Getting CONTROL for intense Quilting

[Grammie]

I am doing some really intense quilting and I find I do not have total control especially without a ruler.

trying to go slow and overstitch the machine is kinda jerky. It isn't making smooth moves in slow motion at all. I have it set at a very small stitch but needle appears to be jerky still. Do I need a slower/faster needle speed or what? I want to work without the rulers as much as possible in some of the quilt areas.

wHEN JUST FREEHAND IN A LARGER STYLER IT SEEMS TO GLIDE JUST FINE BUT TRYING TO SIT AND DO SOME INTRICATE WORK I cannot get control to move slowly and smoothly at the same time.

Any suggestions from some of you doing intense quilting.

I watched Sharron Shambers video and saw how she gets control and doesn't even use RULERS. The larger plexiglass table her husband made for her and the padding and rice bags also. Also she puts I think teflon down on plexi to reduce the friction or static. I hope I got that right. lol

Is there something to that for our Machines with intense work that is? I mean I don't think we can question those beautiful quilts she is producing so this Friction she speaks of and control must have some merit.

I would really appreciate any suggestions on this.

Thanks

Grammie

[JoAnnHoffman]

Make sure your wheels are not too loose. Put your hands on your front handles and wiggle back and forth. If you feel a slip or a slight fish tailing they are too loose. Clean your rails and wheels with alcohol and use rulers. I know a lot of experts who don\'t use the stitch regulator for doing fine outlining and backtracking. They use a really slow manual speed and take their time. I think when using the stitch regulator it will speed up and slow down and give you extra motion you don\'t want. I also use an extended base all the time. I like the itty bitty, the accuguide and a small 3 inch straight ruler. Horizontal and vertical stitch in the ditch is easy, going diagonal or doing curves you need guidance especially around applique.

[catsigler]

I would like to see examples of Sharon Schamber style fine quilting done on an apqs. Anybody?

[highlandquiltgirl]

I have also seen the video and taken a class from Sharon on machine quilting. The larger plexi glass table really does help. And she recommended this stuff called quilt glide. It is a spray on that reduces friction. It is like Pam cooking spray, but for quilting. And you do not want to get it on the floor, any overspray that is, it will send your husband flying across the room when he comes in to see what you are doing! I take my table outside now to spray it. But I think it helps. maybe it is just in my head, but I do notice a difference when I am trying to quilt something with flannel on the back. Anyway, I got the quilt glide at my local quilt shop. Let me know if you can not find it and I will pick you up a can and send it to you.

[DebFigved]

I had the same problem when trying to do very intricate quilting. I found that my micro handles helped alot. But I\'m sure you know that already. Good luck. I\'m also going to try the solutions that everyone is suggesting.

[jmyhogan]

I have had that same trouble when moving slowly, usually on pantos. I found that setting the "stitches per inch "a little sometimes helps.

[clovismom]

Grammie

Sharon has quilted small intricate work on my Millie. She does not use any rulers. She does not like the free flow losey goosey and in fact her work is all about control. We wrapped a piece of 2 inch foam around my leveler bar (actually we started by stuffing it under and later I made it permanent) She used a 3.5 needle. She also uses side pieces of canvas to clamp on to so that the pull on the fabric is even. Rice bags are used on top of the plexi table for added control. Her only comment was that given the size foot she did not have the visiblity to do the close echoing or the tiny peebles you see in alot of her quilts.

If any one is in central california the first Saturday in April Sharon will be teaching her new pillow trapunto technique as well as some new tiny background fills.........and she will doing the demonstrations using my Millie !

Raquel Birch

apqs sales rep

[uncquilter]

Hi everyone,

Can you tell me which DVD you are all refering to? Thanks

Carol

[clovismom]

Carol

Sharon has several DVD\'s for sale on her web site

SharonSchamber.com which teach different long arm techniques.

Raquel Birch

apqs sales rep

[Grammie]

Wow thanks Joann and all of you for that matter for your comments.

I really want to have more control if possible and not use rulers. I do mark paramenters but can freehand what I want. I just need better control of my machine using the SR. I have tried it slow without SR and do well but for much of it I want to just STOP and see where I\'m going to maintain consistancy and eveness as it is all freehand. I will keep working on it.

I am going to see if I can get someone to also increase my Machine plexi base. I think that is totally neat the way she is working on her videos in SR mode and with such control. Now I could be wrong maybe she is in Man mode. I\'m going to try that again now that I\'m thinking out loud about it. lol

I have made myself some side leaders and like the way it keeps the quilt nice and flat without alot of pull. Taunt( I just know I spelled that wrong. lol) but no Tight so to speak.

Vision for really intricate work is difficult with our FAT foot but I\'m hoping to get used to it. I have the smaller foot on my ULTI similar to the one Sharon has on the Prodigy. In the past my foot size never was an issure but I\'m moving on to more difficult quilting and seeking perfection in along the way. I will probly never GET R DONE! lolo

I\'ll keep working at it.

