Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Let's start September off

by going back to school!  Yeah! I can hardly wait.  I didn't like school.  Way back then you followed the set programme and didn't get to express yourself......until recess.....until lunch.  Those were my favourite subjects, along with gym (yes, we called it that down there in Quebec.)
I am going to be working more and more with Batiks.  I finally am caught up with the blocks for Love Blooms here over the past couple of weeks.  Using batiks was suppose to help cull my batik stash, but it didn't happen.  I've actually been buying more, so I can make a neutral quilt with just a dash of colour.
 I have added to this stack since the photo was taken......a few more creams, and some luscious greys.

These are some of the recent blocks from Love.......
this entire quilt/wall hanging will be made from batiks and I decided to make the backgrounds from different fabrics I had.  I really am liking the way this is looking so far.


 Yes I did paper piece the flying geese and will sew them in their rows when I get my next issue of Quiltmaker.  I think I have one extra.....I hope so.  It took me a few days to make these.  The  last day I worked on them, I finally found a rhythm which made it go much faster.
 
All this working with "specialty fabrics" got me to thinking.  Am I using the right needle for the fabric I'm working on.  I've been using batiks and Cody has been using fleece.  So, I went to the source......my sewing store and asked Nick if I could speak to the "needle expert."  I told Elsa what I was working with and yes, I have been using the wrong needles.
There are so many needles on the market right now, it is mind boggling! and that is putting it mildly.  Have you looked on a "needle rack" lately?
I went on Wikipedia and found this.....I'm not posting it all here......I'm just going to get you started.

Batik (Javanese pronunciation: [ˈbateʔ]; Indonesian: [ˈbatɪk]) is a technique of manual wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting, (also spelled tjanting), or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap, (also spelled tjap). The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to color selectively by soaking the cloth in one color, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colors are desired.

This is what I should have been using......a Microtex 80.  It has a very sharp point and will go through the batik fabrics with no problem.  Some of the batiks I have purchased feel like they could be an 800 thread count they seem that "dense".
I wrote on the back of the packaging what they are for and when I remove the cardboard I'll write it on the plastic.

These are for fleece so Cody will put one of these in his machine when he comes back in a week.



I have no idea what Cody is planning to work on, although I did suggest he get started on his Christmas gifts.  We are booked to machine quilt one of our projects in October so we have to start soon.
These are my latest batik purchases.  Cody and I are both going to be making one project that is the same and I have plans for the other two.
I love this little quilt and holt to get it made up.  I wish I could find the designer for it.......I found it on google when I went looking for something else.  
I'm going to leave you with this.  Your lesson for today.  It is a guide to sewing machine needles that you can download and save or print off and carry with you.
Final advise.....buy the best needles you can.  I buy two brands....Inspira and Schmetz.  There may be others on the market, and if they are good......very, very good, buy them.  Do not settle for the cheapest brands out there.  They just aren't worth it.
this is not the whole download, just a wee bit of it.


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