aktbone Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 For a newbie: can you please explain what zippers are? Maybe even a picture. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeAnn Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Here is a website that describes it better than I can. HTH! http://quiltsnkaboodle.blogspot.com/2010/04/attatching-zippers-to-longarm-leaders.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 LeAnn and Tonilyn, Thanks for the website link. I purchased the zippers at The Quilt Connection. They mark all the zippers, and have a very informative booklet for attaching zippers. I chose to not sew the quilt backing edge directly to the zipper fabric. Instead I made a smaller width of fabric out of cotton duck, and stitched the one side of the zipper to that. That way there is no wear and tear on the actual zipper fabric. I use my sewing machine (which has a built in basting stitch) to sew the quilt backing to that portion of the leader, then zip on the quilt backing. Here is a picture of one side of the zipper sewn onto my take up roller leader. Then the other side of the zipper and the smaller fabric leader (gold colored fabric) sewn onto the quilt backing. If I adjust the top thread tension on the basting stitch, then it if very easy to pull out when I clip a few of the basting stitches (dark green thread in the pic.)---and just a few pulls and the whole length of thread come off the leader and quilt backing. I have a similar zipper arrangement on the front roller. (I float my quilt batt and top)---I don't use the middle leader at all except for using it as a quilt top measuring tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Here is the front leader portion of the zipper laying on the frame after I have un-zipped it from the leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 This picture shows the quilt after it has been basted onto the zipper leader and it is zipped onto the frame leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Another picture of the take up leader zipper and the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Un-zipped from the take up leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 In this picture I have unzipped the finished quilt from the take up leader zipper and rolled it off the frame. The front of the quilt is still attached to the front leader roller zipper. Hope these pictures help. Also, it helps to have a sewing machine that can take long basting stitches or that you can elongate the stitches to at least 6.0 for sewing on the quilt backing. Otherwise you will still be pinning your quilt backing to your zippered leaders, or whatever other method you use to attach the quilt backing. I prefer to find the center of the quilt backing, the center of the zipper leader half, and sit and sew the quilt backing on with the basting stitch on my domestic machine. Hope this helps. It's difficult to get the concept until you are actually doing it I feel...since I was never very good at putting zippers on clothing, I avoided sewing zippers onto my leaders for years. But, with the Quilt Connection instructions. It was easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aktbone Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thanks so much - I am a very visual person, so your pics did the trick. The zippers seem more user friendly than the Red Snappers especially if you do not have enough extra backing. Is my think correct? Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Tonilyn, I would say so. They do eat up a bit of backing and then if you don't have enough backing to roll the red snapper under your levelor bar when starting the quilt, that gets in the way. Also a bit hard to press on if your hands are weak at all. My renters had problems with this and they would rather pin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Tonilyn, I know the gripper type systems are very popular now. You may want to try the Red Snappers. For me they were to difficult to work with. Although we tried to "loosen" them up, it didn't happen. What you may not like about the zippers if decide on them is how you attach your quilt backing to the one length or side of the zipper. I choose to sew mine on. But, my sewing machine has this wonderful long basting stitch. I increase the top thread tension so it pulls up the bobbin thread. And once I'm finished with the quilt I can clip a few places along the basting stitch and the line of stitching comes off with one pull of the thread. Sort of like some dog food bags, charcoal briquette bags, some rice or flour bags. This makes removing the stitching from the zipper leader edge very simple. I don't know if I would like the zipper leaders that much if I could not sew them on with this basting type stitch. I would probably resort to pinning my quilt backing to the edge of the zipper leader. And if you are doing that, maybe having zippers is not that handy? Not sure. My purpose in doing the zippered leaders at all is to be able to zip on a quilt, remove that quilt if I want to quilt on another one. I recently worked on a quilt that took a long time to complete, and I had other quilts I wanted to work on, but didn't want to unpin and re-pin another quilt onto the leaders. So, the zipper idea surfaced once again. Some quilters also use velcro instead of attaching zippers I don't mind pinning. I have done it for years. I just wanted to try the zippers as an alternative. And I really like the ease of using them. But, you may like the Red Snappers or similar type attaching system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 I use the Red Snappers WITH the zipper systems. The snappers are for quick loading, but the zippers also allow you to "switch out" tops if needed, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Originally posted by Sparkle I prefer to find the center of the quilt backing, the center of the zipper leader half, and sit and sew the quilt backing on with the basting stitch on my domestic machine. Angie, if you sit and sew the quilt back to the zipper leader half, don't you have to pin it before you sew it? Or does it not shift at all as you sew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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