Zippers

[sylkamode]

Hi you all LAquilters,

Since last friday late afternoon my Millennium has arrived. And boy, what a job it was to build this one up, it took my husband and me 5 hours but now it is stable and ok.

I have tried all things out, and finally came to the part of mounting up the backing, top and batting. But there my problems started: from the book that came with the Millennium I could not see how the pinning was done exactly, from the DVD came some more information, so now I am rolling up the first bars... and ok, now I know what I have been reading in the posts of this support group the last weeks: pricking the fingers with the flowers head pins was a ongoing process, so bad, that my fabric from backing and top - even if it is a cheaper muslin to start wiht - was stained with blood. Not a good start, but it seems everyone is going through this fase.

I have read in the posts about the Zippers, and think these would be a great idea, but what kind of Zippers are suitable for the 12' Millennium? I have seen many kind of zippers on the website where shey sell them, and cannot come up with the one I specially need.

Does any of you 12' Millennium owners uses the Zippers? How many should one need ( for all three bars? ) and which ones are suitable for purchase for this size of table?

I hope you can help me. I find this support group great, because even before I have received my Millie, I have learned a lot from you gals!

Sylvia Kaptein

Sylka-Mode

www.sylkamode.com

[Stagecl]

Go to "The Quilting Connection"...Elkhorn, WI...262-723-9775...don't know the website, but you can access it from the APQS website on the home page.

You can't live without zippers:) especially when you need to take off a customer's quilt to delay quilting it for some reason or another. It save you from unpinning and repinning. There is a zipper for each leader. You'll need one complete set and at least with just the one side (can't remember the name) to zip on to the leaders with the zippers.

For a 12' machine, you will want 126" zippers.

For pinning, I use corsage pins and some quilters use T-pins. I don't like the t-pins because they leave such large holes. I should also mention I do use regular sewing pins. The flower head pins are too fine to hold up for a long time and are pricier.

Cheryl Mathre

Stone Creek Quilting

Sandy Hook, VA

Cheryl Mathre

Stone Creek Quilting

Sandy Hook, VA:)

[Melody]

I just bought mine at Innovations, anxious to put them on and give them a try!

[sylkamode]

Thanks Cheryl and Melody,

I will look into it, I have heard they are the world!

Sylvia Kaptein

Sylka-Mode

www.sylkamode.com

[ramona-quilter]

Sylvia,

Be sure and have a friend help you install the zippers. 4

hands are better than 2, these zippers are l-o-n-g.

I HATE pins. So I zigzag stitch my zippers to my quilt back

(top and bottom and my quilt top (bottom only). That way,

the only pins I use are for floating my quilt. Blood on a

customer quilt is a definite no-no. Although, the spit (ugh)

of the bleeder will remove a blood spot if caught before it

dries.

You will probably want 1 machine set which comes with 1

quilt set of zippers. I have 4 additional quilt sets, too,

because I like to keep a practice quilt with zipper ready and

I try to zigzag zippers on to the next quilt(s) I will be working

on.

Where to get zippers:

http://www.aquilterschoice.com/products.htm

http://www.apqs.com/zipsystem.htm

http://www.longarmconnection.com/Our_Products.html

[Guest Linda S]

Zippers are the way to go! If you have a sewing machine that can do chain stitching, you're even better off. This is the kind of stitch you see at the top of a pet food bag. I have a chain stitcher and stitch my tops and backings to the zippers. When I'm done quilting, I snip the end of the stitching, give it a pull, and off it comes. That chain stitch machine is the best thing I ever bought (well, next to my Liberty!). My zippers were the first think sewed on my longarm. I've never pinned a quilt on the machine.

Linda

[Stagecl]

Linda,

What a good idea. I always have problems pull the right string on the pet food bags...I end up in knots. My machine is too old to have a chain stitch. As the Bernia salesman said to me at Quilting on the Waterfront...don't sell you Pfaff until it dies (and it is 25 years old and still running like a dream). It definitely will be awhile until I get another DSM.

Cheryl Mathre

Stone Creek Quilting

Sandy Hook, VA

[ckirk]

Linda,

Please tell us about your chain stitch machine. Brand? Where did you buy it? I just installed the zippers on my Millie as I figured I could add an additional quilt/week with less time at work pinning quilts. The chain stitch machine would save time too.

Thanks,

Cathy

Quilting Cowgirl

APQS Millennium

[Mary Beth]

Linda,

Since you told us about your machine I have been researching machine with the chain stitch feature. So far I have found the Singer Touch and Sew, that you mentioned, and a Sears Kenmore - don't know which one. I stopped by our Janome dealer to pick up my machine after it was serviced and asked if they knew of any - of course they did not - except one serger they have that will chain stitch if you don't thread one of the needles....I think. I am still looking.

[mxley]

Mary Beth,

I believe a true chain stitch uses only one thread - the serger's chain stitch uses both a needle and a looper thread. It does not pull out like a true chain stitch! At least mine doesn't, LOL.

Mary

[Mary Beth]

I had asked one sales rep if she knew of a machine that did a chain stitch, she had that deer in the headlight look and a sickening sweet smile and said, "no". When I went back to pick up my machine I asked a different sales rep and she said that the "Cover Pro" (I think) would do a chain stitch if you threaded it a particular way, and she showed me a serger called a Cover Pro. She had just attended a seminar and they talked about it there and she didn't know about it until the seminar. I don't want to spend that much money just for the chain stitch feature, and I don't use a serger - I have an old one that just sits in the corner. I'll just keep my eye out for a Touch and Sew.

[quiltaholi_518]

I have a childs machine that does a chain stitch. Unfortunately the feed dogs on it are worthless. But just pull from the un-loopy end and away it goes. I pin the zippers on myself, while watching TV at night..........

