Machine quilting is so much fun!!!!

What an amazing day yesterday! We had the best show and tell from the two ongoing classes. The level of creativity of the students in the class never ceases to amaze me. I don't have time to post the pictures this morning, but later today, I'll be editing and loading so I can get those up.

Then a class on machine quilting. There's so much to tell the students in that class. It's my favorite class to teach. This one is the basics - somewhat in-depth on needles and threads and setting up your sewing machine. We talk tension, thread colors, exercises to improve and a whole lot more. I get so wound up in that class. With TEN people in the class, it was busy!!!

If you haven't taken a machine quilting class from me, you should. You'll learn so much. I think the biggest hurdle to machine quilting for anyone is the lack of confidence and the lack of sewing machine knowledge. NO ONE wants to touch the tension on their machine. It's a dial! It can be reset to the same tension that you started with.

So any takers for machine quilting?

Then I was back home to try and get some more embroidery done. DH suggested watching a movie. Sure, I was going to do other things, but I could watch a movie. So while we sat and watched the movie, I was monitoring the progress of the embroidery on the mySewMonitor app on my phone which showed me EXACTLY where I was in the stitch out process and the few times I had to change the bobbin or change color or attend to a broken top thread, I got the message on the phone. We simply paused the movie, I fixed the problem and then restarted the embroidery machine and the movie. How brilliant is that!!!! 

Now, this is possible because the embroidery machine I'm using is WiFi-enabled. That's the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. Oh yes - it's amazing and I was loving that app last night. If you have a WiFi-enabled embroidery machine and you're NOT using that app - you need to download it from your app store. It's totally free. I should have taken a picture of the app when it was in progress. I will today and then you can see for yourself. By the way, the NEW Designer EPIC 2 is on its way. Guess what that means??? You can get the Designer EPIC for a very good price. It's not a whole lot more than what I paid for my Designer 1 back in 1998.

I've got more embroidery for later today. I'm working on a sample for the upcoming convention. We have an Educator's Challenge. My idea which of course, I can't share with you is quite unique (I hope). The fabric is unique, the idea is unique and in total, it's well over 200,000 stitches. I know - go big or go home! But it's mostly stitched out and then to assemble it which is a job for tonight hopefully.

This is a tub that I unearthed when I was cleaning up one of the corners in Studio B. It contains things from highschool. Mementos, yearbooks, etc. I'm afraid (almost) to open it up. I'm not going to do it until later this month as I don't have time to go down that rabbit hole. But it'll be good for an afternoon of memories.

Memory box from highschool

Actually, it's not just high school - it's memory stuff from when I was a kid. Nothing from my adult life!

I also found these micron pens. I can't remember where I found them, but there were four pens. I didn't even try them, but they now reside in the drawer with other pens and quilt marking devices. I will never have to buy another marking device in my quilting lifetime. 

Marking pens

I also found two rolls of this plastic for making your own quilting stencils. I remember reading about this in a magazine and searching for a very long time to get my hands on it. Guess what? I've never used it!!! Does anyone want it??? If not, I'm going to cut it up and use it in my machine quilting classes.

Stencil making plastic

I also found these rolls of preprinted quilting designs. What the heck?? Oh yes - I bought everything and anything when I first started out. They have never been used. I was going to give them away, but I've decided that they will work with my free motion class so I'm keeping them and they have found a new home in the machine quilting box.

Paper for marking free motion quilting patterns

That's so exciting that I found stuff and can find a new home for it! Or better yet that I'm finally using it up. Amazing what we buy because we desperately NEED it and then we never use it. I swear it's the product acquisition more than product consumption that is more important. Why is that? Some psych major should do some research on quilters.

Thanks to Laura, I found out that Oprah is starting a new book club. I just signed up! I'm sure her books are going to be way out of my reading league, but I'll try one or two. I've already put the first one on hold at my library!

Today is UFO day. I would have been finishing up my homework last night while the embroidery machine was working. Instead, I'll be finishing it up this morning. I have until 11 AM to be finished! Only a few more backgrounds to quilt so I should be good.

Here's something to think about. Want to try a new technique? Why not make a postcard for the Canadian Quilter's Association Quilt Canada in 2020 in Edmonton. Check out the details here. I'm going to make one!

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!