Quilting with Patsy

This morning I decided to watch some video of quilting with Patsy Thompson.  She was very straight forward with what not to do on first time quilting.  This entire process looks like there will be more practicing on how to FMQ.  It seems quite relaxing.  Now that I have the machine in which to work with; it will be an easy cross over in learning.   Looking at the way she was handling this queen size quilt through such a small space now lets me know why the companies are making larger throat spaces.  It seems so cumbersome to push the quilt through.  I watched all four videos.  There's a lot to learn out there.  Again the main things is buying the stuff to work with in order to have the best out come.  I love the way she brought a door for her table, and placed to cheap filing cabinets at either end.  This gave her plenty of work space.  More than what she would have if she brought a Koala table.   This is something I thought about doing some time back.  I still have not ruled out doing so.   I will try to get some batting, and a bundle in which to practice on. 

still brainstorming

Last night after fiddling around with some new stitches on my new baby;  I decided to reread some of the directions on the Helen LeMay sunburst pattern.  I swear this things looks like it was made for an engineer.   I know I am missing something on this program....maybe it's just an visual overlook on my part something is not registering.  I am determined to see if I can draft a pattern.  In the mean time; the skirt that I thought i was going to make is now history.  It's not complicated, but the measurements are way off.  Even though the pattern is giving the right measurements that's not what come out, and this is not a surprise.  Why do I bother?  The pictures look fantastic on the pattern, and I can see myself in them.  

  I am  now considering the Dress Shop 4 software.  There is another by Ginger software I've read about, and the women say they get more success with the outcome on the patterns.   This might be another avenue.  In earlier posts I do believe that I may have mentioned the software.   I am going to give the LeMay course another try as I did pay 198.00 for it, and have only drafted a vest.  The directions do say practice.  I just get frustrated easily.  The way this course is written stuff seems to be all over the page.  Of course this is just my take on it, someone else might see it differently.   Nothing beats a failure but a try.  So back to the drawing board I go. 
Another annoyance is the lighting is my room.  I have the lamp near the sewing machine.  That works fine, but it is the light that I need for the cutting table.   It would be silly to put a lamp on the cutting table.  I've got to find a way to get anther stool near the cutting table giving off enough light.  

Had I continued playing around with machine last night I would have been up at two in the morning.  I also corrected the thread problem.  It was user error, the machine was not threaded correctly.  I  hit the panic button too early.  So far the verdict is out on the 7700..............the women say they wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China.   I still can't believe it's here.  So many things have been racing through my mind lately regarding this machine.  Every time I test a design stitch I can think of way of putting the stitch to use.  Still not there yet on what i am going to do, but I know that I've got to find a way to make this work.    In the mean time the girls are giving me some type of mental stimulus in regards to ideas.  Sooner or later something will work.    

friday report

Last night for some reason..............maybe just fighting sleep; I decided that I would play around with some of the decorative stitches on my new friend.  I really like the above stitches and I am sure that I will be using them.  I am also learning that my machine might like certain threads.  I experimented and changed threads using gutterman.   My Bernina loves this thread no problem.  However when I tried using it on this machine the stitch seemed to change and the stitches were too close together.  So I changed the stitch length........still nothing.   Then I changed the thread back to the first spool of thread I used.  The stitch came out perfect.  Then I tried with the Egyption thread and the wt. is 20 cotton thread.  No problem with this thread either.  As soon as I rethreaded the machine with the Gutterman thread the stitch changed.   So I am thinking that my machine has attitude.  I might have to buy thread with 20-40 wt.  Which I plan on doing.  They say each machine is different.  I wrote the girls on yahoo and they said, "don't get panicky" just keep experimenting and getting to know my machine. 

After I played with the machine a little while, I decided that I would play with tissue paper and make draft on a skirt pattern from my book.........still not sleepy yet.   That didn't work out so well.........so now I think I will make another attempt to read from a manual that is some what like the luttorlogh system.  Sunburst pattern system by Helen Lemay.  I've spoken about this pattern system before.  Each time I will pick it up, and run into a gliche, and then put it down. I keep going back to this system because it allegedly works with all of the persons measurements. I just have to figure out how to use it.  Should I get this down pat I will be able to branch out.

Yesterday while in the doctors office I took an outdated Stitch magazine to keep me entertained for my office visit. It seems waiting time is shorter when I bring anything related to sewing. Any other time I would have waited an 30 minutes or more. I forget what year this magazine is from, however the article was, "We trial computer software" and article by Helen Mcbeath.   Dress shop I've pattern program as being the easiest software to use, followed by Ginger which is a little more detailed in software, but the outcome is just as good.  It's a few pennies more.  In each of these programs it literally makes it easy for the sewer to just key in the measurements, print them out and there you have it, your own custom pattern.  I don't know why I forgot about this system.  I still am determined to get my monies worth.  So just going to keep plugging away and sooner or later something is going to click.

In creative mind funk

I am suppose to be sewing, yet my drive is down low for some reason.  You really have to be in the mood.  Last night though I played with some more stitches on the machine.   It really is really nice.  I guess the newness of getting the machine has died down.  Sometimes I just look at it............I guess in my mind I am trying figure out just how I am going to make this machine work for me.  Don't regret getting it one bit, just haven't been in the swing of things lately.   That's alright I am entitled to one of these moods.  My mind is in overdrive with fabric choices now that I found a way of transportation that might aid me in the winter months.

 I will be going to my favorite store SR Harris, but have to wait a couple of weeks.  Right now I've been doing researching on the products I would like to use on the projects that I am thinking about making.  Giving myself some type of time frame.  This means I'm going to have to back to my dream board and picture what I want, I had purchased some fashion magazines just to get an idea of how I want to about creating something.  Right now the women on the 7700 group talk about batting.  Well I know nothing about that, however having this machine I am going to have to learn about it; so bamboo batting seems to be the best, but it's also expensive.   So for that reason I would think about using it on a jacket.   The possibilities are endless.  Guess that's why my mind seems to be in overdrive. I will tinker around with the machine today.  So far I've noticed a difference in the stitches.  It appears that this machine doesn't like Guttermen thread, or I've got a bad spool of it, or my bobbin is not wound correctly.  It just might be the latter.  So back to the drawing board.