Last year about this time -
I did a REVIEW on my new sewing machine - HERE -
Brother SQ9050 - Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine -
Made by Brother - here -
Made in China
I named her SuzieQ -
And now that I have had her for about a year -
I thought that it was time for an update - ;))
Last year I said -
Summary -
I have only had this machine for a very short time -
And I have just scratched the surface in terms of what she can do -
And I have some more testing/playing to do yet -
And some reviews have said that she develops tension problems about six months down the road - so we’ll have to wait and see about that -
But -
From what I have seen/done so far -
What it can do -
And - especially - for the PRICE -
I think that it’s quite a cool little sewing machine!! - ;))
Would I recommend this sewing machine?
YES
Since then -
I have made two Edit Updates -
Both related to tension issues -
EDIT UPDATE - 8/29/13 -
As I told Miau in the comments below - HERE -
YES - she still does a good job!! - ;)) I use her mostly to do my piecing - and use Method #2 described above - Stitch #43 with the zig-zag presser foot "J" - and my stitch guide. Her tension messed up on me ONCE - I simply turned her OFF for a second - then turned her back on - sort of like re-booting your computer. When I turned her back on - all of the tension settings had re-set to the defaults - and she was fine - ;)) Would I still recommend this machine? - YES!! - ;))
EDIT UPDATE - 11/6/13 -
Today I was having some tension issues - loops were showing on the back of the fabric. I turned her off - re-threaded both the top thread and the bobbin - turned her back on - and she was back to normal - ;))
So -
Yes - I had tension issues on occasion -
But the solution was simple -
Turn her off for a second -
Re-thread her -
Top AND bottom -
Turn her back on -
And she was good to go - ;))
Would I STILL recommend this sewing machine?
YES
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
I saw the greatest comment yesterday on a post - HERE -
Nice tutorial - ok right-handed people only - - I know, just do the opposite cutting. I would love to see a left handed tutorial and have it say, now if you are right handed, just do the opposite, lol
That's what I DO!! - ;))
My tutorials have my “LHQ blurb” -
============
Note - these instructions are written in LEFTISH.
If you are right-handed - just reverse the directions.
============
I had to leave a comment on that comment -
Haha - I do that ALL of the time - even have a page on my blog for Left-Handed Quilting - ;))
Unfortunately, the commenter had no blog or email listed on the profile -
So I have no way of contacting him/her directly -
I hope he/she sees this - ;))
AND -
Lefties -
Don’t forget that Tuesday is August 13 -
And you know what that means - ;))
August 13 is International Left-Handers Day -
And we will have the Third Annual Meeting -
Of the International Left-Handed Quilters Anonymous
And the
Third Annual International LEFT-HANDED Quilters Anonymous Online Quilt Show
The Third Meeting will be pretty much the same as the First - HERE-
and the Second - HERE - ;))
We want our Third Annual Quilt Show to show something special, don’t we??
So this year I want you to show us your -
Most Original Quilt or Quilt Top
This time it doesn't have to be a completed quilt -
because I wanted to enter a Quilt top -
and - so far - I get to make the rules - haha - ;))
My Most Original Quilt Top is “Ladies”
HERE -
Some of you may remember them - ;))
So, Lefties - get your posts ready -
Everyone else - join us on Tuesday - ;))
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
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Note - these instructions are written in LEFTISH.
If you are right-handed - just reverse the directions.
