Plumpurple

Unthread and start from the beginning, you may have an extra loop somewhere.  Look very closely anywhere the thread touches (guides and check spring).  Over time your thread will wear a groove into those areas and cause tension issues or thread shredding.  Use a magnifying glass or grab the tread above and below the guide and drag it around the inside of the guide.  If there is a groove you will feel a slight catch.  If you find a groove on one of the pig tail guides loosen the screw and turn it upside down until you get a replacement.  I’ve also had a spool of thread that wasn’t wound properly that would catch and release causing all kinds of ugly tension every couple of feet.
Hopefully this gives you somewhere to start 
Nigel

Good evening all, for those still wanting Circle Lord long board templates I just noticed that EBay has Swirls up at auction priced very reasonably. I do like mine and use often.  I wish this  was for a pattern I’m looking for, but maybe someone else wants/needs them. I just thought I’d pass this on  as Michael is no longer in business.  Sharon

Hi, I am looking for the large Circle Lord boards Star Dance or Milky Way.  I have been contacted to do some Quilts of Valor and would love to volunteer, however my skills are limited.  Does any one who has gone computerized have either of these patterns they would be willing to sell? Thanks, Sharon  

Well, after lots of thought, I went with my Circle Lord Jester boards.  I really like how it looks, and so do my daughter and son-in-law!

If you plan to do all SID first, start in the center. That's where the most fullness will live and where the eye focuses first, so it needs to be flat and symmetrical. The big issue with this is what happens to the rest of the quilt when you start in the middle. You'll need to float it, so secure the top edge of the top with pins (don't stitch it down because you may need to re-position it later). Then advance to the center, smoothing as you advance. When you reach the center, adjust so it's symmetrical then stitch baste or pin baste horizontally above and below the center. Then baste the entire top, stepping out from the center and keeping areas straight and flat. You will immediately see where else there is fullness and needing extra care. I've quilted over twenty Judy Niemeyer quilts as a pro, and none of them was flat---ever. With it fully basted, you can start anywhere you like, but I'd do the center first. Also, you aren't stuck with doing all the SID first if it involves a lot of thread color changes. You can SID and custom quilt a section at a time. The photo is my latest---Dinnerplate Dahlia. Good luck and have fun!

Here is one I did with scraps had and made up design.

Baby quilt I made for a friend. Nursery is done in these colours and theme is sheep

This is one I just finished for a friend.  She pieced the quilt and I quilted it.    I thought it turned out really well.  I used Quilter's Dream Batting, and light gray thread on top with white on bottom.

With all batting, the scrim goes next to the backer---so it faces down. With that said, most scrimmed cotton batting has the scrim buried within the layers. The fibers are needle-punched into  the scrim (a sheet of very strong and very thin polyester) and the key to placement is the direction of that needle punching. Your machine needle should go through in the same direction as the needle punching. So look at the batting---one side is smoother and has tiny visible holes (dimples). The other side will be rougher-looking and a bit raggedy (pimples). So the rule is "show your dimples---up---and hide your pimples---down". Another way to tell is most batting is folded with the "good" side out, just like fabric. That good side goes up and the uglier side down---look for the center crease/fold line. Make it a mountain instead of a valley when it's loaded. Poly batting may have a chemical scrim---an application of a chemical that bonds the poly fibers on only one side. That side feels much rougher and it will be placed next to the backer. Hope this is helpful.

Barb--serendipity! I have this issue in hand and will happily send it to you without charge. I cleaned my sewing room a month ago and found all my back issues to put aside and loan to members of my longarm group. Look for an email from me.

Sew Tweet, a  pattern by Chitter Chatter Designs. I hand appliqued and embroidered the blocks in 2014; along with completing the top. Finally this year, I free motion quilted it on my Mille. This was a very fun project began by me and Lisa E. in 2014.  It was my first attempt at embroidery; I was so blessed my Mother used to do all my embroidery, but she has since passed away. The blue birds remind of Cinderella birdies!!

Once in a while a quilt comes along that is just special. "I Woolly Love Ewe" was one of those, I love the design and the title, and I was thrilled when Wendy asked me to custom quilt it for her. Isn't the black sheep super cute? I am really happy with the way it turned out, and it looks even better now that it is bound and washed. I love the picture Wendy sent me of the finished quilt, the little girl seems to agree with me on the black sheep (I have permission to share this picture online.)

