GrandmaLKB Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 I'm fine with the L bobbin, but would love a open toe foot. Depends on the cost !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Orr Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 I would definetly have to buy an open toe foot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Yep, can't wait for the new foot to come out. I have a lot of clients that will want this upgrade. zeke................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 As long as I can change the feet over OK myself pretty quickly, then an open toe foot is a must for me !!! I struggle to see in that closed foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Nancy, Some newer machines will be ble to transfer to the Big Bobbin without changing the gearbox and requiring a trip back to the Spa. Beginning this spring, machines began shipping with the newer gearbox. If your upgraded Freedom is one of those, you would be able to change to the Big Bobbin for $290. To tell if your machine has the new gearbox, you will need a flashlight. Look at the metal faceplate of the gearbox, which is right behind the hook assembly. (The hook assembly is the part of the machine into which you snap the bobbin). If you see the letter "C" engraved on the front of the gearbox, your machine can accept the Big Bobbin without changing the gearbox. You also asked about the advantages of the different feet. A low profile foot (similar) to what George comes with) gives additional visibility of the needle. however, it makes using rulers more tricky (not impossible, but definitely it requires more care). an open toe low profile foot would be ideal for detail quilting where ruler work is not required--again, greater visibility. An open-toe tall template foot would add to needle visibility and allow for ruler work, but with the front of the foot absent the ruler would have to be held behind the foot or to its side. We are still working on a trapunto foot, which would have a smaller diameter opening so that the foot could get close to the double batting layer without riding on top of it. Since the opening would be small, that foot would not work for general quilting due to needle flex-too great a chance the needle could flex so far that it would strike the foot. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parm Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Linda R, I own a Gammill Optimum Plus and HQ16, both M-class bobbin machines. Both have wonderful tensions. All longarms will have tensions issues if one doesn’t know how to adjust the machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Originally posted by Parm Linda R, I own a Gammill Optimum Plus and HQ16, both M-class bobbin machines. Both have wonderful tensions. All longarms will have tensions issues if one doesn’t know how to adjust the machines. No offense meant, Parm. I have used a Gammill and also a Fusion and they are great. The larger bobbins many times need to be adjusted half-way through to keep a good stitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Dawn, will we be able to change from our old foot to, say, the new open toe tall template foot ourselves? I own a Liberty (2005 I think) and would love this feature. Is there a projected cost for the feet and installation if required. And just because I've been curious...do people actually box up their macines and send them back to APQS for servicing? Isn't that VERY expensive? How long are the machines gone for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachside Quilter Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Oma: I sent my 2008 Millennium head back to the factory last year to have Quilt Glide installed. It cost me $100 by UPS for shipping from Florida to the factory, plus the cost of the Quilt Glide upgrade and I had them do a tune-up while it was there. The cost for the tune-up was very minimal. Well worth the effort, in my opinion! The turn-around time was about 7 days total including shipping both ways! Amy suggested that I make an appointment ahead and that is the way I handled it. They even replaced parts that I didn't know needed attention!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alnaquilts Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Dawn, thanks for the explanation of the benefits of the new feet--now I get it! :-) Does an adjustment or upgrade need to be made to be able to get the new feet, or will they attach to the current machines? I'm thinking an open toe foot would be very useful! Looking forward to hearing more about it! I'm going to go check and see if my Freedom has the new gearbox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Nancy, if your Freedom was "born" since late March/early April, it should have the new gear box, which also means it already has the new hopping foot. If so, you'll be all set when APQS starts releasing the new feet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Orr Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Dawn, The top tension of a sewing machine controls the quality of the underneath stitch in your quilt, and vice versa the bobbin tension controls the quality of the stitching that you can see on the top of your quilt. It is the top thread that is being taken, by your rotating hook, around the bobbin case (lower thread) and then pulled back up. Too little top tension will not bring the lower thread far enough, too much will pull the lower thread right through both layers of the quilt. Less bobbin inertia equals less necessary bobbin tension. Less bobbin tension then enables you to quilt with less top tension. The result is the beautiful stitch that is synonymous with all APQS long arm machines. How will the "Big" bobbin impact the smart bobbin and the stitch quailty of that the system is know for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Thanks Vickie, maybe my little lady will have to go in for a spa date one day. I'm hesitant to say she purrs like a kitten because you know what can happen if you go there. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alnaquilts Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Dawn and Barb- My gear box has the C, so now I have the option to get the feet or the big bobbin. Nice to have both options available!! I'll wait and hear how people like them before making any decision. Just thinking, would there be a reason to have both gear boxes so you could switch back and forth depending on your needs, or is the gear box more of a permanent part of the machine? I only quilt for myself, so the L bobbin works fine for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 The gear box is a VERY permanent part of the machine - can only be changed at the factory! So be glad you got the one you have, since that makes your switch to one of the new feet "practically painless." As to the "Big Bobbin" vs. our "Smart Bobbin," I would wait and see what other quilters experience here on the forums after switching - you can always do that later, if you decide you want to go longer between bobbin changes. (Just between you, me and the lamppost, I like the break that I get at every bobbin change - get to go check the forums on my "quilting computer"!