Much Overdue Blog Post

Hello friends...

Where shall I begin? My last blog post was exactly three years ago, today: December 3, 2013. It baffles me how things work out, as I did not plan this. I certainly was stunned, realizing how long it has been! I'll describe the past three years as an adventure full of change, many fruitful opportunities and, at times, an intense whirlwind.

Little Red Bird, McCall's Quick Quilts, Dec/Jan 2014, image compliments of McCall's Quilting. Photographer: Mellisa Mahoney, Stylist: Ashley Slupe

In 2012, I submitted a proposal for my first book and it was accepted. By this time, I was already designing and making quilts monthly for McCall's Quilting with a few extra, here and there. I had  established regular work with other magazines and fabric companies as a pattern writer, editor, illustrator, and designer (both quilts and graphic layout), among other things. My schedule was overflowing.

Project commissioned Spring 2013 by PFAFF. Click on image for pattern link. This quilt comes in 3 sizes.

Modern Diamonds ©SuzGuz Designs 2013 for PFAFF

Project commissioned Spring 2013 by Husqvarna Viking. Click on image for pattern link. This quilt comes in 3 sizes.

The Garden Patch ©SuzGuz Designs 2013 for Husqvarna Viking

Since that time, my best-selling book, All About Strips: Colorful Quilts from Strips of Many Sizes (see reviews on Amazon and Martingale), was published by Martingale, January 2015. In addition, I had the distinct honor of taking over McCall's Quilting as Content Director upon the retirement of Beth Hayes, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. F+W Media purchased McCall's Quilting at the beginning of 2014, and I came on board to attend Spring Market, beginning to work in the office the 1st of July. At that time, I was in the throes of making quilts and writing patterns for a fabric and graphic designer whose book is slated to come out in 2016. While working at McCall's full time, I would come home and work several more hours into the night and all weekend on the book, wrapping up the last handful of projects. It was grueling, for sure, but I would not have had it any other way. And, wow, did I learn a lot!

Image compliments of Martingale 2015

At the end of August, 2015, I made the difficult decision to resign from my position of running the magazine; one I treasured and valued more than you can imagine. I would miss my highly talented staff and coworkers, working with the best quilt designers in the industry, the ability to work hard to meet our deadlines, the richly creative environment, and most especially, working on creating and molding content worthy of our readership. We all loved what we did and were passionate about maintaining the McCall's style.

We worked hard. I remember last December, as a blizzard was blowing through and the entire building was empty of people except myself, our art director, and graphic designer; how we had our nose-to-the-grindstone so that we could meet a deadline (we were short staffed at the time, and all had to pull together to get the work done). The entire staff worked straight that day and the three of us worked into the night. I remember getting punchy that evening and insisting how we all needed a break and to get a bite to eat. We piled into my SUV and, although the roads were dangerous to drive, we made it out and back safely. Looking back on my entire experience, I cannot tell you how proud I was of our entire staff. Their dedication and hard work at times brought tears to my eyes.

My first issue as Content Director for McCall's. Image compliments of McCall's Quilting. Photographer: Mellisa Mahoney, Stylist: Ashley Slupe

I'm glad I was able to accomplish these milestones: Work on the tail-end of McCall's last special issue (Heritage Quilts Made Modern, Fall 2014), and Beth Hayes' last issue (McCall's Quilting, Nov/Dec 2014). F+W Media changed the Editor-in-Chief title to a new title that encompassed video and digital media: Content Director. My first issue as Content Director was Quick Quilts, Dec/Jan 2015. I was able to work on the last perfect bound, larger-size magazine McCall's published; the Mar/Apr 2015 issue. I was so proud of that cover because it showcased a more casual elegance and playful feel, besides the fact that my dear friend, Amy Gibson/Stitchery Dickory Dock, made a mini quilt, Apple Blossom, for that issue and it topped off the stack of other lovely quilts that made the cover beautiful: Lilli's Pond, by sweet Bev Getschel, Shimmer by long-time contributor and prolific designer, Gerri Robinson, American Wildflowers by dear Audrey Hiers, Cross & Crown, by another sweet lady, Sandra Clemons, Keepsake Violets by the talented long-time contributor team of Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith. I believe Amy, Bev, and Audrey used fabrics from their stash, Gerri used her current collection at the time, Summer Cottage for Red Rooster, Sandra used Hadley by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit, and Sarah and Dolores used Victoria's Violets by Molly B's Studio for Marcus Fabrics.

