Waiting on the Postman...

11 am.......all the flowers, shrubs and trees are watered, raked up grass clippings and fed them to the chicks, skipped the laundry and housework........headed straight for the Thread Shed for a full day of machine quilting on the sunflower quilt. This is my 4th day working on the quilt:

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Everyone seemed to enjoy the BEFORE and AFTER stitching images, so here is the purple sunflower unquilted.

Here is the purple sunflower covered with gorgeous stitching...wow it really comes to life with thread all over it!

I used the orange variegated trilobal polyester I purchased from Patsy Thompson.

It was just perfect on this purple batik fabric.........such texture. The Bernina just loves this thread.

Pale yellow batik sunflower quilted. The quilting in the center of the flowers is circles. I learned this technique watching a Pat Sloan video.......she refers to them as bubbles.

This purple variegated thread, which looks fairly bright, was rather subtle on this flower, which surprised me a bit.

I thought I would show you how I audition threads for my machine quilting: I spool out and hand full of thread and lay it directly on top of the fabric I plan to quilt. This time I auditioned 3 different threads. They all looked rather similar. The dark orange variegate on the top blended too much, so I knew it wouldn't be enough contrast. The bright orange variegate on the left was good.........but I wanted HIGH contrast against this dark pink fabric.......so I went with the lemon yellow variegated thread. Always spool out the thread and lay it on top of the fabric.....that gives you a realistic view of what the thread will look like.........don't just lay the entire spool on the fabric, it will not give you and accurate reading of your thread color.

Here is the dark pink sunflower all quilted with the lemon yellow thread.

9:30 pm......I can't believe it is that late........the day just flew by! Gunnr popped his head up from under the sewing machine to tell me it was past his bedtime. I brought him over to the house, gave him his night time treat and tucked him in bed. Now back to the thread shed....

Another pink sunflower.......this is definitely getting that lemon yellow thread!

Look at all that texture......these sunflowers are so much fun to quilt. I only have a couple more flowers left......I don't want them to end. I think these are the best bubbles in the center of this flower.

This sunflower is made from a gorgeous purple blue batik......yummy!

I auditioned several thread choices, and the blue variegated thread won.

This photo doesn't do it justice.......it is incredible.

Yes, this is another beautiful thread from Patsy Thompson.

11 pm......finished up the 4th chicken........only one left to do.

The long, thin blades of grass are not fun to quilt, but they are needed to camouflage the chickens.

11:30 pm.......sorry to report......I am completely out of bobbin thread! I had 3 rolls (1,500 yards), and it is all gone. Altogether I have stitched 3,000 yards of thread into this sunflower quilt top and bottom. I ordered more thread, it will be shipped tomorrow. In the meantime........I will be up at the mailbox waiting for the mailman.

My Bobbin is NOT Full Tonight,

LuAnn

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Moving Day...

This time of year I have to split my time between gardening and quilting.......I love them both. The iris were in full bloom last week and really put on a show for us:

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Front Flower bed full of Iris

The pansies also demanded some attention...they are glowing right now!

I plan to enlarge this image and use it in one of my photo transfer quilts.

If you like it too, please feel free to download it.

My favorite guy tilled up the sunflower patch for me last week........4 feet wide and 100 feet long........that's my guy! We covered the newly planted seeds with long sheets of plastic.......to keep the birds out of it. Re-planting seeds is not on my favorites list.

We took the plastic off today and the seeds have sprouted!

It is moving day........the 7 week old baby chicks are moving from the brooder box out back on the patio.......to the hen house. This is Dottie, a little barred rock baby chick.

7 weeks ago she was a little cotton ball with legs.........she is a little mini hen today.

We placed the chicks in cat carriers to transport them through the yard to the hen house.The hen house is located just to the right of the Thread Shed. They are good company for me when I am working.

The baby chicks are checking out their new home.......they immediately began to peck the cedar shavings on the floor. The old hens stayed out in the chicken yard.....I think they are afraid of the chicks?

