Stagecl Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Our machines are loud...there is no getting around that fact (especially at the back of the machine). I have often thought of getting a pair of earplugs and using at least one in my right ear when I am at the back of the machine. I have a tendency to stand to the left of my machine when I am at the back so my right ear gets a lot of noise. I know this is a weird topic...but do any of you use earplugs or any kind of sound protection for your ears? Cheryl Mathre Stone Creek Quilting Sandy Hook, VA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Nope, My friends with Gammils can't believe how quiet our machines are and that I play music on my little stereo while I quilt and don't have touse headphones or turn it up very loud to hear it. jeri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziesgirl Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 I guess I'm lucky I don't think my machine is loud enough to cause problems. Sheryl www.shedznbedz.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 My machine doesn't seem very loud. I generally have a book going on my earbuds from my Axim anyway while I'm quilting. Or, if I'm doing a panto, I've got the classic rock 'n roll cranked and I'm dancing! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 It depends which machine you have. When I had an Ultimate II, it was noisy and I wore the earmuffs that I got for shooting. Protect your hearing, if you think it's loud get some kind of protection. Janet Mohler Colorado Springs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquareOne Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 if your machine is loud (or your car, an airplane ride, heavy machinery etc)... there are "Noise Reducing" headphones that you can buy at Walmart or any electronics store. They're not that expensive and they really work. I can personally attest to the Sony brand ones. But make sure you get the headphones and not the earbuds. Your ears have to be covered in order to block the sound. Studies have shown that droning noise, such as that of heavy machines and car engines, can actually cause us to become fatigued. The myth about jet-lag... it's not because of the time delay. It's mostly because our brains cannot get any rest - the jet engine noise keeps our brain on constant alert, even when we are asleep. We dont get REM sleep so we end up more tired. Trust me, I used my headphones on a trip back from Europe, which was about 20 hours with layovers. And I was NOT jetlagged at all. I bet they would work great to drowned out your quilting machine's noise, and it may allow you to work longer without getting tired. The headphones I got also have a standard plug that you can use with a walkman or ipod. Hope this helps. Happy quilting! ~Kate www.square-one-design.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted October 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I have always been sensitive to noise. I do realize that my Millie is a whole lot quieter than my gammill was and I am thankful. I do like the the idea of "noise reducing headphones" but also the idea of having a book on tape while quilting a panto... Cheryl Mathre Stone Creek Quilting Sandy Hook, VA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmanda Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 My Millie is in my fabric shop so I cannot wear ear plugs. I do, however, keep the TV in my store going constantly. I haven't noticed noise from my millie as of yet, maybe the TV keeps me going or not noticing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplydivine Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I use the noise-reducing earphones. It helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Gee, I guess I have always droned out the machine noise with either the TV, sterio or my singing....and trust me I can make some noise....not good, but clearly masking the machine noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Thiesssen Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I also have the noise reducing headphones (Kenworth). I used to use ear plugs, (especially my right ear while doing pantos), but now that I have the headphones, I spend my time listening to music or books. I've noticed that the volume I used to have my MP3 player at was considerably higher (17 or 18) when I used regular headphones. Now it is usually set at around 8. That's got to be better for my long term hearing, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I never thought about ear plugs. I didn't think my machine was that loud...but, like Bonnie, I either have the tv going the stereo and/or I am singing at the top of my lungs....that would require ear phones:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I definitely have to wear the noise-blocking headphones when working at the back of my Mille. I'm short, so my head is right next to the motor--it gets to be loud when you've practiced several hours. (My head was buzzing one night after having practiced several hours!) Now, working from the front of the machine, I don't find the headphones necessary--in fact, I can watch TV & not even have the volume cranked up too loudly. It's just when the machine & my head are "cheek to cheek". When my daughter & I were doing our pre-purchase research on the various machines, we attended a state longarm group meeting. (It was an opportunity to visit with a lot of different type of machine owners.) Most of the attendees at the meeting were the Gammill machine owners. One of the first things we noticed was the number of ladies there who were wearing hearing aids. Yikes! I couldn't believe it. At least 5-6 ladies, out of 20 or so, were wearing them. That seemed like a huge number compared to the number of attendees. It couldn't have been just a casual coincidence. And, yup, they were all Gammill ladies. So don't assume that because your machine doesn't seem too noisy that you won't be sustaining hearing loss--protect your ears. Just an observation & worth taking a simple precaution. Pat AZ:cool: Mille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted October 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Pat, I, too, am short...5'2" and holding, so that, as you mentioned, probably contributes to the machine being loud for me as my ear is right at the motor level when I am at the back of the machine. Mary Beth and Bonnie...you two are probably great singers We'll all look forward to you debut album to quilt the days away... Cheryl Mathre Stone Creek Quilting Sandy Hook, VA:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 I guess it doesn't bother me because I am 5' 11" and my head is in the clouds not in the motor!