Macybaby

Yup - getting it out of the box is a really good start! I bought mine used last spring, and FINALLY started doing some sewing with it. I've not tried the computerized part of it yet, but it's doing the satin stitching for me better than the other two machines that I use regularly.

I wonder if it would take longer to set it up than just doing the stitching freehand. I'm having fun experimenting with angles and stitch width too.

Emma S

Macy: Dumb question here. How do you satin stitch, without a pattern designated in the machine or is your machine both a regular and an embroidery machine? Uninformed people need to know.

Macybaby

My Pfaff sews just fine as a regular machine - it's a single needle, I though all of them like that could be used as a regular sewing machine too. It never dawned on me it wouldn't.

I tried it on three machines before deciding to use my embroidery machine. The oldest is a White 670 (Japanses made) from about 1960, the other is my main machine, a Viking 990 from the early 80's.

It's only a very, very tight zigzag, so if you have a machine that you can set your stitch length very short, it will do it. Both of these machines were designed with the idea that a sewer would want to do just this with them - long before computerized embroidery machines were invented.

I posted how I did it earlier in this thread, when I was working on my practice set.

kaelynangelfoot

mma, I do the same as macy. A tight zigzag stitch with the correct foot (she posted a photo of the foot a while ago) and then practice practice practice to get those tight curves correct. Its not a set it and forget it like a lot of the embroidery patterns, you have to still guide the stitch around the pieces.

I was awfully silly and didn't use stablizer with my block #1 and it is coming back to bite me. Just ordered some stabilizer and may end up redoing the block when it comes in. All the satin stitching is done but I'm having a puckering issue and the pieces aren't lined up quite where I would like them to be.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]506068[/ATTACH]

Emma S

Thanks for the reminder Kaelyn and Macy. Read the whole thread when I found it but the demo slipped my mind. This was the way I planned on doing it, I'll go back for a refresher.

Macybaby

some pictures of block 2 in progress.

this is from my test block set



the Hand stitched one - ready for the embroidery when I figure out what I want to do.



And the gold - just fused and nothing stitched yet. For this one, I cut the flowers so I'm using the center of the flower on the print for the flower center, and will stitch a circle to outline it.



Since we were discussing layers - this block has the most layers. I did this with the Pfaff embroidery machine with no trouble, but it would be easy enough to cut the back from the large piece and the largest petal to make it less bulky. I actually like the layered look. I won't try to quilt through the petals where all the layers are.

kindleaddict63

OK inspired by Macy's blocks - got a block completed. Need to take a better pictures in future. I needed some needle turn practice so started with a block with larger pieces. Decided they will be original size 7.5 inch blocks[ATTACH=CONFIG]506114[/ATTACH]

mary r

Very nice work. Love your colors. Are you going to use the same color embroidery thread throughout the quilt?

kindleaddict63

Thanks mary -I have some dmc floss that I would normally use for cross stitch in a gold colour, and I plan to use it on all the blocks.

coffeecozy

Emma S, I wish that I lived next door so that I could grab a handful of beautiful embroidery threads and come over to help you get that machine out of the box and stitching. I know lessons at my dealer and the wonderful group of ladies there made it so much fun for me to learn. There are lots of people on this site that will answer questions when you get stuck too.
Sad about the puckering kaelynangelfoot because your block is really pretty. Beautiful blocks macybaby and kindleaddict.