Tuesday - January 14, 2025

Happy Dance - Problem Solved

No more tension issues on the Jazz II sewing machine. I wasn't having problems until I used the walking foot to machine quilt. The machine worked okay for a bit, then no matter what I tried, huge thread nests appeared on the back of the quilt. I re-threaded the sewing machine, rewound the bobbin, changed the sewing needle, watched many YouTube videos about threading and tension.

I found a post where a Jazz II user said they solved the issue by purchasing a stand-alone thread holder. The thread holder sits behind the sewing machine and feeds the thread vertically. This device adds a bit more tension to the thread to feed it more smoothly through the machine.

I also found a dedicated Jazz II group on Facebook. Someone there posted that they had forgotten to tuck the thread under the top silver plate of the sewing machine, and it caused tension problems. So I re-threaded the machine again making sure the thread was passing under the plate. Between using the new thread holder and paying closer attention to the thread path ... Success!!

For those who use Facebook and are interested, here is the link to the Jazz II group. You will need to request membership. It was easy to do.

(Threading the Jazz II machine & stand-alone thread holder.)

In the photo above, the illustration shows a dotted line going from the #1 to #2 position. The dotted line means the thread is placed underneath the flat metal plate as shown in the photo.

I bought the Jazz II sewing machine from Sewing Machines Plus. In case you are interested, here is a link to the thread spool holder on Amazon.

Now that the Jazz II is behaving, I'm once again quilting the star quilt. Feels good to make progress.

Hope you are successfully problem solving today!

Dawn

Thursday - January 9, 2025

Houses and Trees

Just after the new year, I finished sewing the last house block on my temperature quilt. Since I averaged the temperatures for the week, and sewed one house each week, that gives me 52 house blocks. I'm going to arrange them in a 7x8 grid. That means I need four additional blocks to complete the grid. So I paper pieced four tree blocks, one tree to represent each season.

(Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter - trees.)

I'm going to insert each tree between the houses for when the season begins. Next step is to lay out all the blocks. I'm leaving the paper backing on until I sew the rows together. (I numbered the blocks on the paper backing so that I didn't mix up the weeks!)

Hope you are somewhere cozy. I woke up to 19-degrees F. in Massachusetts. Brrr!

Dawn

 

Saturday - January 4, 2025

Quilting Channels on YouTube

I've discovered a wonderful community of quilting friends through YouTube.

My favorite events are the "live" meetings where we all get together in real time. The channel host is usually working on a quilt project while talking with everyone in the online chat room. People in the chat share their news and projects while working on their own sewing. For me, it's fun and relaxing while also socializing without leaving my sewing room. Something like a quilt retreat but without having to lug my sewing machine and supplies anywhere. (Though I do enjoy in-person quilting retreats when I can attend them!)

Here are some of my favorite YouTube channels in no particular order.

Tiffany's Quilting Life - I can't say enough positive things about Tiffany. She is an incredibly fast quilter at both the sewing machine and longarm. Tiffany loves scrap quilts and sews a variety of items: bed quilts of all sizes, wall hangings, table runners, bags. She also does incredible freestyle longarm quilting.

Off Kilter Crafter Ian - Ian is always entertaining. He embraces every moment, even when falling out of his sewing chair or tripping...which he often does. He enjoys the Cotton Cut Puzzle Mystery Quilt events (sewing the steps online) and loves making quilts and bags/pouches with Tula Pink fabrics.

Sew Becca - Becca works on a variety of quilts and has recently upgraded her longarm. She is often seen with Ian and her friend Mary, the Crafty Panda. Becca and Ian have also teamed up to produce a bi-weekly podcast called Sew Off Kilter that incorporates their humor and includes lots of quilting discussion.

Donnell's Stitchery - Donnell is warm-hearted and filled with passion for helping others. I don't know when she rests. She is always sewing, recently finishing a bargello quilt, pinwheel quilt and a scrappy project. She also organizes many charity quilt donations.

Mom and Pop Quilt Shop - Laura-Lynn has a joyful off-beat sense of humor and enjoys a variety of projects and quilting methods. She makes quilts, small projects, and does cross stitch. She also does longarm quilting and posts short reels of her quilting.

Pastry Queen's Farm Adventures - Leana dives into a variety of quilting projects, including sewing sample quilts for pattern designers. She also organizes many quilt donations. She travels between her home in New York to Massachusetts and Puerto Rico...and she takes viewers on her journeys.

Another online event I have fun with is The Fabric Shop Hop. Each event lasts all month. A list of online stores is provided. The goal is to visit the store websites and find the Fabric Shop Hop bunny. Each bunny found allows you to register for prize drawings. Winners are selected at the end of each month. I've won small prizes a few times. But for me, the real adventure is visiting the stores to check out new fabric lines and projects.

(The Fabric Shop Hop Logo.)

Maybe I'll see you on YouTube one of these days. I enjoy the quilting community. Inspiration galore!

Enjoy a wonderful day!