After awhile the baby chicks ventured out into the chicken yard.......they enjoyed pecking the grass clippings from mowing the yard today.

Gunnr spent most of the day watching over his peeps......he just loves the baby chicks.

This zinnia demanded my attention today........it was overcast this morning......perfect photo weather........it is really this glowing, hot pink color!

I will close this post with a photo of my favorite Bosom Buddies. These quilters are from Idaho. They are a group of caring, loving quilters known as the Bosom Buddies. They create quilts with their hearts and their hands for women with breast cancer. When I am visiting from Oregon, they welcome me with open arms and make me feel a part of their wonderful group. I miss them and just want to say I will see you in September and we will have lots of fun together!

CLICK HERE to view My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Half Way Done...

I have about 14 hours of machine quilting in the sunflower quilt this week.......I also filled 16 bobbins so far........used 12 different thread colors........and changed thread more times than I can count.........this is my kind of quilting and I am loving every minute of it!

I stitched for 6 hours today........here is a peek at how my day in the Thread Shed went:

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I used a very dark chocolate variegated thread on this bright golden sunflower. I needed a high contrast to make a good impact on this flower.

If you click this image of the hen, you can see how great the variegated orange thread looks on her dark tail feathers...

I have found makeup brushes to work best for cleaning my machine during quilting. When I put in a new bobbin, I clean out the bobbin housing every time. It is amazing how much lint builds up. About every third bobbin, I remove the throat plate and clean all the lint out of the feed dogs.

I love these pin point oilers. They come in a 3 or 6 inch length. They oil your machine with precision....if you want exactly one drop of oil.....that is what you will get. The long oiler reaches down under and behind the feed dog area, where you normally are not able to reach for oiling. I have a Feather Weight 221, which requires regularly monthly oiling in 12 different locations.....the long pin point oiler is perfect for it. When the oilers are empty, you just refill them. Precision oiling with absolutely no oily mess on your machine.

The fabric in this sunflower contains yellow, orange and green. I used a dark orange and green variegated thread to give it the contrast it needed. If you are going to take the time to do all the threadwork.......you want it to show.

On the back of the machine is an accessory thread stand I purchased 2 years ago. It holds all kinds of thread.......large cones, small cones, stacked threads, crosswound threads, all brands of threads. Each thread, whether it is stacked or crosswound comes off the spool properly so there is no twist in the thread during high speed machine quilting. I leave all the thread spools on the stand until all the quilting is completed. They are right there when I need them, no searching around for thread.

A year ago I started using the Bendable Brite Lite.....looking back....I think I have been sewing in the dark all these years. It gives me incredible light exactly where I aim it, easy on my eyes. I even aim it at the stitching when I am ripping out a seam to see better. It is also great to check over the stitching I have just done to make sure the tension is balanced. No more sewing in the dark for me. I put one on my feather weight so I have plenty of light when I am using my travel machine.

I thought I would show you a......before......and.....after image. This is a pink sunflower before it is quilted. I just love this batik fabric.

I decided to go with a bright orange variegated thread I purchased from Patsy Thompson. If you have never been to her site click HERE

She posts the most gorgeous images of her free motion quilting!

Click this image to enlarge it and get a better look at how the orange thread enhanced this pink sunflower......it gives it such texture and dimension.

By 6pm I made it half way through the quilt.......that means from the right edge of the quilt which measures 100 inches tall..........to 50 inches into the center of the quilt. I have never done a quilt this size........I think 80 inches square was the biggest I had machine quilted myself. I have to tell you......it wasn't too bad getting 50 inches of quilt under my little Bernina. I accordion folded the quilt and pushed it under the arm of the machine as I went along. I saw Ricky Tims do that on The Quilt Show a few months back, and it works like a charm.. Thank You Ricky!

