Hi everyone! I am currently working hard to complete my embroidered/appliqued tree of life quilt so it will be available to enter into the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show. The deadline is January 23rd for the entry. I have to have it finished in time to get it photographed.
Progressing
Sew I have got the top done, and the quilt is finally sandwiched and basted. I have figured out how to quilt the centerpiece, which I am very pleased with so far. The borders are more problematic because I am going to quilt it with flowers and leaves and paint them after quilting. I have done a couple of samples to see how the borders will look with the centerpiece and concluded that the flowers and leaves are too big and the paint colors are a bit off to complement the centerpiece.
So today and yesterday I have been working on coming up with a new flowers and leaves quilting design that does not overwhelm the beautiful centerpiece. I came up with two possible designs and will make more samples complete with painting. I ordered some new paints to try to make the colors work better, and they have not come yet. So I am going to make some new stencils and new practice squares this coming week. I am pleased that I have a new video (currently being edited) showing and talking about the advantages of making such samples when you are making a special quilt. Indeed, my first samples have given me a lot of quilting practice and show clearly that the original designs don’t quite work. We will see what my new designs look like. I think they will work since I printed out the designs and laid them by the quilt…the size seems right this time. I hope I can get the painting right this time.I’m waiting on the order of new paints which should come this week too.
Repairing the gripper rings:
I love using my Bernina Gripper Rings, but after years of a lot of use the gripping cork or whatever it is was coming off. The cork was not torn or anything and the rings were still like new otherwise. So I asked Bernina, using their contact form on the website, what glue did they suggest for repairing the rings. Here is what they answered:
“Dear Betty Jo Tatum
Thank you for your inquiry. We have received the following recommendation from our LongArm staff: I would use the 3M Super 77 adhesive. This is a very good adhesive and is not lumpy but very tacky. We hope this helps!
So I got the adhesive and successfully repaired the rings. They are like new. The adhesive is a spray, so I wore a mask, had my ceiling fan on, and wore disposable plastic gloves. I totally removed the cork (or whatever it is) that was still slightly attached. I covered my workspace completely and laid the detached cork flat and upside down and lightly sprayed it. The adhesive does have a small bit of overspray, especially since the cork pieces are really narrow, but not much. I managed to get them placed onto the rings without any real problem. One of my cheap plastic gloves broke while I was working and so I got a little of the adhesive on one of my fingers and it kind of stung and was sticky. I washed my hands with warm water and put lots of hand cream on them…that worked…in time…after about three tries and some time. It was just a little spot, but it clearly would have been bad if I had not worn any gloves. That was a week ago and I have just left the rings alone upside down for days and now they are fine…no sticky anywhere…the cork is smooth, flat, and properly in place. So I will be able to use them while quilting my next sample for the border decisions and I will have a chance to use them before quilting the quilt itself just in case.
Interestingly when I mentioned this on one of my online groups many people responded that the cork had come off of theirs too, and some had used other adhesives. The rings are made by Martelli, and the cork comes off of their black ones too. I’m very glad I got mine fixed and hopefully the cork will stay on. I have had them for about five years and the cork started coming off (it would stick back on for a little while) about three months ago.
Now I have a can of excellent spray adhesive that claims to work for many other things…even fabric. I wonder what else I need to glue. LOL
Sew happy everyone. Stay safe and have fun in your studios. Wear the appropriate protective gear when working with adhesives.