ecmoore Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 So I got the machine all set up, thanks very much to the kind people on this board, and I've got another question, possibly quite a stupid one. I've spent most of a week messing about with the sample thread, and with muslin, and batting. While I've done quite a lot of freemotion before, it's always been using a Bernina 440 with BSR - not a longarm. As such, I know just enough to know I'm a fool I have several quilt tops that have been languishing, awaiting this purchase, and some of them will only have quite simple quilting. They'll become, essentially, "use" quilts, rather than anything to either show or sell. When I was at IKEA, I found a bedsheet, for $5, in basically the perfect colour to use as a back for one of these. It's a fairly thick sheet (VILA, if anyone's google skills are better than mine), and it seems to be about 200 thread count, ish. Thicker than quilting cotton, not as thick as deco-weight fabric. I've used these before in the Bernina with little difficulty, but have no idea how the longarm will take it. The wide backs that I've purchased before have been much thinner than regular quilting cotton, so I know I'm in for at least some difficulty with this. But who doesn't like a challenge? The setup I've planned is as follows: The top is mostly batik, with some kona cotton for sashing. None of these fabrics are prewashed, and I'm loath to do it now, as I live in an apartment building with washers that prefer the dainty taste of quilt fabric. The batting will be Warm & Natural, unbleached (I really like it, and it's what I've used thus far.) The backing will be, in all likelihood, this sheet. The threads I've got are some King Tut variegated for the top, and I'm planning to use the prewound bobbins that came, as a sample, with the machine, in the bottom. These seem to be a polyester, though what brand / weight they are, I can't tell. I'm not averse to using the "so fine" that also came as a sample, or, if it's heavily recommended, going out to purchase something else. I don't have enough King Tut left to do both top and bottom. The quilting is not going to be elaborate, merely a single straight line shadow around each of the 8" blocks, a quarter inch into the 2" sashing. I intend to use the channel locks combined with the ruler/base to accomplish this. I suppose what I'm asking is this: *Where* am I likely going to experience difficulties, and is there anything I can do to mitigate these, or am I just going to have to muddle through? Thank you so very much in advance for any advice you can give (Even if it is to mentally call me a moron and tell me to hie myself hence to an LQS to buy a better backing fabric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmillie2010 Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 is it possible to work on one of the other tops first before you tackle this one? Thicker than normal backing, King Tut and all its tension issues that you MAY encounter ... i'm thinking that i'd like to get some practice under my belt using something a little more friendly. Not to say that this won't go swimmingly for you. just saying that you already know that there may be some issues so why not start off with something a little friendlier and learn the nuances of your particular machine. early on I jumped into the King Tut frenzy and had a heck of a time with it. Put it aside for about 6 months, went back, and surprized myself at how much I had learned and knew what to do to take care of that beast. and btw, which machine are you using? Millie, Freedom, Lenni, George? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I have heard lots of people complain both about batiks and about bed sheets. I have quilted both and never had any problem with either one. Go for it and see how it comes out. You can always stop after the first couple of inches if it's not coming out okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted June 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Thank you so much for these quick replies! newmillie2010 The reason I prefer to do this one first is that this one is one that's going to require the least money - the others are going to require a wait until at least after the 4th when I can pick up Kona to finish the borders on them, or I'm planning to use a panto that I'm not 100% comfortable with yet. I'm using a Millenium, which is so new I've still got to move the boxes for it off the couch whenever I sit down Linda S I think you're probably right, and I'm winding up my courage to do so . My husband and my roommate are both encouraging me to just go for it, with the roommate even offering to rip out the stitches if I fail spectacularly. I just wasn't sure if it was *completely* impossible, or if some people did have success with it with certain settings (ie setting the tension looser or tighter, or a particular stitch length, or what have you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I am not too crazy about customers giving me bed sheets for quilt backing especially because they are very tightly woven and the tension isn't always the nicest. Plus when you quilt heavily those bed sheets do not give in any way so you have some pulling of fibers and a risk of puckers, pleats or tucks. I do not want that headache, thankyouverymuch!!! If I do use bed sheets I prefer the flannel sheets.. PS: I do have a set of bed sheets on zippers for my PPP time. Bought two twin sheets for $4 each at Wal Mart. Used a cheap batting--- and ran a basting stitch throughout and basted on the zippers. Quick to zip on or off...Lots of space to PPP on these sheets and I don't care about the tension! When used up, I will use these in the back of my SUV for the shepherds to lay on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 If the bedsheet is not a tightly woven sheet then I don't think you will have a problem. I've quilted through home dec fabric without any problems. It is the weave being too tight that will give you fits. Make sure you loosen up that tension for the king tut, especially using batiks. I use batiks all the time and never seem to have to many problems with it. Make sure you put in a new needle and if you hear a popping sound you might have to change your needle. Also don't tighten it too much on the rollers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Why not use another bed sheet (same type) as your practise sample. Put it on the machine and get to know your machine and its foibles on the practise piece first. Experiment with the thread combinations. Ruler work and stitching 1/4" from seam lines may be the easier way to quilt on a DSM, it is a little (BIG) different on a Longarm. But jump in and "just do it". Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I too have quilted with a bed sheet for the backing and I had no trouble whatever. I remember worrying I would have thread issues but it didn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodlebug Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 i use Walmart sheets for the backing of some of my 'use' quilts- i haven't had any issues either. i do suggest washing before using them as backings- they shrink alot more than i expected. i have a customer send an ikea sheet as a backer. i prewashed it and it quilted fine. i use a 3.5MR needle when i quilt a sheet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted June 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 quiltmonkey - thanks for the advice about the potential for tension issues. This is one that's going to be kept in the car and used for picnics and fireworks and such, so I'm not even as worried about it as if it would be used on the bed or the couch or something. hmerrill - it's not overly tightly woven - not like the 800 thread count sheets hotels use, or anything like that. Ikea isn't exactly well known for it's high end products Busy Quilting - that is a REALLY good idea. I'll see if I can find more in the "as is" section. The price can't be beat - prices for wide backs up here are bordering on insanity ($32/m for 108" batik wide backs, $25 for moda muslin, etc) and I just want something inexpensive to use for stuff that's just around the house, or for my husband's guy friends who now *all* want quilts but won't appreciate the cost of one . I did some ruler work (okay, a lot, because I love the look of it) on the practice muslins I've been fussing with, and I actually find it easier on a longarm than using a DSM w/ walking foot, because of the channel locks and the ability to use a ruler. Plus, I don't have to turn a quilt on it, which, with a small throat, is a feat in and of itself. (I did a 108x108" double windmill, SID, and nearly cried my arms hurt so bad after turning all those points.) doodlebug Let me start by bashfully admitting how much I really love your blog - it's been really great to learn from. I think you're right about the prewashing, it feels like it has a lot of size in it, and I'll pick up one of those needles tomorrow morning if I can find one Thank you so much, all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I've used sheets from Wal Mart a lot. I do wash and dry them first, as it softens them up and they are easier to work with. Never had any trouble at all. I also bought a couple twin size $4 ones and sandwiched with scraps of batting to use as my practice quilt. I have it on zippers as well, so when I am ready - zip on and I am going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaii Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I just quilted up a topper (Queen size) with a cotton sateen sheet for backing. It worked out just fine and it had a soft feel, drape and sheen to it. No troubles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy Bland Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I also have done quite a few with bed sheet backings, never a problem, my Millie grumbles about KT in the bobbin though, so I rarely do that, if the pre-wounds came with your machine they're fairly likely to be Bottom Line, this is the bobbin thread for most of what I do. Just go for it, the less you worry the better the machine will be,"operator anxiety syndrome" is real, the cure, go quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I made twin bed size quilts for 2 of my very young grandchildren two years ago and I used sheets on the top and the bottom. I appliqued their names with large bubble letters and on Layla's, I appliqued a huge daisy (using Minkee with the bumps for the dinner-plate size center of the daisy). I washed the sheets first and had no problems quilting them. I had Quilters Dream Puff batting in them and used So Fine thread in the top and the bobbin. I seem to remember each quilt taking about 6 hours to make and quilt and bind. The sheets were from Walmart and were on sale. I also did another set for them using a cute sheet on the top, doing a very simple and large applique and using a Walmart fleece blanket on the back and Puff batting between the layers. They use these in the winter. They love the feel of the fleece. I also made them really cute, expensive, pieced quilts, but my daughter wisely uses the sheet quilts the most because she doesn't feel guilty washing them every week, as has been necessary with pre-schoolers and a slobbering dog. I remember reading a few years ago (which is what prompted me to make the sheet quilts for the grandkids) about a woman making them for the beds in her trailer. She bought a cheap set of sheets and a fleece blanket. Quilted the top sheet to the fleece blanket and bound it. She put the bottom sheet and the pillow case on the bed and then the top sheet was the quilt (quilted to the fleece blanket). She did not use another sheet on top. She said she could make the bed in a flash and so could her teenage son, without a hollaring match. Once a week the beds would be stripped and everything thrown into a huge washer in the campground laundrymat. I thought this was a wonderful idea, so copied it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted June 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Thank you all, again, so much for your replies. I finally had some time to get it done yesterday & today. For anyone that comes to this thread later: The tension on the top actually had to be fairly tight. The bedsheet and the King Tut seemed to ultimately cancel each other out, and I imagine that a thinner thread would cause much greater problems. Tension was tricky at first, an there were a few little "pokies" (I think this is the technical term) on the bottom until I got it sorted. I had some breakage, but that was mostly due to my own boneheadedness than any problem with the quilt itself. (Accidentally turning the machine on without the stitch regulator, for example.) The sheet really needed prewashed (Thank you!), and while it *was* square, the hems shrunk MUCH more than the body of the fabric. So, don't be like me and try to pin below the hem, just cut it off with a rotary cutter and go from there. Much easier. The stitches were a tiny bit warbly, which was frustrating because I was using both channel locks and a ruler to get a straight line, but I think that was probably due to the weave, and other people will never in a million years notice - I'm just a total perfectionist. I wouldn't use this as a solution for any quilt that wasn't going to end up as mine or as a gift for someone - and I can totally understand why the pros won't accept them - but for $5 for a large queen back (95"x105"), I'd probably do it again. (And if anyone's interested, it was that price, in package, in Ikea's AS-IS section. The new ones of the same size & quality are about $20) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I use alot of bedsheets for backings. Cut the hems off and square them up however before using. and yes, wash them too to remove the sizing and to get them to shrink a bit. batiks have never given me a problem either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltedsunflower Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I just love this forum. I learn more everyday. Thanks for sharing everybody. Now it's off to Walmart for some $4 sheets for PPP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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