Janet Poulin Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 I'm trying to do one of my first quilts on my Millie (it's a charity quilt) and I'm trying to practice SID. However, I'm getting a lot of bounce in the fabric. I'm using the SR. Am I going to slow? I think that it's tight enough on the rollers. I set the speed down to around 7 but it didn't seem to help. I'd appreciate any insight. Thanks, Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliagraves Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Are you using a expanded base with a ruler? This is an extra purchase - clear acrylic that fits around your machine to give you a stable base to lay your ruler on. APQS has them on their website for sale. The speed isn't a factor. It's very difficult to do SID without a ruler and a base, particularly on the diagonal. You need to hold the ruler firmly but not so firm that the machine can't move underneath. You need to position your thumb on one side of the ruler (for example, in front of the needle) and your fingers on the other side of the ruler (behind the needle). Keep the ruler in one place and move the machine. As soon as you get near your thumb or fingers (depending on which direction you are going), stop and reposition your hand. You don't have control if you stitch past either your thumb or fingers. You can also place your whole hand on the ruler - whatever you feel comfortable with, but again, don't stitch past your hand because you can't control the ruler and it will shift. Good luck! Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Like Julia said when in SR mode the speed is actually stitch length. I keep mine set to about 11 most of the time. When holding the ruler you just want gentle pressure against the foot and very slight pressure on the ruler pushing down. Make sure you have grips on the back of the ruler so it doesn't slide. The key is really to relax. I'm not sure what you mean by bounce. You defiinitely don't want the top too tight. Make sure your hoping foot isn't too high as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted July 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 I do have the expanded base and the rulers. I guess instead of bounce I could say vibration. It almost sounds like the needle is plucking the fabric. I'll try putting more pressure on the ruler. I know that this is going to take tons of coordination for me. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Maybe you have your fabric too tight on the frame, try loosening it a little... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Originally posted by Primitive1 Maybe you have your fabric too tight on the frame, try loosening it a little... Yeah, what she said. I was thinking your sandwich is too tight and causing it to bounce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Also check to see if your leveler roller is low enough. A roller set too high can cause the bounce as well. If you can slide your hand between the roller and the bed of your machine farther than just past the first knuckles, it is too high. Instructions for adjusting the roller are in the manual, or do a quick search here. Also, if the needle is popping through the fabric--that can be caused by a dull needle or overly-starched fabric. I hope you find a happy solution soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Linda gives great advice. Try to relax when pushing or pulling the machine to stitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Thanks for all of your help. I was at APQS last week and took my 2 classes with Dawn. They were awesome and I learned so much. Tonight I was trying to apply a lot of the things that I learned. Probably too much too fast. What I need now is a ton of other classes so I just ordered the most recommended books and DVD's on the Forum. I hope that I didn't go overboard. I know that this is going to be a long road but I look at the first quilt I had ever pieced and have come so far. I can't wait to reach that milestone with my LongArm. Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Hi Janet, Hang on there, relax. We've all been there and now we are quilting away. Anyways, you have tons of help here, also check the troubleshooting section of the manual, it helped me a lot when I started. I used to call Dawn for help when I was frustrated. My husband grew up partly in Crown Point, IN, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio when he was in grade school. Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Originally posted by Corey Hi Janet, Hang on there, relax. We've all been there and now we are quilting away. Anyways, you have tons of help here, also check the troubleshooting section of the manual, it helped me a lot when I started. I used to call Dawn for help when I was frustrated. My husband grew up partly in Crown Point, IN, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio when he was in grade school. Corey Oh Wow! What a Small World! I didn't get a paper copy of the manual, mine is on CD. I was actually just watching the Maintenance section and I'll say that it's great for anyone with insomnia. Put me right to sleep. Just woke up from a "cat nap" at 12:00am. LOL I'll have to watch it again tomorrow when I'm awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Janet, Wouldn't you know that the ONE thing we didn't review during your two days here was using the templates! Be sure to put adhesive sand paper dots or grippies on the underside of your template or ruler. Place your thumb, pointer finger and tall finger on top of the ruler. Allow your ring finger and pinky finger to rest off the outer edge of the ruler. Now apply some downward pressure on the ruler, but not so much that the machine won't move. Having those two fingers resting on the outer edge of the ruler gives you a couple of advantages: [*] they help to stabilize the ruler as you push against it with the machine's foot, so that you don't feel like you have to hold the ruler in place only with downward pressure. You can then lighten up your ruler pressure and allow it to provide "resistance" but not act as an inhibitor. [*] with those fingers off the edge of the ruler, you can "steer" the ruler to accommodate crooked seams, wandering lines, etc. Practice forming a letter "L" with your thumb and pointer finger (like kids do to call each other a not-so-nice name:)). Then make sure that the hand holding the ruler always has that letter "L" facing the hopping foot (sometimes it will be a backwards "L"). That means that sometimes you'll have to "cross over" and switch which hand is driving the machine and which hand is holding the ruler in place. When you use this tactic, you'll be surprised at how much control you'll gain as well as how much faster you can get using a template or ruler. Finally, on long rulers, treat the ruler and hopping foot as if they are a rotary cutting ruler and cutter. "Walk" your hand down the ruler as you sew, keeping the hopping foot directly across from your "L-shaped" finger and thumb. This stability will make you feel like you have to push less on the ruler while still maintaining control. Definitely follow Linda and the others' advice and check the tautness of the fabric, as well as the leveler bar height. If you have a question as to what's "about right" just call! Now get some sleep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Dawn, Thanks for your strategy on SID. I wasn't even close to that. OH I have lots to learn! Can't wait to try it. I just printed this thread so I won't ever forget how to do it. Thanks, Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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