============
OK - this is next time - ;))
This tutorial is a continuation of Part 1 where I showed/told you -
How To Make A Sudoku Quilt - HERE -
This is How I Make Sashings and Cornerstones and Borders -
STEP 7 - Add sashings and cornerstones -
My blocks measure 5” x 5” when sewn together -
And I want my sashing/cornerstones to be 1/2” wide - finished -
For this you will need -
From Part 1 -
- Sashing strip - 5” x 10” -
- Sashing strip - 5” x 16” -
- Cornerstone strip - 1” x 16” -
- Cornerstone square - 1” x 1” -
- Border fabric - to be determined later - ;))
I used White for my sashings -
Red for my cornerstones -
And Blue for my borders -
So I cut -
White sashing strip - 5” x 10” -
White sashing strip - 5” x 16” -
Red cornerstone strip - 1” x 16” -
Red cornerstone square - 1” x 1” -
I always start with the sashing -
White sashing strip - 5” x 10” -
Cut into nine (9) strips - 1” x 5” -
9 White sashing strips plus one Red cornerstone square - 1” x 1” -
Then I add the cornerstones to the mix -
White sashing strip - 5” x 16” -
Red cornerstone strip - 1” x 16” -
Sew strips together -
Press AWAY from the Red cornerstone fabric -
And cut the sashing/cornerstone combo strip into 15 - 1” strips -
My strips weren't long enough so I cut 9 from one and 6 from another set -
Lay out the blocks - in order -
Sew a plain sashing strip to the RIGHT side of each block -
Press AWAY from the block -
9 blocks - 9 plain sashing strips -
Add a sashing/cornerstone combo strip -
To the BOTTOM of each block -
Press AWAY from the block -
9 blocks - 9 sashing/cornerstone strip combos -
When I sew them together -
I put the sashing/cornerstone combo strip on top -
And feed it through with the cornerstone leading -
And this is a great time to make sure your blocks are the right size -
That bottom edge is RIGHT ON!! - ;))
So far - so good - ;))
All we have to do now is finish the outside edge -
Add a sashing/cornerstone combo strip to the TOP of Block #2 and #3 -
And a sashing/cornerstone combo strip to the LEFT side of Block #4 and #7 -
4 more sashing/cornerstones used -
I left Block #1 for last -
It will use the last 2 sashing/cornerstone combo strips -
And the Red cornerstone square -
I sewed the TOP sashing/cornerstone combo strip on first -
And sewed the red square to the TOP of the LEFT sashing/cornerstone combo strip -
Before adding it to the LEFT side of the block -
Now - do you see what I see? -
I see ANOTHER 9-Patch - ;))
Gee - wonder how I should put that together?? -
Just kidding - ;))
But before I sew these blocks together -
I need to do some re-pressing -
Because I pressed all of the seams AWAY from the blocks -
Some of these blocks will not NEST properly -
BUT -
If I re-press the TOP seam on Block #2 -
And the BOTTOM seams -
On the MIDDLE blocks -
Block #2 and #5 and #8 -
TOWARD the block -
They should nest nicely - ;))
So - the rest is just standard assembly stuff -
Chain piece Block #2 to #1 -
Block #5 to #4 -
Block #8 to #7 -
With the cornerstone leading -
I don’t press yet - ;))
Then chain piece Block #3 to #1/2 -
Block #6 to #4/5 -
Block #9 to #7/8 -
Now I press - ;))
I press to the path of least resistance -
The side sashings on the top and bottom row -
Get pressed AWAY from the block -
The side sashings on the middle row -
Get pressed to the RIGHT -
When I sew the rows -
I flip Row #1 down on top of Row #2 -
So that Row #2 is on the BOTTOM -
With all of the seams going DOWN -
WITH the feed dogs -
And Row #1 is on TOP -
Where the seams can be nested easily -
I don’t “pin” my short rows -
I just put pins in roughly where the sashings meet -
I will “nest” them with my fingers -
When I get to them -
When the rows are together -
Give it a good press -
Mine stretched a bit -
And came out to 16-1/2” square -
Mathematically - it should be 16” square -
So before you cut the borders -
Be sure to measure it - ;))
STEP 8 - Add the borders -
My borders are cut at 3-1/2” wide -
And will finish at 3” -
Making my little Christmas Sudoku Quilt -
Finish at or around 22" square - ;))
I don’t actually “measure” my border lengths -
I do the side borders first -
And lay two border strips out on top of the quilt top -
Matching the top of the strips to the top of the quilt top -
(So - how many times can YOU use the word “top” in three lines? - haha - ;))
Smooth them out -
And cut them even with the bottom of the quilt top -
Sew one to each side -
I DO "pin" my borders when I sew them -
And I pin the corners in BOTH directions -
To help keep them square -
And press them to the border strips -
And then do same thing with the top and bottom borders -
Lay two strips out across the top from side to side -
Match the RIGHT side of the strips to the RIGHT side of the quilt top -
Because I am LEFT-HANDED -
I will cut them even with the LEFT side of the quilt top - ;))
Sew them to the top and the bottom -
Again - pinning to keep those corners square -
With pins at the sashings -
And pins in the middle of the blocks -
Press them to the border -
And -
TA DAH!!
My Christmas Sukoku Quilt center square -
One of each of these fabrics appears in -
Each “Box -
Each “Column” -
And each “Row” -
That's Sudoku - ;))
All I have to do now is -
Layer - baste - and "quilt as desired" -
And who knows when THAT will be - ;))
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
============
Note - these instructions are written in LEFTISH.
If you are right-handed - just reverse the directions.