Someone else in the Thread Shed knew it was 6pm......and he was ready to quit for the day! This is Gunnr, a 2 year old boxer. He sleeps in a dog bed under my sewing machine table. He pushed his head up under the quilt laying all over my lap, and gives me a nudge when it is time to go!

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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full........especially during machine quilting,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Everything is Better when it is Quilted...

Here's a sneak peek...I spent the day free motion quilting on the sunflower quilt. I am using a Bernina 153 QE. Someday I would love to have a George Long Arm Machine.

Yesterday I pieced the warm & natural batting then spray basted the quilt sandwich. This is the largest quilt I have machine quilted...100 inches square.

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I quilted some of the background, then started on a sunflower

I chose a pinkish-red trilobal polyester thread.

It made a good contrast to the yellow batik sunflower.

Be sure to use a thread net on cone threads, especially polyester and rayon threads, they are slippery. The netting keeps the thread in place on the cone and keeps it feeding evenly during machine quilting.

I use Sewer's Aid when machine quilting. It is a silicone that is safe for threads and fibers. It does not leave a residue or stain your fabric. I squeeze out a line of sewer's aid along the side of my thread spool, to soak into several layers of thread. It is especially helpful when you have used fusible web for applique, as well as spray basting your quilt sandwich. It keeps your needle from getting sticky.

I like Titanium sewing machine needles. They are much stronger than regular needles, stay sharper longer, and do not get hot during free motion quilting. I also use a straight stitch throat plate on the sewing machine, rather than a zig zag throat plate. I get a better stitch on the back side of the quilt with a straight stitch plate.

Free motion quilting requires a good GRIP. Textiles draw all of the moisture out of our skin while we are handling them. I am partial to Neutrogena Hand Cream. I like the clear, rather than the white cream. Just a tiny pin head of cream keeps my hands moisturized and able to move the quilt sandwich easily under the sewing machine.

I also use Bee Bar for a good GRIP. It smells wonderful. No oils to stain your quilt, and it gives you a good grip. Hold the bar in your hands for a few seconds and it will begin to melt a bit, then rub your hands together. It lasts for hours before you need to re-apply.

This is the back side of the Bee Bar container. There is a website in case you are interested in giving this a try. I have used it for years and years.

These are the very best scissors for trimming threads closely on your quilt top during free motion work. They are little and lightweight. Just squeeze them to trim the threads. No wrestling getting your fingers into regular scissors.

You can see from this side view, that the end of the scissors are curved upwards. This prevents you from cutting into your quilt top while trimming threads. Yes....I have snipped several quilt tops....BEFORE I found these great scissors.

I decided to quilt some of the leaves...so I am auditioning some green threads. I chose a mildly variegated green thread. Sometimes too much dark to light on a variegated thread can be distracting. I prefer one that doesn't have too much white in it, just a subtle change in color.

My last sunflower before I quit for the day. I used the pinkish-red thread here again on this sunflower and I like the contrast against the yellow batik.

Just creating and designing the sunflower quilt top was a pleasure, but I have to say....the machine quilting is really bringing it to life.

CLICK HERE to view My Quilts

Everything is Better when it is Quilted,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Don't Buy Retail...

It was gorgeous today. I opened the door and windows of the Thread Shed so I could see the sunshine, feel the warm breeze, hear the cattle moo-ing and smell the horses. If I couldn't be outside, then I was bringing it in with me!

I spent the day finishing up the applique' stitching on the sunflower quilt top.

Then I spent a couple more hours trimming all the stray threads off the back side of it. It is ready to be basted and machine quilted..........we have a date on Friday.

With this warm, beautiful weather my favorite sport comes to mind....thrifting.....yard sales.....second hand stores.......the sport of champions! I was raised by a mother who trained me well. Most of our home today is furnished and decorated with second hand items. I love things with character.

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My friend Linda, who has walked many a mile with me hunting down second hand items, sent me this entertaining video. Click here to view ESTATE SALE

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The Yard Sale Queen,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE