Quilting Quilting Quilting

Still wasn't feeling the best yesterday, so apart from a trip to the shops for a birthday pressie for a party Squid will go to tomorrow that was pretty much it for me and I headed to the sewing room for some quiet time with the quilt.

Two weeks ago I ended up unpicking half a border of quilting as it was looking the way it should in my head.  I was doing the bees free hand and trying to keep it all continuous and they just weren't working out.  I decided to try freezer paper templates to keep the shapes, though not uniform more or less looking like my bees... and it is working. Although I am not too bothered if my shape isn't exactly like the freezer paper template they are all looking like bees.  The freezer paper is good for a couple of goes.  I started out with six templates and they lasted about 4 times before I had to start again.  Now I have ten going so that should last me most of the borders.  I managed to complete the top left hand corner half way across and down.  Finally the end is in sight.

My machine has been a bit clunky and the tension hasn't been holding, I noticed at a bobbin change that there was some fluffy in the bobbin area.  I debated about doing a quick clean or doing the full works and jerks for a couple of seconds... I only had half and hour before I had to go and pick the kids up from Nan's... Oh just do it properly... won out.  This is what I found when I lifted the throat plate, glad I popped the lid for a looksee.

A couple of minutes to clean this out and a good oil around the bobbin case and I was good to go.  It sounds like it has just been serviced, nice and quiet again and the tension is staying where it is put.  

Yesterday was also a fantastic mail day.  Got my beret pattern from Nikki  and my order of all the Cosmo thread in their collection from Crabapple Hill Studio, 91 in all.  So although today I still feel blah there is lots to be excited about if I can raise the energy.