Dawn

 

Tuesday - December 31, 2024

A Creative Challenge for 2025

Another year successfully navigated despite a few serious challenges. I hope 2024 was good to you.

I'm ready to welcome 2025 and happily planning fun projects.

While browsing the internet, I discovered an artist who had devised a bingo card. The card featured an assortment of painting projects and art techniques. The object: Complete as many squares on the card as possible, crossing off the completed items. Just as in the game bingo, completing a row or column counts as a win. I wonder if the artist awards themselves a prize for each row/column completed?

I like the idea of the challenge. I created a bingo card, and am looking foward to crossing off as many squares as possible during 2025. My goal is to accomplish a "bingo blackout" where the whole card is completed.

(I created this Bingo Card for Quilters.)

There are definitely some things out of my comfort zone. Hexagons intimidate me. I've never sewn a quilt from a kit. I rarely sew with striped or geometric fabric. Applique is always a challenge too. I've only made a mug rug once before. And there is a UFO (unfinished object) that has been in my sewing room for more years than I care to admit. This is an opportunity to expand my quilting skills and explore.

If you'd like to join the bingo fun, here is a link to a pdf version of the bingo card for quilters. Feel free to share it with your friends.

Happy New Year!

Dawn

 

Saturday - December 28, 2024

Where I Am - Jelly Roll Race

Who knew that sewing straight lines could be exhausting ... of course, we are talking about a lot of straight lines! The Jelly Roll Race event was huge fun. So happy I participated.

The pattern variation I chose included sections of three 2 1/2 inch squares sewn together. I needed to sew a long jelly roll strip, then add one of the 3-pieced sections, then another long strip, then another 3-pieced section, repeating until the jelly roll strips were all used. By the time I finished that sewing, it was late, and I needed a break.

So today I continued the project. I ironed the long fabric section. Then I cut the long fabric strip into 68" lengths. This photo shows a portion of the quilt top without being completely sewn together.

(Jelly Roll Race - My progress so far.)

Tomorrow I will sew the strips together into a quilt top. I'm also planning to add borders. In case you're wondering, this jelly roll is an older one. The only identifying tag I see says "Boundless".

Hope you are working on a fun project!

Dawn

 

Monday - December 23, 2024

Jelly Roll Race - Live Event (on Dec. 27)

One of my favorite YouTube quilting channels is hosting a live Jelly Roll Race this Friday (December 27, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time). Sew Becca has invited two of her friends to join her live (Ian the Off Kilter Crafter and Mary the Crafty Panda). Their goal is to race each other and not stop until one of them finishes the quilt top. Typically, Becca's Friday live sessions go for about two hours. And Becca has invited all of us to join the fun! There is a live chat so that everyone can connect.

Link to Sew Becca's YouTube Channel - scroll down to "Upcoming Live Streams"

Link to Jordan Fabrics for their Jelly Roll Quilt Pattern

My quilt wish list has included making a Jelly Roll quilt. I have a Jelly Roll that I bought years ago. I'm breaking it out. I don't want to sew a traditional Jelly Roll Race quilt, so I'm doing a bit of advanced prep for a Jelly Roll Race quilt with a twist. I found this design at Jordan Fabrics, and there is a helpful YouTube video to explain this slightly different Jelly Roll quilt technique.

If you have time, perhaps we'll see each other online!

(Jelly Roll Race - Two colorways from Jordan Fabrics.)

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Dawn

 

Wednesday - December 18, 2024

Having Fun with Clipart

I enjoy creating clipart based on quilt block patterns. Most of the patterns are traditional quilt designs, but I sometimes can't resist creating my own blocks. I offer the clipart for free on my website if you are interested. https://dlstewart.com/clipart.htm

There are many ways to use clipart. Since the holidays are here, I plan to use the designs to create some unique gift tags.

Another fun treat I gave myself is a self-made advent box. I saved the numbered bags from last year's Jenny's Christmas box and filled them with small gifts. I bought the items throughout the year during sales. I aimed for items that are practical as well as a few fun things, and of course, some quilting and crafting goodies.

Here are some of the gifts I've opened so far:
Self-Healing Cutting Mat 8"x6" (Amazon)
Self-Threading Sewing Needles with Needle Case (Amazon)
Plastic Sewing Clips in Container (Amazon)
Ergonomic Loom Knitting Hooks (Amazon)
Wilton Ultra Bake Cookie Sheet Set (at Target)
Stainless Steel Pie Server (Amazon)
Laurel Burch Slipper Socks (Amazon)
Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream (Amazon)
Burt Bees Vanilla Bean Lip Balm (Amazon)
Soft T-shirt with Butterfly Design (no longer available)
Silver Christmas Tree Earrings (no longer available)

And a friend surprised me by asking to fill one of the bags as a surprise treat. I was delighted to find she had gifted me a project pouch and a handmade credit card holder in cute cat fabric. A purr-fect present!

Wishing you joy!

Dawn

Looking for more blog posts? Visit my archive. Here is a link to last year 2024.