For Want of a Magnet (My Favorite Longarm Tools)

I prepared this blog post several years ago but then totally forgot about it. Due to our season of quarantine and having two little kids stuck at home, I've been very slow on projects and have nothing to show. I thought it'd be a good time to post this instead! Despite this post being old and the links probably not all working, in a way this post is more valid than ever because I've been using these tools for the last few years to know they're holding up well.

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I've been quilting on a longarm for less than a year, which doesn't make me an expert, but I feel it's a respectable amount of time for me to finally share my favorite longarm tools. A lot of these are total game-changers for me!

Disclaimer: I provided some links to the sites that sell some of this stuff, but I have no affiliation with any of these parties and these links are not affiliate links.

Stapler

But then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll, I'll, I'll set the building on fire ...

Milton - Office Space

Before I got a longarm, I've researched lots of methods about loading quilts quickly and with as much control as possible. While there are methods I haven't tried, when I found one I liked I stuck with it. And that's staples.

I first saw this method demonstrated by Mandy Lyons, and I admit, I was initially skeptical. But I was so tired of pinning that I decided to invest in a stapler and give it a shot. Immediately, I loved it! It's much quicker than pinning, I have as much control as pins, and I never prick myself or risk bleeding over the quilt.

Spray Bottle

I picked up this tip from Beth of Cooking Up Quilts. While stapling made actually loading a quilt easier, I still had to iron the backing and I haaaated that. But after reading Beth's tip about using a spray bottle to de-wrinkle as I load, I was so tempted that I bought a spray bottle immediately. And it has worked great!

I've loaded a few quilts now with Beth's tip about using the spray bottle, and it was wonderful. I can skip that pesky ironing of the backing stage entirely now. It has made loading so much more pleasant!

Handi Grip

What's just slightly less annoying than a ruler that slides in rotary cutting? A ruler that slides in longarm quilting. I always have to pick those stitches out, and it's not fun. I use quite a bit of rulers in my quilting, so this handy (no pun intended) little Handi Grip tape has really come in handy. It is like a sticky tape on the back of the ruler that pretty much prevents slippage. I have some on the back of each of my rulers.

Needle Alignment Magnet

And I save the best for the last. I hated changing needles on the longarm because I'm never completely sure the needle is pointed toward the right position. In fact, several times when I was sure it was correct, I realized that when I tighten the screw, it likes to shift just a tad. And that tad seems to make quite a difference in how happy my quilting experience is!

Finally I figured somebody has to have solved this problem. I looked for quite awhile before I found these. I couldn't believe they're not more widely available! With this little magnet, now I can see whether my needle is pointed in the exact right position I need it to, and I can easily calibrate to compensate for the shift that usually happens when I tighten the screw. I love it, and changing a needle is no longer guesswork!

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So these are some of my favorite, not-as-widely-known tools. What's yours?

Machine Matters ~ A Bernina 770 QE Review

One week after I began quilting, I got a Pfaff Expression 3.5. I had bought it intending to trade it in within a year (and get all my money back towards a trade-in as my dealer promised), but when I was ready to make the upgrade, my dealer reneged and I was left stuck with a machine that worked, but I was dissatisfied with.

I sewed on that machine for another two years, sometimes with a lot of frustration, but I decided it was time to make the ultimate upgrade. I had been drooling over Bernina for a few years, and I saw the Bernina 770 QE as the ultimate machine for quilters. Maybe it's all the marketing they did, but I convinced myself that I had to have it! The problem was, it cost as much as a small longarm, it was hard to justify. I finally talked myself into it because knowing me, I'd just obsess over it and eventually get it anyway, and in that case, isn't it better to get it earlier so I can enjoy it that much sooner?

That was a year ago. I've had my Bernina 770 QE for a full year now, so I can finally write a review about it. I don't even think I scratched the surface of what this machine can do, but boy, do I love this machine! It is sheer joy to use. It could explain why in the last year I've enjoyed piecing a lot more.

5 Things I Love:

1) Stitch Quality

This machine sews perfectly. Period. My main problem with my Pfaff was the inability to adjust presser foot pressure, and I think that caused a lot of issues, from wonky half-square triangles, to shrunken flying geese, to walking foot quilting that makes me cry. When I looked for a new machine, I made sure it had adjustable presser foot pressure. But I didn't even need to adjust it! It's already perfect, and my piecing comes out a lot better than when I was on the Pfaff.

2) Empty Bobbin Warning

Sometimes I find myself happily sewing away until I realize I've been sewing nothing for ... minutes. That doesn't happen on this machine as the machine recognizes when the bobbin is empty, and I barely get a few inches away before it stops sewing and warns me that my bobbin is empty. I love that!

3) Knee Lift

Before I had knee lift, I was told that once you use it, it becomes a must-have. But since I didn't have it, I couldn't understand why everybody loved it so much. As soon as I got this machine, I realized everybody was right. Now that I've had knee-lift, having to manually raise the presser foot seems so archaic! I know a lot of machines have this feature, but it's definitely one of my favorite things about my machine.

4) Dual Feed

Again, a lot of machines have dual feed. I think Pfaff invented it to begin with and its patent finally ran out and now everybody else has it. But I like the dual feed on the Bernina so much better than the one on the Pfaff. I can tell it really works. I'm not sure what was wrong with it on the Pfaff, but considering how unhappy the stitch quality was, it clearly didn't work, right? Rather, when I turn it on and off on the Pfaff, it looked the same (as in not good). I can't even tell that it's on. On the Bernina, I can tell a big difference when it's on vs off!

5) Big Bobbin

It's fair to say that a big bobbin is always better than a little bobbin. Well ... almost always. Bernina's big bobbin means that I can sew and sew and sew and the bobbin takes so much longer to run out than on most other sewing machines. That's a clear advantage! But there are downsides to this, as I will mention in the dislikes section ...

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But no machine is perfect, and this would not be a proper review if I didn't mention my top dislikes of this machine.

5 Things I Don't Love:

1) $$$

Yes, the Bernina costs a lot of money to begin with. But what about afterwards? Remember those big bobbins I like so much? Well, they cost a pretty penny apiece. And then if I wanted a presser foot that didn't come with the (admittedly very nicely stocked) accessories box, well, be prepared to spend big. It's a good thing I don't need a walking foot with the dual-feed working so well, because if I did, it costs hundreds of dollars. I wouldn't dare cheap out and get some knockoff either.

