How To Use Up Odd Thread

I'm making progress on the S-charm quilt.  I limit my machine quilting sessions to a half-hour or so because this quilt is very heavy and after that amount of time I start getting sloppy.  I would like to improve my machine quilting skills so I am concentrating more on my stitches and technique.  I would like to use this as practice and not just get it over with like many of my other quilts.  It seems that once I get to the actual quilting, I'm either on a deadline or just sick of the quilt and rush to get it complete.


I decided to go through my thread drawer and use up some of those odd threads I have.  Some time back (at least 15 years) I won a bundle of machine embroidery threads.  I have tried them a few times over the years, but I've never found a project well suited to their use.  This scrappy quilt seems to be a good candidate.  I'd like to use up a few of the spools, especially the variegated thread which is not something I am used to using.  The spools aren't large enough to cover the quilting of an entire quilt, so this is perfect.  I did find that some of the thread was breaking easily.  I had recently listened to an episode of Within a Quarter Inch where she interviewed Cristy Fincher.  She mentioned soaking machine sewing thread in clear sewing machine oil to give longer life to the thread and lubricate the machine while you are sewing.  I thought about this while I was sewing but (since I was on a roll) didn't want to stop to take the time. Then I remembered that I had a bottle of Sewer's Aid in my drawer.  This was recommended in a machine quilting class I had taken.  I put a line of that on  the spool, let it sit for a few minutes and it solved my breaking problem.  And it's not as messy as an entire spool of thread dipped in a vat of oil.


And I'm making more progress on the Polish Eagle, too.  I am done with the neck and body will move onto the wings next.  I think the neck is the most heavily embellished part of the bird.  I was debating putting this away for a bit to start on some socks for a Christmas present, but I'm enjoying this so much that I don't want to do that.  So, my MIL will get something else this year.





But, I did take some time to make this minion for DD for Christmas.  He's about 5" tall.  I think she'll like him.