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Rebecca Grace

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  1. 2013 APQS Millennium 26" Long Arm Quilting Machine in Excellent Used Condition, Recently Spa Serviced w/Quick Change Hopping Foot Upgrade added (2019), w/newer 12’ Deluxe Frame (2017), “M” Big Bobbin, Bliss Track, Power Advance, Quilt Glide & Custom LED Overhead Lighting.

    Includes all Original Accessories:

    • Original Shipping Carton for Machine Head
    • Turbo Bobbin Winder
    • Spiral Bound Assembly Instructions
    • Flash Drive w/Digital Owner's Manual & Getting Started Videos
    • Spiral Bound full-color printed version of the owner's manual

    Plus ~$1K worth of additional Accessories that were purchased separately:

    • Hartley Ruler Base
    • Horizontal Spool Holder
    • 5 Quick Change Hopping Feet (Closed Ruler Foot, Open Ruler Foot, Closed Free Motion Foot, Open Toe Free Motion Foot, Scoop Foot)
    • Spare M Bobbin Case
    • TOWA Bobbin Tension Gauge
    • 130 Size 4.0 Industrial Needles (plus about 25 additional needles in size 3.5 and 4.5)
    • Needle Alignment Magnet
    • Bracket for mounting laser at front of the machine
    • Texas Hold 'Em Bracket (lets you remove quilt top roller bar if you prefer to float your quilts)
    • Brand new set of 126" zipper leaders, never used

    Selling because my husband surprised me with a newer long arm machine for my birthday, and I only have room for one machine! I've moved the APQS machine into my dining room temporarily where it is set up and available for buyers to demo. We will help you with taking everything apart and loading it into your truck or van. Will consider all reasonable offers.


    $11,500 with Local Pickup in Charlotte, NC, or Buyer to arrange shipping

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  2. This 2013 Millie was recently "Spa Serviced" in 2019 with all wear-and-tear parts replaced, every part of the machine inspected, cleaned, & readjusted to factory standards.  She's in immaculate condition, stitching as beautifully as the day she rolled out of the factory.  New M size "Big Bobbin" hook and upgrade to accept the newest 2019 style Quick Change feet were installed in 2020.  Includes all standard machine accessories, industrial turbo bobbin winder and manuals as well as:

    • 12' Deluxe Frame (new in 2017)
    • Automatic Quilt Advance Upgrade
    • Quilt Glide Upgrade
    • Bliss Track Upgrade
    • Custom LED Light Bar
    • Hartley Ruler Base Expander
    • Additional Hopping Feet: Complete set including True Quarter-Inch Ruler Foot, Scoop Foot, Sneaker Foot & Clog Foot
    • TOWA Bobbin Tension Gauge, Style M
    • Texas Hold 'Em Bracket Gives you the option to remove the quilt top bar and get it out of your way when floating your quilts
    • Horizontal Dual Spool Holder for using spools of stack wound thread rather than cones
    • Spare Bobbin Case, Style M
    • Spot-On Laser Bracket for mounting laser at front of the machine
    • Set of 4 Grip-Lite Side Clamps
    • Set of 126” Quick Zip Zipper Leaders, new in package, never used
    • 130 new Industrial Needles in size 4.0, plus about 25 more in sizes 3.5  & 4.5
    • Full color, spiral bound printed version of Owner's Manual (printed from the digital version that comes on a flash drive)
    • Full color, spiral bound Assembly Instructions
    • Original APQS Shipping Carton included for safe packing & transport of machine

    Available Immediately for Local Pickup in Charlotte, NC (Ballantyne area, zip code 28277).  

    After doing some additional pricing research, I've decided to lower my asking price to $11,500 OBO for this long arm set-up that has a retail value of over $24K if everything was purchased new.  I previously had this machine listed as a package deal with IntelliQuilter computer robotics, but I have now sold the IQ system separately so this ad is for a machine that is NOT computerized (but the buyer has the option to add either APQS' Quilt Path or 3rd party IntelliQuilter robotics on their own).

    Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, or if you’d like to see additional pictures.  I'm selling because my husband bought me a new long arm machine for my birthday.  As you can see, Millie has been moved out of my studio to make way for the new machine and is set up in my dining room temporarily, so buyers can demo and "test drive."  We can assist with taking the machine apart and loading it into your truck or van.

