RESCUED OR FAILURE?? The jury is still out.....

My week, actually closer to two for this project hasn't gone well.  Just when I thought my vision issues were a thing of the past, I've had a relapse.  Hopefully it's temporary but it's so annoying to cope with these limitations.

This piece started out so simple.  I've enjoyed creating a couple of pieces recently using uneven patchwork sections, surrounded by either narrow black or white strips. My indigo dyed fabric stash is almost depleted so this was a way of stretching what I have left.

I envisioned a sketch of a tree as the focal point.  There was no intention to echo the look of a traditional window, rather I was thinking more along the lines of a piece of stained glass.

My drawing skills are almost nil, but determination, a pencil and eraser yielded the image that fit nicely into the piece.

I'm still struggling to achieve acceptable machine quilting, especially when using this programed serpentine stitch.  Although I promised not to complain about my new machine.....surely you could hear me hollering no matter where you live due to all the distortion that developed. Yes, it started square and flat, basted within an inch of its life.  I used Janome's pale imitation of the Pfaff's dual feed feature......called Accufeed.  Enuff said.....I'm not sure whether you can see the horrible distortion above.  After blocking it more than once I had to decide if it could be rescued or considered a failure.

After considering all possibilities, I cut it apart, eliminating a small section to get rid of the puckering. My original intention was to deep six the bottom section, bind the top, then go back and add more detail at the bottom of the piece.  BUT....as a lark, I added binding to the bottom to see how it would look if it was displayed as two pieces.  While working, an idea emerged to possibly attach the two by joining the roots from the bottom to the top.  Or???  I'm still considering whether to use just the top or both pieces as shown here or somehow connecting the two.  What do you think??

Follow these links to see what successes others have had this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.

BLUE JANOME 8900 - IMPRESSIONS

I FINALLY have a sewing machine again!!  The Janome dealer graciously switched out the Grey front 8900 (that was having issues) for a new Blue model. I've now had a chance to get somewhat acquainted with this brand of machines.

Here's some first impressions:

LIKES:  11" workspace, free arm, good lighting, knee lift, presser foot lever, extra high lift to pressure foot, speed control, needle down, Accufeed feet in two sizes, comes standard with lots of feet, a soft cover, and a really sturdy extension table, pre-programed 1/4" dedicated setting, ease of pattern selection and storage of customized stitches, single hole stitch plate that actually has 3 holes: center - left and right to provide more accurate seam width options, and easy bobbin replacement and threading.

DISLIKES:  no low bobbin reminder, a biggie dislike; screen display does not ajust size of stitches as they are changed (for instance - zig-zag stitch identifier will not enlarge or reduce....which would be soooo much handier to view than guessing),  Accufeed feet are too bulky and it's a pain attaching and detaching them, Narrow Accufeed needs fabric leader at the edge of fabric in order to actually stitch the first 1/4" - ridiculous!!  Unnecessary embroidery stitches.....and of course that's one of the reasons machines are priced so high these days.....it's frustrating that in order to get a machine with a larger harp, one has to pay for so many things that are not wanted, not needed, and will never be used.

So with all this said, it turned out to be a good choice for me. Yes, full disclosure, I have been part of the Bernina Ambassador Program for many years....they make great machines.  However, the initial cost, plus all the extras for the type of machine I required was simply not in my budget.  Happily, numerous people steered me toward the Janome.  

ANOTHER MACHINE CLIFF HANGER......

Yup.....here's another cliff hanger in the continuing saga to purchase a sewing machine that will sew a balanced straight stitch, 1/4" seam, also allowing the patches to remain the same length/size as they were cut.

For anyone new to my blog....go back to my Oct. 8th post and start reading....sorry, you'll have to wade through some that aren't related to the new machine quest.

I pondered in one of my 'almost rants'....that perhaps sewing machine manufacturers are trying to develop one-size fits all machines, but instead have created ones that may not do anything well.

The focus seems to be on machine embroidery or perhaps even FM quilting....why it's seemingly not important to provide an even and balanced straight stitch right out of the box that cost several thousand dollars is beyond me.

Two weeks ago today, after returning the VERY disappointing Pfaff Expressions 4.2, I brought home a Janome 8900.  Was thrilled with it at first.....but now....I've spent nearly the entire passing two weeks testing, adjusting, testing to find the right combination of settings.  Really....it should not be necessary to change the bobbin/top thread/pressure foot, stitch length and width when the machine has a dedicated 1/4" stitch setting!!!  AND....the darn thing refuses to stitch....even wind a bobbin with the 'new easy' needle plate in place.

Before continuing.....I want to give a shout out to Sarah Ann Smith, and a thank you to blogger follower Kris for telling me about Sarah's blog. She has generously spent oodles of time by email and phone helping me troubleshoot the issues I was having.  Thank you, thank you Sarah!!!!

Let me say...of course I could have gone back to the dealer....but since it's 90+ minutes away - ONE WAY.....and given that I've had extensive training on both Pfaff and Bernina's.....I kept thinking.....how hard could this be??  Goodness.....I know how to balance tension etc.

