Sewing Saturday...Questions and kitty cats
Now that the Ghastlie blog how is over I guess it is time to move onto other things. I really enjoyed being part of the hop; however, joining it kind of fell in my lap. Since I don’t really know how one joins other blog hops that may have just been my first and last..lol
A few people had asked for a better picture of the little kitty I made. This is one I took, but didn’t include on Thursdays post.
On Wednesday night I said to my self...self I want to make a stuffed kitty cat. So I went and sketched out a little design made a template and traced my image onto the fabric. At this point I was about to just cut on the line I had drawn when it occurred to me that maybe I should cut a bit wider to allow for a seam allowance. I am happy I did since the kitty would have been impossible to stuff otherwise. I think it turned out pretty good since I had never done anything like that before. It has its problems and for some reason even though I drew the kitty to be this big in my head I thought I was going to be about 2ft high...lol Nonetheless, it was a good first attempt and I now know what to change for next time.
If you had been following my blog before the hop you will know that I ran into some problems when making my door hanging. Two of the problems I found the answers to and the third problem is really a question I think? When I was doing the FMQ I was using a black thread on top and orange in my bobbin. This resulted in tiny black dots all over the back of my quilt...see pic below.
Now my husband says that is just the way the machine works and I am only noticing it because it is black. Now is he right or am I doing something wrong?
I also got my blocks sewed together for my Christmas Log Cabin. It went a lot quicker than the first time and my lines matched up much better this time too. I think using patterned fabric instead of solids made a huge difference. The problem i am stuck with now is I don't know what color my borders should be. I bought this black fabric which i used in the middle square for the borders, but I don't know now. I am going to have to sleep on it :)
I also got my blocks sewed together for my Christmas Log Cabin. It went a lot quicker than the first time and my lines matched up much better this time too. I think using patterned fabric instead of solids made a huge difference. The problem i am stuck with now is I don't know what color my borders should be. I bought this black fabric which i used in the middle square for the borders, but I don't know now. I am going to have to sleep on it :)
The black dots from the upper thread can be caused by improper tension settings. There are lots of experienced seamstresses out there (and info on net) that can help you. Me? I have a lot of problems with thread tension!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the quilt top-
The black dots mean your tension is slightly wrong. I can never remember if dots on the back mean your tension is too tight or too loose, but your manual should tell you. If it doesn't, just email me and I'll go and dig out my booklet which I know does explain it.
ReplyDeleteI have to pull out my manual every time to figure out which way to turn mine to fix the tension!! I even have the page dog eared as it is the page I return to most often!!
ReplyDeleteYes, you need to adjust the tension on your machine.
ReplyDeleteI think that the black border would look great!
Your top tension is too loose. Try going up about a half a number (if possible) at a time and check the back. Also different threads will make a difference. When I use 100% cotton thread I use a higher tension and drop quite a bit when I used something fine like Bottom Thread. If that doesn't work you make need to adjust your lower tension. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRobin- thanks for the info you are all so smart. I hope the black border looks good!
ReplyDelete