Further Adventures with the Moxie – using stencils
It’s time for another Moxie Report! As I am sure I have mentioned before, there is such a lot to learn about using a long arm quilting machine. The more I learn, the more I realise there is still to learn, which really suits me as I am happy to take my time and master something properly.
Pinhole Quilting have updated my Moxie Mentor offer to a mixed pack of threads and accessories (rather than just the threads we started with) but still valued at £100.
There is a new code to use for this pack JA102 (see bottom of post for more info on how to use this code). The new pack contains:
– Two Full Line stencils (a new range that they have just started stocking and that has sold very well to existing customers)
– A quilt pounce (used with the stencils)
– A pack of Panda pencils
– A mixed pack of needles
– A (reduced) range of threads
With this in mind Pinhole sent me some of these accessories to try out. The Panda pencils are excellent, I used them when I had a play with rulers (see this post) and they mark really well and then just brush away.
I have to say I had absolutely no idea what a ‘pounce’ was! It turns out to be a bit like a powder puff, with it’s own reservoir of chalk. This is used with the new Full Line Stencils. The stencils are a type of fabric with a quilting design that works like a screen. You lay them on top of your fabric and ‘pounce’ the chalk on top. When you remove the fabric the design is marked in chalk as if by magic!
It does take a bit of practice to get the right sort of ‘pounce pressure’ and I also found it a bit messy. But it’s just chalk so it brushes or sponges away easily. I also started by using the stencil and pounce while the practice sandwich was already on the machine. It’s certainly easier to do when it’s on a flat surface but I’m imagining that you would need to mark it as you went along on a larger quilt. I found that putting my hand underneath helped to keep things stable.I started with the flowery stencil on the dark practice fabric. Oh my goodness it was hard for me to follow those lines!
Being able to draw FMQ designs freehand means I’ve never really had to follow lines and it’s something that seems trickier on a long arm than a domestic. Above left is my first shocking attempt. But I kept going and soon found out that I had to stitch quicker and not worry too much about sticking to the lines, but instead use tham as a just a guide for the overall design.
After a number of flowers and leaves I decided to try it ‘for real’ and marked out the stencil on a large piece (around 20″) of Outback Wife Barcloth I had been hoarding.
My first one on the left is still quite rubbish. But I got better as I went along and the one on the right got full marks from me. Phew it took a lot of concentration! But it shows what you can achieve if you put the time in and I am sure it will help my overall control of the machine. Check out the image of the whole panel at the top of the page. I will do more of this!
Next I tried the grid. This isn’t necessarily intended to be used to quilt a grid, which let’s face it, should be one of the easiest things to mark and quilt. The idea is to mark the grid then use it as a guide for filling with patterns like circles, clamshells or orange peel type designs.
However I decided I just wanted to quilt a grid and actually I find drawing straight lines for quilting pretty tedious and I LOVE the idea that the whole grid appears with just a few pounces! I will use this stencil for walking foot quilting on my Janome too, it’ll be so useful of bags and pouches. All of these stencils can be used for regular domestic quilting and not just for a long arm!As you can see in the image (which shows me re-positioning before I start a new line) I used my new skinny ruler to help with quilting the grid.
This little mini is just 12″ square and is made using my Dandelion Clock Block workshop. A few things to announce here:
1. Dandelion Clock Block and Tiny Improv Streetscape are now available to buy as on demand Video Classes over at The Thread House website here. You can also purchase two of Karen’s classes in our new Schoolhouse range.
2. I made this wee mini as an inspiration piece for a new Hope Mini Quilt Challenge the Great British Quilter has just launched. I am one of the 6 judges and will be helping to hang the 50 selected minis at Festival of Quilts this summer. Read more about the challenge here and join in!
I’m just about to hand sew the binding on this little sunshine mini but I’m wondering if it needs a something more? I’m wondering about adding some hand stitching… Those grid squares have got me thinking about noughts and crosses! So watch this space…
Meanwhile I have finished a new quilt on the Handi Quilter Moxie, and in super quick time!
A few years back I taught an evening class at myBearpaw called Mystery Quilt. I had run out of time to design a new sampler quilt prior to releasing the next term’s prospectus so I called it ‘Mystery Quilt’ and worked out the design and made the blocks much nearer the course start date 😉
I taught 2 sessions over a couple of years and made a block along with the students meaning I had 16 waiting to be made into a quilt. Instead I have used 15 and sashed them together with this lovely teal solid to make a quilt for the Social Bite Village Quilt Drive.
Click on the badge in the sidebar for more info about my charity quilt drive, or hang on for a few days as I will be posting very soon all about it and showing off the first pile of 10 quilts for 2021 that I’m going to deliver this week. But as this post is all about the Moxie we can view this one now.I had a zoom session with Liz at Pinhole to show me how to use the stencils and pounce and Liz used a stencil with a stars and meander design which I absolutely loved. I had been thinking of doing an overall loopy design to get this quilt finished quickly and so I decided to incorporate the stars with the loops. This quilt took only 1.5 hours to quilt!! My quickest yet. And it only took 2 bobbins! Just one change over and one lot of ends to thread in! Of course it is just a single but even so I am definitely getting the hang of using the long arm efficiently, and I love the finished design.
I used one of the Glide threads in a light green to quilt this and I used Aurifil 40/3 in off-white to quilt the two small pieces using the stencils. My current ‘go to’ bobbin thread is ‘So Fine’. The Glide and So Fine are available from Pinhole in the UK.
Now it’s time for my Moxie ‘Top Tip’. This machine has worked like a dream since day one, with zero tension and thread breakage issues caused by the machine. However I sometimes have an issue which is due to this ‘pig tail’ part of the machine threading set up. This is how it should look but when I have to change a bobbin or pull a loose thread at the side to stop and reposition I occasionally find the thread can get caught here. It seems to get caught around the back of this pig tail and if you don’t catch it and correct it you can get the issues with thread breakage and tension that I was always warned were problems with a long arm.This is very easy to correct! I have just got in to the habit of regularly checking the thread is correctly threaded through the pigtail, especially if I have stopped quilting to rearrange something. But as part of my Moxie Mentor role I wanted to make sure all you new Moxie Long Armers who are following along knew this too.
If you think you might be intersted in finding out more about the Moxie head to Pinhole Quilting’s website here. While you are their why not sign up for their newsletter. You will see a box on the sign-up form asking for a Moxie Mentor Referral Code. If you enter my code JA102 you will get a big pack of thread and accessories worth over £100 (as listed above) if you go ahead and order a Moxie!
I made a small wooden shelve to act as a desk for marking with a pounce or water solvable marker. It lies on my table edge on it’s backside and lower roller edge in the front side. It works great as a supply table too, pushed all the way to one end. Pls let me know if you want a pic. It’s definitely DIY.
I am so glad you posted about the “pigtail”. I, too, have had trouble with the thread getting tangled when I pull the thread for stops and starts. I thought I was the only one this happened to. I wish it were a closed loop.
I love your quilt. I have used some of the Full Line stencils. I like their designs. I find the chalk messy and it is a challenge to mark the quilt on the frame. I think that using them will help teach me the design so I can do it freehand.