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Basting with compuquilter


Cherie Walters

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  • 1 month later...

Grammie Tammie,

You can use any pattern in CQ or scan your own basting pattern for the basting, & then turn the motor/stitch speed down.

Usually I will do this free-handed if I am just doing a baste job.

Start writing down your questions, Chris is ready for *YOU*!:P

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I am so excited Linda. I am reading my CQ manual now. I'll have a list of questions and a quilt top loaded and ready to go. 20 more days seems like a lifetime.

My room is packed but we will manage. Can't wait till my honey gets the add-on space completed.

PS. Make sure I know what his favorite drink is so I can have it on hand. Does he like Cajun Gumbo?

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Hi Linda and Grammie

Like you Linda I have always basted manually. But when I tried it with compuquilter with the machine speed low I struck a problem........

When I baste manually, I have the motor speed turned right down. When the needle goes into the fabric, I pause slightly, then when it comes back up I move on. To anybody watching, the motion would look very smooth, but in reality it is not - And this is why I have trouble basting with compuquilter..... The axis drive motors move the machine head at a constant rate, and because the speed is turned right down, the fabric gets pulled by machine head movement while the needle is in the fabric. I have fiddled with machine motor speed and axis drive speeds at both the black compuquilter box interface and on the millie as well as in the software program, but I can't fine the appropriate combination.

There would be no real need to draw or scan a pattern for compuquilter for basting. The 'outline' facility is perfect for setting the pattern up. When I baste I go left to right, then down 3 inches - right to left - down three inches and repeat this until the x direction is filled with lines, then without cutting the thread, I go up, across 3 inches, down, across three inches, up etc until the y direction is filled with lines. I then break the thread and move the quilt on for the next area. Now, how easy is that to do with 'outline'! All I need now is help to find the correct balance of machine head movement and stitch speed so that the fabric isn't pulled. If I turn the machine speed up a bit, my basting stitches are a bit small. I feel in my heart there must be a happy combination of machine speed and machine head (acix drive)movement that will work, is's just finding it!

Which leads me to the question - how long do others make their basting stitches - maybe I could have them smaller, but my clients have always expressed happiness with the length I am doing (maybe half inch).

Any suggestions happily received

Cheers

Cherie in Australia

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Hi Cherie and everyone

One of our new CQ owners here worked this out while I was with her. She lowered the motor speed on the muschroom head and also the speed dial on the head to 70% (I think). She just ran the straight line stitch in repeat patterns. It looked great but the grid you mentioned and an "S" curve would work as well.

Best wishes

Sue

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  • 2 weeks later...

While your on the subject, I am interested in how to.

I have an Aunt that was wanting me to baste one of her quilt tops for her to load in her hand quilting frame. But I don't have a CompuQ. I have never done this and would like to get some info on how to do this before attempting it blindly. Any suggestions???

Quilting Fairy & Tinkerbell 2

Northside Quilt Shoppe

Midwest Quilting

http://community.webshots.com/user/qfairy

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Hi,

I'm new at this, so I hope this isn't a dumb question. Do you bast with water soluble thread? Seems like that would be easy and you wouldn't need to pick out the basting. I haven't used that type of thread before, so I don't know how strong it is or how easily it dissolves. My mom wants me to bast one of her quilts so she can hand quilt it. She suggested I try it on hers. Anyone already use this method?

Thanks,

MJ

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Hi MerryJo

You could use water dissolving thread if the customer wanted to wash the quilt after it was quilted. You may have to buy it in specially though and this might not work out economically viable if you don't do that many basted quilts.

I use good quality thread with looser than normal tension.even though its going to be pulled out. Something slippery is easier to pull out and I use a very light colour. No greens or reds which, if its not good quality thread, could bleed if it got wet, or at least leave small tufts in the fabric.

I don't do basting now for customers though because it takes just as long to load a quilt for basting and nearly as long to quilt it as it does to load one to quilt edge tp edge and mostly the customers baulk at the cost!

Sue in Australia

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