I always do a little practice piece to test out the threads with the tension and needles etc. On this little feather on the left I used a new thread. I think it's called Wondafil (or something like that, my PC is downstairs and the thread upstairs). It's a bobbin thread which comes in loads of colours. I have no plans to use this on top of my next work but I was told by the guy at their stand at the Festival of Quilts it would behave itself perfectly in the top. I've not had success before using these ultrafine threads in the top whilst quilting before (except the very expensive YLI silk) so I'm a very happy quilter.
This photo points out how different thicknesses of thread make so much difference to the quilting. The fine thread almost disappears and emphasises the loft between the stitches. The thicker thread (in this case, Isacord) emphasises the line of the stitch.
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And this is one of the new projects. I'm doing two or three of these skinny quilts. Remember a couple of years ago when Heide Stoll Weber asked me to make one for her stand? Well this is the same format. And there is another quilt I made with one feather climbing up and around a large piece of her fabric. I loved it but it didn't win anything. And there was also the dark blue quilt with the white stitching, 'Flying High' which won the Wholecloth Award at the Scottish Quilt show. Then there was the Contemporary Strippy which was also successful. So I'm going back to play with these ideas but these will be more 'in your face' with high contrast, very heavy threads. So far so good. This one is a very traditional early feather, if somewhat elongated.
My Christmas Cactus, in bloom early, and to be totally contrary it normally blooms again for Easter. Wanda aka
Exuberant Color has one which is normally out of sinc with Christmas as well. I think mine has beaten hers to it this year.
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your Christmas cactus has definitely beaten mine to blooming time. I guess I need to get the fertilizer out again! My new one that has orange blooms has tripled in size so I think I'll have a lot of blooms on that one. No buds yet though.
ReplyDeleteWe used to call it Thanksgiving Cactus. But perhaps Canadian Thanksgiving more than American (oct instead of Nov) mine always bloomed again in the spring, too. I am going to have to get another one.
ReplyDeleteOne way to get it to bloom more specifically is to reduce the watering to extreemly minimal for about 3 mo before you want it to bloom. then when you start watering again, it blooms pretty quickly. more mimicking the desert, I suppose.
Sandy in Bracknell
Three of my Christmas cactus have just started to flower - they get earlier every year! I'm not really getting on with practising on the new machine - I think I just need to plunge into a project!
ReplyDeleteI love the colours of your practise piece and the feather stitch. As a newcomer to this quilting malarky I didn't know that it's good to do a practise piece with the thread before starting, so thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteSally, Thank you for sharing the info about the thread. I have to practice quite a bit before I get to the quilting of my projects. My machine (notice it's the machine rather than the operator) is tempermental sometimes when I try a "new" thread. O, but what fun to try new things!
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