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiltsinmotion Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 I have the "C" engraved below where the bobbin goes , silly me I thought APQS engraved the "C" because of my name .:P:P just kidding of course I am not that important . Also knew that my old machine didn't have the C , been curious to what it meant , mystery sovled what is the yardage amount difference between Big Bobbin the one we use now ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Carol, the yardage on a bobbin varies widely, of course, depending on the weight of the thread wound on the bobbin, and whether it's a prewound or a self-wound. The SuperBobs from Superior, loaded with Bottom Line (60 wt. thread), hold 118 yds on the L-size and 215 yds on the M-size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Hi Debi and friends, Barb has been doing a great job of keeping up with questions:). You are exactly right about how the top and bobbin work together to form the stitch. the top thread travels completely around the bobbin case as it is carried by the hook assembly, before meeting up again with the bobbin thread to complete the stitch. For those of you who have never seen the hook work, here is a video link showing how this happens with an APQS machine (it comes after the discussion on needle flex): I put the new Big Bobbin through some rough tests, using a variety of threads on a variety of fabrics. The threads included King Tut, Rainbows, Signature and So Fine just to name a few, along with pre wound and self wound bobbins. As a firm believer in the physics behind our Smart Bobbin and its ability to give us beautiful stitches (as is evidenced by the hundreds of top awards APQS quilters have received through the years), I wanted to know what to expect from the Big Bobbin as the Education Director as well. I have also taught and sewn on enough M Bobbin machines to understand the tension struggles that can be encountered with them. I am convinced that the design of the APQS sewing head allows us to have much greater success with tension with our Big Bobbin. First, the Big Bobbin fits on the drive shaft that was created for our Smart Bobbin. This puts the hook assembly very close to the needle plate and hopping foot, reducing the distance that the top thread must travel as it wraps around the hook assembly. Second, the simple thread path of our machines keeps the top tension requirement small, even with a Big Bobbin. It allows the user to adjust tension on top to compensate for a larger bobbin without suffering thread breakage common with fragile threads on other machines. Each bobbin will meet the needs of different types of quilters. For example, even though I have done my fair share of overall designs through the years, I am pretty much a custom quilter. I switch thread colors a LOT, both on top and in the bobbin. I prefer to have a smaller bobbin with smaller quantities of thread on it--as it is I probably have 50 bobbins already with various amounts of bobbin thread wrapped on them...I just can't bear to peel off the thread to wind a different color! And I love the responsiveness of the Smart Bobbin for all of my detail work. That said, several of my local long arm buddies to whom I refer the customers wanting overall quilting will greatly appreciate being able to quilt more passes before changing the bobbin. It is great to now have an option:). Oma, you can install the interchangeable foot yourself. It does require a little patience as you must remove the hook, then slide the gear shaft back slightly so that the current foot can drop down out of the machine. Once the interchangeable foot is in, you will need to replace the hook and retime it. All do-able:). As soon as we hear back from the machinist regarding the production of the interchangeable feet, we will let you know pricing and when they will be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 I'm quite happy with both my small bobbin and my hopping foot just as it is. Love my little Liberty. She's a great workhorse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Me too, Linda, but when I do ruler work my ruler hangs up on the back of my foot. I can only use the ruler on the sides and the front. I was hoping a new foot would correct that problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 I installed an "M" bobbin system on my Ult2 last fall. I didn't see any difference in the stitch quality between the "M" and the "L". It sure is nice to change the bobbin half as often. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Originally posted by oma Me too, Linda, but when I do ruler work my ruler hangs up on the back of my foot. I can only use the ruler on the sides and the front. I was hoping a new foot would correct that problem. Oma, there is a little hump on the back of your hopping foot, that is where it is welded together. You can take a dremel tool or small file and gently file that bump down. Make sure you place a rag between the foot and the throat plate so that no shavings get into the hook assembly. After this, you will be able to use rulers at the back of your current hopping foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Crikey, I don't like the sound of having to remove the hook and retime each time you want to change a foot. This would not be an ideal situation to change foot from quilt to quilt. I suppose you could use an open toe foot for most type of work except for ruler work, but even so, that is alot of work that scares me to put a new foot in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Janette, You won't need to change the foot by retiming the hook each time, only the first time. The shaft of the interchangeable foot is in two pieces instead of one single piece as it is now. Once the two-piece foot is in, you will only change the bottom portion from foot to foot by removing two screws on the foot, slipping the new one in place, and tightening the screws again. It is similar to changing a screw- on foot on a domestic machine except that there are two screws on these feet due to the high speed nature of the machine. I am with you...I wouldn't want to retime my machine each time, either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 WHEW !!!! :P:P Even doing it once scares me.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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