs to be put in those motor ports.

You already know that the motor lube has to be of the type that will soften and get almost liquid as the motor warms up so that the felt wick in the motor ports will become saturated with lube and the motor shaft will get lubricated.  We sure don't want the motor to be running without being properly lubricated and the product I recommend is available from the featherweight shop,  www.singer-featherweight.com.

Anyway, recently I had someone come to me thinking the foot controller for her machine was running too slowly and she wanted me to check it.  I plugged in another foot controller but it still ran slower than normal so I thought, it might not be the foot controller.  It might be the motor.

So, we checked the motor ports to see if we could see any motor lube and we couldn't.  So, I used the tube that comes with the motor lube to see if the lube in those ports was dark and hard like it was the first time we lubed it.  Guess what!  There didn't seem to be any lube in the ports.  Okay, it had been a few months since a FW spa day but I know we lubed those ports at that time.  Well, having all the lube gone is a good thing and a bad thing.  Let's talk about the good thing first.

The lube being gone at this point meant that the motor was using the lube and that's what it's supposed to do, yeah!  But, the bad thing was that now the motor needed more lube because it was laboring and causing the machine to run more slowly than usual.

Of course, the answer to the problem was to put motor lube into the ports and use the machine long enough to warm it up and get those felt wicks saturated again.  Once we did that the motor was happy and the machine ran up to speed once again.

Well, I learned something.  We need to check the motor lube more often than 6 month intervals especially when we've done a cleaning and spa day for the first time.  Who knows how long it's been since the lube was replaced before we got these machines.  And, I can tell you that many modern machine repair people don't think to do the motor ports correctly.  I've see too much of that.  Sorry but that seems to be the case way too often.

And, I also want to remind you of the last of our FW Club Classes for this season.  They will be held the 4th and 6th of May from 1-3pm at the Quilt Patch in Tecumseh, Mi.  Check the class schedule for details about the class and what to bring.

I've been working hard to come up with a FW retreat in August and will give more details on April 30th.  Check  the class schedule for that information as well.  I'm looking forward to our getting together for a few days of FW fun.

As always, if you have questions, email me at:  jdquilts123@yahoo.com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.