Vending the Asheville Quilt Show

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

5 Responses

  1. I have a question. I was free motion quilting on my new Janome horizon 7700 (when I saw yours I had to have one too). I got templates from the Stencil Co. and was doing a 14 inch one. At least once on each square, my thread would break. Any ideas on why? I was using Aurifil thread that says gr 30, mt 750 100% cotton. Should I use a heavier thread? Thanks, Rebecca

  2. Jane says:

    Hey Leah! I was at the show yesterday. Your work is incredible! People were crowded around your quilts just oohing and aahing over them! They were so impressed with your creativity and that you are so young. Congratulations!

  3. Looks like you're having fun at the show, Leah. Love the banner – looks great and so important to have one at a show. I think your idea of doing prints is clever – if someone can't afford to buy a quilt, they can certainly afford a print! Keep going, Leah!

  4. Liz I. says:

    @Rebecca: You are lucky to have the Janome Horizon! It looks like a very practical machine that would be a pleasure to use!

    Until Leah responds, here are some suggestions, from a newbie who's free motion quilting on some non-traditional materials and with a non-traditional subject matter.

    I'm using Aurifil 50 cotton (their lightest weight) (top and bottom) on a VERY thick quilt sandwich with bottom fabric which is organic hemp/tencil which I've hand stenciled. I'm not sure what the "30 gr" means–grams? I know Aurifil comes in 50, 40, 28 and 12 weights.

    What I've learned is that the thread, fabric, needle, free motion foot and machine tension all form a system. For example, when I tried to use an 80/12 needle, my thread broke; with a 90/12 needle all is fine. But when I change free motion feet, even with the same needle, or change the thickness of my quilt sandwich or the type of backing material, I again have to make tension or needle adjustments.

    So, I'd check your needle–is it the right size? Is it sharp (we're advised to change needles after 4-8 hours of sewing). (I really like the Schmetz Metallic needles because they have a sharp point but a large eye so they don't shred the thread.) Then I'd check the tension, bobbin, and any machine-specific adjustments to make sure they are OK.

  5. Janet says:

    Love that little tote box – want one just like it!

    And enjoy the 7700 – I can't even remember what life was like before my 6600P!

    Thanks for all the MQing tips … you're truly an inspiration.

    Happy quilting!

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