Thank you and a lesson

  First.....I received a precious gift  last month.   Overdue thank you to Rogue Quilter for this fabulous, tiny, wonderful pineapple!   Janet does the most wonderful miniatures, and sent me a little thank you she made.  I so admire and envy her patience and skill in working with those narrow strips and pieces to achieve the 1/8" geese!  I hung this ornament up to enjoy year round. Love, love, love it.   Thank you, again.




Second.....Free Motion Class went great.  A very new quilter with a 40 year old machine is in the class.  I mention the machine because she is smart to make sure she wants to do this before investing in a new expensive one.  Unfortunately, the foot pedal died in class----but fortunately another student works at the shop and found a replacement in the repair room!  The high point of the class for me was when the new quilter turned and beamed, "I can do this!".  She was just zipping along, and I was so thrilled for her.  That is why I am making the effort to teach this class....it makes my day so worthwhile.

Third....and the teacher re-learned a lesson.  I had started quilting on the Tiara on the donation quilt for Habitat for Humanity.  I take frequent breaks, and when I came back after one, I felt like the tension was "off".  I adjusted the top tension.  Kept stitching and still thought the tension was not right---and the machine sounded funny--- and loosen it again.  I checked the back and it was okay, but still not perfect.  I will shorten the story and say that finally I stopped.  I was rushing and not paying attention to what the machine was telling me.  Out come the screwdrivers, brushes, and such to check the bobbin.  A little fuzz on top, but not much.  When I pulled out the bobbin case and checked it, I found the culprit.  A small "glob" of dark fiber was wedged under the tension hook on the bobbin case.  I had to use a pin to nudge and tease it out.  It was keeping all tension off the bobbin thread!  Once everything was back in place, a quick check and resetting the top tension and all was perfect.
    Insight:   Lessons re-learned---- Listen to the machine.  Don't rush.  Check the bobbin area carefully.  And expect some fabrics to shed a lot more fibers than others.