Thursday, April 7, 2016

Zig Zagged Squares

Lacking in the originality department - unable to think of a remarkable name for this quilt - I'm callin' it like it is: Zig Zagged Squares.

This 58-1/2" X 69-1/2" quilt was made for the sole purpose of using up 2-1/2" squares. Lots of bright, scrappy goodness in this one! Background fabric is Kona White.

It's double-batted with Quilter's Dream request poly on the bottom and QD's wool on top. Thread is a medium-gray, Presencia 50-weight. 

Quilting this on my Pfaff Grand Quilter was a less than enjoyable experience. The top thread broke frequently, though I kept changing the needle size... from 80 to 90 to 100. The size 100 worked better, but not ideally.

I mostly persevered through quilting, cutting off broken thread pieces, rethreading the machine, and starting again... until the next thread break. 'Bout a hundred times. Yep... less than fun. After speaking to a Pfaff representative, I anticipate the machine is heading to the Pfaff repair doc, about 45 minutes away, on Friday. Quilts gotta be quilted!

These outdoor photos were taken at the Big Cypress Rec Center where Big Cypress Quilters meet every Tuesday afternoon.

I have lots of good friends there. Thanks Frances and Joanne for being my quilt holders on a gorgeous Florida day! Linda

15 comments:

  1. Lots of scrappy goodness in this quilt, Linda! How frustrating about your machine! Hope it's a quick fix! XO

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  2. That's a great finish for those little squares. I hope your machine gets better!

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  3. Wow that was a real test of perseverance with all those thread breaks! Nice to see you got there as the quilting and quilt are fabulous and beautifully photographed.

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  4. It is fun and scrappy. Love using up those scraps in a fun way.

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  5. It's gorgeous despite the machine problems. Hope that is remedied soon.

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  6. Despite all your machine difficulties you persevered to create a beautiful quilt Linda! Lovely finish and lovely photos! Could I borrow your quilt holders please?!

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  7. Another lovely quilt Linda. Hope your machine gets fixed soon and starts behaving better - how frustrating for you.

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  8. great use of your squares. I've started to set up for a leader/ender project using this block based on your quilt.

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  9. Linda, your quilt looks fantastic, broken threads and all. I love how you quilted it too. Now you have me starting on one like it. I've made my first block and hope it makes a dent in my scraps. Of course, my scraps are not all bright and pretty as yours, but they are all being used. I will concentrate on scrappy whites for my background too. Thanks for inspiring me. Hope Pfaff makes your girl all better.

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  10. Beautiful quilt, Linda! I'm especially impressed that you managed a double batt on your Pfaff Grand Quilter. I've never used a double batt on a quilt larger than 25" square. The quilting came out so pretty and sculptural that I'd like to try it again on a larger quilt, but the quilt sandwich was quite a bit stiffer than with a single batt. I FMQ on the Juki equivalent of your machine. Any tips for handling a double batted quilt on a small sit down machine?

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    1. Hi Valli! Since you're a "no-reply commenter," which means I'm unable to respond to you by email, I'm hoping you read this reply. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if my machine problems ARE because I am double-bat quilting! Perhaps the thickness is what the machine can't handle. I would be very interested in learning if I could quilt this same thickness on a Juki. My only suggestion to you for handling a double batt quilt on a small machine is to be patient. Maneuver the quilt carefully, and be sure to flatten the area around the needle. Really, I can't give any more help than that as I am not an advocate of rolling a quilt. I wish you all the best!

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    2. Love the quilt. I have not heard of using two different batting a before. Must have made it very soft.

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  11. Thank you for your comment Kalina. You are a no-reply commenters, so I cannot email you to say so. But the problems with quilting turned out NOT to be the problem of the machine. It was the quilting foot that was causing all the problems! I know this because I put the foot on a brand new sewing machine and the thread kept breaking! Though the foot LOOKS normal, it is not! I was glad to finally figure out what the difficulties are, and now I can quilt easily again.

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