dianne31331

Are you quilting in the same direction with every pass?  This might be causing your quilt top to shift slightly.  Pin or stitch basting would help; or changing direction with every pass.
 

Your hopping foot pushes the fabric in the direction you are sewing, so as Laura and Connie suggest sew in both directions.  Jim

Are your leaders square or have they stretched (doesn't take a whole lot)?  Quilting right to left then left to right is a great practice if you are comfortable going both ways.  I will be back to check on you all tomorrow.

I don't know about that brand but there are Red Snapper side clamps that look like they are similar.  I've seen others use them but I don't have them.  I'm going the DIY way - I got some paint stir sticks (free) and some leftovers of the grippy kind of shelf liner.  The liner goes next to the fabric and then a stick on top and bottom.  I clamp the "sandwich" using my two existing clamps on each side.  Seems to work fine for me at no cost.  

If you plan to do all SID first, start in the center. That's where the most fullness will live and where the eye focuses first, so it needs to be flat and symmetrical. The big issue with this is what happens to the rest of the quilt when you start in the middle. You'll need to float it, so secure the top edge of the top with pins (don't stitch it down because you may need to re-position it later). Then advance to the center, smoothing as you advance. When you reach the center, adjust so it's symmetrical then stitch baste or pin baste horizontally above and below the center. Then baste the entire top, stepping out from the center and keeping areas straight and flat. You will immediately see where else there is fullness and needing extra care. I've quilted over twenty Judy Niemeyer quilts as a pro, and none of them was flat---ever. With it fully basted, you can start anywhere you like, but I'd do the center first. Also, you aren't stuck with doing all the SID first if it involves a lot of thread color changes. You can SID and custom quilt a section at a time. The photo is my latest---Dinnerplate Dahlia. Good luck and have fun!

I agree with Jim.  If you tear a top stop and see if the customer has any of the same fabric for you replace the damaged piece with.  Consider supplying the label for the backside of that other one.  We’ve also offered the quilting at no charge even when we have made the above repairs and have always gotten paid anyways.  Be honest with your customers and most will be more than fair with you.  
 
Nigel

I would be inclined to not charge for the job, or at least offer to do the next quilt for no charge, since it was my fault the quilt was harmed.  Do you think it's good business to offer discounts for bad work?  Just my thoughts.  Jim

What a beautiful quilt. I wish I could do work like that. I just do not have ideas in my head like most creative people. I have a Lenni and just the basic machine no computer or bliss table and have not been able to quilt real good yet. Maybe someday.

I'm a true Glide fan. To my mind that's the best thread to work with.

I call myself the 'cobbler with no shoes'  because I quilt for everyone else except me!  
So my goal was to make a quilt for our new house,   our new bed....
 
I wanted calm neutral colours reminding me of sand or pebbles.....I made this quilt  using the pattern "Sweet Garden" from Carolina Patchworks.    I was intending to make the entire king size with this pattern -  and I did.  Then I hated it, so I chopped 2/3s of the pattern off and added white for some neutral breathing space.  
 
Simple quilting in between the blocks.   
And then I got carried away in the white.     [
 
 

I also notice that occasionally I will see where there is some shifting even with basting both left/right sides with each advancement.  When quilting right to left consistently..the stitches and pull of the machine going over the quilt, will make the top shift ever so slightly.  To avoid this, quilt from both directions... right to left next row left to right.  Some panto patterns will make this difficult to do both directions.  I haven't found another way to do panto's to avoid the shifting.  

You should be able to adjust your M&M wheels so that you have a nice smooth ride. I've added a post from a much earlier thread that may help you to properly adjust your wheels.  It may also be that you have one or more wheels that have bad bearings - call Amy at APQS Service, she can help you figure that one out.  You should NOT have this much trouble moving your machine!  And never feel like you are bothering anyone here - that's what this forum is for.
Proper Wheel Adjustment.pdf

I was struggling with machine movement issues also so put in a call to APQS and talked with Dawn C. herself! She was incredibly helpful. The biggest aha! piece of information was testing each wheel on the carriage individually to see how tight it was. First she had me loosen both sets of wheels. Then for each wheel, I held the machine still and tried to turn the wheel without moving the machine. The goal is to have each of them giving about the same amount of resistance. I found that mine were very uneven, so went back to adjusting the tightness per the instructional video. I had done this many times before, but this time I was able to fine tune things instead of trying to figure out if I had made things better or worse just by feel. I would recommend a call to APQS while you are at the machine with your tools handy while someone talks you through this. I hope this helps.
Carol

You get a more professional response to your questions here. I was surprised by the number of folks advocating using sheets for backing on FB. Plus no politics or alternative facts here. Only wish the more recent responses were on top and didn't have to wade through several years of responses. Some old ones are still helpful so don't want to dump the old.
 

I charge .12 per linear inch to just sew it on one side with my DM, .25 per linear inch if I sew it on and then hand sew it down, so to do it entirely by machine I'd go somewhere in the middle...? I'd rather spend my time either longarming or doing my own quilts so I charged what I thought was more to try and discourage people from asking, I still get one now and then.

This is one I just finished for a friend.  She pieced the quilt and I quilted it.    I thought it turned out really well.  I used Quilter's Dream Batting, and light gray thread on top with white on bottom.

This small quilt is a gift for a new mom to be's baby shower next weekend. I've known this lady for about 25 years since she was about 12. It took her a long time to meet Mr Right and now they are expecting their first - a little boy. This pattern is a MSQC and is in the tutorials. 2 charm packs used with poly blend batt and glide threads. 

Baby quilt I made for a friend. Nursery is done in these colours and theme is sheep

Legally, you can send a registered letter to the customer stating that unless payment is made within xx amount of time (60 days where I live but I think 90 days elsewhere) the quilt becomes your property to sell to recoup the quilting fees. You'll be surprised how quickly they can find the cash!
 
If they still can't pay, you have to hope that the quilt will sell. Or donate it to whatever charity you like. Get a valuation from the charity for tax purposes.
 
I wouldn't be a bit concerned about losing a customer--she lost you as a quilter through her own actions.

Have you used the Red Snappers and do you like them or is another product that works better?

Yayyyyy! It worked! I can post pictures!!!

Your quilt is beautiful. I would be interested in getting this pattern. Where could I get it?

Hi - I'm not sure if this thread is active, but is there a pattern I can purchase for this quilt?  It is so beautiful.  Thank you.

Here's the last quilt of the year off the frame. It had lots of fullness issues so I had to heavily quilt it. I also got to use my quiltazoid to make the stars. I also meant to put a star in the middle but I forgot. There's so much fabric under there though that its probably best that I didn't try.
Jess

Mariners compass by butterflyjess03, on Flickr

image by butterflyjess03, on Flickr

image by butterflyjess03, on Flickr

image by butterflyjess03, on Flickr

Hi. Had same issue with Cover Chaco Liner.  Do not use any heat or vinigar solutions as this sets the colour pigment.  I was able to remove the stain  with  “Folex” a carpet spot remover.   Just spray on, agitate lightly by rubbing finger nail over area and plot dry  with paper towel.   I suggest to test this on a same piece of scrap fabric with batting first.   It worked for me as i had the pink lines left on the white fabric patch.