Texas Hold'em Bracket

[mscott2611]

Another question for the people who have the knowledge, that would be this forum of course.  For those of you who float your quilts and use the Texas Hold'em Bracket how do you keep your quilt straight.  I use that roller that you remove to use the bracket as a way to mark my starting edges and then I keep my edges straight with those marks all the way to the end. I am sure that is clear as mud.  Anyway, can anyone give me some input on their methods.

 

Mary

[ffq-lar]

You can place a long strip of sewn-together selvage or a longarm tape stretched across the front roller and above the top. Attach it to the frame at both ends. Mark with the sliding markers on the longarm tape or mark with a water-erase pen where your edges are for future lining-up.

[loraquilts]

I don't even know what a Texas Hold'em Bracket is, but I did read a clever tip that I've been using for a while and love it.  ...  If you have horizontal channel locks on your machine, stitch the batting to the backing (near the top of the quilting area), and align your quilt top with this line of stitching.   This ensures that your quilt is square to your frame.   If you don't have channel locks, you can roll the quilt so that when your machine is as far forward as it can go, you can sew the batting to the backing (by moving the machine all the way to the front of the machine, it's as if you had horizontal channel locks. 

 

So what's a Texas Hold'em Bracket?

[nanbrug]

I have the Texas Holdem  and I have a centering tape secured to the leveling bar hope that's what its called. I put it on centering it on the center marks on my leaders then I use channel locks if you have them to make sure it's running straight. Sometimes if the quilt is really wonky I put another centering tape on each side of your frame closest to your body and then you have two tape measures that helps you keep it straight if you don't have channel locks. I also use the PVC clips to hold quilt top which are great when floating and this keeps it secure while your quilting . I don't know if this is the correct way but it has helped me a lot. Of course there is always one of those quilts that nothing will help when its so crooked. LOL

[T Row Studio]

I float my tops was never shown how to do this, but I had my better half cut me clips from built in vacuum cleaner pipe about 1" wide

I clip them on my quilt top roller and on all vertical seams to keep everything straight. work pretty well for the most part.

[mscott2611]

A Texas holdem is a device that you use to replace the bar that you don't use when you float your quilts so that you can take it off your machine and still be able to use your brake on your fabric tension. It is in essence a short piece of bar that is attached at the brake site in place of the bar that you removed. I am not sure you can use them with all machines but I know several people use them with their Millie's.

Mary

[grannyju]

I wrapped a piece of blue painting tape at each end of the bar that is still on the machine.  Then when I start a quilt I measure from that tape to the sides of the quilt top.  If you just keep the measurement the same as you advance the quilt it will keep the quilt centered.