============
I decided to try to make a little Sukoku Quilt -
Mind you - I have NO IDEA how you are “supposed” to make one -
I don’t have a book or a pattern or anything -
But I thought that it couldn’t be THAT hard to figure out -
And it wasn’t - ;))
Then when I was trying to decide on the colors/theme -
It dawned on me that I could make it in Christmas colors -
And enter it into the little “Race” that Linda - HERE - and I started - HERE -
So I did - ;))
This is now officially another episode of -
Leisurely Turtle Race to Christmas with Squirrels Allowed - 2013 - ;))
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First - for those of you who haven't heard about Sukoku puzzles -
Or for those of you who HAVE heard and are afraid of them -
Contrary to popular belief -
There is NO MATH involved in solving one - ;))
They are LOGIC puzzles -
Not MATH puzzles - ;)) -
A Sudoku puzzle is a grid of 3 boxes by 3 boxes -
Just like a 9-Patch -
Each “Box” has 9 squares -
Just like a 9-Patch -
It is simply a 9-Patch of 9-Patches - ;))
To solve the puzzle -
You need to place the numbers 1 through 9 in the squares -
In such a way that each number appears in each “Box” once -
Each “Column” once -
And in each “Row” once -
That’s it!!
NO MATH - just numbers!!
I repeat -
They are LOGIC puzzles -
Not MATH puzzles - ;))
You could just as easily have 9 different FLOWERS -
Or 9 different pieces of FRUIT -
Or 9 different FABRICS/COLORS - ;))
The numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 are used -
Because it is the easiest series of 9 different things -
That you can run in your head - QUICKLY - ;))
You can race through those 9 numbers in your head -
So fast that you can tell VERY quickly which number you are missing -
Much faster even than the letters A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I -
It’s as simple as that - ;))
I repeat -
NO MATH IS INVOLVED - ;))
===
So - enough of the lecture -
Here’s How To Make A Sudoku Quilt -
You will need -
- One Sudoku puzzle SOLUTION -
- 9 squares 2” x 2” EACH of 9 different fabrics - 81 squares total -
- Sashing strip - 5” x 10” -
- Sashing strip - 5” x 16” -
- Cornerstone strip - 1” x 16” -
- Cornerstone square - 1” x 1” -
- Border fabric - to be determined later - ;))
STEP 1 - Choose and cut your fabrics -
I chose 9 different Christmas fabrics -
Cut 9 squares of each one - 2" x 2" -
And made 9 sets - in no particular order -
These are cut at 2” x 2” -
And will finish at 1-1/2” x 1-1/2” -
NOTE - Aren’t those little clothespins cute?
I got those at Walmart -
They had them in two different sizes -
So I got one set of each size - ;))
STEP 2 - Create a “cheat sheet” -
I cut a little strip/scrap of each color -
Scotch taped them to an index card -
Wrote the numbers 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 across the top -
And assigned one number to each fabric - in order -
STEP 3 - Put your little stacks in order ACCORDING TO THE INDEX CARD -
Sorry - I forgot to take a photo of that step -
And somehow mixed up the order from the photo in Step #1 - ;))
STEP 4 - Choose a Suduko puzzle SOLUTION -
NOTE - You don’t need to SOLVE the puzzle -
You only need to find a SOLUTION to one of the puzzles -
From a magazine - a book -
Or - katiemaytoo - you can ask your mother - haha - ;))
I chose one from this book -
A Christmas present from years ago - ;))
Hip Pocket Sudoku - by Frank Longo
(c) 2006 by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
STEP 5 - Use the SOLUTION as a guide for your fabric placement -
And lay out your fabric squares in a grid -
To match the SOLUTION -
Start with the top left “Box” -
Where the SOLUTION has a #1 -
Put a little square of fabric #1 in that spot -
Then put each of the other fabrics in the “Box” -
According to where its number appears in the SOLUTION -
Make SURE that you keep the squares and blocks IN ORDER -
Or the puzzle won’t work - ;))
STEP 6 - Make 9 - 9-Patch “Boxes” -
Because all of my little squares didn’t fit on my mini-design board -
I started with the three bottom rows -
And made three little 9-patches -
And numbered them 7 - 8 - 9 -
Then I laid out the other 6 “blocks” -
Each on its own mini-design board -
And made 9 little 9-patches -
Numbered 1 through 9 -
Mine measure 5” x 5” sewn -
And will finish at 4-1/2” x 4-1/2” -
I put little stickers with the numbers 1 through 9 -
In the MIDDLE of the TOP LEFT patch of each block -
You don't want them too close to the edge -
Or you might sew through them -
Ask me how I know - ;))
It’s as simple as that!! - ;))
It’s a 9-Patch of 9-Patches -
Easy!!
And - as promised -
NO MATH IS INVOLVED - ;))
The placement of fabrics and orientation of these blocks -
Is what makes the puzzle work - ;))
And that’s as far as I got -
They still need sashing/cornerstones and borders -
I’ll show/tell you how I do that next time - ;))
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -