“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” ~Psalm 8:3-9
God created the heavens and the earth, and His creation speaks of his eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1). He, who set the stars in motion, loves you and has given us a royal inheritance despite deserving death. I am constantly reminded of God’s beauty by living out here in Washington. The pictures above do not come close to revealing the mountains and the waters beauty like the human eye can. It is breathtaking to be apart of God’s glory in nature. When Jesus is entering Jerusalem, the people were declaring the glory of God and singing praises. When the Pharisees rebuked Jesus for the crowds words, Jesus responds, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” If we, the people created in God’s image, do not give Him the praise He deserves, the very foundation of the world will declare His name. I encourage you to look at the world around you to see how much God shines through everything He made and what He has done for you. If His glory can be declared by the mountains and the sea, how much more can His love and glory be shown through you, His son or daughter?
Quilting TIP: Tension! Ugg. A topic everyone hates, but everyone needs. I had the opportunity to talk with a long arm specialist this past week about my new machine, and I received some great insight into tackling tension problems that I would like to share with you. Obviously, each machine is different, so make sure to read up on your specific machine!
- Tension issue? Start with the bobbin. It was only recently that I learned that you can adjust tension with the bobbin. On both of my machines, there is a small screw on the bobbin case that can be adjusted to tighten or loosen the bobbin thread. This video gives a pretty good explanation about adjusting bobbin tension. They also make bobbin tension gauges that you can buy to specifically measure bobbin tension if you are having a hard time with the eyeball technique. I do not have one of my own, but I was able to see it used and it seems like a great gadget to have around the sewing room!
- Tension is a tug of war: Know what your sewing machine is telling you! Do you feel like it is guess work when you have tension issues? If the bobbin thread is showing, does that mean the top tension is too tight or too loose? If you think about tension as a tug of war (see picture below) that no one is supposed to win, it starts to make a lot more sense. If the bobbin thread is showing on top, the top tension is too tight; therefore, the bobbin thread needs to be tightened or the top thread needs to be loosened. If the top thread is showing on the bottom, the top tension is too loose; therefore, the bobbin thread is too tight and needs to be loosened or the top tension needs to be tightened. Remember #1 when making adjustments.
- Thread type matters: Even after you have found the perfect balance between top and bottom thread, you may have to make more adjustments especially if you change threads. The weight of your thread makes a difference for you tension, so you will need to adjust if you change thread types. You can use two different weighted threads for you top and bottom thread! Most people highly recommended using the same weight top and bottom or the heavier thread on the top. If you have a heavier weighted thread in the bobbin, you will have a battle for tension that you might not win.
Tension can be a daunting problem, but you can do it with these simple tips! Use a scrap fabric to ensure your stitches look great before you start on your project. Your machine will sew happier with a good clean and correct tension. If it starts to sound “crunchy” or you can’t find the right balance for tension, it may be time to take your machine in for service. It is a good idea to take your machine in yearly for a good cleaning and checkup (depending on how much use it sees you may have to go in more or less frequently). Your sewing machine is just as unique as you are, so have patience with yourself and your machine as you tackle issues. God loves you. God bless and happy quilting!
Quilt Bus 