A start on a double wedding ring.

I also decided I needed more practice with curves so I cut out and started piecing a red, white, and black double wedding ring quilt.  I think it's going to be really pretty once I have quilted the heck out of it!  More to come on this one as well.  

Playing with orange peels

I have been wanting to make an orange peel/petal quilt but was a little intimidated until I watched Missouri star quilt company's  Jenny Doan's tutorial explaining how to achieve a great needle turn look using fusible interfacing. Here's my first try at it.  Worked like a charm!  

Within an hour I had chosen some material from my stash and cut out enough peel pieces to make a queen size bed quilt. I will post more pictures later. 

Green chevron quilted

Well my machine is now fixed and I am up and running again. 

Love this chevron. This is just for our home.  I quilted it with double quilters dream wool batting and backed it with a medium weight white minky backing.  Now just needs a white binding and I can slip it on the bed. 

Problems with my machine or finicky machine?

Boy, while I have been trying to finish my last two quilts I have been so frustrated with my Avante 18.  I have been getting needle sensor errors.  It would be fine if it just said error and described it but what happens is that's when I stop for any reason, instead of positioning the needle in the down position, it keeps moving.  More than once I have actually let go of the handles and off it went!!! 

I went online and checked out the forums and the HQ website and found nothing except assurances that this most often was not a lasting problem."shut your machine off and it will most likely return to normal" ..well that's easy to say...they are not the ones picking out stitches!  Sure it worked but this meant for EVERY  stop I had to shut the machine off!!!  NOT!

I went through all the sensor checks multiple times.  Before cleaning the speed sensor was not showing 0 before I started it up but 100 .  I went to the back...it started at 0 then went to 100  and stayed there.  I went back to the front.  Still 100.  Put on micro quilting handles and then did the diagnostics check.  0-100 in no time flat. 

I phoned the dealer and she (on Sunday) gave me the best advice.  Clean everything that you can get to.  Change needles. Rethread. And if that isn't it it maybe that the sensor has developed a oily or dirty film over it....that would mean bundling up my baby and driving 200km to get a check up and cleaning!  I only got it in late May, less than a year!  

So, cleaned everything.  Took the top plate off and checked to make sure nothing was caught in behind the bobbin case holder. Changed needle.  Did diagnostics. Everything a-ok.  Tested the stop start....over and over and over.....perfect.  

Then went back to the quilt with the high loft poly batting......worked a little better but once again Needle Sensor Error..  

Do you think it just doesn't like cheap batting?  Or high loft batting.  I have quilted with two layers...cotton and wool and it's like butter...love it....  But this? Humph! 

32-2015-#5. Baby quilt

Today I finished this cute little baby quilt for one of our staff.  

It's smaller than I wanted it, measuring 35x42 inches. Still big enough for a crib but a little small for a toddler.   This quilt is a stashbuster pieced with cotton scraps from a quilt I did for my mom last year. It's got a pale pink Minky back and high loft poly batting making it puffy and soft. 

 

I have never done any appliqué so on the circles I tried a few different stitches (leaves, bows, cars, blanket stitch and a few more).  Going around a circle distorted the images somewhat and they look a little messy.  I would definitely do the blanket and bows again! 

I hope the new little owner will enjoy it. 

4th finish - 2nd charity quilt

A little charity quilt for the guild. 

I was given a challenge...to quilt this little piece into a great little charity give away.  

I decided to quilt the appliqué stars simply and use swirls and feathers to give the quilt some interest. I used King Tut thread and was given poly batting and a thin but great striped cotton backing. 

3rd finish for 2015 Jane's charity quilt.

Well, first charity quilt of 2015! I really enjoyed quilting this little quilt made by Jane.   Because of the beautiful colours I quilted it simply and left spaces so the quilt would be soft and cozy for some recipient.  

I used grey-blue So-Fine and invisi-thread and Jane provided poly batting and a green cotton backing.  

Thank you for letting me quilt this little charity quilt.