For anyone in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Pasadena or Glendale area I highly recommend Mayhall’s for servicing your sewing machine. A week after I dropped it off, I was back picking it up.
Those issues with the needle threader? It was fixed without putting in a new part for $260. A few other small items that I was told would be hundreds of dollars – fixed. The machine was not only serviced, the timing was out and that too was fixed. I was quoted $129 for a service, everything they did came to $150. A sewing machine has to be serviced and serviced well – I am so happy to have found Mayhall’s.
Before I picked up the machine, I was already busy basting my flamingo quilt. 
There are now a number of You Tube videos as well as blog posts about using pool noodles to spray baste a quilt.
I had tried something similar with 2×4 boards, can I just say, this is so much easier.
Can you see how nice and smooth everything is! I try and use as little of the spray glue as possible. I do find that the residue does build up on the needle.
The whole process took maybe half an hour. For a larger quilt, it will take longer, I will need to bring out two tables as well as combine two noodles together. That probably means a trip to the hardware store to get some plumbing connectors.
I was very nervous when I started quilting. Initially, the thread broke. It was Isacord, which many people swear by. I was also using a Superior Threads Top Stitch needle. So that one came out and I replaced the needle with a Schmetz, and the thread with aurifil. Ahhhh, it’s working!
I don’t plan out my quilting ahead of time. Once I did some basic quilting on the birds, I decided to make it appear as if they are standing in grass, with a few feathers and large flowers. I really love quilting feathers.
The real question is, since I’m quilting white on white, will anyone even see the design?
I changed direction for the top, trying to make it look like clouds in the sky. So the long lines are now horizontal instead of vertical.
We shall see, once I wash this I might just end up with a textured background.
Either way, I am so thrilled to be able to quilt again without the threads breaking. I have tried a little bit of ruler work. Not so good. We are having a lecture at the Valley MQG about Westlee rulers and machine feet. We’ll see if I get any good advice.
Leah