bestquilter

New batik CQ quilt.

2009-08-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

I bought this kit while I was in Long Beach CA. Put it together over the weekend, and am quilting it up on my Compuquilter.

Click on the images for a close up.

I am using Ann Bright's new Pappillon design from the August Sugar and spice border collection.

http://www.annebright.com/shop/product/august-2009-sugar-spice-special/

Adjusting the eccentric bolts

2009-08-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the difference between the eccentric bolts and the old bolts for the carriage and axles for the A1 machine.

Regular bolts.... in an oval shaped hole so that to raise or lower an individual wheel you had to really have 2 people and getting it right wasn't really easy.


Eccentric bolt: A bolt with centers of head and body on different axis so that one is off-center in relation to the other.

The eccentrics have a big 3/4" bolt in between the wheel and the carriage or axle.

From overhead, you can see how the wheel is towards the right.

And from the side, sort of.

Ideally, you want all the wheels to feel identical in how they move on the tracks. While not moving the machine, try to move each individual wheel. If one or more feels looser you can lower them a smidge.

And adjusting them:

Tools
5/32 allen wrench in the wheel
7/16" wrench closest to the machine
3/4" wrench on the eccentric.

Slightly (really just slightly) loosen the allen and the 7/16.

With the 3/4" wrench, rotate the eccentric bolt to make the wheel be a bit higher or lower.
When the wheel feels the same as the other wheels, tighten the allen and the 7/16". Sometimes you need someone else holding the 3/4 wrench so the eccentric doesn't move while you tighten the outsides of the wheel.

Clear as mud?

What a bad blogger I am!

2009-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

While I have great intentions of blogging more often, I just never get to it.

I have been busy setting up machines and Computer systems for the quilting machines. I have also been busy with family stuff.

And the big news, we have decided to move.

We are looking for a house with a separate studio for my business. I really need to separate work and home time. For the last 19 years I have been self employed, and exept for a few years, it has always been me working at home.

So, if we can sell our current home, we will be moving!
We are looking at a smaller home, since girl has moved away to college. Also, since my studio and all related items will be out of the house, we don't need quite the space.

We have been staging our current house.
If you know of anyone who would love a cool house in the woods outside of Bellingham.....
My house

My Kitchen

Wine bar, complete with wine cellar.

Bathroom, recently redone.

Master Bedroom

Front yard.

Please, buy my house!!!!!!

SNOW!!!!!

2008-12-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a great pic of boy playing in the snow.
He built himself an igloo.
Randy had just finished shoveling the driveway. There was lots of snow to build with.
When you stop measuring inches and start measuring feet, it gets a bit ridiculous.
I was pretty impressed, Zak could get all the way in and sit in there!

By the way, I am SO done with the snow.
I went to town today, and barely got back up the hill.
Of course I was NOT going to carry the groceries 1/2 mile up the hill.

I think Randy will go get the girl from work at midnight. She works late, who would shop at that hour at the mall in this snow? The parking lot at the mall wasn't plowed really good.

Here are a few great pics of the snow.

Merry Christmas #2

2008-12-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

My Daughter is playing for us while we got ready for Christmas.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

It has been a really long time since I posted.
I got really busy, had a computer crash, lost my passwords etc!

anyway, I am snowed in right now so I thought I
would share some pretty pictures.

I am supposed to head out to set up a few A1 quilting Machines on the east side of the Cascade mountains. Hmmmm, I don't know if I can get out. My community is on the side of a mountain, and the roads are somewhat immpassable.

Thread, oh my!

2008-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here is my thread wall.
It isn' all my thread.

I have some here, next to one sewing machine. This is mostly Masterpiece by Superiour thread. (My Favourite Thread company!)
I have some Isocord embroidery thread. Also, some more piecing thread next to my Pfaff machine.
And there is a whole bunch more thread from a 6 drawer unit from under my longarm table.

I hardly ever use this stuff, and hardly ever go into these drawers.

I went through them all, emptied 3 of the 6 drawers.

I got rid of lots of partial spools. I also got rid of some yukky thread as well.

Here is the bag of thread to recycle or donate or sell.

Why did I do this.........

Because I have a fairly sizeable order from Superior threads coming this morning!

Bindings, Finishing up a few projects!

2008-07-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

The boys went out of town for a few days, so I decided to bind a few small quilts that I have had laying around for a while.
Some of them are new, and some are not.
One of them I had quilted at least 6 or 7 years ago. I never finished the quilting and I hated it, so I removed all the quilting on that one, and re quilted it with the Compuquilter. WOW I really love that one. I better as it felt like a separated siamese twins.

