Quilt Jewellery Sale....

Remember the Quilty Jewelry that I had in the store?  I still have them here in the home studio and have decided they need new homes.  So....I am selling the pieces at 50% off!

There are several flag pins, a few pendants, and some scissor fobs and bracelets.  And 2 pairs of earrings.  All miniature quilt blocks, paperpieced.  Amazing things.

If you are interested in seeing them and purchasing, contact me at 307-745-3200 or email me at bobbinsnthreads@gmail.com.






Are you fans of Bonnie Hunter?  This week The Quilt Show has an episode with Bonnie and it is free until May 25th. Here is the info on Bonnie's blog:

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/05/free-to-my-readers-watch-my-episode-1410.html

I love her scrap system and use it.  Okay, I have LOTS of scraps and some of them are cut using the system.  ;)  I do have a few of her books and there are several quilts I want to sew up but I also love many of the freebies on her website.

Free Scrap Quilt Patterns...along the left hand side of her site:
http://quiltville.com/

THREADS
 Okay, since I haven't had the time to do a big threads post, I will do them bit by bit.  People have been asking what threads I carry and their various uses.  I use mainly Superior Threads.  I like the company...they have wonderful quality and their customer service is amazing.

So Fine cone #516 Gondola Gold
I use this color a lot!

My favorite thread is 50 wt So Fine.
http://www.superiorthreads.com/product/brand/so-fine-50/

I carry the first 50 colors in the spool size (550 yds) and have almost all of the cones (3280 yds)...I add to the stock every month.  The spools are $5.95 and the cones are $16.90.  It is a fine, polyester thread with medium sheen, smooth and very clean.  I use it for machine quilting, piecing, regular sewing, hand sewing (it is GREAT for hand sewing bindings...it doesn't twist like cotton does) and for serging.  I wind up a few bobbins and put them on the serger instead of having to purchase several spools or cones.  Machine quilting with it is a breeze...I never have any problems.  And it is so clean and lint free that I don't have to worry about thread balls in the bobbin area.  It is also wonderful for hand applique and machine applique!  And I have also used it for heirloom sewing and for couching!

I like to quilt with it because it is so fine that it is an excellent compliment to my customers' quilt tops.  The quilting does not take over the design.  It is perfect for stitch in the ditch and for dense background quilting because it is so fine that the design does not look thready.  In the longarm I use either a 16 or 18 needle and in the sewing machine I use an 8.

And I use it in the bobbin when I use other threads on top.  For instance, with King Tut or any other variegated or thicker thread.  I find that it is easier to tension the threads when I use a finer thread in the bobbin and I don't get as many *pokies*.  When variegated thread is used in the top and bottom, sometimes you get pokies of colors you may not want to see on the top.  The So Fine in the bobbin in a medium color that matches the variegation on top helps to eliminate that.

And I have found that I can use it in the bobbin when I use monofilament thread on top.  Some people prefer a cotton in the bobbin as it sort of *catches* the monofilament thread and stitches better but I have never had a problem with using polyester thread in the bobbin.  It depends, of course, on the monofilament used.  Sometimes you just have to play around with different combos.

So there you go!  It is an awesome, dependable, high quality thread.  And a cone lasts a very long time!  :)

If you have any questions, just give me a holler.  And remember...I order the first week of every month so if there is a color that I do not have yet or is sold out, I will put it with my monthly order for you and you will save on shipping.

Just finished this quilt today:

The picture does not do it justice!  This is a gorgeous quilt.

You cannot see the quilting design but it is called Pretty Paisleys.  I really love this pattern.  I used a Violet machine embroidery thread for the quilting and it suits the quilt beautifully...just a bit of a sheen.

Well, back to the machine.  Two blog posts in one week!   ;)

Enjoy the lovely weather!
Jude

Old Tobacco Road...haven't started it...yet...

Life is just getting in the way, lately. Quinn will be born within 6 weeks and I am still busy doing last minute things for him.

