Shapely Shirt Finished Finally...

I finally finished the Petite Plus shirt I started when I purchased the fabric in 2008. I didn't cut it out until 2011 though, after I made a muslin. I reviewed it today on PatternReview, and you can see the link to that review and more on the right side of the page here. I love the fabric, and I like the lace hemming. I put a zipper in instead of a bunch of buttons and button holes too.  It isn't as closely fitted as they want you to think, and that is fine with me. This would make a nice addition to the TNT (Tried and True) pattern staple.  I haven't any more garment projects planned, although with Summer coming, there just might be inspiration in the air. I do have a slight stash, so it is possible to sew a few more shirts for Summer. 

Online Quilt Magazine...

It's rare for me to post about a website in a short link-it-up sort of way, but just yesterday I say a reference to this Online Quilt Magazine,  on the Leah Day site, and I signed up right away. I am very impressed with this little webzine. As an admirer of the quilting people, I want to give it a recommendation here. The current issue has an article by Leah Day, as well as other interesting articles, and I got the current issue very shortly after my online signup. Did I mention this is a free publication and all they ask for is your first name and email address. Take a look!

By the way, the little graphic here on this post is part of a tea cozy I made before really taking up free motion quilting. It is made with the leftovers from the large quilt I hope to finish this year - the one quilt which will be my only large quilt as far as I can forecast, as I am interested in smaller projects. 

Viking in the Arrow and those Place mats...

After finally finishing the place mats I have been working on for months now,  I want to bind them. For the sewing I use the Viking. Heretofore I have thought that the Viking wouldn't fit into my Arrow table (Arrow 601)I bought for it, but I tried again last week, and I was able to not only fit it in the well on the table, but raise it to a perfect height with my large art book on Impressionism. That book was a gift from the program I graduated from college in back in the misty dawn of time. Actually not that misty - it will be 21 years ago this year. The book was sitting on the shelf getting dusty and wanting to be donated to a library, and then - suddenly - magically - a use. Perfect. now again I removed legs from a Sew Steady table (thanks again Leah Day) and found it really works on the table well.  Now the sewing surface will be at the right height on the Viking as well as the Pfaff. And the Janome can fit down in the table as well. Now to get going on that binding. 

Janome 4 Piece Quilting Set and Craftsy Class...

Beginning with the lovely four piece Janome low shank quilting set, and getting on to Craftsy, this has been a fun few weeks on the quilting scene. Not that I have done anything constructive except practice, but I am now set up to quilt on three different systems, and must never be bereft of a machine short of the opening of an abyss, arguably a dim probability. This foot seems expensive until you realize it has three different attachments that act as three different feet. Plus a needle plate cover, and the most solid looking shank adapter ever on which the three "feet" mount. They mount tightly so that they work seamlessly as though each were a separate free motion foot entirely. No wobbling, no sense of having "just an attachment."  My machine I am currently using this set on hasn't the ability to take the needle plate cover, but doesn't need it. Lots of Janome machines have the two small holes - one on each side of the needle plate, that accommodate this piece. The Janome 8050 does not. I observe that several Janomes do not have these holes. The Janome 115110 (Kenmore 19110) does have them. I love the open toe version, and haven't tried the large plastic piece yet.  That brings me to Craftsy. I signed up for the Machine Quilting Class there, and I highly recommend the video method. Craftsy has done a great job on this site, making class functionality excellent. There are Notes and Chat portions, which are optional, and to me the Notes section is the best. It really works well. Once you sign up you "own" the class as long as Craftsy is online. You can go back and review and watch over and over. The instructor is personable and fun to watch and listen to - a woman who knows her stuff, Wendy Butler Berns. I look forward to watching the rest of the videos and practicing some of the things I learn. Coupled with my DVD from Sue Nickels, I have more than enough to occupy my learning time.

FMQ with Janome 8050...

So I threaded her up with the Masterpiece prewound bobbin and the King Tut on top, and we had a little practice adventure. The Janome 8050 can do very nice free motion. The tension had to be on 5, and the stitch of course on straight stitch at 0 length, and I dropped the dogs, but I also did a patch with the dogs up, and frankly I didn't see any difference, but I think I might stick with feed dogs down. I was so excited about what a nice job the Janome does that I ordered the Janome Free Motion Quilting set for low shank machines just today. I am looking forward to experimenting with that set. I thought the variegated top thread was just lovely, and although I need a whole lot more practice, I am sure having fun. The Masterpiece bobbins are a dream. They fit the Janome perfectly and sew like a charm. The back of the piece is great except where I sometimes seem to curve and pull too much on the curve. Practice, practice, practice. This machine weighs only a little over 12 pounds and would be the ideal class machine - full size, but light, and stable at the same time, so finding the right combination of free motion settings was a nice easy solution. Already the brochure is out for this year's Vermont Quilt Festival, so there is a lot of thinking going on about what classes to take, and what to buy at the show. Fun to think it will be Summer then.