2) Low Bobbin Warning

Even though I love the no-bobbin thread warning because it prevents me from sewing with nothing, I hate the low bobbin warning. Bernina's low bobbin warning comes on so early with so much thread left that it's basically useless for me. Many times after I get the low bobbin warning, I ignored it and went on to sew a whole quilt top ... and the thread still didn't run out!

3) Nannies, Nannies Everywhere

Every time I turn on the Bernina, it warns me that I need to clean my needle threader. The thing is ... I've never used the needle threader, I see no lint in that area, and I don't know what it's talking about. I cannot start sewing until I dismiss all the nannies, and that gets old really fast. On one hand, I appreciate it reminding me to oil the machine, on the other hand, the message sticks around for awhile even after I've oiled it, and at the end of the day I'd rather make my own call about that.

Update: It was not the needle threader the machine was warning me about, but the thread cutter. I'm not sure how I read it wrong for more than a year. But I stand by my comment about too many nannies.

4) The Starting Lock Stitch

Oh boy, do I hate this "feature". Is it a feature? I think it's a bug. The Bernina will always do a mini lockstitch when you start sewing, after a thread cut. It's not something I can turn off, and I've asked the factory. The only workaround seems to be to use a leader and ender and/or avoid the thread cutter. This is a shame, because I think the thread cutter on this machine works much better than the one on my Pfaff!

Update: Much thanks to Jill who showed me exactly how to disable the starting lockstitch, I'm happy to report that this complaint no longer stands!

5) Needle Positions

My Pfaff had 37 needle positions (I think), and I got used to adjusting it ever so slightly as needed to get the right seam allowance for what I was working on. For example, I know that if I plan to press a seam open, I will sew a less scant seam allowance than if I was going to press it to the side, because when I press to the side, the piece comes out a bit smaller unless I adjust by sewing a scanter seam. However, the Bernina only has a handful of needle positions, so I can't adjust it ever so slightly like that.

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In conclusion ... I love this machine, because it truly sews like a dream! I've never been as happy with the quality of my piecing, my flying geese, my walking foot quilting, as I am now. I'm so glad I got it, and I really don't think I'll need another another machine for a long, long time.

A Hearty Recommendation

I was watching the QuiltCon 2013 (first QuiltCon?) lectures on Craftsy again, and I was suddenly reminded of what a breakthrough this lecture series was for me. I had to share it here, because if you haven't seen it yet ... it's totally worth the time! And it's free. I'm not affiliated with Craftsy at all, so this is just my personal, honest opinion. It's one of my favorite "classes" on Craftsy.

All of the lectures are great, but here are the ones I watch over and over again:

David Butler on Homemade Lifestyle Photography

This lecture led to better quilt photos for me. Period. I honestly had no idea about light, shadows, temperature, composition, and staging before that. I used to take photos of my quilts at night (because that's when I usually finish them), with some yellow lightbulb light. No joke. They turned out awful, and I never knew why! After watching this lecture, I noticed an immediate improvement in my quilt photos.

Angela Walters on Modern Machine Quilting

Before this lecture ... I had actually never heard of Angela Walters. I was still fairly new to quilting when I first watched this, and Angela's lecture was my first real introduction to modern machine quilting, and I fell head over heels in love with machine quilting ... and of course, Angela herself! She gives really great tips about how to pick designs, how to highlight, how to combine, and I found myself laughing a lot because, of course, she's also hilarious! This is one of my favorite lectures, and the Q & A that followed is gold.

Mary Fons on Notes From a Quilt Mafia Daughter

Mary Fons is the daughter of Marianne Fons, of Fons & Porter, one of the biggest names in quilting. In this engaging, funny, and touching lecture, Mary explores her past and along the way, quilting history in America in general. I'm really not much of a history person, but Mary made it fun and interesting! One of my favorite things about Mary is that she's so genuine. I've since met her in person and she's just as nice and energetic as she seems on TV and in this lecture.

Jacquie Gering on Quilting Modern, Honoring Tradition

If Mary's lecture is on quilting history in America, then Jacquie's lecture feels like history of modern quilting. While that's not what it's actually about, you get a heavy dosage of that, and it's so interesting! Along the way, I was genuinely moved by Jacquie's amazing style, her genuineness, and her desire to make quilts do more than just cover the bed. Her quilts are beautiful and so creative, and she's really funny!

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And that's not all! There's also Amy Butler on color story, Heather Jones on the process of turning inspiration into quilts, and even a panel that talks about fabric design.

I admit when I first saw this class on Craftsy, I thought to myself, They have lectures for quilts?? But yes, they do, and the lectures are excellent. I wish Craftsy could have taped more from the following years. I would have paid for it!

Ruler Roundup

While almost every quilter enjoys notions ... I think a lot of us really love to collect rulers. Each new one we add to the collection promises to make cutting easier, more fun, more accurate, and faster. I've been quilting for about a year, but I've already amassed a nice collection of rulers, both basic and specialty. I can say which ones I can't quilt without ... and which ones I could bear to clear away to make more space.

Basic Rulers

8.5" x 24.5" - the most commonly used ruler in my sewing room. If I had to pare down to just a few, I'd keep this one.

16.5" x 16.5" - a great size for those large blocks to square up, but too large for normal usage.

12.5" x 12.5" - my 2nd most commonly used ruler in the sewing room, it's a great size for most blocks.

9.5" x 9.5" - nice to have but not necessary if you have the 12.5" x 12.5".

6.5" x 6.5" - not necessary at all

4.5" x 4.5" - a fairly common block size so it's nice to have, especially if you work with charm square a lot.

2.5" x 2.5" - too small to get a good grip. This one is completely useless to me.

As far as brands go, Creative Grids is by far my favorite because of their readability and non-slip bottoms. They're quite a bit more expensive than the other brands, but to me it's worth it to invest in good tools in order to reduce hand strain and cutting mistakes from ruler slippage. After Creative Grids, I like Omnigrid for its readability. I dislike Olfa's due to the smoky color making it hard to read, and I despise Fiskars as I've had too many slippage issues with them.

Specialty Rulers

I have a number of specialty rulers, such as a standard dresden ruler, a Hex n More ruler, and a Super Sidekick, which are all for cutting different shapes. They all work well and I'm glad to have them. However, there are 2 specialty rulers I want to talk about in particular, because while they aren't a necessity (other rulers can do their job) they do their job exceedingly well and are a joy to use.

Stripology by Creative Grids - This is my favorite specialty ruler. I couldn't quilt without it. It is very expensive, but worth its weight in gold. I use it to cut strips, and most importantly, to subcut. It is several times faster to use this ruler to do subcuts than to use a normal ruler, and the cuts are so beautifully accurate, *and* it doesn't slip. I can't say enough about how much I love this ruler. I had to cut over 1000 little pieces for a recent quilt, and with this ruler, it's really no problem at all.

6.5" Bloc Loc - What a clever ruler this is. I use this to square up half-square triangles, and the little ridge it has makes squaring up HSTs so accurate and so much fun. This tool however is best when combined with a rotating mat. Again, it's expensive, and not essential, but since I do a lot of half-square triangles, I love having it.

Cutting Related Tools

When I first started quilting, I think the most challenging thing for me was rotary cutting. It looked so easy when other people did it, but my cutter was either nicking and slicing up the ruler, or it cut a wonky line and made the cut useless, or my ruler slips and I get a smaller cut. For my first patchwork project, I was so frustrated with rotary cutting that I ended up drawing lines with a marker and using a scissor to cut them, and it was a disaster. (I admire quilters in the past who did this for every quilt!)

So naturally I looked for a lot of tools to help me make rotary cutting easier. Some have worked for me, and some have not.

Invisigrip - I picked this up after someone told me it would make ruler slippage less. I was having a lot of issue with ruler slippage, but I don't find this product to have made much of a difference. My ruler still slipped even with this on.

Gypsy Gripper - This is another product that I picked up to reduce ruler slippage and hand strain, and I know some quilters swear by it, but I hated mine and returned it. I found it didn't make a bit of difference to me. My rulers still slipped. It might reduce hand strain, though, I don't know, I didn't keep it long enough to find out about that.

Quilter's Slidelock - I saw this at a show and picked it up. This ruler definitely does the job of not slipping. However, it has no measuring marks and basically functions as a straight edge. In other words, it needs to be used in conjunction with another ruler or template. I find it too much work to use this ruler for regular cuts, but I love using this when I need to cut irregular shapes (with straight edges) with the plastic quilting templates. I simply put the template in place, then butt the Slidelock against the template, remove the template, and cut. It works great for that purpose.

AccuQuilt Go! - Ah, the AccuQuilt. Since rotary cutting is so hard on the hands, this is a godsend for people who have arthritis or excessive hand strain. I don't have that problem yet, so I use mine just to cut curves. It is great for that purpose, but the dies are very expensive, and they only come in very limited sizes. I've found myself redoing the math in some patterns in order to use the dies I have.

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Before I was a quilter, I once overheard a conversation on an airplane, where a woman commented that now that she's retired, her friends think she should start quilting, but they warned it's expensive. As it turns out ... they were right! Not because of what we absolutely must have to quilt, but because of all the extra non-necessities that tempt and lure us.

I'm Feeling Zen Chic

I'm actually pretty picky when it comes to fabrics or quilting patterns. On average, I only like about 5% to 10% of what I see. So when there's a designer whose collection I like almost all of, that's pretty special. I find her style to be a blend of mid-century modern (which I adore) and Japanese minimalism (which I adore even more) so naturally, I love pretty much everything she does.

That designer is Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic. She's an interior designer, and it really shows in her quilt photos. Every one of her quilts is photographed against a lovely interior that compliments the quilt perfectly. Now that's great presentation!

Naturally, when I found out she had just come out with Zen Chic Inspired: A Guide to Modern Design, I was thrilled. I snagged a copy and waited quite impatiently for it to arrive.

I've read through the book several times already, and there are quite a few must-make patterns in there for me. But the real appeal of the book isn't just the patterns, it's the way she wrote about designing quilts. I usually approach it with what technique I want to play with or (usually) what fabric I want to use up, and then trying to fit a pattern to that. Brigitte's approach is to think of the space that quilt will dress up, and designing according to that, and she offered tips and illustrations that I found both unique and very interesting. Reading through this book makes me feel really calm, relaxed, and happy ... and really, I think that was the aim.

I'll eagerly look out for new fabric lines and patterns put out by Zen Chic, because if there's a designer that melds with my style so closely, that's something to hold on to.

Handi Quilter Sweet 16 Review

I've had my Handi Quilter Sweet 16 (I call her Chloe) since July, so almost 6 months, and in that time I've quilted several lap quilts and several runners on her. I really, really enjoy using her, and overall she is a joy to use, but it took a little bit of getting to know her before I was consistently happy with the results. I know it's always good to send a review of the machine out into the wild to help other buyers make informed decisions, so here's mine.

General Usage:

In general my Sweet 16 works really great. I've found it very easy to use. However, I have never even tried a queen size, so far the biggest quilt I've done is 60" x 80", and already, I can tell that there's a huge amount of gravity and drag fighting me. However, I've been able to manage it so far with my suspension setup with dog grooming stands. I don't consider it a bonus ... it's a necessity. Otherwise, even if my entire quilt is lying on the table, even if there's no downward drag, the physical weight of the quilt becomes an issue as I'm stitching, resulting in some directions being excessively hard to maneuver, causing wobbles and uneven stitch lengths. The suspension setup, while not perfect, makes a huge difference.

Stitch Regulation:

I bought the TruStitch regulator because I thought it would make my life easier. Well, I never use it, I wish I could return it. It's simply not very user friendly, and has a learning curve all its own. I wrote about it extensively here. I'd suggest you save your money. My reason for this is pretty simple ... even stitch length doesn't matter as much as I thought it did. All of the "ugly patches" of quilting in my quilts is caused by poor traveling, bad tension, wobbles, hesitations, drag, and not one of those problems can be fixed by even stitch length. As I practiced and got better at all of those other things, my stitch length consistency also improved.