The machine did okay with my first 2" patch project....but when I began sewing these blocks with ONLY 7 patches but longer strips, no matter how VERY carefully I sewed.....not a single one came out to the exact size I needed.  After the first two it dawned on me, even though I couldn't detect any puckering or gathering...and the strips ends all met.....that somehow during the sewing process, the strips 'shrunk' in length.  This was after I carefully adjusted the width from the preset of 8.3 to 9.0 and length from 1.8 to 2.4 and yes even after using the Accufeed feature.....they didn't measure correctly.

Thankfully, my plan is to put sashing between the blocks so they don't actually have to meet exactly, but what if I wanted to make a more complicated precise pieced quilt?  Nope...this wasn't working......

How can this be?? Is this my 2nd lemon machine?  Am I that much of a perfectionist??  Here's my second shout out....I'm grateful to the Janome dealer - Judy's Sewing in Taylors, SC for their integrity.....  Despite thinking a mere two weeks ago that I was purchasing the newest 8900 model....NOT so, mine has completely disappeared from the Janome website and replaced with a new (blue face) one.  Judy is ordering this newer model for me and will make an even exchange.  They will work on my previous one and hopefully figure out what the problem was so future buyers won't experience this frustration.  In this day of businesses appearing not to have the interest of their customers in mind.....not so for this stand up dealer.

So....again....the cliff hanger.....once I get the new one.....I'll be reporting back....for now.....it's handwork for me.....

Linking to:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday, and Crazy Mom Sews.

FURTHER IMPRESSION - JANOME 8900

After a week getting acquainted with my new machine - Janome 8900.....here are some further impressions. This may be of zero interest to most of you......but I so appreciated the reviews I read when hunting for a new machine...perhaps my experiences will be valuable to somebody.  

It's fairly detailed.....so hover over your delete button and feel free to press it!

It seemed like a good idea to make a small quilt - start to finish, to see how the experience/quality compares to my dead as a doornail Pfaff. 

The pre-programed 1/4" patchwork setting, along with the 1/4" foot proved to be quite accurate.  The setting shortens the stitch length to 1.8 but I prefer 2.0, so I changed that setting. I mentioned this in a previous post, but it's worth saying again.....the presser foot's metal guide really helped me to keep the fabric feeding evenly. Though I expected to have to use the Accufeed foot for this purpose, I found it wasn't necessary.

Also......I LOVE that this machine still has a presser foot lever (and a button as well).....most new machines seem to have eliminated them in favor of a foot controller and/or button that raises and lowers the foot.  After 40 years of sewing.....just give me the darn lever!!

AND, now some thoughts about the Accufeed system.  I found attaching it to be a hassle...though with more experience it probably won't be.  I was truly spoiled with the Pfaff's one click - on/off option. 

The straight line quilting was done using the smaller of the two Accufeed attachments.  It was necessary to move the needle when stitching to the right of the seam to obtain a 1/4" distance....but this machine has like 91 needle positions so that wasn't a problem....the only problem was remembering to make that change when I went to that side of the seam!

The finished piece was pucker-free with no distortions of the patchwork or backing.  However, I'm not completely satisfied with the quality of the top thread stitches.  This may seem overly picky to some.....but when passing over seams, I found the presser foot to jump a bit, causing some slanted or crooked stitches and the inability to keep the presser foot right on the seam line.  It was almost as if the foot didn't grab the fabric enough allowing it to wobble. I changed that setting to increase the foot pressure, but then I got puckering. I also reduced the speed which helped some but didn't eliminate the problem. Again, this might be an issue of practice on my part.

Another thought I had later....isn't that always the case "later"......I was using Aurifil 50 Wt. in both top and bobbin.  However, the spool was fitted horizontally, instead of vertically which I always did with my Pfaff.  The quality of stitches when sewing the patchwork was just fine, but perhaps when machine quilting....using the Accufeed system....I need to try the spool in the vertical position.

Okay....so next came the binding.  I was unable to get the bulk of the quilt/binding under the narrow Accufeed foot.....I'll try it again another time.....but that day, I couldn't.  Instead I had to take the darn thing off, and put on the larger one, and fitted it with the optional 1/4" foot (doesn't come with the machine but the dealer threw in it....Yeah).  

Again, the metal guide was so helpful.....BUT.....when I came to the bulky mitered corner....yikes....I had a lot of trouble getting it to start when I turned the corner.......the stitches tended to pile up.  This may be operator inexperience using such a bulky foot??

Another issue.....when the two ends of the binding were to be joined on the bias, I could not for the life of me do it with this foot attached. It would not grab the fabric....instead.....stitches piled up.  Nor could I see....the foot is BIG and here the metal guide was a hinderance.  So, off it came.  I gave up on the Accufeed system and used the regular 1/4" foot instead to complete the job.  This was very annoying...and I found myself cursing Pfaff for ruining their once great sewing machines!!!

Perhaps now that I know this is the case.....I'll simply switch out the Accufeed system at this point, which means unscrewing the shank and putting the regular one back on.....and accept that will be the process and it won't honk me off (so much) anymore.

