Wanda Gene's Musings on Life, Love and Loving the Quilting Life!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Some Finished Pretties!

Hi out there to all quilters or those just thinking about doing some quilting someday--

I haven't spent the entire 3+ weeks slaving over this computer.  (Just seems like it.)  No, I have actually been logging in some time with my other computer--the talented lady Electra.

We have finished three customer quilts together lately.  The first is a quilt destined for the grandson of the lady who made the top.   He lives on a ranch and is receiving the quilt as a high school graduation gift.  I didn't get a whole-quilt pic of it finished, but I do have this one of it on the frame:

 



Here are two more hot off the quilting frame:



I don't have a very good setup for photographing  my quilts, so I have to prevail upon DH Jerry and our neighbor Hank,  who was over here the other day, to hold up the top edges of the quilts.  (They're tall and can get the quilt high enough up off the floor while I snap the picture.

I have been considering some other setup lately.  I  might use a wall-mount with heavy duty office clamps.  It would be really nice have a photo of every quilt before it leaves my studio.  And I know you like quilt pictures as much as I do!

Another project of mine has been to take screenshots of all my panto patterns for this website and also for a 3-ring binder notebook.  The notebook patterns are 8 1/2 X 11" so they are really easy see in detail.   I'm surprised how many I've accumulated so far!  I just keep seeing more that I want to order, then another, and another....well, you get the idea that I have a hopeless habit for patterns.

Some have that problem with fabric or thread.....Oh, I guess that's me too!


 

How Did I Get So Busy?

Hi Y'all--

Some days I feel like I'm just chasing in circles, other days I seem to make a little bit of progress.

Most days lately have been somewhere in between but closer to the former than the latter.

First, and foremost, I set out to give my blog a makeover, transforming it with a more up-to-date, more attractive layout, and with added features that make it more like a (TA DA!)  ****WEBSITE!!!****.

I hope you like it.  Me, I am just tickled pink.  I had better be, for all the hours of research, and trying out things that did NOT work, either technically or aesthetically.  I have actually read two books on how to use Blogger.  And I still did not find the answers to all my questions, but did find many answers to questions that I still can't figure out.

Well, I think my best achievement this month was how to put tabbed links to pages on the sidebar.  This leads me to the announcement of the grand opening of WandaGeneQuilts' quilting service web debut!
 
If you have any questions for me, or just want to register an opinion about the new website, shoot me an e,  or leave a comment.  I love getting both.

Monday, March 1, 2010

SOS Answered!!!

Hello to All--

For the last few days I have been having a problem with my Emma and Electra, my longarm quilting girls, not stitching out nicely.  The curves were flattened and ungraceful.  The tension was also a little off.  I ripped out a whole panto pass on a customer quilt...so depressing.  The problem was intermittent but kept coming back
.




So I did what every IQ owner does when trouble strikes.  I called Superman!

Actually, I sent an e-mail to Zoltan, the chief engineer of Intelliquilter.  This was Saturday night, not a good time to get sick or have any other type of serious problem.  But anytime is a good time to call for IQ help because support is the greatest!


The very next morning I had an e-mail from Helen Baczynksi, my IQ dealer who, along with her DH Tony,
came to my house in December to install my IQ.  She said that Zoltan had checked my IQ logs that I had downloaded and sent to him.  He could not find a computer malfunction, so there must be a physical cause for my wobblies.

Helen advised me to really clean my rollers, Edgerider wheels and rails.  I had cleaned them what I thought was recently, but I found a lot of black gunk on the wheels and the rollers.  The rails were fine, having been wiped down every day that I quilt.

Guess what?  Helen knows what she's talking about!  Today Emma and Electra have been humming happily.
And I finished that customer's quilt.

If any of you longarm quilters are thinking about adding robotics to your machine, you will be a satisfied customer if you choose to go with the IQ.  I benefit in no way in recommending this company.  I just love my IQ and the great customer service that goes with it.