    Serious inquiries can reach me by email: Rebecca@RebeccaGraceQuilting.com or by phone at 704-609-4594.

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  3. Hi, Holly.  Thanks for your interest.  I have a couple domestic Bernina sewing machines that I love, and I have a birthday coming up in a few days.  My husband bought me a Bernina Q24, so that's my reason for selling.  Honestly, I test drove the Bernina for fun when I was in the shop for something else and it seemed like a great machine (must have mentioned to my husband that I liked it when I got home), but I'm a little nervous about giving up my Millie that I'm so comfortable with and going into the unknown.  Hope this isn't a mistake.  At first I thought I'd be able to move my IQ to the Bernina and at least my robotics program would be the same with just a new machine to get used to, but Zoltan at IQ is unbelievably backed up with orders and the install kit to put IQ on a Bernina requires parts out of Hungary that he can't get right now...  Short answer to your question is no, there isn't any problem with my APQS machine.  I feel like I know that Millennium inside and out, totally confident about what she can do but I can only fit one long arm machine in my studio and the Birthday Bernina will be here next week.  I hope I don't realize a couple quilts in on the new machine that there are features or capabilities on my APQS machine that I rely on, that are not on the new Bernina!  Also feeling very freaked out about giving up IQ for the Bernina Q-Matic system that I haven't had time to fully investigate -- don't know whether Q-Matic has features comparable to IQ's Tweak for fine-tuning border fits and precision alignment of tricky pantos, for instance, but I have client quilts waiting and I can't just be without computer robotics indefinitely.  If you have other questions about the machine, feel free reach out to me by email (Rebecca@RebeccaGraceQuilting.com) and then we can exchange phone numbers. 

    As for shipping: I have the original carton and packing material for the machine head, but the challenge is the 12' frame.  Those frame rails don't come apart, and they are 12' long.  Way too big for FedEx or UPS, it would have to be some kind of crating and freight shipping that I don't even know where I'd begin to do that.  If the buyer wants to arrange for freight shipping on their end, I'm fine with that.  I don't know where you're located but the best option might be to take a one-way flight to Charlotte and then rent a van one-way to drive it back to wherever you live.  

  4. This 2013 Millie was recently "Spa Serviced" in 2019 with all wear-and-tear parts replaced, every part of the machine inspected, cleaned, & readjusted to factory standards.  She's in immaculate condition, stitching as beautifully as the day she rolled out of the factory.  New M size "Big Bobbin" hook and upgrade to accept the newest 2019 style Quick Change feet were installed in 2020.  Includes all standard machine accessories, industrial turbo bobbin winder and manuals as well as:

    • 12' Deluxe Frame (new in 2017)
    • Automatic Quilt Advance Upgrade
    • Quilt Glide Upgrade
    • Bliss Track Upgrade
    • Custom LED Light Bar
    • Hartley Ruler Base Expander
    • Additional Hopping Feet: Complete set including True Quarter-Inch Ruler Foot, Scoop Foot, Sneaker Foot & Clog Foot
    • TOWA Bobbin Tension Gauge, Style M
    • Texas Hold 'Em Bracket Gives you the option to remove the quilt top bar and get it out of your way when floating your quilts
    • Horizontal Dual Spool Holder for using spools of stack wound thread rather than cones
    • Spare Bobbin Case, Style M
    • Spot-On Laser Bracket for mounting laser at front of the machine
    • Set of 4 Grip-Lite Side Clamps
    • Set of 126” Quick Zip Zipper Leaders, new in package, never used
    • 130 new Industrial Needles in size 4.0, plus about 25 more in sizes 3.5  & 4.5
    • Full color, spiral bound printed version of Owner's Manual (printed from the digital version that comes on a flash drive)
    • Full color, spiral bound Assembly Instructions
    • Original APQS Shipping Carton included for safe packing & transport of machine

    Available Immediately for Local Pickup in Charlotte, NC (Ballantyne area, zip code 28277).  

    After doing some additional pricing research, I've decided to lower my asking price to $11,500 for this long arm set-up that has a retail value of over $24K if purchased new.  I previously had this machine listed as a package deal with IntelliQuilter computer robotics, but I have now sold the IQ system separately so this ad is for a machine that is NOT computerized (but the buyer has the option to add either APQS' Quilt Path or 3rd party IntelliQuilter robotics on their own).

    Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, or if you’d like to see additional pictures.  I'm selling because my husband bought me a new long arm machine for my birthday.  As you can see, Millie has been moved out of my studio to make way for the new machine and is set up in my dining room temporarily, so buyers can demo and "test drive."  We can assist with taking the machine apart and loading it into your truck or van.

    Serious inquiries can reach me by email: Rebecca@RebeccaGraceQuilting.com or by phone at 704-609-4594.

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  5. I'm really glad I removed the thread cutter from my 2013 Millie, too.  I never use it, and I bought the Hartley ruler base from APQS designed for machines without a thread cutter.  Fits perfectly. The smaller, non-thread cutter ruler base doesn't tip on me like the one that fits the ruler base did, and I like the smaller profile.  Less weight is helpful for me when doing hand guided quilting as well as pantographs, because a lighter weight machine changes direction more easily when doing a long, sweeping curve or something like that where you need a little speed.  Flashbacks from physics class long ago, object in motion wanting to continue in motion, yada yada...  I know that Mass was in that inertia equation somewhere!

  6. I have to update because, although I was happy with my Texas Hold 'Em bracket when I was floating my tops and doing hand guided ruler work with my Millie, I've since taken it off my machine and put the quilt top roller back on.  I added IntelliQuilter to my machine and have been experimenting with pinning my tops again (partial float method) because it seems like that helps with E2E designs that are scaled densely and need precise alignment between rows.  But I'm keeping my Hold 'Em Bracket -- it only takes a few minutes (and an extra pair of hands) to take the bar on or off the frame.  I like having the flexibility to change up my frame setup depending on what I'm doing.

  7. With IntelliQuilter on order for my Millennium (YAY!!), I'm planning to launch my quilting business within the next couple of months.  Would like to start off well organized and in control of paperwork and inventory.  I've been looking at Quickbooks as well as the industry-specific Machine Quilters Business Manager (MQBM) program from Eureka, but please tell me if there are other options I should consider.

    What software do you use in your business, and what are its pros and cons?

    I really like that MQBM is already set up specifically for a home based long arm quilting business, calculating your per-square-inch rate and various ways of charging for thread, batting, binding services if offered, etc., as well as how it enables you to keep track of the quilts you have in house waiting to be quilted or delivered, which designs those clients have selected, etc.  And it also tracks your thread and batting inventory, which it appears (looking at the QuickBooks web site) that you can only get in Quickbooks if you go with the $70/month plan.  Ouch!  MQBM software is a one-time cost of only $225.

    The one thing that intrigues me about Quickbooks is that it looks like it can be set up so that clients can pay directly from the electronic invoice they receive, but there's a footnote disclaiming that "this feature requires the Quickbooks Payment Service, sold separately."

    Was leaning heavily towards the MQBM software to keep startup costs reasonable and because this software would be so easy to set up myself, allowing me to focus my brain cells on learning my new IntelliQuilter system rather than spending a lot of time trying to learn how to set everything up in Quickbooks.  But when this topic has come up in other forums periodically, I'm surprised by how many quilters are using Quickbooks for their businesses.  Has anyone written a current guide on setting up Quickbooks for a long arm quilting business, and if so, which version of Quickbooks is recommended?

    Thanks in advance.  :-)

     

  8. Gail, which version of Quickbooks are you using for your inventory?  Looking at the Quickbooks web site today, it looks like you only get inventory tracking capability with the $70/month subscription based version.  The desktop version of Quickbooks seems much more affordable with a one-time purchase of $299, but Inventory is not listed in the available features with that option.

