machine quilting diane gaudynski

After a weekend of very miserable quilting on Isa's wedding quilt, I spent last evening ripping half of the stitches out. The rest will come out soon.
So I reset, got some advice online about machine quilting, and recceived the Diane Gaudynski book I'd ordered weeks ago. Guide to Machine Quilting.
The best and most consistent advice I got was to relax and take it slowly. Also the wine and soft music really clicked in my brain.
After work tonight, I first took an hour to familiarize myself with the book, reading up to the point that I felt ready to quilt.
Also needed some quilter's quality wine. What better wine than one I bought last fall at the Val d'Argent Quilt show, served in a 70+ year old glass? For music I chose Melody Gardot and Michael Buble.
Here are some pics of my tools and the much improved results. Yes, it's still jerky, but so far I haven't been breaking thread, even on the heavily-pieced sandwich.
The first test piece is stitched at 30% speed, the next at 50%, and the last is a sandwich with seams on both sides. Very tough, that last one, because the bottom seams can get caught on the machine base.
The blue stuff? Plain ol'  anti-slip drawer liner, which I prefer to any kind of glove.

 

Latest production

After a retreat and other miscellaneous sewing time, here are a few pics of what I've been working on.

An earbud holder, made from that folded fabric technique used for coasters and potholders. I used the circle sewing attachment for my Bernina to sew this up very fast.

Some blocks for an Anita's Arrowhead quilt, made from a 10 inch square pack. I trimmed the squares down to 9.25" and cut 2.5" width, which results in a 9.5" block.

Finally, a peek at a mystery quilt I'm working on. The last instructions are ready to hand out, but I was testing them, so I put together a couple of blocks. You only get to see a teensy bit now, more in the near future.

Who can resist lavender? I couldn't

Here's my new vintage baby, a Necchi Supernova Julia.
Made in either the late 50's or early 60's, it's a very neat machine. I bought it because it does decorative stitches, and I want to see how it's done. Sorta like the fact that I just sit there and watch my ruffler foot do its thing - somehow irresistible.Even the case is adorable with a plaid pattern.

I did blow a capacitor in the foot pedal when I powered her up, but I believe that's easily fixable.
The stitches picture is a comparison between the Necchi and my Bernina 440 QE. Stitch #1 is the Necchi, the others are the Bernina.