And then.....once the binding was on, I planned to quilt one more final line around the quilt....1/4" to the left of the binding seam line.  Well......this too was a problem....since I was actually quilting I felt I should use Accufeed....so out came the screw driver again to put it back on.  (Yes, perhaps I should have done that step before the binding was on....BUT, I wanted it to be very accurate and figured doing it afterwards would give me the best chance!)

Geesh.....again, I could NOT get it started at the top of the quilt....stitches piled up...but when I tugged it....it seemed to grab and stitched fine.  However, a good 1/4" of ugly stitches remained at the top.  I tried and tried, got sick of ripping out the tiny stitches.  So, I changed back to the regular 1/4" foot - minus Accufeed - and stitched the lines.  (as seen above)

                                         
I'm fairly certain I'd never actually quilt this way...though these stitches look lovely (better than the Accufeed ones when going over seams). However, I had to be really careful as it had a tendency to pucker/pleat where the blocks met.  

Happily, another machine feature: the speed control - allowed me to reduce the speed, making it easier to control the stitching.

As soon as the binding is hand stitched to the back......I'll post a photo...it's simply a fun little piece, nothing more, nothing less.

THE REVEAL.....

Sure, I knew I was leaving you hanging when I last reported my continuing machine saga.....and I had a good laugh when Sheila (blogger pal) wrote saying it was like a TV series' last episode of the season.  She was hoping I wasn't going to make her wait too long to find out who shot JR!!!  Really...that's too funny and obviously I realize no one was really holding their breath!!

I must admit it was shocking to realize how much research, time, energy, disappointment, confusion, and sticker shock my quest would generate.  I've come to the conclusion that machines these days are expected (perhaps by the designers??) to do it all.....and maybe that's the problem.....they can't execute or supply every little feature perfectly.

To recap.....I returned the Pfaff - Expression 4.2 for a full refund and kudos to the dealer who accepted the machine back.  One of my biggest priorities was the dual feed feature....only 3 companies provide that....Pfaff's being the least bulky.  So, then I was down to two.  As I mentioned, I did A LOT of online research and very much appreciated the generosity of those who shared their opinions about the models I was looking at.  As human beings....perhaps there is a tendency to go online to complain, rather than taking the time to do so when a compliment is in order. I found both examples and tried to weigh the reviews appropriately.

Now the decision was narrowed down to Bernina, which I knew a lot about or Janome which I knew practically nothing about.  Both had good websites with tutorials, and plenty of details such as the physical measurements of the machine, what accessories came with the machine, warranty coverage etc.  Our location limits our shopping quite a bit.  No dealer actually had all the models available for me to test stitch, and the machines I did sew on were poorly displayed and set up....probably unfairly turning me off to two of the models.

Being tenacious....I found a dealer about 75 miles away who had a model I was leaning toward, yet wanted to sew on it.  Judy's Sew & Vac in Taylor, SC is a gem.  They are knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and are the kind of folks that appreciate your business and are there to support you.  Okay..enough already...you have probably scrolled down by now to see the photos and know I purchased a Janome 8900.

Yes, cost was a partial factor....Bernina's are fine machines, but the cost of all the extras required was more than my budget could be squeezed. And.....after a couple of days, I'm all thumbs up with my new best friend. Naturally there is a lot to learn....even after sewing for over 30 years.....but the dealer spent quite a bit of time taking me through the features she thought might be new to me.  

 Because my room is long and narrow, without good light, we installed this bank of 13 lights (which probably cost a fortune to operate!).  Unfortunately, no matter how they are adjusted....I still experience shadowy areas.

Therefore, my work pod needed to be beneath the lights.  None of the models I considered would fit in my 25+ year old Horn cabinets without enlarging the cut out.....and that was problematic.  The dealer had a well designed and very sturdy table at a great price when purchasing the machine.  That too came home with me. 

Despite moving EVERYTHING, thinking I could rearrange my pod....it ended up looking nearly the same as when I began. And this is the tidiest it will ever be.

So...here are some of the things I love about the machine.  It has a specific patchwork setting.....the needle moves to the right and the stitch length decreases from the default 2.5 to 1.8.  I prefer a slightly longer stitch and it's easily changed to 2.0. The 1/4" foot which COMES WITH the machine has a metal guide on the right side which I LOVE.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)  AND it makes a perfect 1/4" seam!!

The dual feed feature that I sought isn't integrated in the machine like the Pfaff's is.....it's called Accufeed and is activated when either the large or narrow feet are attached.  I thought they'd be too bulky and get in the way, but so far I'm not finding that to be a problem.  The machine comes with the large foot and the dealer threw in the narrow one.  Did I say this dealer is a gem?? The funny thing is....the stitching on this machine is so accurate for patchwork, I haven't had to use these special feet for that purpose. 

 More surprises....it comes WITH this very sturdy extension table.

 And a semi-hard cover.

And a knee lift.  I've never been able to use one, even when provided on my previous machines due to the front cabinet plate on my Horn cabinets.  I'm delighted with this feature!

Of course I haven't done a great deal of sewing so far....but what I have done is assuring me there will be no buyers remorse.  As I learn more, if I feel it's of interest here and can be helpful, I'll pass it on.

Oh and....yes, the Packers are now 5 - 0 !!!!!!  Cheesehead land is happy....