Hello! Please forgive me. I am so sorry and I did not mean to seem rude. I have been overwhelmed with work this week and have not been back here.
Thanks for the kind words, Connie.
Rebecca, Thank you. I'm so glad my post is helpful to someone.
I found the information at this site helpful, though I didn't follow it exactly. I read a few blog posts at various sites to become comfortable with the process.
http://quiltsnkaboodle.blogspot.com/2010/04/attatching-zippers-to-longarm-leaders.html
What I finally did was to mark the center of each zipper part; my leader's centers are already marked.
Next, starting at the center, I pinned the zipper to the take-up leader starting from the center and working out to each end. I faced the pins to point toward the center since I'd be removing them as the machine got close. I tried pinning part of it with the pins crossways/perpendicular to the zipper, but I don't think that made it any easier to pull them.
Then I pinned the other half of the zipper to the front leader. I did not have a strip of fabric pinned between the leaders as shown in the link above because my leaders are fairly new and the edges are the selvedges of the canvas so I knew they should be straight. If you are not sure about yours, then the method shown at the site linked above may help. I just zipped mine together after pinning, so my leaders were zipped to each other. That way I knew that much was installed correctly. LOL!
Finally, using my channel locks (My machine does not have them build in, so I use spring clamps to keep the wheels from moving.) so your machine will only move side-to-side with the zippers zipped together and the leaders taut between the bars -- probably one "click" firmer than I roll a quilt top for quilting -- I stitched from the center out to one end, then came back and stitched from the center out to the other end on first one leader, then the other leader. Because either your leaders are straight or you have pinned along a straight line created using the method at the link above,
If you are also attaching a zipper to the front bar for the quilt top, then unzip the two leaders, and zip the remaining half zipper to the take-up leader zipper. That way you know you've got the right one -- and pin that zipper half to the third leader, again starting at the center and working to the ends. Just as before, roll until the leaders are taut between the bars, and stitch from the center to each end.
Voila! Zippers attached and you standing there all proud and wondering why you waited. LOL!
Some notes: You can attach the quilt back to the zippers using whatever method you prefer, pinning, hand basting, or machine basting or chain stitching on a serger or chain stitch machine -- completely your choice.
Some people attach the quilt back and top directly to the zippers. Others, like me, choose to attach a leader to the zipper (mine are 6 inches wide) to keep from wearing out the zipper edge and because the zipper edges are a bit harder to pin through than the leaders I attached.
I read a great tip from someone here, I believe, and I am sorry I didn't make note of who that genius is, but you can save time and confusion if you color code your zipper and leader parts. Using strips of ribbon or permanent fabric marker, or whatever method you think of, mark the take-up leader with a color, say blue. Now also mark each of the zipper halves/leaders that will zip to that zipper with the same color. Mark the front leader as well of all the zippers/leaders that will zip to that one with a different color. Be sure to put the ribbon or whatever marking on the top side of each so that you would see each matching color when they are zipped together. In fact, zip them together before marking to be sure you've got it right. Now when you go to attach your quilt back to the zippers/leaders, you will know exactly what to attach where and to which side without any trouble. Thank you, thank you to whoever posted this idea.
With all batting, the scrim goes next to the backer---so it faces down. With that said, most scrimmed cotton batting has the scrim buried within the layers. The fibers are needle-punched into the scrim (a sheet of very strong and very thin polyester) and the key to placement is the direction of that needle punching. Your machine needle should go through in the same direction as the needle punching. So look at the batting---one side is smoother and has tiny visible holes (dimples). The other side will be rougher-looking and a bit raggedy (pimples). So the rule is "show your dimples---up---and hide your pimples---down". Another way to tell is most batting is folded with the "good" side out, just like fabric. That good side goes up and the uglier side down---look for the center crease/fold line. Make it a mountain instead of a valley when it's loaded. Poly batting may have a chemical scrim---an application of a chemical that bonds the poly fibers on only one side. That side feels much rougher and it will be placed next to the backer. Hope this is helpful.
You have several things to look at---it doesn't have anything to do with the brake. First, make sure the backers you load are perfectly on-grain. This can be done with tearing the fabric instead of rotary cutting. If it's always on one side, your rollers may not be perfectly parallel or level. Just a small bit high on the right side will cause that side to roll tighter, which magnifies with every advance. Use a long level to check for horizontal level. Then adjust the bolts that attach the roller to the frame until the roller is level. Unfurl your leaders when you check for level so you are on bare metal and not the canvas. The front roller can also be off as far as distance between the take-up rollers. If the right side is farther out, it will roll tight on the right side. The solution is looking at the bolts that fasten it to the frame. You need to count the bolt-threads on each bolt, left and right. If the numbers are off---make them match. You can also count the bolt-threads on the back roller attachments if you don't have a long level. Finally, your leaders may be un-square/off. There are lots of tutorials that show how to fix warped or saggy leaders. Usually having (or making) a straight edge, then pinning the leaders together works well. Pin them, spritz them with plain water, tighten them, and let them dry. Hoping this is helpful!
CinFar reacted to ValerieJ in Finally installed zippers
