Friday Finish ~ Cabin Fever

Hi Quilty Friends!  This quilts over the top quilting might be a bit too much for this simple lap quilt (52 x 66) but sometimes a gal just needs to quilt something to death.

About halfway through the quilting, my machine started shredding the top thread.  At first, I thought the issue was the cheap stiff backing fabric. After many shreds and unpicking stitches, it was time to investigate a little more.

The checklist for shredded top thread is long, it could be anything from tension to machine issues.  Of course, I started with the simple fixes like tension, thread path, new needle, new bobbin, and cleaning the machine.

When none of those things fixed the problem I dug deeper, which meant machine issues.  The first machine problem check was the needle position.   What I found was the needle bar had shifted ever so slightly to the left, causing the needle to touch the hook in the bobbin housing.

Adjusting the needle bar sounds hard but it's not too bad.  The hardest part is the very tiny adjustment needed. It took a couple of adjustments to get it just right and back to quilting.

One of the perks of owning a cheap, no bells and whistles machine is that I can work it myself.  In the 14 yrs of using my Bailey Home Quilter 15, I've never needed to take her in the shop. If I can't figure out the problem, the gals in the BHQ Facebook group are very helpful.  I've also had to call the manufacturer (Chuck) a couple of times over the years. 

I was proud of myself for fixing the issue without needing assistance.  It was smooth sailing from that point forward.  It took a week of here and there stitching to get the binding handstitched to the back of the quilt.  Then once again while posting photos and a video in the Facebook group this morning I noticed the label is wrong AGAIN!  Have I made a label in the last year without spelling errors?  Geesh!  In all honesty I cursed...A LOT!  Maybe I should just make it my trademark, the quilter who always has spelling errors in the label.  This time DESIGNED is spelled wrong and I even put the wrong year...HAHA!

All that matters is she's finished and ready to be loved.  The errors on the label are not the only imperfections.  All my quilts could be plucked to death by the quilt police or a judge if I entered them into a show.  I don't need to hear from either of them to know I'm flawed human and quilter.  

This quilt was made using the free pattern, Cabin Fever.  You can find the link to the FREE PDF by clicking here.

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Quilting Cabin Fever

 Hi Quilty Friends!  The Cabin Fever quilt is coming along slowly due to all the ruler work.  To make the quilting really pop requires every seam to have stitch in the ditch which means using a straight ruler and that slows things down a bit.  The feathers, circles and arcs are free motion quilting.  Marking this quilt is also a little time consuming.  If you look closely at the right bottom corner of the picture you can see blue lines in the sashing. In between each line will be a circle.  I've watched quilters make perfectly uniform circles in sashing without marking.  I lack that skill.  Even with the markings they still are not perfect.

And those lovely borders, they too needed marking for the spacing of the arcs.  Of course, it's all ruler work except for the feathers.  Since this quilt is fairly small, about 56 x 64, it shouldn't take more than a week or two to complete.  Wish me luck!

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Spring Fever or Cabin Fever?

It's that time of year again when the wintertime blahs start getting to even the happiest of hearts.  We start longing for the little pops of spring foliage outside our windows.  Some like to call it cabin fever but I prefer Spring Fever just because it sounds a little more positive.   Quilters have their own special way of dealing with winter and the lack of color outside.  Some of my happiest quilt designs have been made during the anticipation of springs arrival.  

When I saw this free pattern "Cabin Fever" designed by Jedi Craft Girl and Gigi's Thimble I knew it was the perfect project to make during my Spring Fever blahs.  It was quick and simple to make due to the easy to follow pattern instructions.  Do you ever feel like some things were just meant to be?  Well that's how I felt with this pattern.  You see the week before finding this pattern series I found the cutest little fat quarter bundle at Walmart.   It was a must have with five of the most darling fat quarters.  These prints are not my usual impulse buy, but it just felt like the right thing to do at the time (as does all fabric purchases haha).

Once at home in my studio with the adorable little bundle the urge came over me to use them right away.   Everyday they would be laid out on the cutting table while standing back doing ever famous quilt stare.  You know, when a quilters eyes glaze over while staring at fabric or quilt blocks for what seems to be hours.  No phone, doorbell, or screaming child can break through this freakish event.  We are in the zone.  I'm pretty sure this happens due to some type of chemical they put in the fabric, possibly pheromones.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it, because there's no way I'm that obsessed with fabric, right?

After breaking free from the chemically induced trance(my bladder has special trance breaking powers) the decision was made....The pattern needed a pattern to show off some of the larger prints.  And then like magic it happened.  The forces that be pulled me to my phone and Instagram.   SHAZZAM!  Amanda and Amber posted the perfect pattern!

The "Cabin Fever" pattern looked perfect for my bundle of (2) pinks (2) green and (1) blue fat quarter.  It was fate!  For the first time in my quilty life a impulsive fabric purchase can be justified.  Yes I really did NEED these! (Well that's what I'll tell Mr. Podunk) 

 Fate also allowed me to find the perfect pink backing hiding in my stash, purchased many years ago at Joann's.  Every square inch of  the pink fabric was used to make the backing.  And there wasn't enough scrap from the fat quarters to make a binding.   So again I tapped into the powers that be and they came to my rescue.  The green polka dot binding fabric was another pull from the stash.  A purchase made last year from my dear friend Beverly.  She sells on ebay.  If you need something she doesn't have in her shop just send her message she might be able to find it hiding in her stock.  When it all comes together so easily with no sneaky trips to the fabric shop for a purchase that would eat into my fabric budget...It's magical!  Anyway that's how my "Spring Fever" version of their "Cabin Fever" pattern came to be.   Wonder what kind of glorious magic will happen during quilting process?!   Maybe another quilt trance will be needed, only the power of time will tell.

The best thing about this whole experience is the pattern was free.  We quilters spend so much money on fabric and quilting tools that when something free comes along it's hard to pass up.  I really can't say enough good things about my experience so far with these two gals and their free patterns.  And I'm looking forward to their free patterns over the next few months.  You can find this pattern "Cabin Fever" by clicking here and scrolling down on her blog.

February's pattern is also a must make cutie. Remember all these free quilt patterns use (5) fat quarters.  Of course you'll need some yardage for the background fabric, backing and binding.  The February "Chains of Love" free pattern can be found here.  And don't forget to follow their blogs so you don't miss out on the new patterns over the next few months.  

Now let me say I'm in no way affiliated with these gals.  Just very happy with the quality of the free patterns that take a lot of effort to test and write.

~ Lea Anne ~

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