Again thanks everyone. If you learn of something new let me know.

Hugs to ya,

Grammie

[catsigler]

I have several of Sharon\'s DVDs but don\'t recall anything about a large plexiglass table, and I\'m having trouble visualizing what you are talking about. Is this "table" similar to a hartley extended base plate? or something else?

[DebFigved]

Just thought of this after I read one of the posts. When I took Sherry Rogers class this summer, she told us to reduce our speed to super slow and shorten the stitch length. This is how she said we would be able to control our stitches for micro designs. Try that too.

[Grammie]

It is like our hartley extended base but hers covers the entire throat space of her machine if I understand correctly and is wider.

Sorta a big flat surface you might say.

Thanks Deb I\'ll look into that.

[clovismom]

I had a larger plexi glass table made. If you want, I can measure it when I get home.

Grammie

Try stuffing the foam under the leveler bar in the area you are quilting as that really makes a difference.

Sharon does her quilting with the stitch regulator on.

Raquel Birch

APQS sales rep

[catsigler]

Raquel, is there any chance you could post a picture of your larger plexiglass table?

What exactly does the bigger table surface do if you aren\'t using rulers?

[RitaR]

Hi, I made and use the side clamp/leaders like Sharon S. and have to say, even on old Butty.. it makes such a diff.. a good diff, that I will always have them for my machine..

I do have one question about the extended table.. as well as the extended oversized.. how do they fasten to the machine?

Appreciate the help.. RitaRose

[mrmquilt]

Grammie, something else I have seen done and can\'t remember from

who is to gently guide with the hopping foot. I\'ve tried this and it isn\'t

a big deal like it sounds. Not that I am any great quilter but it does give

you more control. I\'m a righty so I hold the handle with my right hand

and my left hand fingers gently guide from the back of the hopping foot.

Don\'t know if that makes sense.

Michele

[Judi]

o.k. Michele - I am now pictureing this... guide the foot?!? Yes - I do that at

times as well - but what REALLY scares the Heck out of me is how there is

SO much room under and around that needle!!

Has anybody ever sewn through their finger with an APQS? I have pinched

my finger under the hopping foot before and that hurts bad enough! It

would be hard to shut off, with the Power switch in the back of the machine

and a person could be home alone and caught up in the front!! Hope it

never happens, and if it does, please be on a black (or red) quilt and NOT

on a white one! :mad:

[mrmquilt]

Judi, I use more of the back of the bar that the foot is on not the

actual round part of the foot. I have sewn through my finger on the

DSM, just what you wanted pierced.

Michele

[pfrost]

I think this may be the right place to post this question: Any suggestions for getting control of the foot for echo quilting? Previous posts have suggested using curved templates to guide the foot, some have suggested S/R off & some have suggested S/R on, but at a higher stitch-per-inch than normal... I have a couple of days to practice before applying the echo quilting around an applique and have been following this particular post since I\'ve had a lot of trouble maintaining control of the stitches in tighter areas. What works best for you? Suggestions, please!

Thanks to all who have contributed to this "touchy" subject!

Pat

AZ:cool:

Mille

[Quilting Heidi]

Pat,

I don\'t see that anybody posted a reply to you. I\'m pretty new with my millie but what I do is use my right hand to guide the machine and use my left hand to rest on the sandwich. Not heavily resting though. Usually I have my extended base on and I just create a little resistance with the left hand which give me more control to outline. Don\'t be afraid to try other things that might work better for you.

Heidi

[Judi]

Pat - when I did echo quilting around some hand embroidery, I just did

it all freehand. I tried to stay of "foot width" away from the embrodiery

line, then the next round again a foot (or 1/2" away). There were no

straight lines on it.

[pfrost]

Judi & Heidi, thanks for your suggestions. Will practice them tomorrow. This is my first customer quilt & she wanted echo quilting (what was I thinking to take this one!).

The suggestion to work sitting down made a lot of sense, too. In order to do that, however, I took the belly bar off. Then my arms can rest more on the level of the work (rather than flomping over the bar) & have better control. All of these techniques require PPP, but sooner or later one has to feel that they\'re making progress, too!

Thanks for the hints, ladies.

Pat

AZ:cool:

Mille

[Quilting Heidi]

Pat,

I almost always sit and quilt! Love my saddle stool. I didn\'t take my belly bar off though, it doesn\'t seem to get in my way. You will one day look back and say, "Why did I used to think this was so hard?" LOL all of a sudden when you least expect it.

Heidi

[jacksong]

I also removed the belly bar for sitting down to do intricate/close-up work. My DH the welder made me a small piece the size of the bar to fit at the end so I can clamp down the backing bar. I love it that way. I float my quilt tops most of the time anyway so the bar is not needed at all it seems to be in my way. If I need it, DH and I will just lift it back up and place it on the machine. This does require good stabilization of your quilt top so it doesn\'t go wonky on you at the end.