Quilt Happy

It has been a long time since I have been on this site! but here is another way to baste: Use the channel lock to make a straight horizontal line to line up the top and lay the top along the line. Then with a speed of around 9 (I sometimes use the stitch regulator) I stitch just outside the top and every couple of inches or so I stitch just at the edge of the top like a tiny "v" to tack it down. I started doing this when there was a lot of fullness and just stitching a straight line made pleats or didn't let me distribute the fullness easily. Now I just do it all the time. It really helps to take out the basting if I find I ever need to reposition anything before i get into the quilting. I just use a seam ripper to take out the 2-3 stitches for each "tack down". I baste the side edges like this too. Again, just another idea for you! Carol (Ferrari, aka Quilt Happy)

Well now, I guess this IS a MERRY Christmas! Congrats!

whew! buying a new sewing machine is worse than buying a new car! After all, when buying a new car (as usual with hubby) I can always blame part of it on him if the one we pick could have been better! There are so many things new technologies to learn about, test, figure out if one really needs them etc.etc. and the prices are so significant! Everyone says that one should bring along everything you think is important to sew and see if you like the machine. Let's see, by the time I try them all, I will have made a king size quilt and bound it, never mind trying lots of the decorative stitching. Is it me or do other quilt enthusiasts, and regular sewers have information overload like I do just looking to see what is out there now??? I have janome, elna, bernina, babylock,pfaff, viking, and even brother if I wish to drive a bit. Heavens!!!! thanks you for your input! I have read the other threads about " what is your favorite machine and everyone loves every different kind

I took it off the frame and, Voila! Heidi was right (off course) the fullness isn't noticeable! Thanks, Heidi!

where are you located?

Hi, all, I just broke my Viking Quilt Designer 2, and don't want to put a lot more money into it since they don't make the D-cards (like floppies) any more. So I am wondering about the new Janome horizon 8900 and 8200. I was reading on PatternReview.com that some were noticing that with their 1/4 inch foot, that using the single hole needle plate, the 1/4 inch was not a scant 1/4 inch but a huge 1/4 inch? Has anyone tried these machines or bought one? Dealer is an hour away, and other brands are more than an hour away and in the opposite direction! Any opinions would be appreciated!

Dear, dear Heidi, Thank you for replying! I shall just go with it. Now that I have your opinion I feel better about it, and calmer. Upon reflection, i guess if it is really too full, maybe I can sneak in an extra holly berry if it looks too wavy! Whew, I just don't have that many quilts that I have done. I kinda get quilts that the other two professional quilters with lots of experience (one has an intelliquilter) in my area don't have time for in the crunch time around Christmas. Otherwise I basically quilt my own or for charity and for friends! Thanks again! Back to work... Carol

Oh quilt gurus, please tell me what you do: I am doing a Christmas quilt where the center section has 6 x 24" pieced blocks put together as horizontal strips going one under the other. The two side sections are composed of 6 x18 inch horizontal strips if various Christmas fabrics. I am using QD Puff. The panto is a simple Christmas Holly( P Ritter's). The panto looks great on the plain fabric strips, but the pieced section is having issues with fullness in some areas. I was hoping to just panto it, but now I have felt I needed to stitch in the ditch at least ( sometimes more) around the rectangular pieced blocks. Is this being too picky? The fullness is there, noticeable to me in the second from the top pieced block. I really dont' want to have to SID. Do I just let the fullness puff with a little extra fabric not completely "filled" nicely with batting, (there are no pleats, yet) or SID along with panto? I thought QD would really fill the fullness of the blocks but it seems to not completely. Any thoughts??? Thanks!!! Carol I will learn to post photos, but can't spare the time right before Christmas!

thank you for the heads up!

gorgeous ! gorgeous!

Gorgeous is too weak a word for your quilting!

Oh that really stinks! maybe this is the time to catch up on reading, or drawing new quilting designs! Do let your family spoil you!!

great monkey! one lucky kid!

Hmm. I don't remember all them saying they needed to be tweaked when I bought my Milli 2 yrs ago. I think I remember only one company that said that. By and large the dealers usually make certain they work really well for the very reason you mentioned: customer not going home with a machine. But that said, I looked at the web sites of the major companies like APQS, Gammill, Innova, Nolting, A1. Looked for a dealer, as near to me as possible and then went to try their machine. One company's dealer that wasn't near me found out there was someone who lived only an hour away and set up for me to visit her in her home to try her machine. I had to go to more than one show too to eliminate some from the list. One company's machine vibrated too much for me at every show so I figured that was the way that machine worked. The rep confirmed that his machine vibrates " a little more" but it "didn't bother him". That machine made my arthritic thumb joint hurt after 10 minutes. Every brand of machine will need adjusting so that the table is level, wheels adjusted for the encoder, and many more things when they are set up. What was happening to your stitching that all the reps were saying "the machine needed to be tweaked"?