Tension:

This took me awhile to figure out, and no doubt every machine is slightly different as people use different threads and have different sewing environments, but I don't go by Handi Quilter's official way of testing bobbin tension. Their way is to load the bobbin, then let it drop down slowly, like a spider. I've found that when I get that sort of bobbin tension, and even adjust the top tension accordingly (so that the stitching looks great), my thread breaks more. What works for me is to make the bobbin tension tighter than their "spider" drop, and up the top tension too, and then my stitches look perfect and my thread hardly ever breaks. I'm not saying do what I do ... I'm just saying don't necessarily go by Handi Quilter's recommendation for perfect bobbin tension! Some people just get a Towa tension gauge, and combined with the easy-set top tension number on the machine, find their own happy tension number for each thread and write it down. It might be nothing like what Handi Quilter recommends, but that doesn't matter if your stitches look great and your thread rarely breaks.

Maintenance:

So far maintaining this machine is really easy. I clean the bobbin area with a pipe cleaner every bobbin change, and I oil the bobbin area every other bobbin. I plan to take it to the shop about once every two years for a "cleaning". So far, after many many hours of stitching on it, I've not run into any issues.

Bobbin Winder:

I don't like the bobbin winder. There, I said it. It took me a long time to figure out how to wind polyester thread properly. Aurifil was easy. Polyester thread (like Isacord or Superior So Fine) was tough. It kept flying out of the tension disk. Eventually I figured out to wind the Aurifil thread around the tension disk once, Superior twice, and Isacord three times. But even in that scenario, the bobbin isn't able to fully fill up. It just doesn't wind evenly after a certain point, and I've not been able to remedy this. It works, but it's not optimal. I try to use prewound bobbins as much as I can to avoid having to wind bobbins.

Accessories:

I didn't buy a whole lot of extras. As I said TruStitch was a waste of money, but I did like the table overlay, and find that it completely eliminates the need for a Supreme Slider. I bought one extension table because that's all that would fit. I really like the extension table and find when combined with suspension it works really well.

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Here's a picture of the suspension in action. It's not pretty, but it really works, and I wouldn't quilt anything remotely sizable without a setup like this.

Overall I love this machine, and I highly recommend it. It has so much more visibility than my domestic sewing machine, and it sews at a much higher speed. I have spent a lot of time enjoying this machine and hope to spend many, many more hours with it.

Stash Builder Box ~ December 2016

I received my December Stash Builder Box today, here is the loveliness:

The fabric collection is Garden Dreamer by Maureen Cracknell for Art Gallery Fabrics. It's a beautiful muted palette.

I really enjoyed Stash Builder Box, more than any of my previous boxes, but I'm not renewing my subscription at the moment. When I look at my fabric stash, all of my absolute favorites are the fabrics that I picked out myself, so that means that I'm still the best curator for my own taste. Also, I end up paying around the same for the box as I would if I was to buy the fabric by the yard myself online. I do get the little Aurifil spool and the pattern as a bonus, but that's not something I would pay for.

I picked up Stash Builder Box to help with my yardage collection, but I think I can do the same for myself by just making a conscious decision to buy more fabric by the yard. I'm sad to say goodbye to this box, but it's another part of my New Year's Resolutions ... to stash more judiciously.

Shiny Happy Threads

I used to not care about threads. I figured black, white, and a tan were all I needed. I bought Gutermann 100% Polyester from Jo-Ann. When I went to Quilt Festival back in April, I was baffled at the people crowding the Aurifil booth, drooling over their threads.

That was then.

... And this is now. I've built up quite a collection of threads between 3 brands (Aurifil, Isacord, and Superior Threads). I use them for different purposes, though, and like them in different ways.

Isacord #40 Weight Embroidery Thread

I flocked to Isacord at the suggestion of Leah Day after I found my Gutermann thread shredding and breaking like crazy during free-motion quilting. I liked how strong Isacord is, it hardly ever breaks. However, I discovered quickly that Isacord has its drawbacks. It is extremely shiny ... which is a good thing when I want to showcase the quilting, but usually I prefer the quilting to add texture, and not steal the show. Also, it's *extremely* slippery, so I basically have to tie off my thread tails and bury them instead of the easier ways to start and stop, and I hate burying tails. It's very hard to wind onto a bobbin properly, due to its slipperiness. On My Handi Quilter winder, I finally figured out that I needed to wind the thread around the tension disk *3* times in order for it to not fly out of the tension disk during winding.

Superior Threads #50 Weight So Fine

I tried So Fine after Angela Walters recommended it. It's a very nice thread, thin, strong, and not shiny or slippery, so it's easy to work with. It's the thread I use the most currently for machine quilting. While it looks great on my quilts, my favorite thing about So Fine is that I can buy prewound bobbins. I'm just so lazy about winding bobbins, and I go through bobbins so quickly, that being able to buy that is very convenient. Of course prewound bobbins only come in a very limited selection of colors. When I wind my own bobbin for my Handi Quilter, I need to wind the thread around the tension disk *2* times for it to wind well. I only have So Fine in a few neutral colors, though, as for color, I was lured by ... Aurifil.

Aurifil #50 Weight Mako Cotton

The folks at Aurifil know how to do marketing, I'll give them that. It seems to be a universal favorite for most quilters, although not without good reasons. Personally, I like Aurifil a lot, and I've certainly invested the most amount of money in them. The colors are just so gorgeous, and I love that I can buy all these thread collections. I also like that the normal sized spools are almost 1500 yards. Aurifil is really easy to wind on my Handi Quilter winder, I only need to wrap it around the tension disk once. Most importantly, for some reason, I just like the look of Aurifil on my quilts the most, more than So Fine or Isacord. My only beef with Aurifil is that it lints more and is just a tad more prone to breakage than my polyester threads. (Of course, it's cotton.)

Next year when I go to Quilt Festival, I'll be joining those people drooling over Aurifil at their booth.

Quilting Is My Therapy Too

I'm not bashful to admit that I have a hero in the quilting world. Angela Walters takes my breath away with her stunning machine quilting. I have taken all her Craftsy classes, and own at least 5 of her books. In addition to being incredibly talented, she's also really funny.