Ohhhh Terry, wow you really did create a masterpiece.  I love it and I'd name it The Butterfly Effect, or maybe not.  Please keep sharing.  Sharon

This is a small version of the butterfly quilt pattern drafted by Sherrie I love orange and I am making most of my quilts this year with orange in them. 
anybody have a killer name for this quilt....it is always funto play with one of your own quilts.... I hope you enjoy , many of the designs I have not done before
but have found a couple I will do again for sure
 

back of the quilt

close ups of the background

this one I have named bubble wrap

 rulers and freemotion  oops I see a thread....



more thread that will get cleaned up

 

My personal Dinner Plate Dahlia is off the long arm.  I don’t have a computer on my long arm so this was all hand guided.  I am thrilled with the finished quilt   
 

Wow, you are one very talented woman.  I love it! Shoulda won a ribbon!

I made this collage Butterfly and did not know where I was going to use as a back ground then remembered I had a dream big panel...and the rest is history .
I would like to see your Dream Big panels you quilted. Please

 
 
 

I did a bit of thread work to enhance the printed panel of these dahlia flowers. The customer had added flange border around all the blocks so first off I sewed that down so it did not catch. then did loops and leaves in the narrow areas and feathers in the center thicker areas. this was fun to do.



 



 

Wow oh Wow, you are soooooooo talented. It is always a treat when you show your quilting, thank you for taking the time to post.  Viewing your art gives me a mental boost. Sharon

front view of the quilt Lighting was not great but the close-ups are better.
Pattern is by Sew Colorful and the pattern is Sizzling Summer.
I use 80/20 cotton/wool for the batting and backing is a plush Costco Blanket in bright hot Pink. an allover freehand quilting motifs to add texture and interest I just love my new quilt.
Thanks for looking and have a great Monday

Part of the back it is a Costco Fleece Blanket with 80/20 cotton Wool batting supper warm quilt
Picture on my millie framehere are pictures before quilting

Wow oh Wow, you are soooooooo talented. It is always a treat when you show your quilting, thank you for taking the time to post.  Viewing your art gives me a mental boost. Sharon

Posting here for those not part of the facebook group.
Not a really great picture - but it's finally done and gifted to my son for his move-in at school next month.
Applique center pattern "Majesty" by Gina Reddin Designs, borders are created with 'curved braid' by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. 
Quilted on my Lenni with SoFine and Aurifil threads, Quilters Dream Wool Batting. All hand-guided - freehand faux McTavishing and some rulers. 
I've been pantograph quilting for almost 5 years and only started FMQ this year.
This project stretched me in a LOT of ways - especially as it was for my youngest child as he leaves (1,000+miles) for college!

Look what I got to quilt!  It's a pink themed Halloween quilt, to display at our local hospital during the month of October.  Pink because it's breast cancer awareness month.  The Jackson Hole Quilt Guild rotates a quilt display every month at our local hospital.  The nurses and patients really appreciate it.  We've had a hard time in years past trying to find a pink quilt for the October display.  So we had the bright idea to make a quilt just for that.  Different people made the applique blocks, others sewed them together with sashing and border.  I quilted it, and just handed it off to another member to attach the binding.  A terrific collaboration.
Last May I took a few classes from Judi Madsen in Salt Lake City.  I just LOVE her work.  So, you will see that she inspired this quilting.  
The bat bra block is the one that really got me started with the quilt designs.  The lady who made it drew a spider in a web on the cleavage, so clever and so easy to quilt that design!  
Judi had just posted an applique quilt that she'd finished that had bugs in it.  She gave the bugs motion by quilting a swirly design under them.  I thought the ghosts need that swirly design too.  Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?!
I used a wool batting, glide thread with magna glide bobbins.  Love those magna glide bobbins!  Angela Huffman is a great source for them and her delivery is super fast.
Thanks for looking!

Just off my quilt frame this week, "Surf Song" bargello.  From the book Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts by Eileen Wright.  Needed a king size quilt for my bed and instead of adding borders to make a king sized "Surf Song" I kept building the bargello to the edges.  I quilted it with IQ and the panto Ripples by Lorien Quilting.  I will make coordinating batik pillowcases and of course still need to bind the beast!!
Robin in MT