SamQuiltDesigns Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 I have a George on order (hopefully only 2-3 more weeks) and would like to hear about other experiences quilting a queen/king quilt. How do you wrangle it through the opening? Any specific tips? I know 20" is way better than my 7" domestic machine! Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Congratulations, Anne! You're gonna love George. You will quilt a large quilt in exactly the same way you've been doing it on your domestic machine (only with lots less stress on your shoulders, neck, back, arms, hands, etc.). No specific tips until you have specific questions. You should expect a learning curve as you adapt to your new machine. Your thread choice matters in the beginning but before long you'll be able to stitch confidently with just about any thread combination. Practice on a sandwich made of the same fabric & batting combination as your quilt. Don't be afraid to adjust the tension (top and bobbin) until you get a beautiful stitch. Make sure the large quilt is well basted and then, off you go! You'll want to make sure that none of the quilt is hanging off the table & creating drag (just like with your DSM). George's new portable table top is smaller than the cabinet style so if you're using the smaller table, you might want to push it into a corner to keep the entire quilt up on the table. If and when you have any questions or problems, you can bring them here to the forum...most of us George owners wish that there were more George-related posts here. Please be sure to post photos of your finished quilts...everyone benefits from that and we can't wait to see them! Nancy in Tucson;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamQuiltDesigns Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Nancy, Thanks for taking the time to reply. Anne in Wisconsin;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Welcome to the George family, Anne. I also have George and most of the quilts I make are queen sized or more. I use the fluff and stuff method when I rearrange the quilt for a new area. Then work in the area of design, and move to the next. Be sure to watch that excess doesn't get folded under the area you are stitching. I pin baste my quilts and have a mechanics magnetic bowl to the right on George's table (I have the cabinet style), as I quilt an area I take out the pins and toss them opened into the bowl. They cling there great, creating a mountain as I go along. Because I remove the pins as I quilt, I can always tell what area still needs quilting. My snipper/knippers are in that bowl too. If you are using George's new table instead of the cabinet style, you may want to put a card table or ironing board to the back side so there is more space to hold the larger quilts. Where are you in WI? I'm in SE MN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamQuiltDesigns Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I live in Fond du Lac, WI thx:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyLynn Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I too, have a George. I love all the extra space to quilt in. I have done king/queens on my DSM so figured this would be a walk in the park:). I spray baste and sometimes use pins, removing them as I come along to them. I was watching something, don't remember what, but they made the comment to just remember you are only quilting 1/4 of the quilt at a time. So when I have the big ones to do, I keep repeating that to myself. It makes it so much easier to get through the whole thing. I like the free motion part of the quilting. I too have the cabinet, not the table. I hope you enjoy your machine. One of the other things I did do, is buy a bobbin case for each brand of thread. Once I get the tension right, I only use that bobbin case for that thread. Then I do not have to always do the tension thing--I found that rather frustrating. Oh yeah, when I start a project, I wind as many bobbins as I think I will need. I hate having to unthread the machine each time to wind a bobbin--find that to be a pain.... Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamQuiltDesigns Posted June 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Judy, Thanks for your help. I thought the bobbin case remained the same-just change the upper tension. Could you specifically explain thread choices and bobbin case adjustments? What about the upper tension? How many bobbin cases do you have? I should make sure I order them, since George is still on order-can't wait to get it! Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Anne, I only have one bobbin case that I use for all threads. I have used it for King Tut (thicker thread) and Invisifil (very thin thread) and have not needed to change the tension on the bobbin case at all. I so far have only needed to adjust my top tension and not that much either. I think having more bobbin cases is a matter of personal preference, depending on how finicky your George is. BTW, I'm at least 5 hours away from you, an hour into MN, past Rochester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyLynn Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Hi Anne, I live in NE MT, not to far from ND or Canada...God's country especially this year, we have flooding all around us. It does not effect my house directly but does effect people I know. Very sad thing to watch for sure. Anyways, back to George. I found my machine likes the signature thread. But have used a few others that work well also. I might have to change the needle to a larger size and of course do some tension adjusting. I found it very frustrating to always be cranking on the little screw on the bobbin case, so it just worked better for me, to buy a few more bobbin cases--about $10 each.--then I just keep them in small plastic bags labeled with the kind of thread I used it for. I also ordered extra needles and some of each size, so I had an option. Our LQS-50 miles away- quilts for others, and she had tried the YLI thread and had trouble, so I tried it on my machine and worked great as long as I used a larger needle. So sent her a needle and she also had good luck with that particular thread. When I first got my machine, which I did buy without EVER test driving any long arm machine of any kind--so of couse did not know a damm thing about what I was doing--I used a serger thread and took forever to do the quilt I was trying to quilt, the thread kept breaking and oh it was so frustrating. So started to do some more research and now, not a problem at all. There are times when I wish I had a machine on a frame, but when I do finally sit down to George, I remember why I love having him hang around..pretty good guy..if you love to free motion quilt, and be very creative, you will have a blast with your machine. I have done alot of king size quilts on him. I do not quilt for others, my machine was paid for, so have never felt like I needed to quilt for others. I do make a few quilts a year for others, and do love the whole process of creating a piece of work. So I sure hope you have a great time with your machine. I was able to buy George with some money my dad left me when he passed away, and the day George showed up, I placed an ad in the local paper announcing his "arrival", my customers (I have a home based beauty salon) thought that was pretty neat, and all were excited that my baby finally showed up--and I have had him for over 4 years now, and many of those people ask all the time "How's George?" So they were all as upset as I when I recently had to send him to the factory for repairs. Have a great time. If any questions don't hesitate to ask. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Hi Anne: I found that Superior's So Fine worked best on my George so that's what I used during my 'learning curve'. I have a few bobbin cases but learned to be unafraid of adjusting the bobbin tension as well as the top tension if that's what it takes to get a perfect stitch with any given thread. Be aware that the top tension dial on George is not as sensitive as the one on your DSM...you may have to turn it a quarter turn at a time instead of just tiny adjustments. If you decide to order a couple more bobbin cases, you can also try out the steel and the aluminum (L size) bobbins to see if you & George prefer one over the other. I like the aluminum ones myself and use the bobbin genie too. The magnetic bobbins that everyone on this forum gushes over...they're very good too. I think I wrote you already about needles & sizes. Please let us know when your George arrives. We're excited for you!!! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyLynn Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Nancy, that is a good point about the tension. When my machine first came, I was afraid to adjust it, and then finally figured that out, that you can turn it alot, before seeing any result. I do not use the magnetic bobbins, I use the aluminum and they seem to work well for me, Isn't it interesting that these machines all have a different personality??? It is nice to hear what works for others. I do want to try Bottom Line tho, I do hear good stuff about that. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamQuiltDesigns Posted June 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 Thanks everyone for your help-yes, I'm sure I'll have more questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrwsma Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 Hi, Anne~ Great replies under your topic, as usual; you may also want to check under a similar post I made a few months back entitled, "Bulky Works of Art". More good info there as well. I liked the suggestion of moving the back of George's cabinet against the wall -- what didn't I think of that?!?!? Obviously, I'm still learning also. Laura in OH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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