  9. Katydids, you misunderstand me -- I have a 2013 Millennium with the older hopping foot style, two tiny screws at the back of the hopping foot and the feed have a long, skinny ankle.  My original hopping feet look like this peek-a-boo foot:

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    I ordered the parts kit to retrofit my "Legacy" style machine so that it can accept the new quick change feet after the conversion.  The instructions from APQS for doing the conversion are 37 pages long, (all different models are covered in the same instructions), and the conversion kit includes the new Quick Change style True Quarter Inch foot.  I'm looking forward to being able to change the hopping foot "as easily as changing a needle!"  :-)

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    Here's a link to the Quick Change Upgrade Parts Kit in the APQS store for Legacy Millennium, Lucey & Freddie machines: https://shop.apqs.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=55DCD584A3B8416BAF9D1612A61311C3

     

  10. Okay, considering removing the thread cutter from my 2013 Millennium because I don't use it and suspect I would find my machine even easier to move if she dropped a couple of pounds.  The only reason I hadn't done that yet was because my acrylic Hartley ruler base wouldn't fit anymore without the thread cutter -- but I saw a thread in the forum from 2012 with several members talking about "Donita's ruler base" that you use instead.  I googled "Donita ruler base" and came up with Donita Reeve's site -- is that what you're talking about (see pictures of Donita Reeve's ruler base below)?  There are no dimensions given for her APQS ruler base and I'm not sure how it attaches to the machine.  I'm wondering why people chose this ruler base instead of the clear acrylic Hartley base that APQS has, and what the advantages/disadvantages would be.  I see that she says the beveled edges of her base do not get hung up on the side clamps like the Hartley base does.  Is this ruler base big enough to support larger rulers, like Bethanne Nemesh's French Curve rulers in her Garden Lines collection?  Does this actually screw on through the stitch plate screw holes, or does it clamp onto the machine in some way?  And finally, if I remove the factory installed thread cutter from my Millie, will Donita's ruler base for APQS machines without thread cutters fit my machine without additional modification?  The main thing I dislike about the Hartley base is that if I accidentally lean or press down too hard near one of the front corners, the whole thing tips up while I'm quilting.

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  11. I just discovered that there’s a kit available for converting my 2013 Millie to accept the new Quick Change feet.  I hate changing the old style feet on my machine with the two fiddly screws but haven’t had a chance to see how the newer feet work.  The conversion kit is $200 but it comes with the true 1/4 inch foot that I really want ($140 if I buy the version that fits my machine now).  So not much more to upgrade to the newer style.  Has anyone else done this?  Anyone seen the difference in person — is it really faster/easier to switch the new style feet?  I usually just leave the same foot on my Millie all the time, but would definitely use specialty feet if they were easier to change out without disrupting my creative flow.

  12. I can't figure out how to delete this ad, but my 2013 APQS Millennium is no longer for sale.  It's all Jessica's fault at APQS Tech Support -- decided to upgrade to the 2019 style Quick Change hopping feet and remove my thread cutter, and I am so much happier with my machine now that I decided not to sell it, after all.  APQS has the best tech support ever! And I LOVE that APQS makes these newer features available so we can update our older machines at such a reasonable cost.  THANK YOU!  :-)

  13. Oh my gosh, Jim, thank you SO MUCH!  I am sending you a great, big bear hug over the Internet.  That was my problem -- I'd watched Jamie Wallen's tension video on YouTube where he recommends a really loose tension, and I had my tension balanced with my bobbin set at about 160.  I reset my bobbin to 200 per your suggestion and increased upper tension to rebalance my stitch, and the problem disappeared instantly.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.

    Two related questions: 

    1. I have been using my TOWA gauge on a stable table surface when I take my readings, but I recently read where another long arm quilter was recommending holding the gauge vertically against a wall to take a "correct" reading.  I can see how that better mimics the way the bobbin case is oriented in our machines and the impact of gravity, etc., but it results in a very different tension reading (by about 50) versus taking the reading with the TOWA laid flat on a table.  My suspicion is that, when I'm consulting a bobbin tension guide from Superior Threads or getting TOWA tension recommendations here in the forum, those are based on readings with the TOWA set on a flat surface.  Is that correct, or am I the only person on the planet who hasn't been holding her TOWA gauge up against the wall?

    2. I have the M hook on my Millie, which has a little pigtail guide that APQS recommends "in most situations," per the user manual.  But I'm finding that, if I thread that little pigtail, it puts significant additional tension on my bobbin thread and limits my ability to fine-tune the bobbin case tension.  Should I just ignore that little pigtail altogether or am I missing something about how to use it properly?  I think I remember reading that the pigtail guide is meant to ensure that the bobbin thread is aligned correctly when the hook comes around, to prevent skipped stitches, but I have never had any skipped stitches on my Millie, regardless of whether that little pigtail guide is threaded or not.

