Tonight should be a little more productive as it will be spent at Open Sew at the LQS. I feel compelled to clean my machine before I head out, though. I got schooled at the last Open Sew by a fellow quilter who was admiring my Singer 301a. Noticing the dust bunnies as she removed the throat plate, she fussed about the need to keep my machine cleaned and oiled. I must have had an empty look on my face, because she proceeded to clean the feed dogs and bobbin case and oil the machine! The machine was a bit linty and dusty, but I honestly did clean it during the Thanksgiving holiday. Either I need to find a less linty thread, or my house is dustier than I thought!
Apparently she felt the need to keep an eye on me. As I was pressing the "Galaxy Star" paper pieced block I made (yes, after 3 hours at Open Sew all I had to show for it was one block), she tapped me on the shoulder and said "Excuse me... can I show you something?" I got a lesson on how to "press" rather than "iron" my block. Little did she know I was ironing the HE double L out of the block because, after sewing the four units together, it was an 1/8" short all around! I'm sure she left that night shaking her head at the follies of the modern quilter.
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| Still 1/16" short- needs more "pressing"! |