New HOME page for SuzGuz Designs

After leaving F+W/McCall's, my plan has been to revive my business: SuzGuz Designs. In October, my husband tore his labrum (shoulder) and had two tears in his bicep, all at once. And it all happened on his dominant, right side. He's been in a sling since then, and had surgery two weeks ago. This sort of injury is extremely painful and the surgery results in post-op pain for weeks. We look back on this experience and realize how it is all part of God's plan. If I were still working outside of the home, I would have had to take a leave of absence to care for him. As much as I get queasy around anything medical-related, I'm sure glad I've been able to help him; he's been my rock and biggest supporter since I started in the quilting industry.

Tutorial Tuesday: PFAFF 4.2, Two New Features To Learn

So your machine is humming along and all of a sudden you're out of bobbin thread.

 Dang it! Why now, when I'm in the middle of chain piecing 40 half-square triangle units?!

Here's your solution:

You no longer have to unthread your machine to rewind a new bobbin (sweet!).

Pull your bobbin out of the bobbin case. Be sure the PFAFF logo remains on top. You'll also see in the background that I have the universal foot on . . . a plastic foot.

 
The PFAFF manual asks that you use a metal foot when filling an empty bobbin the way I'm about to show you, so I selected the 1/4" foot (any metal foot will do).

Pull the spool thread off to the right side (By the way, I'm using Aurifil 50 wt. 100% cotton thread. It's thin, extraordinarily strong, and amazing!) . . . Oh, and be sure your presser foot and needle are raised.

Maneuvering a camera while performing this task can be challenging, but with your left hand, you'll want to guide the thread so that it doesn't leave the stability of the foot (i.e., slip out the front).

Pull the thread up the left-hand opening of the face of your machine. 

Thread it through the first thread guide.

Then, thread it through the second thread guide. 

Double-check that the PFAFF logo is facing up and bring the thread through the opening on the top of your bobbin.

Place your bobbin on the bobbin winding shaft. After I do this, I like to roll the piece of thread I brought through the tip of the bobbin with the thread that connects to the spool to give it some security. Keeping the "rolled" threads between my fingers, I push the bobbin shaft to the right.

I like to hang onto the rolled threads as I press the foot pedal.

 Hang on until its gone through a few rotations on the bobbin to secure the end.

A quick glance down to the faceplate, and you'll see that the thread is perfectly secure (and still in the eye of the needle!).

The screen also shows that your bobbin is winding perfectly.

In a very short time, your bobbin is wound. The bulkiness of the camera didn't allow me to capture this, but you can use the thread cutter to the left of the bobbin to cut the thread and remove the bobbin by first moving the shaft back to the left, then simply pull the bobbin up and off.

Pull the thread out from the thread guides.

Pull the thread down and out of the face of your machine.

Trim the thread, then pull it off to the back and left.

Insert your bobbin. Pull the thread through the guides and pull the long end of your thread through the trimmer.

Replace your bobbin plate and you're ready to roll.

So now we're on to feature number 2 I'd like to share with you today . . .

"How do I move the needle?" and "Why would I want to move my needle?"

Before we tackle those questions, I wanted to make a comment on the programmed stitch length when you turn your machine on. A glance at the screen and you'll see that its 2.5. Personally, I like to stitch with a 2.0 stitch length.

To change your stitch length, simply use the "-" and "+" buttons on the second row to the right of the screen. In the future, when I begin to teach myself how to free-motion quilt (hopefully, in September . . . hope you'll join me), I'll be using a longer stitch length.