Well, of course I had to pick up a copy of her new book, Quilting Is My Therapy, which is part story, part machine quilting showcase, and fully inspirational.

I read the book cover-to-cover, and I was both awed and in tears. In tears because of the stories of how she became a machine quilter, in particular involving her Grandpa sweetly encouraging her. And in awe because her work is stunning. I always knew this, but I've never seen it in this detail before. The book doesn't have a single pattern or instruction on how to make any of it, but that doesn't matter. It's a machine quilting book, and because there are so many really close shots of the designs, I can work out how she did them.

Angela herself says that she doesn't like hard quilting ... she likes fun quilting. It's true that most of the designs she uses are not hard, and completely approachable for even me. But the way she arranges them into a composition ... the way she just knows what to do on a quilt top to bring out its maximum beauty ... that is where her true artistry lies.

I completely agree with Angela that machine quilting is the best part of making a quilt. Quilting is my therapy too!

Stash Builder Box ~ November 2016

My November Stash Builder Box has arrived! I just love getting this little monthly bundle of happiness in the mail. To say I'm pleased with this month's selection is an understatement.

It's stunning! If I was 66% happy with last month's fabrics, I'm 100% happy with this month's. It was designed (curated?) by Katarina Roccella, who I just love. I won't forget that her Avant Garde collection remains one of the most prized bundles in my fabric collection.

This one's called Blythe, and it's just so lovely. The accompanying pattern is called Triangles and Arrows, and it's by Cynthia Muir. It's also very beautiful and very my style. I don't know when I'll get around to it, but it's a lovely addition to my pattern collection.

Stash Builder Box ~ October 2016

Ever since I started quilting, I was eager to try the subscription boxes out there. The first box I tried was Quilty Box, after I saw all the past boxes they delivered. However, in the only month I subscribed to them, I wasn't 100% happy with the fat quarter collection I received. It wasn't terrible, but I would have picked something else. Next, I tried Quilter's Stash Box, but I was sorely disappointed with the fabric I was sent, and the overall feel of the box. After that, I tried Fat Quarter Shop's Sew Sampler Box, which I did like a lot, especially the extra goodies, but I was getting worried that the fabric is a bit cutesy, and I didn't want to keep getting charm packs, which I was afraid I would at the price of the box.

After that, I decided I'd rather pick out my own fabric and stopped subscriptions for awhile. So why am I suddenly subscribing again, this time to Stash Builder Box? Well ... it's because Stash Builder Box changed their box to offer 3 yards a month instead of 3 fat quarters a month. I am irresistibly attracted to precuts of all kinds, and when I'm shopping, that's what I always get. For some reason, I just don't like to buy yardage unless I have a specific project in mind, so a box to build my yardage stash is very attractive. Therefore, I'm giving them a shot. Here's my October box:

Contents:

Fabric: Nightfall by Maureen Cracknell by Art Gallery Fabrics - 3 1-yard cuts. The fabric is very pretty, and 2 of the 3 yards I was sent agrees with me. The last one is a little too peach for my taste, but no matter, it will go into the stash and can function there quite nicely.

Pattern: River Pond by Diane Bohn - I love this pattern, so modern and eyecatching. It looks pretty hard though, and I'm not sure my piecing skills are nearly good enough, but it's a beautiful addition to my "too-hard-for-me-to-attempt-yet" collection.

In addition, I also got a mini Aurifil spool in deep purple, and a pencil. All this in a lovely presented box. Overall, I'm happy with this box, and look forward to next month's.

Isacord for Quilting

Ever since my Gutermann's thread started breaking during free-motion quilting, I switched to Isacord. I loved Isacord initially, but I've used Isacord enough now to be able to give a more fair evaluation of them. Here's a breakdown of the good and bad of Isacord.

Pros:

Price - Isacord is really cheap. I get mine at bulk from Discount Embroidery Supply, and it is literally *half* the price of Gutermann's, and significantly cheaper than Aurifil.

Ease of ripping - Ripping is inevitable, but I've discovered Isacord is really easy to pick out stitches with. Earlier today I stitched a flower, then decided it didn't look good, so I ripped it out. I was amazed how easy it was to rip. I can probably pull a thread through 10 stitches at once in one swoop, which is much better than if I used a grabbier thread.

Strength - The single best thing about Isacord is how strong it is. (Some might argue that that strength will cut through my quilts ... but I don't worry about that. Quilts are made to be used. I think it's kind of an urban legend anyway until I experience otherwise!) The strength means it just doesn't break. I travel a lot, I stitch over really thick seams, I definitely put a lot of strain on it ... and it doesn't break.

Colors - So many colors to choose from, and a lot of variegated colors to play with!

Cons:

Hard to secure - The safest way to secure Isacord is to bury the thread. That takes a long time so I don't like to do that, but I've found I can't just stitch over it or take tiny stitches ... it's just too slippery and it will pull out too easily.

Tension - I've rarely run into tension problems with Gutermann's, but with Isacord tension problems are a lot more common. With every new bobbin, I needed to check it out a piece of test sandwich.

Weight & shine - Isacord comes in 40, so it's a bit heavier, and it's also quite shiny, making it stand out on the quilt more. That might be good for some, but I like the quilting to blend in and to lend texture, not to steal the show, and Isacord seems to want to be the star.

Can't piece with - Because Isacord is so slippery, it's not a good choice to piece with, since it's very easy for it to unravel. That means I need to end up switching threads a lot, which is time-consuming.

I'm fairly happy with Isacord despite the cons, but I think I will also try some of the other brands that people seem to highly recommend. The most common one I hear about is Aurifil 50, though it's significantly more expensive, I'll see if it can work for me. If it breaks often, it's a deal breaker.

Book Review: The Quilt Block Cookbook

As soon as I heard word that Amy Gibson had published another book, The Quilt Block Cookbook, I preordered mine on Amazon. I had enjoyed her previous book For Keeps immensely, and looked forward for months to receive this new book of hers.

I get lots of quilting patterns online, but the reason I buy and keep quilting books, even if they only have a few quilts that I want to make, is the experience and the presentation. Reading the introduction, seeing the layouts and the little blurbs that go with the quilts is what makes the experience for me. To this end, The Quilt Block Cookbook does a superb presentation.

