Tuesday 16 April 2013

OMNI Thread

The New Omni Thread range from Superior Threads £10.99 for a 6,000 yd cone
There's a new thread line from Superior Threads called OMNI. We got to try it for the first time at our April Retreat. We like it! OMNI is a Tex 30 (approximately 40 weight) poly-wrapped poly core thread. It's a basic strong no-nonsense thread designed to work well at high speeds. It's ideal for long arm quilting, dress making and it works great in the serger/overlocker too.

     Omni Features:
  • Available in 172 solid colours
  • Cleaner, brighter and stronger than other poly core threads
  • Designed for high speed machine quilting and sewing
  • Can be used on top and in the bobbin
  • Great price -  6,000 yd cone for £10.99
OMNI display booklet lets you see and feel the real thread

Omni is the cleaner, brighter, and stronger alternative to other poly-wrapped poly core threads. OMNI is designed for machine quilting, sewing and serging/overlocker use. The multi-filament polyester core gives OMNI superior strength. The wrapped spun poly allows this thread to 'grab' the fabric to create smooth, pucker-free seams. Seams that will lie flat throughout the garment giving a better fit in any dressmaking project.OMNI's strength makes it ideal for high speed long arm machines  and quilters will love the versatile172 colour range. OMNI is popular in the garment construction industry for the same reasons. OMNI works well in sergers/overlockers too. 

Real Thread display booklet sells for £9.99

We're introducing the OMNI range here in the UK this spring. A 6,000 yard cone sells for £10.99. That's a lot of thread for your money! The real thread display booklet is an ideal way to show thread options to your long arm customers. We pass these real thread display booklets on to you at our cost for £9.99. Seeing the real thread helps you make the best choices when matching threads to your projects.

Available only from Machine Quilter. 
email: martha@machinequilter.co.uk 
or call: 01526 378057
and ask us about our bulk buy discounts

Sunday 14 April 2013

King Tut at the Quilt Room


Nicky and Pam Lintott
Pam and Nicky Lintott have become the new UK Gammill dealers. You may know this mother daughter team from reading their world famous  Jelly Roll Books. Pam's been running The Quilt Room in the lovely old market town of Dorking in Surrey for more than 30 years. When we lived in Sevenoaks, that was the shop that me and my quilting buddies visited for supplies. Now Pam and Nicky have become the UK dealers for Gammill.

Gammill long arm quilting machine
The Quilt Room has a purpose built studio where they offer a professional quilting service. They've just stocked up with a fantastic selection of King Tut 100% cotton-extra-long-staple-really-grown-in-Egypt thread. Gammills love King Tut and you will too.

King Tut threads are ideal for Gammill long arm machines

Friday 12 April 2013

April Retreat


Lexie and Martha on the 6 foot Art Quilter frame
 Our April Machine Quilter's Retreat was lovely. Small is beautiful! With three participants and three tutors there was plenty of one on one instruction.  Joy and Lexie were experienced quilters but relatively new to machine quilting on a frame. Both brought their Juki TL98 P sewing machines so we could help to get them properly tensioned for free-motion quilting.

talking about loading the quilt sandwich
Joy and Lexie wanted to consolidate basic skills and move on to the next level. We explore trouble shooting techniques beginning with sewing machine tension. 

Joy practising a new line design on the frame
We move on to drawing designs with pen and paper and then we go to the frame and execute the same designs with the needle and various threads. Then we introduce a new design and go through the process all over again.

Joy drawing an E's and 3's design
The pen and paper exercises enable us to master the line design and move with it. One of the best things about hand guided machine quilting is that the line designs are like handwriting. The same designs flow differently from different people.Each person brings their own style and personality to the design. On a very practical level we all learn from each other.

Lynda working on feathers
Lynda came on our January Retreat and progressed so quickly that she came back to our April Retreat for more. Lynda spent this retreat working on feathers with Trudi Wood. It was fun to have people with mixed abilities working together. I think that by our next Retreat Lynda will be teaching us all!

Lynda drawing feathers under Trudi's watchful eye : )
First on paper and then on the frame. Fantastic!!!!

penguin feathers on the practice piece
The feathers were so fun that Emily had to have a go! She's definitely doing feathers on her next quilt.