LadyLake

I love it, PattyJo. The designs you chose are all so coordinated and the texture is wonderful. The freehand floral border makes the quilt an original I'm sure the recipient will treasure.

Holly, That is really an interesting 3-D effect with the feathers folding over each other and the curved crosshatch -- I love it!

Congratulations, Meg! I admire your perseverance to get your machine back working again. I hope the experience gives you a boost of confidence that you know your Millie better than anyone and won't let problems stand in your way.

It is gorgeous, Heidi. I admire your patience and skill. Getting it square is the icing on the cake! Great job! Joan

I have pin-basted borders as I worked down the quilt, while stabilizing the blocks with SID. The most important part of the quilt sounds like it is the embroidered blocks. I'd make sure those are square and stabilized first, then piano key the border as Heidi suggested, and then go back and do the detail design work on the blocks. I charge extra for wavy borders if they don't want to redo them, because it becomes time-consuming custom work to deal with them.

I would call again and explain to the person that answers the phone your dilemma before you are transferred to voice mail. See if they can find someone to help you.

Don't be sad! It will turn out fine. I have done large spirals over each block. Do one large spiral and then continue on to the next spiral. The quilting won't show much on the purple -- put your best effort on the green solid border.

Julie Mullin has a few aquatic patterns in her Earthlines: Natural Wonders pattern pack published by Golden Threads. They aren't koi, but they may give you some ideas for incorporating seaweed and other objects in with the koi. I like Zora's idea of sectioning the green border into different elements. Perhaps starting at the top with widely spaced horizontal lines, then the koi, and finish off with a design that echoes a design element from the fabrics used in the blocks.

I set the tension fairly tight on my millie when using Aurifil -- perhaps a tighter tension would keep the thread from slacking on yours. What are you using in the bobbin? 40wt Aurifil in both top and bottom work great together. Good luck!

It is gorgeous, Sheri! I love the dimension you achieved -- it is inspirational!

I especially am captivated by the unusual design around the motifs that you created -- you doubled the intrique of the applique motifs. Everything about the quilting is incredible and a joy to look at. Thanks for sharing!

When looking at the motif, the 'holes' remind me of a posie flower; I also see wave shapes in the center area. Perhaps a repeating wave on the blue and a rose/leaf border design on the white.

The reason the bobbin thread cutter isn't working is because the needle isn't in the upmost position, so the real problem is the needle position...I have not encountered this problem, but I would suggest adjusting the hopping foot, since it may be impacting the needle position. I do have the APQS document (1 page) on adjusting the hopping foot. If you email me (jhunn@ladylakequilting), I'll attach it and send it to you (if you want). I'm just offering this since it is the weekend and I'm not sure if the central office staff are available. Who did you purchase the machine from? I would giv

I like the arrow channel quilting on the mariner's compass star arms -- very effective! I also like the figure eight loops used to create shapes -- reminds me of a technique I took in a class from you last year! Also, the Asian circle play quilting is fantastic! Your quilting is inspiring, Myrna. Thanks for sharing!

Your quilting is a real stand-out, Heidi. I'd suggest to the customer that she enter it in a show. Your cross-stitch is perfect. I love the way you combine the larger heart motifs with background fills in the border. I also love your multiple spines for your feathered hearts. Way to go!

An all-cotton choice that works well for my millennium is 40 weight Aurifil on both the top and bottom.

It is helpful to post photographs of your quilting so that customers can review your work and see if it is a fit for the quilt they want done. When I complete a quilting job for an out-of-town customer, I send them a full and close-up photograph of the quilt with an invoice; only after receiving their payment is the quilt mailed back. I developed my local market through friends and quilting groups before investing in a website. Now I have both local and non-local customers -- I think it is a good marketing strategy to diversify your customer base. I don't recommend going into the longarm b

Yeah! Sometimes good things happen! The quilt is great -- seems to be the season for college quilts. I just finished one for my son too. Thanks for the tip -- Dawn dish liquid does seem to be a miracle soap.

Saundra, What do you mean by a '9 yard flat'? Is that opposed to a roll and what is it wound around? Thanks -

Wonderful, job! You are quite good at the ruler work in the corners and I also like how you coordinated the quilting designs, eg. the tulip leaves and the leaves on the inner border.

I wonder about a zig zag background -- echoing the sashing.

Your quilting is incredible, Patty. This is a very up-to-date design -- I'm sure you'll raise lots of money. Best wishes - Joan

Bonnie, I like the squirrel and yellow star -- both unusual blocks! Where did you get the quilt pattern? Can you post a close-up of the yellow and white star? Your quilt is wonderful -- I love samplers; they are my favorite! Joan

wOw! Your quilting and quilt piecework are beautiful!

I agree with Shana. Also check the rod behind the bobbin assembly for any thread that might be wound and stuck in there. I'm not sure about the buttons not working though -- sounds like a definite APQS call.