    Thanks again for the help -- this forum is such a wonderful resource!

    Rebecca Grace

  14. I know that a long arm machine is never going to stitch identically in all directions, but I've been seeing drastically different stitching in a ruler work border that I was stitching yesterday and it's making me nuts.  What can I tweak to improve this?

    This is quilt shop fabric top and bottom (both from Free Spirit Fabrics), Quilter's Dream Cotton Select batting, new 3.5 needle, So Fine #50 in the needle and Bottom Line in the bobbin.  Bobbin case tension was adjusted to Superior's recommendation for Bottom Line using a TOWA gauge, then adjusted top tension per Jamie Wallen's method (so you see the bobbin thread pulled to the top, and then back off slightly until the bobbin is just barely visible through the needle holes so you know it's going to settle inside the quilt sandwich).  I'm doing ruler work so I'm running the machine fairly slowly, and have tried slowing down even more (in case this is a needle flex issue) but it doesn't seem to make a difference.  The stitches look great in both directions on the back of the quilt but if I try to solve the flat line stitching by lowering my top tension, then the opposite line of stitching gets messed up.  I have also tried loosening my quilt on the frame.  

    I know I've heard mention on this board of inserting the needle turned slightly to the left or right rather than dead centered.  Would that help with this issue, and if so, which way should I tweak my needle -- to the right or to the left?  What else might help?  

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  15. Hi, Jim.  My quilt top is very heavily pieced and scrappy, so lots and lots of seams and seam intersections to stitch through for the SID (see photo below).  Fabrics in the quilt top are mostly Free Spirit Fabrics printed cottons like Kaffe Fassett Collective and Anna Maria Horner, etc, with a few hand marbled fabrics from Marjorie Lee Bevis mixed in here and there -- those are similar to batiks.  My quilt top is also heavily starched throughout the piecing process, not sure if that makes a difference for dulling needles (but it definitely makes a difference in helping me piece a square, accurate quilt top with nice, sharp points).  Quilt batting is Quilter's Dream Select Cotton, and the backing is another print from Free Spirit Fabrics.  Nothing crazy there, either.  I'm using a 4.0 Groz-Beckert needle, regular kind -- my APQS dealer advised against the titanium needles on the grounds that IF they do break, they can cause more damage than the regular needles.  The only thing I can think that would have dulled my needle faster than normal is SID through all of those thick seam allowances.  Also, since this quilt is a skill-builder for me, I'm quilting it a lot more heavily than i would if it was a customer quilt.  In the photo below, only the SID has been done in the area you can see but after that I started adding ruler work and FM.  I know this would look great with a panto and it would be a lot faster and easier to do it that way, but I specifically wanted to practice and improve SID, ruler work, and free motion fills, so I'm in the process of "quilting it to death," as they say.  Using Bottom Line in the bobbin with So Fine in the needle, if that makes a difference.  And I know that the timing, hook/needle bar etc are good because we just went through the whole battery of Spa Maintenance with Tech Support before this quilt, when we changed my hook from the L to the M and retimed.  Everything that can possibly be checked, adjusted, worn out or replaced has been done to this machine and she is purring along like a happy kitten!  :-). Of course, it's possible that the needle was a dud right out of the package, too...

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  16. When I had my new owner training, I was advised to put in a new needle at the start of each quilt, but my dealer said that sometimes if they are small quilts you can wait until after 2 or 3 quilts if you're not experiencing problems.  That's great advice if you're doing typical pantograph quilting, but I've learned the hard way that dense custom quilting through lots of thick seam allowances wears out a needle a lot faster.  I put in a new needle at the beginning of this quilt, did all of the SID, and then got about a third of the way through with ruler work and FMQ when I started thinking that the stitching sounded different, like the needle was punching through the quilt sandwich instead of gliding through easily.  If I'd been on my domestic machine I would have changed the needle right away, but I thought I must be imagining things since my APQS uses "industrial" needles that are so much stronger...  And I was remembering that "new needle with each new quilt" advice, so I thought I was imagining that the stitching sounded different and kept quilting.  Well, within another hour or so of quilting, I started getting white threads showing up on this purple print as I was quilting it, from the dull needle twisting the fabric yarns as it struggled to get through the quilt (this was most noticeable on fabrics that were significantly lighter on the wrong side compared to the right side of the fabric).  And then, when I advanced the quilt, I saw batting pokies where the dull needle point pushed batting right through the needle hole.  Lesson learned!  

