Will the 7th time be the charm???

As mentioned in my search for a machine post, my next step is to set the seam allowance for my machine.  I used a stack of masking tape for RQ2 at 1/2 inch - and given the nature of the rag quilt process, wasn't too concerned - except that the seams were straight (an improvement over RQ1 which demonstrate an affinity to free motion quilting... I think I'll be comfortable with squiggles when the time comes).

So I have my book set to the right of me to easily refer to the seam allowance pages, and my seam ripper and I have become quite friendly.  I have yet to get the allowance right - keep going from too big to too small... even went back and measured the center strip this morning in the hopes that I had cut it wonky and that that might be why I couldn't seem to find a perfect seam.  No such luck, it is a perfect 2 inches wide... so the millimeter differences away from 1.5 inches in the center remains my fault.

I've ripped the seams out several times, and have decided to cut a few new strips to play with on the next round.  On the positive side, this is giving me many opportunities to practice pressing the seams in the right directions and to get good crisp seams.

I've tried a couple different tricks to get the measurement correct - the little yellow scant 1/4 inch guide worked to set it up nicely - until I took into account that I'm using the Prescencia 60/3 - and yep - the scant 1/4 inch is now a little too scant.  Moved it out - apparently too far... need to go back to my handy dandy piece of graph paper as eyeballing where to put the tape isn't working. 

One thing that I've found frustrating in this, and it may get better as I get more comfortable is that the seam guide which fits into the back of my #13 foot wiggles - and somehow is not staying perfectly parallel to the feed dogs.  I know there needs to be a little play in the guide to allow the presser foot to function smoothly, but I clearly haven't found the right combination yet - and I'm pretty sure that when the fabric slips under the guide that I'm not getting my perfect seam any more.  This is still "user" error in my book and not machine error so I'll keep trying.  I'm wondering if we have a case of old guide plus new foot. I asked my LQS to order a new guide for me before I realized that my walking foot doesn't have any place in which to stick said guide, so while I don't really need 2, I wonder if the newer one will sit more stably on the machine.

Once I get that sorted out, I can get started on the sampler in class 130.  I picked three coordinating fabrics from my stash (my sampler will be in reds as that is what I have quite a lot of...) and washed them. They are ready to be ironed and cut.  I'm also making fabric choices for the Winter Wonderland and Cowboy Corral quilts - I think one of them will end up with Dragons...  and also figuring out who the quilts will eventually go to (at least one will go to Gus) - which will help with the fabric choices.  For now, I'm going to try to work from my recently accumulated and quickly taking over stash of fabrics and resist the temptation to rush out for more.

We have tickets to Beauty & The Beast tonight and are camping with the Cub Scouts this weekend, so I don't know how much farther I'll progress.  I've been reading an re-reading Classes 110, 120, 130 and into 140 on the bus over the past week and am itching to get started.