Question: APQS newsletter: try manual mode

[Quilt Happy]

I always read all the stuff from APQS and one of the latest said to try Manual instead of SR. Manual scares the dickens out of me because unlike my domestic machine with the foot pedal, Millie keeps on stitching at the same speed, even when I cry" No, no no! That's not what I want! Aaah!" and I hit the button, any button whlie I scream something unprintable, and swear while I am ripping out. So the question is: what can one do in manual that you cannot do in SR especially if you have Quilt Glide? I don't know whether it is really worth practicing, practicing practicing. Is it just control i am after? I can't even do feathers right now or any of that heirloom stuff yet.

Am I just a wimpy newbie;) Is it just the ol' " Newbie, when I was learning to long arm, the teacher made us quilt blind folded so we could learn to move the machine at a consistent speed..."

[Busy Quilting]

Pebbles are definitely easier in manual mode.

Anything that is repetative.

I quilted The World's Biggest Hexagon Quilt in Manual mode too as I moved too fast for the stitch regulator!

Lyn

[newellyn]

Boy, with my new M&M wheels I even do pebbles in stitch regulated mode with great success!!

[Quilting Heidi]

for me anything that is small is generally easier to control in manual mode but I know what you mean about scary feeling and them no so nice words popping out! Just remember you don't have to go fast if you don't want to. It is smoother going in manual mode but if you're used to it then go for it in SR mode. I don't think there is anything you really can't do in SR mode. I think it is more the smoothness that doesn't mkae you so exhausted that is the benefit.

[Guest Linda S]

I agree with Lynda - I haven't put my M&M wheels on yet (comin' right up though), but I always used to use manual mode to do small stippling and things like pebbles. Then I got my edgeriders, and it was so much easier to do small things with the SR on. I know once I put the M&Ms on, I'll probably never use manual mode again. It can, however, be fun to just play in manual mode. Put a practice piece on, and don't worry about if you make a mistake. It can be very freeing.

[meg]

carol -

i'm with you - never used it on a quilt cause i am not that quick to press a button when things go awry.

but i have been using the manual mode on my practice piece and when i am checking stitches before quilts or between bobbins. it is so much easier for me to get lola-baby to go where i want in manual mode. it also made me more aware of the consistency - or lack of it - that i move along while quilting.

if you try it - you will not believe how nice and easy it moves - but it is scary. who knows - maybe trying it will give me the skills to stop it in time!

[WestieMom]

I was a little leary of trying manual mode for the same reasons above. I have been practicing feathers a lot because I think they're beautiful and I really want to master them. I read on this forum somewhere that it's easier to bump over the tops of feathers if you're in manual mode. So I tried it and I was so pleased with the results. I only missed one back track over one feather! I also have been practicing pebbles and micro stippling in manual mode and it's a lot easier. The biggest hurdle for me is getting consistent stitches in manual...More practice!

[Quilt Happy]

OK, time to try conquering manual mode for a while. Maybe then, I will be even more consistent in moving the machine in SR mode. What does everyone do with those yards and yards of practice muslin sandwiches? I go over every available inch so as not to waste. I don't think anyone would want them. Hmm, just got a thought: I wonder whether the Humane Society would want some for dog beds?

[meg]

humane society will put them to good use.

also, you can lay another piece of muslin over the top of your practice pieces to get a two-fer out of them. it really saves alot. then wack them up into whatever size your humane society wants and drop them off. my shelter likes them 2'x3'.

[Bekah]

Well I was forced to learn in manual as my poor girl's encoder died the day Beth and I set up for NW Quilters. Surprising how quickly one can learn new things when forced to. It turned out to be fun. Beth and I had dueling Millie's seeing who could go the fastest. I think she won but was still please with my new found skill.

[quiltlover03]

My first FREEDOM did not have a S/R and I quilted with it for 2 years, then traded up to a Freedom with S/R and find I quilt a lot of the small stitches in manual mode and sometimes, depending on the thread I use, i prefer manual mode as well.

[KathyA]

well, after the newsletter on using manual mode I went for it. I had watched the video with the M&M wheels with SID in manual and going around applique just before that newsletter. Don't have the new wheels til November but I've done manual mode on the last 2 quilts and I can actually go around applique without using any type of guide other than the edge of my finger at times. I make sure my right hand is a bit closer to the buttoms than usual and that seems to help when I need to stop. I also need to use a 8.5 speed right now. Not too slow but slow. Hope to up it just a bit as I become more comfortable with it. Next: SID consistently in manual, it's much easier to control but I get impatient and go into SR so I can go faster.