About 2 months ago, I was working on a project where I was inserting cording into a seam. Due to time constraints, I was working with what I had on-hand. I attached the Universal foot and found that if I use the top "-" and "+" buttons, I could move the needle either to the left or to the right. The screen starts at "0.00". To move the needle to the right, press the right "+" button.

Pressing once will give you a miniscule .3 move to the right.

But it will go up to a 4.5.

Perfect for sewing covered cording into the pillow I was making. I do believe there is a special foot available for this procedure. However, when I'm on a mission, I just want to get it done. :)

As mentioned, depressing the "-" will allow you to move the needle to the farthest left-side of your Universal foot.

See?

Thanks for hanging out with me. Please comment. Let me know if this was helpful or not. I will be continuing my tutorials next week. I hope you're enjoying your summer. Have a great week!

Tutorial Tuesdays . . . Update!

I've had so many great comments on how helpful my PFAFF Tutorial Tuesdays have been, where I've been learning about my PFAFF quilt expression 4.0 sewing machine. You may have wondered why I've been on hiatus.

While I was hosting the tutorials about the 4.0 through my blog, PFAFF came out with the quilt expression 4.2 machine. Since it is a part of their newest release of the quilt expression series of machines, they were kind enough to send it to me so that I could continue to talk about their latest technology. I believe that those of you who have the 4.0 machine will still find benefit from my tutorials.

PFAFF quilt expression 4.2 sewing machine. Image courtesy of PFAFF

 I am wrapping up 4 deadline projects in the next few weeks and will then resume my Tutorial Tuesdays, so please stay tuned!

Thanks for your interest!

Tutorial Tuesday: PFAFF quilt expression 4.0, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of my PFAFF Tutorial Tuesday. Each week, I'll be showing new features of my PFAFF quilt expression 4.0 sewing machine. The purpose of these tutorials is to familiarize ourselves (self-included!) with the numerous features of this machine.

This week, we're reviewing the remaining buttons in the first section of the sewing machine's face plate. I thought I'd have enough time to also cover the various presser feet and how to achieve a perfect 1/4" seam. However, I'm thinking it may be a bit too much information to share with all we're covering today.

There are five button options to the left of the graphic display screen that we didn't cover in last week's tutorial.

Stitch Restart Button
The first of these last five options is the stitch restart button, shown here (2nd button down on left with  image of arrow pointing left):

If you are working on a project and have to stop in the middle of a stitch, simply press the stitch restart button and you will start sewing at the beginning of the stitch again without having to reset any special settings you've made. This button is a must-have if, for example, you are using a decorative stitch and need to replace your thread in the middle of sewing a motif. The built in stitch restart feature makes it easy to resume right where you left off.

Let's say that you are sewing a decorative stitch and see that you only need one more motif for your project. While sewing the last motif, press this same stitch restart button. The stitch will finish and the machine will then stop after your motif is finished!

Speed Control
The third button down on the left is the speed control button:

The speed control button can come in handy for a variety of reasons. Here are a few for you to consider:

1) If you are a beginning sewer, what better way to learn than to take it slow? Simply press this button until you are comfortable with the given speed and you will learn at a pace that is comfortable for you!

2) Another reason to use this great feature is if you are a beginner when it comes to machine quilting. Using this slow-down feature will allow you to build your confidence without worrying you may accidentally "put the pedal-to-the-metal" and mess up a planned quilting motif.

3) How about this . . . you've just discovered how much you love a quilt block with a curve (i.e., New York Beauty, Drunkard's Path, or a simple circle patch you'd like to sew to your quilt top). If you've never sewn an arc or circle before, slowing your machine down to a comfortable pace will take away your fears and allow you to finish your task with finesse.

Immediate Tie-off
The button on the top right is the immediate tie-off button.