This book is presented like a cookbook, which I also happen to love despite the fact that I don't cook, with all the analogies to cookbooks from ingredients, recipes, staples, and every block is presented with food and spices. The photography is great, it makes my mouth water to read this book, but it's a quilt book! There are 50 blocks in this quilt, and though some of them are very simple, some are rather complicated and are composed of many smaller "ingredients." All in all they look very approachable, yet are interesting due to the way Amy combines familiar elements.

My favorite part of the book, however, is when Amy presents 7 sampler quilts. These aren't your traditional sampler quilt layed out in a grid with sashing, which I do love and respect as well, but new and modern layouts for sampler blocks. I found these layouts innovative, and can actually see myself making quilts with sampler blocks to outfit my bedroom.

This is a beautiful book that is delightful to the eyes, and it makes me hungry for chocolate, for some reason.

Pfaff Expression 3.5 ~ A Few Months In

I've had my lovely Pfaff for a few months now. I'm still very much in love with this machine, but I'm now able to give a slightly more objective review of it. Before this, I sewed on my Brother CS6000i, a very good beginner machine that even has a lot of whistles and bells, but I'm really glad to have made the upgrade to my Pfaff Expression 3.5.

My Favorite Things:

IDT - of course, the reason I got interested in Pfaff. The IDT is basically a built-in walking foot, and I just love being able to use a lot of different foot on my machine even during the quilting phase. For example, I use the blind hem foot for stitch-in-the-ditch, and sometimes I put on an open-toe applique foot for better visibility.

Stitch Look & Tension - I've never, ever had to adjust tension on this machine, it automatically handles that, and with the exception of my messed up bobbin (see Issues) all the stitches came out perfectly. Even when I'm sure my needle is dull, it keeps on stitching perfectly.

Automatic Thread Cutter - I love this feature, but it is also a pain (see Issues). When it works though, this little feature makes me feel like I have something really fancy.

Automatic Needle Threader - I know this is a very standard feature on a lot of machines, but they're not all the same. With my Brother machine I had previously, though the feature existed it took more maneuvering to get it to thread and it doesn't always work. It always took multiple tries. On this machine, however, it has worked 99% of the time. (The 1% is probably user error.)

37 Needle Positions - Another major upgrade from my Brother machine that only had 3 stitch positions. 37 Needle Positions mean that I can adjust my needles for that perfect size and still use the edge of my standard presser foot's edge as a guide. I never use my quarter-inch foot for piecing, I prefer instead to use the standard 1A zig zag foot while adjusting my needle position to 3.5, which is a scant quarter seam. I find that much easier to use than the quarter inch foot.

Ease of Changing Needles - Changing the needle with this thing is a cinch, I don't even have to use a screwdriver, I can tighten and loosen the needle screw with my fingers very easily. It also comes with a little tool to hold the needle so that it doesn't fall into the throat plate, as well as to help the needle get back into spot. After changing needles on my Brother machine, I know that this one is much easier to work with.

Load / Save a Stitch - I never knew I wanted this feature until I had it. It is so useful to be able to load / save favorite stitches, or even remember stitches as you're using them. For example, if I'm using a certain setting for quilting, such as a serpentine stitch that I've adjusted to be just the right size, I definitely save it so that I can come back to it later and have it be identical. (Since the machine resets if you turn it off.)

Continuous Reverse - This is another feature I never knew I needed until I used it. On my Brother machine, if I wanted to reverse a few stitches I needed to hold down the reverse button and stitch a few stitches. This is fine if I just wanted to reinforce a seam, but it is impractical to have to hold it down for fancy reverse designs. But on this machine, I just press it once and the machine stitches reverse perfectly until I press it again. I've used that a lot during quilting, to quilt in reverse for the designs I want instead of turning the quilt 180 degrees, which would be much, much more painful.

Large Throat Space - This machine has a good 10" from the needle to the back of the machine for quilting, which is pretty great. I do need to maneuver and squish a bit, but in general I'm my current bottleneck to be lack of space *behind* the machine where the parts I already quilted get bunched up, not lack of space in the harp.

Of course, this machine isn't perfect, there is no such thing. There are a few things I've found somewhat annoying about this machine.

Automatic Thread Cutter - Yes, this is one of my favorite features. But it's also a feature that I've been most annoyed about. That's because it only works about 80% of the time. When it doesn't work, if I press it again it frequently does work. I clean out my bobbin area very often of lint, so I'm not sure why it fails so much.

Bobbin Issues - The bobbin of this machine is a sensitive beast, I've discovered. You have to drop the bobbin in correctly and pull the thread through just correctly. There's supposed to be a little "click" that tells you it's in the right place, but in truth I've never ever been able to hear it. Usually issues don't show up until you start stitching and realize your stitches look funny, and it's even kind of subtle. Luckily I've run into this issue just twice, and I can hear that the machine sounds different so I can fix it without having to rip back too much. However, the *number one* annoying thing about this machine is pulling up the bobbin thread. It just doesn't work like other machines I've seen, where you basically take one full stitch, and the bobbin thread comes up. In this machine, unless I have a piece of fabric, the bobbin thread doesn't get pulled up at all no matter how many stitches I take. In normal sewing I don't bother, I just let the bobbin thread bit get trapped in the seam. But in quilting where both sides are visible, it's virtually required that I sew on a piece of scrap fabric first in order to pull the bobbin thread way up. I can deal with this, but it's annoying.

Lack of Presser Foot Pressure Adjustment - not an annoyance, but a glaring lack of feature. I know some features are reserved for really really fancy machines, but it seems machines much cheaper than what I paid for has a presser foot pressure adjustment, and I don't have it.

Extra Accessories I Purchased Since:

Extension Table - Ooh, I hate this thing. I meant to buy a quilting table, but bought this instead thinking it was the same thing. It's not. I do use it for quilting since I have it and can't get rid of it, but it annoys me a lot. Mostly, because the lower left corner of this thing is *very* pointy. That means not only do I accidentally hurt myself on it sometimes, but my quilt gets stuck on it *so freaking much*. I might toss this and buy a real quilting table sometime out of sheer annoyance. But this thing was not cheap! Sigh.

