A tale of two bobbin cases

Do you have multiple bobbin cases for your machine?  I do.  And, here’s why I think it’s a good idea.

The Bernina 930 has a class 15J bobbin case.  That’s a much bigger bobbin than the standard class 15.  Plus, it has the hole in the finger of the bobbin case, and if I thread through that hole, it puts the bobbin thread right where the top thread needs it to be when a stitch is forming (Thanks! Barbara Shapel) and it adds a bit of extra tension to the bobbin case (Thanks, whichever nationally known quilter put that in a book.)  But, why two?

The first one is for normal thread.  I use it for everything from a 35wt to a 60 wt.  If you thread it all up and hold it by the end of the thread, the bobbin case does not drop unless you bounce it.  Just like it’s supposed to.  I keep two Magic Genie Bobbin washers in this case so that the bobbin is flush with the outside of the case and rests against the back of the hook race without being able to wobble inside the case. 

But, if I put 100 wt silk thread in that bobbin case, it would drop to the floor.  Okay, when I did it, it dropped to the floor.  I have another bobbin case that has the tension set much, much higher.  This is for 80wt and 100 wt thread.  It would likely break a 35 wt thread it’s so tight.  But, if you put a 100wt silk bobbin in it, hold it by the thread and bounce it, the bobbin will drop as it should.  It only has one bobbin washer in it.  This bobbin needs to be able to turn more freely and doesn’t need to be so tight against the back of the hook race.

At least that’s what I think about it.

Sydney took pictures for me this morning with her new fancy schmancy camera. 

I had to try some of the background stone work this morning, just to see what it was going to look like.  It’s looking pretty good.  This morning, it was exciting.  By the end, I’m sure I will be ready to pull my fingernails out.

I have to be mindful of the different densities of filler that will make this into a sketch.  Like the shrubbery is one density and the stone another and the tree bark will be another and the shingles another.  And, I need all of those to be distinct enough that no object blends into the background. 

Oh, and if that list of densities wasn’t enough, there’s grass.  How dense is grass? 

The excitement builds.  Will it drive me over the edge?  I’ve already found one section I’d like to re-draw.

Have a great hump day.  I really need to take a day off to sew.

Lane