Aurifil Threads Concern

 I have used these recently (12 and 8 ply) for hand quilting woven Japanese fabrics. I love them but... they do unravel and break sometimes, compared to the DMC 8 ply.

I was searching for 'best thread to hand quilt liberty'  and came across this blog post that is quite damning of them. 

https://oliviajanehandcrafted.com/sewing-with-liberty/#:~:text=In%20my%20ordinary%20sewing%2C%20I,the%20perfect%20thread%20for%20Liberty.

So I am now wary. Maybe ok for wall hangings but I won't use them again for utility quilts.

Nicholas Ball

Nicholas Ball was my number one choice for a class at the 2024 Quilt Symposium in NZ but he has apparently pulled out (mumble curse grumble) so I have been watching some of his demos on Youtube.  Great tips in them, probably all in his book that I do own - note to self, read the book.

Interestingly the details of how to sew a curve are much better in the demonstrations than in the book. In the book, he says to align the top of the fabric but in the demo, he says to align the curves. And in the demo, he shows how to hold the top and bottom fabrics separately and how to bring them together to butt against the seam allowance gadget. Also, he talks about cutting and sewing in one continuous motion if possible in the demos. 

With inserts demos he talks about his preference for a 'little bit' more than 3/4" wide strips being a good width for most pieces but if using a large beginning piece make the insert strips a bit wider. He also talks about cutting layers of fabrics so you can then mix and match different fabrics from the layers to make an interesting set of blocks - covered under Stacks in the book. 

No rings demos. In the books the triangle instructions are good - great hack to save fabric however in the demo he gives a hack for if your background fabric is a patterned fabric.

There is more in the books than the demos. 

With binding he joins straight no on the bias, he attaches much as I do with the mitred corners and he joins the continuous binding straight not on the bias. Interestingly, he then sews around the whole binding 1/8" from the sewing line to anchor the quilt and the binding seams togethers. He says it folds over better and no ridges are formed. 

History of the Bernina Hook

 Found a fascinating article about the history of the Bernina oscillating hook system and the different models over the years. 

https://sewingmachineman.substack.com/p/berninas-fascinating-trajectory-over

Needle Threader

 

Troubleshooting Videos

 Below are good ones added as I find them:

Schmetz Needle Guide

 Schmetz Needle Guide

BSR Issues

This is a good basic video on basic troubleshooting problems.

 I have been free motion quilting a community quilt and again am having issues with skipped stitches using my BSR. This has been an ongoing issue which at times has improved but always seems to return. It is extremely frustrating. Today I cleaned and oiled my machine top and bottom as I always do, put in a titanium needle and am using Aurifil thread. The default stitch length with the BSR is 2.00 which is quite small. I increased it to 2.25. When you look closely at the stitching there are regular stitches that are longer than others. These I believe are skipped stitches. Sometimes there are smaller stitches, possibly when the quilt is dragging, so ensuring the quilt is loose enough to move easily is important. 

I have been searching the internet for answers. One post mentioned something about cleaning the lens on the foot. I didn't know the foot had a lens! Upon inspection it does. Mine had a distinct mark or smudge in the middle of the lens which I cleaned with an earbud.

Below is a link to one blog post with a comprehensive list of things to check. I will make a sample to work through them and report back. My first test will be with my now clean BSR foot. And to inquire about having the software in the foot updated!

Troubleshooting skipped stitches

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Below I am adding all info I find about this for reference. 

This is another option:

The default stitch length is 2.0. At the very beginning this preset felt jerky as I tried to stitch. I felt like someone put training wheels on my Trek 750T.
Aside, I am a pokey quilter. If you’ve ever watched me stitch the machine is at a medium speed, not full tilt. I have good control of the stitch length because my hands and the machine speed are coordinated.

Reducing the stitch length to somewhere between 1.5 and 1.9 (yes that .1 mm makes a huge difference in the responsiveness of the BSR) made the BSR much more responsive to my hand movement; meaning the training wheels were taken off and there was no jerky movement as I stitched. 

And here is an update from the blog above about stitch lenght with more info:

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And another:

strongstitches.wordpress.com says:

Sometimes the problem is the type of needle you are using (Universal, Quilting, Embroidery, Microtex, etc.). I was having this problem when I was freemotion quilting using the BSR but it improved immensely when I switched to a Topstitch needle, size 90/14. But it is always a good idea to have your machine serviced annually, especially if you sew a lot.

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And another:

whatshequilted says: It could be timing but mire than likely it's a threading issue. I work in a quilt store and sell berninas. Someone above mentioned it. Mut make sure when you are threading that your presser foot is UP. When you thread with it down your tension disks are clamped closed and it doesn't thread properly causing all kinds od problems

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And another:

I quilt with a Bernina 440QE and an 820 with the BSR - I've only had skipped stitches when using too small of a needle. Shmetz Topstitch is my favorite...size depends upon which thread I am using.