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Yep, 5'2" here, too. So when you're driving from the back of the machine & you're wrapping your arms around the machine to dance, your right ear is just about as close as it as it can be--& it's loud after only a bit. Pat AZ:cool: Mille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Well Cheryl I'm not sure about the great voices....use to have one, but as years have gone by not sure if I would declare that one of my better virtues I think it sorta of went when everything else went south. But Mary Beth and I can be Mutt and Jeff....I'm 5'6" to her 5' 11" Did I just age myself with knowing who Mutt and Jeff even are. yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlittle1 Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 No, Bonnie, Mary Beth already has a Mutt to her Jeff (or vice-versa, I don't remember which one was the short one.) I'm not quite five feet tall to her five eleven. We were in class together in Des Moines and got acquainted there. We had a great time getting lost together. The last day we were trying to quilt on machines at the same table. Now just try and picture that! I'm usually sensitive to loud noises, but I've never even thought about the noise from the machine. I do have to turn up the radio or TV when I work and turn it down as soon as I stop the machine. I can't stand anything in my ears or on them so I don't really know what I could do about it. Phyllis Hughes Oklahoma City Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowquilter Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Greetings, everyone, Here's advice from my experience. I am wearing hearing aids, now, due to nerve damage to my hearing, from years of running my industrial sewing machine while working as a costume designer. Granted, I was at a "sit-down" machine and not a Long-arm, and yes, the APQS machines are the quietest on the market, but it's not so much the noise level, but the CONSTANT noise that damages your hearing. My audiologist said that even wearing the cheap little sponge plugs would definitely have helped. It's like the dental ad that says "only brush the teeth you want to keep", you should think "only protect the amount of hearing you want to preserve", because once it's gone, you miss so many things---parts of conversations, high and low range of music, birds, and on and on...and it gets embarassing after awhile to ask people to keep repeating themselves, so you just pretend you've heard them and smile and nod. I know plugs are a pain in the neck--but think about it. Snowquilter (George's mother) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dana-home-designs Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Greetings All: I just wanted to thank all of you who respond to this forum. I read the topics on a regular basis and from time to time I have asked questions and got good answers. I really enjoyed the topic about the ear plugs today and appreciate the advice to wear them to protect you from a hearing loss. Again, thank all of you for being a part of this. d'Adjoa Gammill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 If any of you are interested in a good program for getting Audio Books, try http://www.audible.com I have their (I think) premier program, where I get to download two books each month for about $22. After that, there are lots of books and programs that are on sale for about $10. I also got a free IPOD Shuffle for signing up for a year, but it didn't bookmark well enough for me, so I use my Axim instead. I think it's a fairly decent deal. I do occasionally get books on disc from our library, but they are generally so scratchy that I don't bother. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TishMarshall Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 That funny Bonnie...............I usually crank the music when standing behind my Greenie and will have a movie or music on while standing in front. Noise reducing headphones with a book on tape sounds good too. Tish Thanks Linda for the book info. Originally posted by Bonnie Gee, I guess I have always droned out the machine noise with either the TV, sterio or my singing....and trust me I can make some noise....not good, but clearly masking the machine noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted October 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 I did buy some ear plugs today...didn't get a chance to check out the noise reducing headphones...I'll do that this weekend. Bonnie...let's face it...I don't know any one who gets by without something heading south (or most everything heading south)...I think I am in the everything is heading south column. I still have a ways to go south...thank goodness Cheryl Mathre Stone Creek Quilting Sandy Hook, VA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grammie Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 The sound of my Milli is MUSIC to my ears. Don't mind the sound that is referred to as noise. It's a running machine and it SINGS!!!!!!! La La La La La, La La La La La, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Hey Bonnie, let me know what type of music you sing to so that I can be ready when we cut our "Quilter's Music to Quilt By" CD;) (I can pretty much sing anything - any style - I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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