Ongoing Quilt Projects, Continued from the "No Appreciation...." Thread

[Magnolia Ducks]

Thanks Wunda. Can I get some advice here on to clean my hubby's baby quilt so I can pass down to our niece. it was quilted in 1959 and has been stored for 60 years. Its in really good shape but smells musty. Ill post a picture.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Its very cute

 

[Blooie]

Oh, I hope you get some answers on cleaning that treasure!! I’m afraid I’d be too scared to advise.

Guess what I got for Christmas!!! I got a Cutie Quilt Frame!! I currently have a quilt on my big Grace EZ Quilt frame and have been hand quilting it. Now that we’re moved in and settled, I thought I’d like to get back into quilting. But I’ve been struggling so badly. I used to win ribbons for my hand quilting. Now my stitches are uneven, crooked, and too big. But the biggest problem is what Macular Degeneration is doing. I have this dead spot in the center of my vision. It’s mighty tough to thread a needle when the eye of that needle is hiding behind that black spot. I was so frustrated. I hate machine quilting, but I was afraid if I was ever going to finish the tops I have made, I wasn’t going to have any choice. So I dragged out my old Elna Quilter’s Dream - it’s 22 years old and I haven’t used it in years - and got it cleaned up. I tested the tensions on a sample quilt sandwich, then put it away again over the holidays without machine quilting a darned thing.

Ken got me the Cutie for Christmas and got it put together for me, then we put Old Aunt Elna on the carriage. Unfortunately the throat of the Elna is really small. I put an unfinished orphan quilt on it to try it out and I can only quilt 2.5 inches at a time, going across, before I have to reposition the quilt. it’s gonna take me forever. There’s quite a learning curve with the Cutie, but I really want to master it. I was hoping for a Baby Lock Jazz II for my birthday, but I don’t think it’s in the budget right now. It has a 12 inch throat on it, so much more quilting space before needing to reposition. But people do king sized quilts on theirs, so I’ll keep at it, 2.5 inches at a time. I love the frame and the concept. It’s just so mismatched with the machine.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry about your eye issues! I get it. My husband had to have injections in both eyes for months. That Baby Lock Jazz has a killer throat space, hope you can get it. I haven't pulled out my machine in months, but I've recently started crocheting again, encouraging others to learn it because it's a great destressor. I need to make another quilt this winter somehow, but I barely learned to use my newest machine before I covered it up and stopped so it would be like starting over again.

 

[fisherlady]

I am glad to 'hear' from both of you ladies! A lot of beautiful quilts and awesome levels of experience in this thread. As times change, and our health we often need to find work-a-rounds to keep moving forward. I had an injury and subsequent onset of rheumatoid arthritis which has essentially ended my ambulance career after 37 years. I am starting over with my own animal transport company. I criss-cross the USA pretty often now. If you ladies need something bulky or odd shaped hauled and general mail options are too high or can't be trusted check to see if I have a trip through your area and can through it in the Pacifica and give it a ride.

 

[speckledhen]

@fisherlady nice to see an old friend again! Sorry about your old career, but best of luck with your new one! I've turned 66 and am doing well, in great health, but my husband is a disabled veteran and his joint issues have progressed tremendously, making keeping this homestead going much more difficult. I can't run the equipment and he can't keep it in good running shape anyway, but I still manage to have my chickens and my YouTube channels (though the censors are on me like white on rice and it's like navigating a minefield unless you talk about completely innocuous things like crochet and chickens). We creative people are the ones who will keep our sanity, I'd be willing to bet!

 

[speckledhen]

HELP! I am trying to purchase a ruler foot for my Juki HZL G220 without paying a whopping $50 for a genuine Juki part, but I've had two sellers sell me a foot that when I put it on my machine and lower the presser foot, it sits directly on the plate, no way to adjust (the second seller showed a completely different foot than I got, which may have worked).
Here is what my problem is. Two different places have told me their part would fit my machine, but they ended up being the exact same part and this what happens when I lower the presser foot, no room for a piece of paper much less a quilt sandwich.
Am I doing something wrong or is this just the wrong part? It has no metal across the top or a deep slot like the one pictured in the second photo of the one I was supposed to be getting which looks to me like the actual part Juki sells.

This is what this part was supposed to look like, but I think even this is wrong-the part should not have a bar across the bottom, only the top.

ETA: I solved my issue and bought the right feet from Ken's Sewing Center in Alabama, both the ruler foot (last one, discounted, $41.99) and the open toe free motion foot from their Ebay storefront for $4 less than they are currently selling it on their actual website. It's a lot of $$, but continually getting the wrong part and having to return it costs time and money and doesn't let me start getting back to quilting again!

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, machine experts, what am I doing wrong? I can't make this machine keep the bobbin thread going. I can get it to pick it up after a couple of tries, then it sews without it. This is free motion, not regular stitching, which worked fine...until the feed dogs then refused to come back up. Geez.
I've checked the bobbin hook timing and it seems correct to me. And now, after messing with this machine all day long, the feed dog lever quit working. It's cheap plastic and I think I heard something snap while shifting them back up so now, they're stuck in the down position. This machine was new from a dealer, a customer return, about two years ago, I guess. I used it a little to piece and then, I put it away and just now started it again. Have to learn to use it all over again and I'm pulling out my hair! I guess I have to find a repair guy now. This is so dumb, I swear. I've changed the needle, bobbin, checked the winding and threading, changed the thread, etc. I can't figure it out. I'm ready to buy another straight stitch mechanical machine like my Brother 1500 again. Thought about the Baby Lock Jazz 2, but that thing seems loud and vibrates at high speed from what I've seen. Still, I can get a good deal on it.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Hey, machine experts, what am I doing wrong? I can't make this machine keep the bobbin thread going. I can get it to pick it up after a couple of tries, then it sews without it. This is free motion, not regular stitching, which worked fine...until the feed dogs then refused to come back up. Geez.
I've checked the bobbin hook timing and it seems correct to me. And now, after messing with this machine all day long, the feed dog lever quit working. It's cheap plastic and I think I heard something snap while shifting them back up so now, they're stuck in the down position. This machine was new from a dealer, a customer return, about two years ago, I guess. I used it a little to piece and then, I put it away and just now started it again. Have to learn to use it all over again and I'm pulling out my hair! I guess I have to find a repair guy now. This is so dumb, I swear. I've changed the needle, bobbin, checked the winding and threading, changed the thread, etc. I can't figure it out. I'm ready to buy another straight stitch mechanical machine like my Brother 1500 again. Thought about the Baby Lock Jazz 2, but that thing seems loud and vibrates at high speed from what I've seen. Still, I can get a good deal on it.

Is the bobbin thread breaking or is it just not stitching at all? The tension on the bobbin might be the issue but concerning the problem with your feed dogs I'd imagine the thread is breaking.

Edit I had this problem myself and it turned out to be the needle

 

[speckledhen]

At first, when I began free motion, it looked okay on front but was nesting on the back. And yes, new chrome topstitch needle, newly wound bobbin, checked how I threaded it, full small cone of Isacord thread top and in bobbin.
It began to not pull up the bobbin thread to the top, then when it did and I started quilting, it didn't connect with the top thread at all to make stitches. What is weird is that I tried just stitching with a regular foot and feed dogs up (when they worked) and it did just fine. I have no idea what the heck is wrong. The machine has almost no time on it, but was not used for a couple of years, just sat in the table with the cover on it.