Progress on Colourwash Quilt

My list from last week included:

-make a start on my background filler project from way back

-continue on my scrap quilt blocks (have made 15 so far)

-continue on the new 'colourwash project

Worked consistently over the week which was a good feeling. Started my background filler project

Nice, but won't do...had all sorts of problems with Invisafil 100wt thread which was not totally new (the adjustment can get fiddly at times) but somewhat unexpected as I had used the same thread before on an earlier project. My tension was somewhat variable and I just could not get the fine tuning right. I was stitching with a little spool which on top of everything else got the thread stuck in a particular spot at the rim from time to time. When this happened my tension went sideways. Not sure about everyone else but when the tension is not a 100% I find it very difficult to stitch properly. It distracts and then leads to very wonky stitching. You can't see it in the photo well but my bobbin thread (prewound deco bob in Antique White) came up from time to time leaving very ugly white knotty dots all over the place. Went through the usual problem solving exercises...changed my needle and had thread breaks, adjusted the bobbin tension plus the top, tried the spool on the side spool, put the spool higher up on the mast etc. As I was mucking around also noticed that my screw which tightens the needle was either stripped or my screw driver was getting faulty and slipping when tightening...

As this is a bigger quilt I decided to take out my stitching and start again. I ordered the same colour of thread, but on a bigger spool which came today. My thinking here is that the thread will come off easier from the bigger spool and definitely won't get caught!

I am hoping that this will be easier stitching. Also went down to the shop to address my screwdriver. We tried it out on their machine and no, nothing wrong with my screwdriver, so it must be the screw that holds the needle itself. Luckily I have got a spare screw, so I will attend to that in the next few days. Got myself some 80/12 Microtex needles while there to see whether that will make a bit of a difference to the normal 80/12 needles that I used. Will start this week to tackle the tension problem...I do know where I want my tension to sit for comfortable sewing, just will need to get the bobbin and thread to play nicely with that. As there are a lot of orange spaces I do want this to be stress-free sewing otherwise the whole project just becomes a bummer.

While waiting for the thread I made some headway on my colourwash quilt. Managed to get to row 9 of 15 with my tiny blocks

Still labelling each row as it is super easy to get very confused with the colouring. Even while labelled I had to look at a photo I took earlier of all the blocks laid out a couple of times because it is so easy to turn the blocks while picking them up or sew the second one as the first. Particularly in the darker part they all look a bit the same.

While doing this I also continued on an earlier scrap project and made another 15 blocks while sitting on the machine sewing those tiny blocks together. This made the sewing less boring...did some tiny blocks, then stopped and just sewed strips together for a while, then went back to the tiny blocks and so forth. Quite relaxing

This will be a strippy quilt where the strips are placed vertically like in a Chinese Coin arrangement. Have not completely thought this through but already know exactly how to quilt it. Planning to put some mustard yellow sashing in between the columns of strips...another spot for lots of FMQ. Looking forward to that.

So my list for the remainder of the week includes:

- work out the tension for that blasted orange thread so that I can start for real on the background filler project. Interesting to note that the white Invisafil thread does not usually give me such a headache.

- finish the colourwash quilt top...another 6 rows to go and then putting all the rows together. Still undecided as to whether I will put a border on this quilt. Will have to see the completed quilt top...

- continue on my strip quilt, i.e. make another stack of blocks (I think I need something like 56 blocks)

- look at the newly picked up charity quilts and make a start on basting one (very hopeful here)

Linking up to To Do Tuesday #95 over at Quilt Schmilt.

Karin