A super fun lap quilt....... I think I need to call this one, Trisha's Quilt.......as she think it is her quilt.

This one is the one I did quite a few years ago...........

I quilted it with Awesome Blossom by Ann Bright.

This is a sample from my book,
Spinal Twist.
I used it for a binding class, and never finished it. Until today...........

Another small quilt using techniques from my book, as well as for a binding class.
I love this quilt!

Another couple of tablerunners, using the Compuquilter.
I use this pattern to teach my clients the border and boundry features of this fabulous system.

A way cute baby quilt.
I used another Ann Bright allover, to match the cowboy theme.

Hmmm, this would be great for a boy baby. I wonder if Paula and Chris would want this one?

A christmas tablerunner, quilted with a Jodi Beamish allover design.

And the best for last.........

My very cool martini quilt.

This is a hint of things to come!

Other things you can use your A1 Quilting Machine for.....

2008-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

My son is a boy scout, and his patrol needed a flag. Well, I helped get them going on the flag, though they came up with the design. They cut out their flames for the Flaming Phoenix patrol, and we needed to stitch down the flames and the phoenix. I could not get them to do the stitching, but they were right on my elbows helping out!

Now... this is just a single layer of kite fabric, you know, ripstop nylon.
With the flames, it is a few layers of ripstop, with a little fingernail polish on the edges to help the flag last for many boyscouting events to come.

Here are the boys, mine is the middle one.

They still needed to hang it.
I put velcro tabs at the top so they can bring it in their backpacks on the campouts and hang in in the trees.
Here is the hanging system.....

They think it is the coolest flag around!

As for the sewing of it.......
My A1 was perfect, no issues at all!
I used Rainbows thread, in the red yellow orange flame colors.
No tension problems, no thread breaks!

Stitching in the ditch

2008-07-07T11:57:00.001-07:00

Here is a video of how I stitch in the ditch with my A1 quilting machine.

A1 cruise settings video

2008-07-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick u-tube on how to adjust your cruise settings.

2008-06-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have been out of town delivering an A1 to a new quilter.
I was out on the Olympic peninsula of WA, on the most beautiful day.
Here is the view from her house....

It was the MOST gorgeous day. You can almost see Vancouver Island from here.

I can't wait to see what Terry can do with her new A1 quilting machine. Her piecing is fabulous.

Kim helped me set up the machine, and we had a blast, as usual.

On the way home I had a bit of a scare.
I had to take a ferry back across the sound, and as I drive onto the ferry
I hope and pray I am not at the front of the boat.

I have watched Double Jeopardy one too many times, and really didn't like the part where Ashley Judd's character drives her car into the water.

But, just my luck......

I AM at the very front of the ferry.
I did not panic, and I was at least 10 feet from the water. I wasn't happy though.

It is a pretty small ferry, from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island.

Oh well, if this is all that scares me, I guess I am pretty lucky!

My Studio

2008-06-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

More about me...
I am a longarm quilter. I have a studio in my house where I work. I recently took most everything out and painted, added laminate flooring, and basically reorganized everything. I also re-chose what went back in. I have been working in the fabric industry in many forms since I was a teenager, so I have accumulated more than my share of supplies.

I have a pretty vast collection of thread. I love to look at it, and the colors right up on the wall. It helps in my creativity.

This is my longarm quilting machine. I am a dealer for the A1 quilting machines in the Pacific NW, as well as Western Canada, Alaska and Hawaii.
You can check out my website here....
www.bestquilter.com

I also piece in here, which now I am able to do a bit more of. I can piece while my Compuquilter is running!

Having and running the CQ has really changed my attitude on quilting. There are so many fabulous patterns out there that really amaze me. The perfection that I can get is amazing.
I still do quite a lot of freehand quilting, but this has opened up piecing again for me.

This is a Radiant Sun pattern by
Cara Gulati

And here is a close up of the fabulous quilting..

This pattern is from Jodi Beamish.

I will post more great pic's later.

Better late than never!

2008-06-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

I guess I can add myself to the those who blog list.

For an introduction......

I am a self employed woman in her 40's, a quilter, a mother, and a wife.

I am the 8th of 9 kids.
I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest by choice.

I am a Longarm Quilting Machine dealer.
I work for A1 quilting machines, and for Compuquilter.

I love to quilt and to piece. I am really enjoying learning about digitizing for the Compuquilter.