Ten minutes too many of quilting and a reader question

ARGHHHHH! It is one of those bad thread days! My Mom (Anne H) has a new African quilt that she has asked me to quilt before she adds her magic embellishments. This is an original design - I love the chickens on the right! Right now the pot appears to float in midair but she will be adding logs under the pot as part of the embellishment. Here is her quilt top before I started quilting.

The quilting should have been a fast, straightforward project. I started off with a rayon variegated thread that has wonderful earthy colours and I wanted to use it for the foreground BUT no matter what I do or which machine I use it on I have problems with it shredding. Tension adjustments don't help. Larger/smaller needles don't help. I've tried it on three different machines with no success and that leads me to believe the problem is with the thread. So after ten minutes of sewing (ten minutes too many) I spent an hour of reverse sewing. ARGHHHH! I switched to a Gutermann 50 wt cotton thread that is variegated dark brown. It quilted the foreground beautifully.

I used a variegated Gutermann thread for the midground and again it worked beautifully. I move on to the background and at the risk of repeating myself.......ARGHHHH! I was using a Sulky variegated 12wt thread and it shredded like crazy. I adjusted the tension to no avail. Switched needles and no change. Rethreaded the machine top and bottom with no change. I would  move up to a topstitch 16 needle but I ran out. ARGHHH yet again.

I'll just persevere and when the thread breaks as it does I'll rethread and start again. It is a wall hanging so it won't be a problem as far as the threads working their way out. I do like the texture this heavy thread is giving to the background but am frustrated. If you have any suggestions I am open to them!

Ventura0404 asked where I buy my fabric. I reply to every comment unless you are a no reply blogger in which case I have no way to contact you unless you include your email address. Since I can't email Ventura0404 I'll answer her question here. I live in a large city but quilt shops have almost all disappeared. There is a local fabric store, Fabricland, that is part of a large Canadian chain. It carries quilting fabric so I often buy my fabric there. Other than that I have to shop online. I have bought from Hancocks's of Paducah, Fabric Shack, Thousands of Bolts, Quilt in a Day, Connecting Threads and eBay. If I am looking for a particular fabric I'll go to QuiltShops.com where I can search over 200 shops for just the right fabric. What about you'where do you shop?

I'm off to sew with my friends today. Until tomorrow when I post Block 8 in my Value Proposition Hexagon Quilt Along, happy sewing!
Karen H

"Do you know where my shirt is" and Gutermann thread

This will be a surprise for my friend Babs! She came over to baste a quilt top that she made and when it was done we folded it up to pin baste another quilt top. She packed everything to go home but guess what she forgot to take with her? Her quilt! Perfect opportunity for me to share it with you! I think it has a real French "provencal" feel to it!

Yellow Bird by Babs, 2014

She calls her quilt Yellow Bird because that was the name of one of the fabrics she used, the black, white and yellow border print! She combined it with the subtle yellow background print. It gives the quilt such a lovely fresh look and feel. But this beautiful quilt has a dark side! Each of the hexagon flowers had a black and white check hexagon in the center but the fabric didn't come from a quilt shop. No, Babs cut up her husband's favourite shirt to make those hexagons! Naughty Babs but honestly it was the perfect choice for the hexagons! Good thing he does his own laundry! He has no idea that his shirt was repurposed!

Here you can see the border print used as a border.

It was also used to make the fussy cut hexagons.

The hexagons were machine appliqued to a lovely yellow background.

The hexagons were appliqued the squares were stitched together. Single hexagons were appliqued over the intersections. Babs used these same techniques to maker her quilt What the Hexagon? She likes making the rosettes of hexagons but didn't want to spend time making a path so this method was a great alternative. It also allowed her to use hexagons of different sizes that were leftovers from other projects or that were given to her. The diamond hexagons were made by my Mom and given to Babs. She wanted to use them so this quilt was the perfect project!

What the Hexagon by Babs, 2011

If you use Superior Threads you will know that the cap pops off so you can anchor your threads. I also use Gutermann threads and there is a little spot where you can wrap the cut end of your thread so it doesn't unspool. You can see it at the bottom of the spool on the left. I was looking at the spool and wondering if the piece at the bottom could be popped to make wrapping thread easier and guess what? It does! You can see it on the spool on the right! Who knew? Well now you know!

The following has nothing to do with quilting but I wanted to share. This is Dog the Cat, 7.6 petite pounds of cuteness lounging in the yard two days ago. She was a beloved member of The Girl's family.

Dog had a rough beginning but when she was rescued by The Girl and Goat she found a loving home where she was cherished and adored. Some thoughtless person put out antifreeze likely to deal with local skunks and raccoons. It is a cruel thing to do to any being. While Dog's suffering is over thanks to the compassionate care she received from the veterinarian The Girl and Goat are beside themselves. Dog was a tiny little girl with a big personality and her passing has left a huge void.

Until I post again, please go and give someone you love a big hug!
Karen H