Am painfully new to quilting, have Cutie Breeze and now have the Q'nique 16X (budget friendly to me)... soooooo wish I'd found you before quilting my very first quilt (Loving Wishes by Maplewood Cottage - perfect for my first gr granddaughter due 5/2024)... Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge, looking forward to more education from you. Thank you, too, to your audience who've shared tips as well. Am learning so much and so grateful to all.
As a newby to the Bernina Q24 longarm I am loving the floating tops. I have offered to quilt many of our Guild Charity quilts so I can learn. With each quilt I learn so much,
Susan! I was nervous but decided to float my first quilt. It was all made of hexies, half hexies, and triangles to make some of those hexies! Lots of opportunity to stretch out of shape. I had even asked you how to baste the top edge, because it was like a zig-zag of hexie tops. I finally got the courage and I swear it turned out perfectly squared up!! Probably the best result I've had with the least amount of work! Thanks for giving me the courage and knowledge to try this.
Re: magnets...I put a single screw cabinet pull (that is easy to grasp) on each end of the magnet. That makes it easy to pull the magnet off if the rail. Also, if 2 magnets get stuck together, just grasp a handle on each one, twist them and then it's easier to pull them apart! I enjoy your programs!
Very interesting to learn some of the challenges and terms related to long arm quilting. I use painters tape to keep layers stretched out before domestic machine quilting. I don't have the space for a long arm machine, so I will be in awe of ppl who can do such professional work. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I always float, but I also baste the entire quilt first and so all the fussing and adjusting to make sure it all stays straight is done and I don’t have to think about it as I quilt. It also enables me to be able to easily switch out quilts in the middle of the process if I want to. It’s easy to put back on the frame. I’m a slow quilter and only quilt for myself, so I’m not worrying about efficiency and due dates.
I use pool noodles to anchor the quilt top at the front bar. Cut them into 10-12" sections, then slit open lengthwise. I pop those on, using as many as I need. Easy to use, easy on my hands, and very cost-effective!
Magnetic bars aren't difficult to separate. Truly! Instead of pulling/prying (thus fighting against the full force of the magnets), simply slide/pivot one sideways from the other (as if opening them from the straight letter "l" into the letter "v"). Hope that makes sense! Let me see if I can explain more clearly. The bars I have are from Harbor Freight. They consist of U-shaped metal with magnets tucked inside the U. The bars piggyback one on top of the other when firmly stuck together. Hold them vertically with one end on a soft surface like carpeting. Grasp the bars an inch or so from the top end. Envision the bars having a pivot point near the bottom. Slide them apart sideways from each other, activating that pivot point and opening the letter "l" into the letter "v." I have next to zero grip and wrist strength, but I can easily do it. If only I could attach a video...! 😊
Susan, maybe you could address in future episode tips for loading a wonky quilt. Have one now one end wider. I am thinking loading short end and easing in wide end is the way to go, or better to have on one side? Charity quilts so i make sure to check them out b4 loading.
I do most times, but in the case of these daily LIVES, I was aiming to reach folks on their phones. The Live & Unscripted episodes will go back to horizontal.
I'm so glad to hear from you, Susan, about loading that bottom front rail, how to place the leader, what direction I'll be rolling the fabric, etc. I'm hoping that sometime this April, you'll be able to show your bottom leader & its attachment to the lower front rail. When I get my current quilt top finished soon, I'll be loading my brand new rolling frame for the first time. It's a Grace Co. Quilters Evolution frame, 10 foot, & for me, an exciting step up from the Cutie hoop frame I was using before this. We have my new frame all set up & I've attached the leaders. But I am still a bit stumped about which way to place the leader on that front bottom rail. Thanks so much!
I never had the space, machine & computer money to learn long arm . I’d be anxious of over critical customers . Is it comparable to being a hair stylist / cutter ? I’d love to have just one custom quilt finished by as confident long arm quilter. All that is around here are the M -word quilters and the pantograph queens. I do appreciate your channel, it’s informative and fun to watch.
I honestly don't know how to relate quilting to hair-styling - I've never done that 😄 But I expect working with clientele is similar...you consider their needs and try hard to please them and you can't make EVERYBODY happy 😂 There are lots of longarmers that take mail-in work, by the way. It costs about $20 each way in the US.
Some brands have it as part of their rail system. The quilt goes under it to keep the surface always level and consistent, and then you roll of the completed portion an a rail behind it. Other brands just have one bar for leveling AND rolling up the finished quilt; then you have to raise it as the roll gets fatter.
Thanks, I’ve seen where some people have come up with a way to add one to their machine if they don’t have one. Was wondering what the importance was for it. You do great work explaining and teaching. Thanks!