Circular Attachment - it's a cute little attachment but it's a lot to pay for for what it does. I think I would have been better off with a compass and a marking pencil. I've also seen people rig up their own, and they're quite brilliant and resourceful to do so.

1/4" Foot - I don't use my quarter inch foot for piecing, I find it really difficult to use for piecing, because the guide area is so short. I use my zig zag foot for piecing instead and adjust the needle position. However, what I do use the 1/4" foot for is to sew on a marked line perfectly. I find it very easy to do with the quarter inch foot. One caveat is that if I pop the foot on just after popping the other foot off and forget to reset my needle position, I end up with a broken needle.

Open Toe Applique Foot - I actually got the generic version of this foot as Pfaff no longer manufactures it. But it's really great for visibility during applique or for machine finishing the binding.

Open Toe Free-Motion Foot - I use this instead of my closed-toe free motion foot for better visibility. It's otherwise identical, and stitches well (or not well) identically. I'm glad I have it though, as it helps me see where I'm going better.

As for the value of this machine, I think I could have gone with a different brand to get more for less money. It's no question. But there's something about Pfaff that I find ... seductive. So I'm glad to have gotten this machine, and I think it's absolutely worth it to plunk down a large chunk of change for a machine that makes sewing joyful. It is most definitely much, much more joyful to sew on this than on my old Brother. I'd rather spend money on the machine than on a vacation, as sewing *is* my daily vacation!

Instead of upgrading this machine at some point, I'm debating getting a midarm. I really don't want a longarm, but a midarm like the Pfaff Powerquilter 16 or the Handi Quilter Sweet 16 (and I heard these are the same machine, branded differently) might just be the ticket! I would have to wait for the next quilt show to try it out in person, though, before I make a decision. Until then, I'm leaving some space in my sewing room for the potential addition ... and will continue to practice free-motion on my Pfaff.

Sew Sampler May 2016

I finally got my Sew Sampler May box today, and it was a little bit of an ordeal, as I got the classic "Delivered in Mailbox" on tracking on Saturday, but there was no package anywhere. My guess is they put it in the wrong mailbox. After a phone call to the post office and some (im)patient waiting, I found it in the mailbox today. Whether the postman fetched it from a different mailbox and put it in mine, or a neighbor put it there, I have no idea. But I was so excited to receive this!

Items I got:

Two Cozy Christmas 5" Stackers by Lori Holt - There's 54 squares total of a holiday print. The print is quite cute, though only suitable for children. It's a little odd to receive a holiday print this time of the year, but I guess people start making their holiday projects early, eh? I've been meaning to make an advent calendar for the kiddos anyway ... this will do nicely.

Sew Easy Tweezers - I already own a pair of machine tweezers, that was highly rated on Amazon ... and I really don't like them. So I hope these will work better!

Bobbini Universal Bobbin Holder - I've never seen or heard of these before. They're definitely very interesting, I have a bobbin case, but these allow you to group the bobbin with the spool it came from.

Aurifil Thread - 2 little spools of Aurifil Thread ... I'd call this a sampler size, the colors are nice and neutral.

Cozy Holiday Tablerunner Pattern - This pattern is quite cute, and of course is very much holiday themed.

Cute Little Bottons by Lori Holt - This is a bonus item. A little pack of 30 buttons. I don't have much use for buttons, but I can see using them as embellishments on say ... the aforementioned advent calendar I'm planning.

Just looking at this box, the advent calendar project is starting to brew in my head. I can see the charm pack and the buttons going very nicely with it. Though I wouldn't have picked the fabric in this box normally, I'm happy to have it, and that's what a surprise box is all about.

Quilter's Stash Box ~ April 2016

Quilter's Stash Box is the 3rd quilting box-of-the-month I've tried so far. I wanted to try them all, and then keep my favorite. I received it today, and eagerly opened it up, to find ...

Fat Quarters - I'm not sure what collection it's from, it wasn't tied up in a cute little bundle with a label. I'm not sure how I feel about the colors ... which is probably my-speak for I didn't like them. However, they're not objectionable, as a "Little House on the Prairie" collection certainly would be. They're quite neutral, and I think would look nice when paired with other fabrics, but I wouldn't make a quilt featuring these fabrics alone, it's too muted for my taste.

Bamboo Stiletto by Collins - cute, lightweight, always handy to have another one.

Aurifil thread in gray - this is a sampler size for the most part, I like the color, it's very nice and blends in with everything, so I'd probably end up using it for connecting English Paper Piecing bits together.

Cut Loose Press Patterns Divider - I got this since this is my first stash box. I love this divider, I think it's so smart and I can't wait to organize my loose patterns.

Bloom by Christine Van Buskirk - I love geometrics, so I really like this pattern. It looks kind of difficult for my current skill level, but that's okay, it's always good to have something to aspire to.

I love that the box was 12 x 12 x 2, so a great size that actually fits in my Expedit shelves. I will definitely be keeping this box, it's so reusable.

Overall, my feelings about this box are neutral. To me, the notions are nice but what really makes me want a box is fabric and patterns. What I want to get are either things that I see and immediately say, I want that. Or, even better, things that I probably wouldn't pick out myself but am super happy to have. I'm debating if I want to try another box, I think I have to watch Youtube unboxings to see what they sent out in the past, to see if maybe I'm not their target audience when it comes to style.

Update: I just watched a 2 unboxings on Youtube ... and neither of them had fabric! Say what? I should feel lucky there's fabric in my box, since it seems like sometimes they focus on the notions and not on fabric. So this definitely isn't the box for me, because to me fabric is the most important part.

Sew Sampler April 2016

I just love subscription boxes, so now that I'm totally obsessed with quilting, naturally I went in search of quilting boxes. I was excited to find that The Fat Quarter Shop started a quilting box, and April is actually their first shipment! Here it is:

I love the presentation, it's like opening a little cute, tissue-wrapped present! Here are the items from my box:

Screw B Do Magnetic Screw Driver - I have to use the screwdriver every time I need to change a needle, and it keeps popping in and out, hopefully this will make it easier. I love the colors too, adorable!

Cotton Candy Embroidery Scissors by Sew Mate - I already have 2 pairs of embroidery scissors, though one is in desperate need of being gone. I got hot pink ... what's not to love?

