QUILTsocial Winter 2015-15 Issue | Page 16

Quilting the Snowflake Mug Rug Let’s get quilting! Straight line quilting Using the 1A open toed foot also known as the Sewing Stars Foot and having the IDT system engaged makes quilting this little piece very fast and easy. Lining up the inside edge of the foot along the seam line keeps the quilting lines even and uniform in width. I decided to keep everything linear in the checkerboard section and go with straight line quilting to echo the seam lines. I thought about using stitch in the ditch, but I hate to do all that work and not see the stitching. I figure, if you’re going to quilt it, the quilting should be seen and not hidden in the ditch. The final result of the echo quilting looks great with the blue Sulky rayon thread. The rayon thread comes in both a 40 and 30 weight. The 30 weight is the one I prefer as it is a bit heavier and gives a more prominent quilting line. Straight line echo quilting Free motion quilting Free motion quilting with the Pfaff Ambition 1.0 means getting out the screwdriver to change the foot. For step by step instructions on how to apply the spring loaded darning foot, check out the maple leaf mug rug post on www.QUILTsocial.com the week of October 20, 2014. One thing I do wish is for longer handles on the screw drivers included in the sewing machine tool box! Sometimes it’s hard to get enough torque with the short handle on the screws, especially when it’s fresh out of the box. A longer handle would make it easier to access the screws as well. Short handled screwdriver Extending the workspace There is an extension table for the Ambition 1.0, which is a must when quilting. It extends the work space around the foot a few extra inches giving room to manoeuver the piece making sure there is no drag on the quilt. Drag on the quilt can cause uneven stitches and tension issues. If you don’t have an extension table, it’s easy enough to add your own extension table by using thread boxes and placing them around the machine. Check this out too on QUILTsocial.com to see how I did this with the maple leaf mug rug when I didn’t have the extension table. Quilting with stippling When the foot’s in place, the feed dogs are down, and my workspace extended, I can get down to business. The feed dogs are released by sliding the button at the back of the machine. Firstly, I need one more thing – my gloves with rubber tipped fingers, which help to grab the fabric and move it under the needle. Extension table on Pfaff Ambition 1.0 16 QUILTsocial .com ● winter 2014/2015