But here is where the Old Tobacco Road quilt instructions are...on Quiltville.com. I love this quilt and really must find time to do it.
Also, I sold my Voyager and Stretch Hinterberg frame! Since my new system is coming from Houston, I expect it will be delayed. I ordered the Innova 18" machine and 10ft frame and will post pictures when it gets here. Oh...and when I get it assembled! The frame looks like an erector set!

Orange Crush Quilt is Done Done!!!

I actually finished this quilt! It will NOT go into the UFO pile along with its sisters. LOL! It turned out to be 72" x 84" and I quilted it using MonoPoly thread on the top and Bottom Line thread in the bobbin. I was short of backing fabric so I pieced some strips in and I really like how it turned out. The batting is Warm and Natural and I used the *Popcorn* panto..forget who the designer is....






These pictures were taken after it was washed and dried and it shrivelled up delightfully...very quilty feeling. And yes, Robbie would not move. :o)



And now I look forward to Bonnie's next mystery!

Knitting Put Aside...Quilting to Be Done!

Okay, I am still knitting but only at night in front of the tv. I have so many quilting UFO's to finish so got to it. This is my Orange Crush from quiltville.com and I am using Superior MonoPoly thread on top for the first time on my Voyager/Hinty setup. It was a bit sticky trying to get it to stop breaking but I doubled up a thread net and put it around the spool and loosened the top tension..so much so that I was afraid the tension assembly would come apart. But so far, so good. Oh, and I have Bottom Line in the bottom, using my pigtail bobbin case. That stopped the whiplashing. Now, I am not saying that I don't have any thread breaking but it is not as bad as I thought it would be and since I couldn't decide on what color thread to use, the monofilament did the trick. I am using the Popcorn panto and it has been nice to just follow it *almost* mindlessly. I am sure it will be a few days before it is finished as it is a biggish quilt but finish it I will! :o)

Orange Crush Step 5 complete

And now we wait for Step 6. :o)

I am not an orange person so this was painful for me to do and I am not sure I like it but I do like *scrappy* and I do like Bonnie's quilts so I figure it is another quilt top to practice quilting on!

Carolina Crossroads Finally Finished!

Well, I used my Baptist Fans template boards and it was a *trial*. The first rows or so went well but after that it was very difficult to line up the arcs so there was a lot of wayward fans happening. I thought I would unsew and requilt parts of it but decided not to. There are too many other quilts I want to finish. :o) That is my excuse, anyway! LOL! I used a King Tut thread on top and a Bottom Line in the bobbin but I think the top thread was too light. Next time I quilt a scrap quilt I will use a darker thread.

Orange Crush Step 4

My Orange Crush Step 4 block is finished and I cannot wait till the next step to the mystery quilt.

Orange Crush - Step 3!

Step 3 is finished! For once, I am all caught up on the mystery and look forward to the next step. In the meantime, I will continue to work on my *owlies* and catch up on the Dear Janes. Oh, and housework. ;)

Orange Crush

I have finally completed Steps 1 & 2 from Quiltville's Orange Crush mystery. My blocks are scrappy and I have not decided, yet, on what main colors I will use. I do have a purple and an orange that I will use and some various olive greens. That is for sure. But I don't know if I will use red or turquoise as my third color...will wait till we are farther along in the mystery.

Orange Crush Mystery

Quiltville's new mystery started this week, Orange Crush. Now...I am NOT an orange person but I have purchased some orange batik, so far. Since I have lots of scraps, I can manage the first step. I might put dark purple and either red or turquoise with the orange..not sure yet. As for the accent...hmmmm......

Carolina Crossroads

Still haven't quilted my Carolina Crossroads from Bonnie's Quiltville site but since I am getting a stitch regulator for my Voyager/Hinty setup, I think I will wait till it is installed and running well. I had planned on quilting it using Baptist Fans.