Hitomi Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 So I have been quilting a month on my new Millie. I always seem to get my cutter plate stuck on the needles that I pinned on my zippers. It's the first row when I first start sewing my quilt. Then I have a wavy quilt line on my quilt (cause I pull to get it loose). I have been pinning my top quilt about 1 finger length (like Mryna suggests on her DVD) down from my backing. Does anyone have any advise on what I can do to help getting my quilt stuck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltingjoyful51 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have learned to baste my zipper to my quilt back. I use a long zigzag stitch, easy to remove and no pins to get hung up on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I baste the back onto the leader which zips to the roller section.. Works well, I don't bleed from the pins, don't have to lean over to pin it on, and don't have to chase pins around on the floor.. My hands and back love it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Give yourself more room at the top of the quilt. Move the top down to about 2" if 1" is causing this problem. You may also need to look at the height of your levelor roller. Can you slide your fingers up to your first knuckle between the bed of the machine and the leveling roller? if not, you need to raise it. Another question.... Do you have the expanded base on when this is happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleshoes Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 No more pins for me. I've got the Leader Grips and I Love them!!!!!! I've retired my pins and zippers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCity Quilter Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I stapel my quilt to the zipper, with a regular stationary stapler. Much faster to load and unload as well as less pricks to me and I never get "stuck" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon M Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I switched to stapling my backing to the leaders.... and then I cover the pokie side of the staples with a long line of painters tape.... works great. I suppose you could cover your pins with painters tape too... might help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anniquilter Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hitomi If I can't start the quilt lower down say 2.5 inches from the zippers (perhaps because the customer's backing is not long enough) I put blue painter's tape across the back side of the needle plate & the perspex over the cutter, wrapping the tape down the sides of the machine bed. This blocks off the edge that catches the zippers. It is an easy fix that seems to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veg-girl Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 If you are really tight on the amount of backing you have then machine on a piece of spare fabric 6" wide to the backing top and bottom and then when you pin onto the leaders the pins are 6" away from the backing. I have mini leaders on my zippers sewn on made of grosgrain ribbon as I felt the machine was colliding with the zipper itself and if I take the quilt on and off the frame several times the pins fall out so I use safety pins instead and its not so easy to safety pin right next to the zip itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I use staples too to staple my leaders to the quilt. Works like a charm and I'm less likely to prick myself. I turned the base plate on the stapler so that the staple ends point out and not in. That way all I have to do is pull them out just like a pin. I've been doing this for over 3 years and I've never damaged a quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitomi Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Great! I never thought about staples. That's a GREAT idea. I will try that on my next quilt! You guys are the BOMB! I love this site. You all have such great advice and so much experience. It makes learning so much easier! Mahalo plenty!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'll also add that I stitch gross grain ribbon to my zippers so that I could staple into that and just replace the ribbon when needed. It has been 3 years and I haven't had to replace it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darlene Epp Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I've been using the zipper system for about 8 years now. The method I've settled on, and the one I find easiest and fastest is to just pin the centres of the backing to the centres of the zippers while the zipper is still on the canvas. Then I unzip, take the backing to my sewing machine and baste them on with the largest stitch. I start from the centre out on each side. Then take the backing to the machine and zip it on. NO pins to poke me or catch on anything. I'm now "full floating" the top, so only zip on the backing. When finished quilting, I just RIP the backing off the zippers (I use cotton thread). This is SO quick and easy and the quilt is mounted in 15-20 minutes. Any thread tails left on the zippers are easily removed, OR I just leave them there and pull out as I'm attaching the next backing to the zippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekah Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 thanks for the explanation Darlene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathG Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Thanks Darlene, That sound a great way to do it. !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Originally posted by Ardelle Kerr I stapel my quilt to the zipper, with a regular stationary stapler. Much faster to load and unload as well as less pricks to me and I never get "stuck" This is what I do too. Staple the quilt back to the zipper. Removal it easy. I have stapled the top, but would rather not. I usually pin the top even though I hate, hate, hate pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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