    I'm still very much a beginner, and this is my first quilt that I'm quilting so heavily.  So I'm curious -- those of you who do a lot of heavy custom/heirloom quilting, how many needles do you go through on a single quilt?  Is it normal to wear out multiple needles on one custom quilt?  I'm not using the titanium needles -- my dealer advised against them because she said they cause more damage to the machine if/when they do break or something like that.

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  17. Jim, here's a video from Jamie Wallen (Quilter's Apothecary) that explains this hybrid operation mode: https://www.longarmtv.com/longarm-cruise.html.  On HandiQuilter machines it's called Cruise Mode, on Innova I think it's called Start Speed, and on APQS it's an upgrade option called Quilt Glide.  You're operating the machine with stitch regulation, the only difference is that when you stop the machine head, the needle pulses up and down rather than coming to a complete stop.  I tried it last night with some tight back and forth fills and really loved it -- much smoother operation than quilting that particular fill in pure regulated mode, yet the stitch regulator is giving me those beautiful even stitches.  Love love love!!  From the APQS Facebook forum feedback I received, it looks as though you cannot adjust that idle needle pulsing speed independently of the stitch length on the new style APQS machines, but that's okay with me because the pulsing speed that the machine defaulted to worked just fine for me.  :-). 

  18. The only video I could find on the APQS YouTube channel for Quilt Glide was about 10 years old, and they were demo'ing the brand-new Quilt Glide feature on the old style beige Millennium.  On that machine, Quilt Glide had a button that you turned slightly to engage the feature at a slow speed, but then if you turned the button more you could increase the needle's idle speed and fine tune it to what you were doing.  I have a white "new style" Millennium, a 2013, and instead of a button or knob like that I just have a Quilt Glide button to engage or disengage this feature on my touch screen.  On my machine, the same buttons that increase or decrease stitch length in stitch regulated mode are used to increase or decrease the motor speed in manual mode.  Surely APQS did not take away the ability to adjust stitch length and Quilt Glide idle speed independently when they came out with the new touch screen interface, did they?  What am I missing?  To clarify, I am trying to figure out how I could set a low Quilt Glide idle speed in conjunction with a relatively short stitch length, so that the machine doesn't cycle up and down quite so fast when I stop moving it.  Is there some other knob somewhere that does this?  Is there a newer video or tutorial that I overlooked?  

  19. Thanks, Linda.  I cut up a pool noodle to elevate the front end of the rods, and that works as long as I don't knock into it with my arm.  However, on the current quilt I happened to have a much wider backing than normal, about 8-9" on either side of my quilt top, and I'm finding that keeps the clamps far enough away from my ruler base that I don't need to use any rods or yard sticks to elevate the clamps.  Problem solved... :-)

  20. When I first got my new-to-me 2013 Millennium, I also got these metal curtain rod-type aluminum bars from my APQS dealer that can be threaded under the Velcro cords of the side clamps, resting on the quilt top roller in front and the leveling bar in the back, to lift the clamps just slightly at the sides of the quilt so the clamps don't hit the ruler base on my machine when I'm doing ruler work.  Brilliant, simple solution.  I have since learned that others do the same thing with actual curtain rods, yard sticks, etc.  

    However, after trying full float versus partial float on several quilts, I decided that fully floating works best for me.  And the quilt top roller bar with no quilt top ever pinned to it was really in my way, especially when quilting with rulers, because that bar requires you to lift your wrist at an awkward angle when holding a ruler near the bottom of your work area (closest to your tummy).  So I ordered the Texas Hold Em bracket from APQS, took off the top roller bar and stored it, and I'm loving everything about it except ONE thing -- Without that quilt top roller that's the same height as the leveling bar, what do quilters use to keep their ruler base from hitting the side clamps?  Does anyone have a solution for that, or do I just have to make the quilt backing that much wider so the clamps are farther away from the edges of the actual quilt?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

    Rebecca Grace

    2013 Millennium, 12' frame, no computer

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