When pressed while sewing, the immediate tie-off button will sew a few tie-off stitches, then automatically stop. What a great feature to have, right? Gosh, I sure wish I had this feature when I was making Amy Butler's Alchemy sample quilt for her booth for Fall Market last year. Making all of those triangles would have gone so much smoother! :)

Presser Foot Up and Extra Lift Toggle
Press the second button down on the right for the presser foot to raise:

Once pressed, the presser foot raises up, like so, to a comfortable height . . . (note: needle is down in this image because I had the 'needle down' button engaged from last week's tutorial. This shows you how the presser foot up button still works, whether your needle is up or down!).

Press the button a second time, and your presser foot will raise to an extra height . . .

This second, higher position will allow you to easily insert and remove bulky projects, such as a sandwiched quilt top. Isn't that fantastic? :)

Presser Foot Down and Pivot Toggle
The final button we're covering this week is the third button down on the right . . .

Since my images on how this button works would simply show the presser foot in the "down" position, I'll share with you that if you press this button a second time, the presser foot will raise to a height where you can pivot your work when needed, then lower automatically when you start sewing again.

Thanks so much for learning these buttons right along with me! Next week, we'll be covering the presser feet, as well as how to achieve a perfect quarter-inch seam!

Please be sure to ask any questions you may have and I'll address them in an upcoming blog.

Tutorial Tuesday: PFAFF quilt expression 4.0, Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of my PFAFF Tutorial Tuesday. Each week, I'll be showing new features of my PFAFF quilt expression 4.0 sewing machine. The purpose of these tutorials is to familiarize ourselves (self-included!) with the numerous features of this machine.

In this first tutorial, I will show you a few features of my machine that made my decision in choosing this model a no-brainer.

1. I wanted a machine with a large throat space for quilting because this year I plan to teach myself how to machine quilt.

The PFAFF quilt expression 4.0 has a throat space of approx. 10" between the needle on the left, and the wall on the right. Additionally, the space has a height of approx. 4 1/4". This offers an abundance of space compared to a standard sewing machine.

2. The next exciting benefit of this machine is the trademarked PFAFF IDT, or, Integrated Dual Feed. IDT is an optional feature that is extremely easy to use. See the black "arm" that sits behind the needle?

 Be sure to have your presser foot raised, then simply press the IDT arm down and forward toward your presser foot to engage:

To release the IDT, pull the shaft down . . .

 . . . and back to disengage:

The IDT is a feature commonly found on industrial machines. It allows an even feed of fabric from both the top and bottom. In other words, it is like a locking mechanism that allows your presser foot and top fabric to stay in simultaneous motion with your feed dogs and bottom fabric. Why is this so beneficial? Well, it allows you to sew two pieces of fabric together evenly and without shifting (using any type of fabric!) alleviating puckering, and allowing for a smooth, perfect seam.

3. The 3rd feature I'd like to point out is the amount of light provided at both the needle and on the sewing deck.

These lights are bright and illuminate the entire sewing area. You can even replace them yourself! Purchase bulbs from your authorized PFAFF dealer, then use the light bulb remover as instructed under the Maintenance section of your owner's manual to pull out the old and replace with the new.

4. Automatic thread snips are included with the touch of a button.

Directly to the left of the display screen on the front of the machine, you'll see an image of a pair of scissors. When you are finished sewing, press the scissors button to cut the top and bobbin threads. The presser foot and needle will automatically raise when finished so you can easily remove your project.

5. Needle down/up. Pressing the button with the image of a needle in the down-position will illuminate the light to the left of the button . . .

. . . and drop your needle and presser foot down onto your project.

I like using this feature because when you stop sewing, the needle will stop in the down position and holds your project in place while the presser foot automatically raises slightly in case you need to check something. I recently used this feature while adding binding. It came in handy when I got to the corners where I had to pivot the project to continue sewing the next side of the binding in place. Note: You can always tap the foot control to raise or lower the needle.


Tune-in next week when we tackle the rest of the buttons in this first section of the sewing machine face and talk about the presser feet and how to get the perfect quarter-inch seam!

Please be sure to ask any questions you may have and I'll address them in an upcoming blog.