Urban Oasis - OBW is Done!

It's finally finished!

I started this One-Block-Wonder nine months ago, but other projects kept taking priority, so it kept getting set aside.  (Click here to see my previous posts about this quilt.)

The quilting took a LONG time, but I am so happy with how it turned out.  I quilted the center spiral on my Juki TL-2010 using the walking foot and Glide thread in white.

Then I switched over to my APQS George sit-down longarm machine and quilted continuous curves in the remaining hexagons and straight-line piano keys in the border, using So Fine #50 thread in gray - all ruler work, so it took many many hours.  Now I wish I had kept track of my time...

After auditioning about a dozen different binding fabric options, I finally decided on this aqua ombre.  I love how it repeats the light aqua colors in the center of the quilt and adds an extra little zing.

I used Quilter's Dream Green batting in this quilt for the first time.  I LOVE LOVE this batting!  It quilts like butter, lays flat and smooth, has just the right amount of loft, and does not crease or shrink.

I've always used cotton batting, but disliked the crease left when the quilt had been folded for any length of time.  Bye Bye fold-lines!  I think this will become my new go-to batting in the future.

Of course, there will still be occasions to use cotton, but it's nice to have a choice, based on the project.  OH!  And the other great thing about this batting is that it's made from recycled plastic bottles!  I know, plastic doesn't sound appealing, but it really feels wonderful!  Trust me!

 Instead of using a piece of the original Skyline fabric on the back or a border, as many quilters do, I decided to print an image of the fabric panel on my quilt label instead.

I named this quilt Urban Oasis because the original busy city skyline fabric magically morphs into a tranquil gazing pool in the finished quilt.  It still amazes me that the entire center section of the quilt is created from just one fabric.  It's a "Wonder"alright!

IKEA TIVED Sewing Machine Light

Who would have thought that IKEA would have the perfect light for quilters!

Not me, that's for sure!

I love my JUKI TL-2010Q.

But one downfall is the light.  There is one tiny light that is located slightly to the left of the needle, so there is always a shadow to the right of the foot.  It's not a real problem for general sewing and piecing, but it's a real pain when I'm trying to Stitch-In-The-Ditch with my walking foot.  I need to have a good view of the seam I'm trying to stitch in, and that darned shadow blocks my view.

A couple of years ago I found a clamp-on LED Grill Light that worked great.  (You can read my blog post about it by clicking here.)  While the light itself does a good job, the downfall is that it runs on batteries.  With fresh batteries, the lighting was perfect - but as the batteries wore out, the light got continually dimmer and dimmer.  The light never stayed consistent.  Not to mention the small fortune I was shelling out for batteries!

So I went on a search for something similar that was electric.

I found several options, but the flexible gooseneck was always too short.  I needed to be able to position the lamp out of the way. where it wouldn't obstruct the movement of my quilt.

After much searching, I finally found one.

Let me introduce you to the TIVED lamp from IKEA.

Here is a little demonstration of just how much light this gives off.

First, with no lights on the sewing machine - just my standard room lighting...

(isn't that scrap of Kaffe Fassett just gorgeous?)

 Next, with just the standard issue light that came installed on the JUKI.  See how most of the light falls to the left of the needle?

 And this is with the IKEA light added.  Isn't that a HUGE difference?  And because the lamp is on a flexible gooseneck, I can position it anywhere I need, based on what I'm doing.  Ripping out stitches?  No problem - just swing it over and point the spot right on my work.  Left, right, front, back - so much adjustment makes it perfect for practically any brand of machine.

Plus it has the added bonus of being an LED light so it gives of very little heat.  I can wrap my hand comfortably around the conical metal shade when the light is on, and it's just slightly warm to the touch.

 I have mine mounted to the front right corner of my table using the sturdy clamp that came with it.  And see that knurled piece just above the clamp?  I can loosen that and raise the lamp post up or down as I like, then re-tighten to secure it in place.  So there is LOTS of adjustment in this lamp.  (It also came with a mounting plate that allows it to be screwed to the wall, if that works better in your space.)

It also has an ON/OFF switch conveniently located on the cord, several inches from the end of the lamp post.  It's the white rectangle you see under my table.  I could even fasten the switch to the table with double-sided tape if I want to.  The cord is probably 5-6' long (I forgot to measure, sorry) so I had no problem plugging it in to an outlet on the wall.

I'm sure you're now wondering - How Much???  The lamp was $34.99 and since I don't live near an IKEA, I had to order on-line, but with tax and shipping included it was still under $50.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer.

Cheers!

New Juki Update

Out with the old...

And in with the new...

I know - you don't see much difference.  In fact, if I hadn't told my husband what I was doing, I bet he wouldn't even notice that I have a new machine!  But don't let the similarity fool you - I'm so very impressed with this new model.  I love that fact that it's just like my old one, so there's no learning curve to go through, but it's just "better"...  They have really made a noticeable improvement to the speed control of this machine, and after several hours of "playing" in the last couple of days, I've not had any thread breaks, or tension issues (knock on wood!).

Then I tore myself away from my new toy and made some really good progress on the next Family Ties quilt.  My client picked out a rich burgundy for the background on this one.  It's from P&B's Suede collection.

I've got all the pieced strips done and hope to cut the solid alternate strips tomorrow.  We'll see how far I get with the assembly...

Cheers!

Tasting Table Tuesday - New Machine!

The Pennsylvania Mountains Baby Quilt is now completely finished and will be traveling to it's new home in the next few days.

Then I took a day and quilted this one as a favor for a friend.  She pieced the top and asked me to quilt it in an all-over meander, so that's now finished as well.

As I quilted these two quilts, I reminisced about the last 5 years I've had with this machine...

and made the decision to upgrade to this...

My old one was the Juki TL-98Q, and now I'm upgrading to the new, improved Juki TL-2010Q.  It's basically the same machine, but they've added some new features that I'm really excited about, including:

• a built-in speed control (replaces the black box you see in the picture of my old machine, which is a home-made speed controller my husband made from Radio Shack components).
• a secondary tension device, which I'm hoping will really help with the thread breaks I deal with from time to time.
• new improved LED lighting (my over-50 eyes love this one!  yippee!!!)
• easier access to the bobbin area.

This new machine is due to arrive today sometime, and I can't wait to get some time on it to see how it runs.

And I already have someone in line to buy my old one, so it's a win-win situation for us both!

Cheers!