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opinions please...leader grips vs red snappers


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Hey there,I have the red snappers and am having a hard time with them getting caught up on the clear plate that covers the thread cutter. They also get stuck between the leveler bar and the machine and I get a bumpy spot if they happen to need to be there. (Does that make sense?) Does any one know if the leader grips are less bulky?

Thanks,

Tracey

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I had to raise my leveler bar a bit and I also make my backing fabric a bit longer in length so I can wind the snappers up behind the leveling bar before beginning. I don't quilt for others so this is no problem for me; my back is always big enough. If you have a shorter backing you can baste a short section to the backing to get it long enough to do this. I have not used leader grips.

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I have leader grips and have the same problem. If I am going to crosshatch or piano key the borders, I have to know when I load the quilt because I will need to attach an extra 6" of fabric on the side I am attaching to the takeup leader or pin it on. It is my understanding there isn't much difference in the leadergrips or Red snappers. I raised the leveler bar but it didn't make much difference. I use the leadergrips most of the time. It makes loading a quilt much faster.

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I have the red snappers and notice that if I do not snap them straight on the bar.... in otherwords watch for the edges curving up or down.... then it gets caught when quilting. I also allow more backing and start with them behind the leveling bar. I have zippers and the Red Snappers are attached to the zippers with an additional leader, I have more wiggle room to adjust if they bind at the top or bottom.

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At several of my MQX classes with Claudia Pfeil, she used some type of "grip" that looked like white PVC pipe that was split and snapped onto the back bar. Each piece was about 4 - 6 inches long and there were about six pieces. It took her way less than a minute to attach the backing.

I've done a google search but find nothing. The classroom machine looked like a Gammill.

Can anyone here point me in the right direction? Who makes these (or were they homemade?)

Aloha,

Barbara

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At several of my MQX classes with Claudia Pfeil, she used some type of "grip" that looked like white PVC pipe that was split and snapped onto the back bar. Each piece was about 4 - 6 inches long and there were about six pieces. It took her way less than a minute to attach the backing.

I've done a google search but find nothing. The classroom machine looked like a Gammill.

Can anyone here point me in the right direction? Who makes these (or were they homemade?)

Aloha,

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

Odd you should ask that question. I found a set of these in my sewing room yesterday that I had forgotten all about. I didn't take any of Claudia's classes so I haven't seen what she was using. The clamps that I have are four inches long and are Quick Fix Quilt Clamps according to the label in the package and are to fit a three inch bar. Unfortunately there is no store name, website or contact information on the label. I am pretty certain that I purchased them from a vendor at MQX West last year. I thought that it might be The Calico Kitten but there is nothing shown on their website, so other that now having a name this probably isn't of much use to you! If I remember where I got them I will post the name.

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Barbara,

I haven't used them. Now that I have rediscovered them I will give them a try! You could make them yourself fairly easily with the right tool. They are an eighth of an inch thick PVC piping, it is thin so there is some flex in it, with an inch wide piece cut out of it lengthwise. You could customize the length that you want. It would probably cost less than the postage to Hawaii.

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I have the red snappers and I have not experienced the catching that some of you have. My red snappers are usually below the leveler bar too but I guess I have enough tension on the quilt that it raises the red snapper enough to clear the plate.

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Thanks, again, Sue. What is the diameter of the PVC and do they pretty much snug the backing on the bar when you snap them in place? My husband is a landscaper, so there is certainly no shortage of PVC pipe around our home!

Sorry, forgot that minor detail! The ones that I have are two inches in diameter and fit very snugly on the bar. As I said I haven't used mine, I just slipped them on today, I think that with use they may become a little easier to get on and off as right now they are a little difficult to get off.

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Man Quilter has a great video on his website of loading a quilt in less than 5 minutes using the Leadergrips. I have red snappers and take a little longer than that as I like to roll onto the backi roller first then reroll onto the front roller getting out all the creases and wobbles. My backs are a lot neater and straighter with the Red Snappers than pinning ever was.

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With these PVC pipe clips... do you take off your leaders or leave them on and hope that they don't shift the quilt top when you use these clips? Seems the bulk of the leaders and the top will make them very hard to use???

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With these PVC pipe clips... do you take off your leaders or leave them on and hope that they don't shift the quilt top when you use these clips? Seems the bulk of the leaders and the top will make them very hard to use???

From what I observed, the leaders were rolled up, the backing laid on top of the leader and then clipped. I fully float my tops and batting, so the only concern would be the stability of the backing. I did contact Calico Kitten, who had a booth at MQX and she said that Jamie Whalen may carry them.

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I got a recommendation for the leader grips recently so am loving this discussion. I am still using pins (my zipper set is hiding safely somewhere in either my sewing room or my long arm room and I refuse to buy another until I find the first!), but have some clips that sound like what some of you are talking about. I bought them in the past year from countryquiltsandcrafts.com, they are called Long Arm Clips and you specify which machine you have. I use them to put a quilt back on quickly to fix something, or to throw a practice sandwich on the millie to try out a quilt pattern.

I haven't checked the site lately.

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I just texted Claudia to ask about those pvc clamps. I think I remember her saying she got them from Pam Clarke but I don't see them at http://www.homestitches.com. As for the red snappers rubbing the throat plate under the leveller bar... We always roll the edge of the leader past the leveller bar to prevent this from happening. You need 6" of extra backing on that end to accomadate this. We also use the leadergrips instead of the red snappers as they have a lower profile(slightly thinner).

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  • 6 years later...

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