[dancingstitcher]

I'm ordering four sets of zippers. Thanks guys.

[annlittle1]

Mary Beth,

The Singer 758 Touch and Sew has a chain stitch capability. I just bought one on eBay, but I paid way too much for it. There was a bidding war for it in the last minute of the auction. I was outbid in the last twenty seconds and trying to bid again. My bid was going to be $61.00, but when I typed it in I didn't erase one of the previous numbers--my final maximum bid was $561.00. Of course, I won! I about had a heart attack until I realized that I had won it for $137.00. It was more than twice what I wanted to pay, but it was a lot less than my $561.00! DH laughed, but I hear about it now and then from him.

I haven't cleaned the Singer yet and set it up for chain stitching. I've still got to find a place for it.

Does anyone but me have problems sewing the zippers onto the quilt/back? It seems that if I stitch it from one end to the other one the fabric shifts down. Therefore, its not centered. I've tried starting from the center and stitching to the ends, but it still seems to shift. I'm hoping that won't happen when I chainstitch it. My hands are always torn up from the pins so I'm determined I'm going to find another way to load the quilt/back than using pins. Anyone have a suggestion?

Phyllis Hughes

Liberty

Oklahoma City

[Guest Linda S]

Your machine is too old? I have a Willcox and Gibbs Chain Stitch machine that dates from about 1930. It's a beauty. I think I've posted the picture here before. I bought it on Ebay. Let's see if I can find the picture.

I love this little champ!

[Mary Beth]

Phyllis,

You are too funny. Thanks for the info. I have been watching E-bay, but haven't bid because the shipping and the machine are about the same price. Since I have not purchased my zippers yet, I am stopping at garage sales on my way home from work to see if they have a machine....my chances of winning the lottery are about the same;) Anyway, my DH would not have heard about it if I would have bid wrong:D

Have a great day,

Mary Beth

[Shirl]

There is a plastic gun with little short plastic ties, hooks, or whatever you call them (they are like the plastic ties that price tags are put on clothing in stores only these are very short) I forget what they are named. Anyway some use those and just snip them off after the quilt is done. I tried them and must NOT have applied them correctly because I hated them. But there are people who love them so you might want to give them a try. Maybe someone out there

knows what they are called. Good luck.

Shirley

[quiltjunkie]

Oh Linda,

I have that exact same sewing machine and I thought that would be great for the zippers but the tension it wrong or something and it knots up in the back..maybe I have it threaded wrong BUT I don't know what is correct. Could you get a couple of pics of how you have it threaded??? After trying the zizzag on my DM I went back to pinning, it was slower and harder to get off the zippers when finished. AND then there's the issue of ripping the zippers with the seam ripper.

Thanks in advance..you could email direct if you wanrt.

Hester:cool:

[Bekah]

Linda what a darling machine. I would like to have one just to stare at from time to time.

I bought the zippers at Innovations but haven't gotten the courage to try to put them on yet. I still have the granddaughter's quilt pinned on. I did 2 ours of frogging lying under the table with my flashlight and picker Sunday. My girlfriend came over yesterday and we spent 2 hours the 2 of us she on the top and me underneath getting all of the tension nightmares erased from the quilt so I have a new slate today. I am going to see if she will help me next week put the zippers on, I imagine four hands are better than two:P

[ramona-quilter]

Hester,

I don't use the seam ripper to pull my zig-zag out of my

zippers.

I use that thin little razor that does seam ripping. Don't know the manufacturer.

It has a skinny little curved blade that fits under the zigzag

stitches and does not snag on the zipper fabric. It glides

thru the zigzag like butter. It takes me about 5 minutes to

get all three of the zippers off. I would prefer the chain

stitich if I had it. The zigzag does leave some thread in the

zipper. But I can "lint-roller" it out or pcik it out while watching TV.

[Guest Linda S]

Hester - here is the link to the online manual for the Willcox and Gibbs machine -- it will tell you how to thread it and a lot more!

http://www.needlebar.com/manuals/willcoxgibbs/index.html

Linda

[Cherie Walters]

I have a Janome domestic sewing machine. It was a 21st birthday present (but that was about 25 years ago - and now you have my age) - but it came with a bobbin that slipped in where the normal bobbin goes and allowed the machine to chain stitch. It uses top thread only, and the stitching pulls out like a dream.

The DSM is a Janome, model XR VII. There is no way I will be getting rid of this machine - it makes attaching and detaching zippers a dream!

Cherie in Australia

driving a modern millie

(Millennium with CQ)

[quiltjunkie]

Linda & Linda

Thank you both and I have that seam ripper that looks like a razor. If I can't get the chin stitch to work I'll give it a try.

Thanks again to both of you,

Hester:)

[annlittle1]

Mary Beth, I wouldn't have told DH either except we share the eBay account and all the emails go to him! I figured I'd better tell him before the email came to him. One of these days I've got to get my own eBay account. But then I'd lose all my feedback I firmly believe that DH doesn't need to know about everything that I buy.

Phyllis

[Irishquiltr]

Hi Sylvia,

I have been thinking about buying the zippers also, and I think, contacting APQS and talking to one of their saleshelp people will be your best bet. Linda and Mark, are both excellent, in answering questions for your needs.

You mentioned using flat head flower pins. Have you considered using T-Pins, that are used in Macreme' to attach your backing and top to the canvas. I use 2 inch pins and you can purchase them at Staples Office Supply. Staples carries the 1 1/2" on their shelves, but will special order the 2 inch size for you. They run about $3.98 per 100, and are well worth the price. Just make sure you have them in a straight line across the bottom edge of your attached fabric to canvas because if you hit one, it will break a needle.

Keep smiling,

Lyn Shipman