the tile squares are giving me the most pain. they are very small and it's critical they line up. there are so many seams converging in one spot and to get the narrow seam allowance required i have to feed the fabric right next to the right hand dog. on a different machine i could adjust the needle to the right, but mine only adjusts left. mirroring all my sewing skills to work on the left hand side of the needle is just more mind/body training than i can see myself able to tackle.
the cost of the book when i thought it was lost was prohibitive, and i didn't have much luck finding it in the library system. jackie robinson does sell the individual patterns from her website, but i'm not sure of they come with the general directions. i think they would have to, on further thought.
this too is a test run for a bed sized quilt. if i were to take those tile squares and make them a more reasonable size...say 1" or even 3", the tendency for the machine to balk at the fabric joins would i suspect be more manageable. i also think that some thought and good planning would enable me to use the offcuts from the angle pieces to create visually interesting tile designs without having to do more fidgety piecing. that would be a VERY smart improvement.
i do all my work on a 20 year old janome entry level workhorse. i have a fully tuned singer 401 sitting there, but i think maybe it's time to start saving up for a new machine. this makes me feel all kinds of ways, including disloyal to that stalwart tool that serves me so incredibly well....
thank you so much for your cheers and good words. i like this place so much, and am so thankful you're all out there. it's a lonely thing sometimes, down there in the sewing room for days on end...
aileen
Last edited by stillclock; 01-16-2014 at 08:41 PM.