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And another: 

GoldWillow says: Its possible that someone else already said this but heres my take. I have the 440 QE less than a year old. I was having some issues with my BSR skipping and so my wonderful girls at Modern Domestic had me bring my BSR foot in to update its software. They plugged it in to the 830 (which automatically updates it) and the problem was gone just like that. Also you need to make sure that the little eye of the foot is clean. Mine had some starch residue on it, cleaned it with a damp qtip and it was just fine. I hope you get it sorted, that is SUCH a bummer.

These comments come from here.

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And more - maybe you can start in 1 to secure yours stitch then change to 2?

When I first started using BSR I also liked BSR 2, but I have since grown to love BSR 1 I like it because I can do a few securing sitches before I start quilting.

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This is from the Wonderfil webiste:

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This is an excerpt from a blog explaining all about the BSR. It is the one explanation I have found of how to tell which mode you are in:

BSR also has two modes, 1 or 2, you know a mode is chosen when it is dark grey (the button looks depressed)

Mode One

Mode one is my preferred mode, but I don’t think you should start here.

In mode one the needle will keep moving whether you are moving the fabric or not. I love this mode because it helps keep your free motion quilting smooth and facilitate the stitching of smaller motifs.

Mode Two This is the mode I recommend while you get comfortable using the stitch regulator. In Mode two the needle stops when you stop moving the fabric, this is typically less stressful for stitchers as they get used to the feel of free motion with the BSR. 

Update to this post November 2024

I have just finished free motion quilting a queen size quilt for my daughter using a meander leaf design that matches a leaf in the fabric. I did not have issues this time with skipped stitches. I used a titanium quilting needle size 12, which is really strong and 30 thread top and bottom. I fully cleaned the machine at least 4 times in the process of quilting it. I have my speed set at 1/3 (Bernina rep told me it does make a difference) and made an effort to go at a moderate speed. Yes, I can go faster but, I think it is neater when I slow down and the machine copes better. I also have used the Jeans 12 or 14 foot, these are really strong and I still think the Schemtz quilting needles are good more for smaller quilts where the work is finer and you don't have the weight of a big quilt pulling on it. 

My biggest issue is not getting an 'out of line' stitch when I start again after a stop. I'm tryint to check there is no tension on the quilt and to put my hands right around the needle to hold the quilt and start real slow. I also understand  Mode 1 more effectively and put my foot right down and do not 'attempt' to adjust speed by raising my foot which doesn't work and which I was unconsciously doing for years. although there are still times when I put my foot down to start and nothing happens. Just give it a minute and be patient. 

I have been having issues with the machine faulting - just stopping sewing and raises the foot - but the almost excessive cleaning may have helped this as it stopped doing it by the middle of the quilt. 

Binding Hack

I remembered seeing this on some form of social media, went hunting and found it!                                I used long sharp heat resistant pins and added a third pin to guide the fabric before it hit the iron.            It worked amazingly well, the neatest binding I have ever made with no burnt fingers. My ironing board coped well - I have one of those metallic ironing board covers - and using steam I think prevented any scorching of the fabric. I did do it one section at a time.

I believe I've got this continuous binding technique mastered. A couple of reminders:

• Trim your quilt corners before sewing on the binding because it is hard to trim away batting excess if you have used the 'sew on an angle to the edge' technique when doing the corners. This is possibly a reason not to do this but to just stop and secure your stitching - I'll try that next time. 
• Leave a nice big 'gap' to manoeuvre your binding when you mitre the ends. 
• Both ends of the binding need to overlap by the width of the binding, then cut. 
• Never trim the mitre before checking you have done it correctly. 
• Iron the binding well, from the front away from the quilt then from the back folded over exactly to just cover the sewing line. 
• Sew the four sides leaving a gap at the corners. Come back and do the corners, remembering that the direction of the tuck is opposite on both sides of the mitre - this is how you get it to sit flat. 

Machine Binding

 I have been doing this on Community quilts. Just had a look for some tips and tricks and found this video. I hadn't been using the 10D foot so keen to try that. Also a different way of joining the binding. 

Machine Needles

 Everyone has a different opinion on this. You need to work out what works best for you on your machine.

I have experimented with Jeans needles and Top Stitch needles for machine quilting because they are stronger which should help when doing free-motion quilting. You just have to find them in a Size 80. Also recently have been using Titanium needles for machine quilting with good results. 

However, after reading this info below I think I will try some Sharps for piecing as the take on Universal needles makes them seem a bit mediocre. 

A good article: 

All About Machine Needles