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Years ago when my son was small, he loved to watch the original McIver series with his Dad. I remember him laying on the bed, chin in hands, being blown away by all the simple things McIver used to fix whatever had to be tackled at the time. As started calling one of his uncles McIver, because he was always fixing things, with common household tools. As a young boy, I think the uncle became his 'hero'. Funny thing is, over the last 20 years, my family has been using the verb, "McIvering' to describe when we have done what is now called a 'hack'. We would rig up a pulley, or use something to help fix a leak... or whatever it was we were attempting. My son has become pretty good at that, so much so, he is now a civil engineer... always analyzing problems and figuring out the best way to fix it. 😊
Well, thanks to the APQS Forum and the I Love APQS Facebook group, I did some McIvering of my own! I used a pencil, a small binder clip, and my trusty blue painters tape (yes, the quilters modern replacement for duct tape... there is always duct tape involved in McIvering) to create a horizontal spool pin at just the right spot for my Superior Threads, Glitter thread. In case you have never used it, think about quilting with tinsel from your grandmothers Christmas tree in just about any color imaginable..... it just glitters in your art quilt!
I knew it had to sit on a horizontal pin, but based on previous conversations with quilters talking about smooth wound spools, I had attached it to the back of the machine head, right above the vertical cone holder. Placed there, I quickly found out I couldn't use all three holes in the back metal plate because by the time the thread reached the needle it was as curly as a cork screw. Omitting the top two holes in that plate made in better, but still unusable. Omitting the first two holes in the front 3 hole plate, again improved it, but it didn't flow through the thread path easily, even with no tension on the thread from the tension disc. I thought I was stumped. That is until my post and my cry for help to Dawn Cavanaugh or Myrna Fricken! As always in less than 30 minutes, I had a response. yes you need a horizontal spool holder, but you need to mount it to the top of the machine up front! Well, I did... again only using the bottom hole in the front 3 hole plate, with no tension from the tension disc, and going very s-l-o-w-l-y... (this I knew from using Glitter Thread on my domestic machine for years)... IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM. The thread came through the needle nice and flat, no curly q's 😁 I quilted with it for about an hour, only one breakage, right when I started and I chalk that up to going too fast. So pleased with myself! Thanks much to Mryna 🙏🏽 You guys are a godsend!
Here is a pic of my "McIver" hack... I will post a pic of the quilting once I get it off the frame. You can't appreciate the glitter thread when it is laying flat, flooded with lights.
