Friday, July 04, 2008

still

Still no laptop, so no pictures. I started two new pads this week, and completed the batik on one. It is ready for wax removal.

I had an embellished pad almost done, just needed to add the binding. When I started to put it on, it was the wrong color, so I picked a new color and made binding, but when I started to put it on, it looked aweful, so I tried the old binding that I had decided was wrong. It was much better, very nice, in fact. I don't know why it was wrong before. I can sew that on today and get that pad done.

I also did some sketches for a window shade. I came up with four designs, two that I like enough to work on more. I cut two pieces of canvas and got them stretched out on tubes, now I wait for them to dry. When that is done, I will look at my sketches again and see how much I still like them.

The the design on a foundation-pieced embellishment based on flying geese is finsihed. I drafted the foundation for a pad and a half before I ran out of foundation stuff. I can select fabric today when there is better light. Right now, there is no light, but the birds say it is coming soon.

Dave and Joseph are going up to My Hamilton for the 4th weekend. Janow is still needing lots of care and I am not going. If I went, I would be a mess and not have a good time. I would also be likely to ruin everybody's good time. There was a lot of pressure to go. I can't do everything. If I went, and Janow died, I would take the hate to my grave. Sometimes there is no 'right' answer and you have to pick between wrong ones.

I had a new primitive sweatshirt idea, so I got it started. Then I had another idea and I started that too. The next part is hand work and I can take it to the barn today to work on between handwalks and medication.

I can hang with Silver this weekend too. She is so funny. I need to get her a new project towel at Savers soon. The old towel piece is mere lace.
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2 comments:

Susan Lenz said...

Hi!
My name is Susan Lenz. I'm a fiber artist in Columbia, SC whose been blogging for a little over two years now.

My sister Wanda lives in Germany. Years ago I'd introduced her to the embroidery I was "into" at the time...traditional patterns. Of course, I went in the direction of contemporary processes and art. (Workshops with Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn of UK...one class with Valerie Campbell-Harding before she died...etc.)

Wanda became a terribly good counted thread embroiderer doing all the most complicated cross stitch patterns and the most astonishing blackwork designs ever.

I once "dabbled" with a bit of quilting...trying paper piecing for about a month....years ago. Wanda expressed an interest. Of course, now I only create art quilts...when I quilt...as I've branched off into installation work that incorporates fibers.

Wanda, however, recently decided to quilt. She is paper piecing, of course. She's making her first quilt...something that looks like a traditional log cabin design. It is growing to about 9' x 8' or some other giant size. She's doing all of this in Germany with a Pfaff 100 Smart machine. I own three Berninas.

The other thing in which I involved Wanda was blogging. Her blog is: http://wandalenz.blogspot.com. Wanda has a question. She has never oiled her sewing machine. She wrote to me about this. I told her to go to the shop in which she bought the machine. (Wanda speaks fluent German...so this is not a language problem.) She was told that the machine only needed to be oiled when serviced. We both thought this was crazy. We both have looked at the Pfaff website. Neither of us could find anything about the machine needing oiling or not. So....I googled Pfaff, oil, sewing machine....and got your blog!

So...does this machine need oiled? If so, where? I had no idea that her sewing machine was so small or that her quilt would get so big. Since you own such a machine, is it even feasible for her to attempt machine quilting this giant top using this machine?

Thanks so much for any help you can give!
Susan

Mon Jul 07, 01:18:00 PM 2008
Unknown said...

I would let the service person lubricate the machine. You really ought to have your machines professionally serviced regularly.

In the old days, you sewed on your Singer for it's entire life without professional servicing, and you were carefull with the needle so it would last as long as the machine. Those days are long gone. I wouldn't trade my no-wax floor, self cleaning oven, microwave or automatic washing machine for a sewing nachine needle that lasts 20 years.

As for quilting that huge top? The Pfaff Smart 100 is a great little lightweight machine, but it doesnt have the power to quilt that huge top. The small throat space will make it even harder.

Brother makes a machine for quilting that has a bigger throat space. I have a Juki TL98e with a large throat space and I love it. Some years the Juki was great, but toher people have purchsed them at other times and had problems.

It would be possible to quilt that size quilt on a regular sized domestic machine, which the Paff Smart 100 is not, but it would be challenging.

Tue Jul 08, 10:33:00 AM 2008

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