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I got a Lenni!


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I have my Lenni! We have set it up and I have been practicing, but since I have been having trouble seeing what I\'m quilting, I think the table might be too low. I am a newbie and have never used a long-arm before. Is there a rule of thumb on the height of the machine? I want to have some idea to tell my DH before he starts raising it! I have been reading all the posts on the Lenni which I have found very helpful.

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Hello,

I bought my long arm last year and found out right away it way way to low. I am 5\'9". I tried raising the screw legs ( what a joke) so here is what worked for me. I went and had the local lumber mill cut 2X6 pieces about 50" (be sure to measure your legs). I placed those under the 2 legs on one side and went to the other side and did the same. I have 3 boards under each side of my table and now it is perfect. You want it to hit you under your ribs. I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Nora

Millennium

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Thanks, I had my husband raise it (now I think it might be too high) and I practiced on it and it seemed better. I have just been using plain muslin to practice on, and now I\'m about ready to put one of my really old tops on. How many quilts do you have to do before you feel like you know what you\'re doing? In reading the posts it seems like everyone is so confident right away -

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Hi Libbie.. I think many of us seem more confident because we have used our dsm to move the fabric thru or on a frame,platform set up like the original HQ table frame.. or have had some kind of mid to long arm before.. we still had our learning curves.. and I used yards and yards of muslin and scraps of batting .. still do now and then to get my hand back.

You will find things you seem to do not so well, and I\'d concentrate on practicing on them with muslin and scraps.. the ones you do well. keep them up to date by practice when not using them.. suddenly you will feel \'Hey! I\'m doing it!"

Some of us took longer to learn than others.. practice your curves, lines, feathers with a dry erase on the window or board or clear plastic table cloth material.. or on newspapers, in phone books, etc.

it all helps.. Lots of good luck and loads of fun,,

RitaR

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Libbiequilts,

I\'ve been at it 14 years and still don\'t always know what I\'m doing:).

But I DO know that you\'ll reach a point in your practicing where you stop feeling like the machine is an alien, and you\'ll start feeling like it is just an extension of your hand. When you feel like you are controlling the machine, and it is no longer controlling you, you\'re good to go!

Starting on a quilt top that isn\'t your prized project is a good idea. It will feel diffferent from practicing on muslin, especially as you travel over seams and deal with intersections. Just take a breath and go for it! Everyone has a learning curve, and it doesn\'t stop at a magic point in time--it just isn\'t as steep after you\'ve been climbing up the curve for a while.

It\'s like starting an exercise program; the first few weeks are rough; every muscle hurts and you think you\'ll never see results, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes! (Not that I\'m speaking from experience on the exercise part--I need to do more of it:))

As for the table height, the legs will adjust up to 9 inches from their lowest point. Take some time and experiment with what height feels good to you. The goal is not to slouch to see where you are going, but not to have the machine so high that your wrists get bent at a goofy angle.

Let us know how we can help with other questions as you get started!

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Thanks, I quilted on my dsm for many years, and I felt I was pretty good at it. But I kept making queen size tops and it was so time consuming to quilt them on my dsm that I took the next step and bought a Lenni (after much consideration and research). So I guess it\'s just going to take time and practice. Great idea about the dry erase board or clear plastic table cloth material.

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