Fat Quarter Shop 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" Ruler - I have a lot of rulers, so this one isn't super useful to me, but then again, there's nothing wrong with having an additional ruler, either.

Grow! Charm Pack from Moda Fabrics - Moda Fabrics is one of my favorite shops, I love their bright modern style. This charm pack is very colorful, and makes me glad that I'm into quilting, as I love these bright and fun colors. (In knitting, I'm much more judicious about the colors since they're worn ... but in quilting almost anything goes as long as it's contemporary!) I have a few charm pack quilts in my queue, such as a Petals quilt, that this would be absolutely perfect for.

Strawberry Picking Pattern by It's Sew Emma - a very cute summery quilt, I probably won't be making it anytime soon because there are so many things I want to make, but I'm never upset about adding a pattern to my library.

In addition, we also get a block recipe card for us to collect. At the end of the year, we can end up with a block-of-the-month type quilt.

The value of this box was $47.80, which I'm really happy with. I paid ~$30 for this box, so I feel it is good value. What I don't get is that a lot of subscription type boxes say they're okay as long as the total price of items is above what you paid, even by a little ... and this is not true. It's true we do have to pay for curation. But on the other hand, we also expect a discount because the items were not handpicked by us, and hence can be not useful. But ultimately, it comes down to curation and presentation. The items were fun and fresh and colorful and presented well, and the recipe card is so cute, so I think it's a winner. I'll be keeping my subscription!

I Love Craftsy ~ An Honest Review

I discovered Craftsy because they were sponsoring Stitches West in 2013, and soon after I signed up for my first class which is Amigurumi Woodland Animals with Stacey Trock. That class started a chain reaction, and in the past few years I've purchased over a hundred classes and I've been so, so in love with all that I'm learning.

Reasons why I love Craftsy:

#1 - Learn At Home

I'm a mom of 2 little ones, and it's just not easy for me to get out of the house, especially to take crafting classes, which may be far away. With Craftsy, I can take classes at home when the kids are napping, or even playing quietly, any time I want to. And although the teacher is not watching over you directly ... I do find that I can ask the teacher questions when I need to, and lots of times other students ask what I'm thinking of asking, and I get to read the responses. If necessary, I can post a picture and the teacher will respond to you personally. It's a very rare case when I wish I had someone to watch what I'm doing and help me.

#2 - Rewatch Anything

It's a common problem for me ... I learn a technique in an in-person class, perform it in class, and after I get home, I forget how to do it. I so wished I could have filmed it when the teacher was teaching me in class! But that's usually not possible. With Craftsy, I can rewatch any technique I want, however many times. There are so many things that you do once, then you forget how to do it, so with Craftsy as long as I know where to find the technique, I can go back and rewatch that class. However ... this does lead me to one of the areas of the site I wish they'd fix. See "Things I Wish Craftsy Can Improve On."

#3 - Price

I'll admit it, Craftsy isn't cheap per se ... an average class costs $20. Although for many hours of instruction that you can rewatch as much as you want, it's definitely not expensive either. some people complain that they can watch videos for free on Youtube, which is true. But I love Craftsy's class structure and organization. It goes into much more in depth, and you are usually taken through a progression of skill level. Sometimes you don't even know what you don't know, so there's no way to look for it on Youtube. In addition, a lot of these teachers are world-renowned crafters, so if you take a class with them in person, it can get much, much more expensive. Craftsy classes go on major sales quite a few times a year, so that is the best time to pick up classes in bulk. In fact, I don't even recommend paying full price for any class, unless for some reason you must take it immediately. Wait for the sale, they can be pretty incredible.

#4 - Customer Service

Most of the Craftsy classes are really, really excellent. Once in a while though, you get a class that's less than stellar. It's bound to happen. (Read the reviews, they're usually very honest!) In the few times I've complained about a class, Craftsy contacted me personally and gave my money back, every time. I didn't even have to ask for it. Also, whenever I had an issue with the site, I always get a reply very quickly, and they really work with you to resolve issues.

#5 - Class Variety

My main interests are knitting, crocheting, quilting, and sewing. In all those categories, Craftsy has pretty much any class you would want to take. Almost any technique I can think of, they have a class for. This wasn't true in 2013 when I started using the site, but over the past few years they've seriously increased their offerings, and now for those aforementioned categories, you really can learn anything you want to learn.

And because I love and use the site so much, there are of course a few things I hope they can improve on in the near future:

Things I Wish Craftsy Can Improve On:

Easier way to navigate and save students' questions & responses

There are a lot of gems hidden in the student questions & responses, but it's not really easy to search through them, and it's not easy at all to save the responses. In fact, if I wanted to make a note of something someone said, I'd pretty much have to copy & paste it into some textfile somewhere. Not a good interface.

Create a profile of topics I'm interested in so I get alerts

Craftsy has realized that I like knitting ... and I get a lot of alerts for new knitting classes. But I also have a large amount of crochet classes, and sewing classes, and quilting classes. But to date I've yet to receive a single alert for new classes in those categories from Craftsy. I want to hear about new classes as soon as they come up, instead of having to poll the site on a weekly basis.

Easier way to get to free classes

Craftsy has a lot of really great mini classes, that are also free. And I mean, really great, sometimes I can hard believe the free content in those classes. Much better than a Youtube video, for sure. But they certainly don't make it easy to find, or advertise these free classes at all. In fact, if you scrolled through a list of classes, the free ones aren't even listed. You have to specifically filter "Free Classes" to find them.

Search your notes across classes

As I mentioned it's great to be able to rewatch techniques. Craftsy has a way for you to save a video note, so you know exactly where to go in that class to find techniques ... but what if I can't remember in which class the technique was taught? Say I'm watching a bead knitting class, and the instructor showed a great bind-off that I saved a note on. I wouldn't immediately connect a bind-off with bead knitting, so if I wanted to find out how to do it later, I wouldn't know where the technique was, without clicking through all my classes and checking my notes. There has *got* to be a better way to do that!

This is my completely unbiased review. I certainly was not paid to write this, nor was I asked in any way, shape, or form. I just want to share the love of Craftsy ... after all, the more people who sign up to take classes, the more classes they can offer, and the cycle will continue!