Sunday, January 31, 2010

Ricky Tims Super Seminar, Part Two

At the January FQG meeting, we made an attempt to give you a small sample of the many things we learned at the Seminar. We barely scratched the surface. As well as the presentations by Ricky, Libby and Alex, we also had a session with Bob Purcell, President of Superior Threads. He taught us a great deal about threads in a very short time! Here are just a few of the things we learned:

* Not all threads are colorfast, in particular, hand-dyed threads and some rayons.

* Throw away your nylon thread. If you want an "invisible" monofilament thread, buy polyester. Nylon melts, gets brittle after time and it "yellows". If your spool is labelled polyamide, you've got nylon..

* Always use a size 90/14 Topstitch or Metallic needle (deeper groove and bigger eye) and loosen the top tension when stitching with metallic threads.

* When deciding what weight of thread you will use for machine quilting, remember it depends whether you want the thread to blend or stand out. "Heavy to show, thin to blend."

* Polyester thread will not tear your fabric.

* All sensitive threads prefer a vertical spool pin.

* Problems with specialty threads can usually be traced to these causes: 1. Quality (buy good quality thread). 2. Needles (select the right type and put in a new needle with each new project). 3. Tension (running your machine always at the same tension setting is like buying a new TV and never changing the channel). 4. Condition of machine (keep your machine clean and in good condition).

Lastly, here are a few quotes from the Seminar sessions which are good reminders to us all:

~ Nothing is ever a failure if you learn from it.
~ You have to become your own Quilt Police.

~ Quilts take a really long time to finish when you're not working on them.

~ Finish the ones that deserve it, and realize some deserve to die.

~ The best gift God has given you is TIME : know how to use it.

This barely scratches the surface of all we learned at the Seminar. Remember the Seminar will be held in Hyannis Massachusetts in September 2010. If you would like to attend, leave a comment with your name here, or get in touch with Linda Hubbard (455-1825) . We will be "collecting" names and hopefully get enough for a group registration and a significant savings to you. (You will not in any way be obligated to travel together as a group. )
Just a reminder, you can click on these photos for a closer look.





3 comments:

  1. Thanks again Linda for such wonderful comments about the seminar. I hope we'll see oodles of you making a fun weekend of it in Hyannis. Whoo hoo!

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  2. Great. That Ricky is on the ball. He commented before me!!!

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  3. I just checked my invisible thread. It says 100% nylon. I've had it for a few years. I'm going to throw it out. I assume Superior has the invisible polyester thread.

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