dlnewell Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 When any of you quilt something intended for serious quilt show competition, do you always use stitch regulator mode or manual? I use SR almost all the time, but notice that sometimes the stitches aren't always the same length. I've gone through some machine adjustments with Amy, but still notice some variation in stitch length. How picky are judges when it come to consistency of stitch length, and do any of you with millies notice some variaton when using SR? I don't want to bother Amy if some variation is normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I have been quilting for someone who enters alot of shows and seems to win alot of ribbons....I always use my SR and have found there is some variation in the stitches which apparently is not a big deal when it comes to judging...but the variation is not big....I have just recently noticed that some of the stitches are getting bigger and did an adjustment of moving the SR wheel and the carriage wheel closer which seemed to help....but with hand guided machines, it is very hard to reach perfection....I am looking forward to the day when hand guided LA quilting is not competing with computerized quilting - but that said....still the stitches will look the same with the SR on either way. If you come up with something that helps them be even more consistant, please let me know.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 My Penny Lenni does the same thing.. about 2 inches before they get back to the selected size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I have used both SR and non SR for my show quilts. I usually get good marks in the stitch length but even quilts that I've done 100% with the SR I have not gotten perfect scores! Wow them with the quilting and don't stress too much about the size. Oh and by the way a lot of the big winners use a very small stitch length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I think even in SR mode, extremes in speed (extremely slow or extremely fast) will result in different sized stitches. But, I think SR quilting has a big advantage over non-SR in the judging area, unless someone is an absolute expert at non-SR consistent stitch length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I think there is a place for non-stitch regulated quilting, but not on a show quilts unless you are doing micro-stitching. Stitch length issues would be a concern when your quilt makes the "last five" cut and the judge is trying to find something to separate one from the pack. By that time, a magnifying glass is being used and I ( personally) would be more concerned about starts and stops showing and wobbly binding, rather than stitch length. Those are my weaknesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlnewell Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Thanks for the input ladies. I'm wanting to do a wholecloth to enter into our guild's judged show next year, and didn't want to put in a lot of work only to find out that stitch length was not consistent enough. Amy had walked me through adjusting the screws at the back of the machine that connect the SR/ mother board, or something about a year ago, which greatly improved the overall consistency. I was just wondering if I should do some more adjusting, or leave it be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 There are plenty of people who enter quilt shows and win big ribbons who don't have a stitch regulator. Some of them don't even have a longarm! If you have a stitch regulator, it's a wonderful tool to use. If yours isn't working right, you need to be persistent with APQS until you get it stitching beautifully. One of the biggest points of pride with APQS is their stitch regulator, so make sure you get yours working right. I think when they don't hear back from us, they assume our problem is fixed. It seems that whatever is wrong with your machine is not solved by the original fix they gave you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 mmmm I think tension is a bigger issue than perfect stich length Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss jacque Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 No SR and I still place, anywhere from 1st to Judges choice. My stitches are never EXACT but I agree I think there are more negative comments for tenion and starts stops than stitch length. Just my experience. Jacque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnnHoffman Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Even stitch length and tension are very important. Your start and stops are very important. SR just makes your life easier when stitching in the ditch and going around appliques or crosshatching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.