Trip to Galena IL

I am packing and organizing, scheming and planning for my upcoming trip next Monday-Thursday at Phat Quarters Quilt Shop, www.phatquartersquilting.com in historic Galena, IL. I won't be blogging for awhile but soon I will be back to giving you some info and inspiration. Tips on my website will be posted when I return if I don't get to them this weekend.

Monday night is the lecture on "Quilting Designs" at the shop, and then classes the rest of the week.

If you are in my classes, make sure your machines are working well, as there is nothing, but nothing, that holds up a class more than machine issues.

If it's a brand new machine or if you are a bit fuzzy on your old friend of a machine please take some time this weekend to get really familiar with the basic things we'll be using: adjusting thread tension, threading it properly, using the BSR on a Bernina if you choose that, dropping feed dogs, winding and inserting the bobbin correctly, and just finding where these things are on your particular machine.

Machines do marvelous things for us but we have to take the time to learn where everything is amid all the electronics. Bring your owner's manual if you are unsure. Make some cheater post-it notes and stick them here and there with crucial information. Do a bit of quilting at home and make sure the machine is working ok, not skipping stitches, snarling, barking, whatever.

It's not necessary to bring a compass - I'll have some circle templates for you to use.

If you have any questions please email me: diane@dianegaudynski.net

The most important sewing machine accessory to bring? An open-toe free motion foot. Not the applique foot, but a foot made expressly for free motion and for your brand and model. This goes for all my upcoming classes. Remember, you can easily modify an existing closed-toe foot by cutting out the bar across the front, giving you great visibility for the kind of quilting we'll be doing.

We will learn and have some fun and you will fine tune your free motion skills.

See you in Galena,
Diane