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Day Three and Quilt Two


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Yesterday was day three with my long arm. I was just starting to get really into intricate feathers and heirloom work on my domestic and I have to say - it's more than a little frustrating to go backwards in terms of free motion. If I've learned anything though, it's that the only way to learn is to do. I remember being so happy with those initial wonky looking feathers when I first made them on my domestic...and I did them on EVERYONE's quilts! Hahaha - so I am just going to keep going...and hopefully they start to get as good on my long arm as they are on my domestic. :)

Here's quilt number two. It's my Mom's quilt - I pieced it for her eons ago and it's not my best I hate to say. It was my frist experience with Y seams, I hadn't been quilting long, and there were a lot of Uh-Oh's. My parents are pretty much parents and love anything I do - and I knew they would allow me to experiment on this...so I just feathered the whole thing. When I started they were AWFUL! But by the time I got to the bottom of this queen sized quilt they were looking much better! I still have a really hard time getting back to the original line I sew for the spine...but my bump-bump's around the plumes are getting there.

Can anyone tell me - can you go right to left then left to right with no issues? My feathers left to right look great! But going the other direction not so much. Would you just finish a row left to right since it looks better, break thread, then go back to the left and start it over again in the same direction to keep them all looking good or should I be able to flow right on to through the next row in the opposte direction? ANY tips to make these look better would be appreciated! EVERYONE wants feathers, including me, so I HAVE to get these down!

Thanks - and here's a pic! More on my blog - pumpkinpatchquilter.blogspot.com

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Those feathers are great.

You'd never know you're a newbie.

Here's a great piece of advice a quilty friend told me many moons ago...

"If you can't see it riding by on a galloping horse, it's not noticeable."

Repeat this 3 times while you are warming up your machine.

It really is true.

The only way you'll get them all looking as you like them is to keep practicing.

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Wow, you're jamming on those quilts. Way to go! I'm not familiar with the longarm yet, and I know you'll get great advice on this topic. I did read something about the direction that the bobbin turns has an effect on the stitch when going right to left (I think that's right). I know on my DM I only went from left to right. Best of luck. By the way, I saw your work on your blog. Fantastic, can't wait to see what you do when you master the longarm.

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I too think you are doing great! You are doing it right, ppp. That really is the only way to learn it and before too long you'll be looking back and saying wow why did I think that was hard? As for going left to right, right to left, sometimes you will see a change in your bobbin thread but if you tweak your tension just right you should be ok. I say do what is comfortable and works for you and forget the "rules." LOL If you are comfortable doing them only in the one direction then do that. If you can do them in both directions hats off to you. I can do bump bump bottom up and then I start back at the beginning for the other side or I do both sides at once which took a little practice but I can now do. I can finally do hook feathers in both directions but it makes me thinking harder! LOL

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Thank you all for your encouragement, it really means more than you can know!!! There are about five people in this area who have long arms and I only know one of them well but I don't want to wear out my welcome asking her too many questions!!! She already helped me quite a bit in purchasing my long arm.

Wow, you're jamming on those quilts. Way to go! I'm not familiar with the longarm yet, and I know you'll get great advice on this topic. I did read something about the direction that the bobbin turns has an effect on the stitch when going right to left (I think that's right). I know on my DM I only went from left to right. Best of luck. By the way, I saw your work on your blog. Fantastic, can't wait to see what you do when you master the longarm.

Thank you!!! I am really excited and truthfully - I am very passionate about quilting, but it is also my escape. I've been a stay at home Mother for ten years and I'd go buggy if I didn't have soemthing to do. You really sacrifice a bit of yourself when you stay home as your isolated from people and nobody rewards you with a promotion for your successes in parenting or housework!!! Lol* I was always very artistic and this is that creative outlet for me that I desperately need. I also really enjoy the social aspect of quilting...I get to meet and chat quilts with people and it's wonderful! :)

I too think you are doing great! You are doing it right, ppp. That really is the only way to learn it and before too long you'll be looking back and saying wow why did I think that was hard? As for going left to right, right to left, sometimes you will see a change in your bobbin thread but if you tweak your tension just right you should be ok. I say do what is comfortable and works for you and forget the "rules." LOL If you are comfortable doing them only in the one direction then do that. If you can do them in both directions hats off to you. I can do bump bump bottom up and then I start back at the beginning for the other side or I do both sides at once which took a little practice but I can now do. I can finally do hook feathers in both directions but it makes me thinking harder! LOL

Thank you!!! I truly appreciate this. I think the biggest hurdle to overcome for me is going to be planning ahead. I have no stitch regulation and I just need to know where I'm going before I go. I am so grateful for your help and everyone on this forum. I honestly might have passed on this particular long arm if there wasn't a place like this to come and ask questions and get inspiration!!!

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Keep practicing! I found that in my experience it's a little difficult to transition from domestic to longarming. You're having to retrain your brain and muscles. I had to force myself to follow a panto for a whole (Large) quilt before I felt I could follow the line accurately with my laser. In the beginning I was much more comfortable with free hand leaves than anything else. Don't be so critical of your work either. I think you are doing great...better than I did in the beginning. I would think it's also more difficult without a stitch regulator.

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Thank you!!! I truly appreciate this. I think the biggest hurdle to overcome for me is going to be planning ahead. I have no stitch regulation and I just need to know where I'm going before I go. I am so grateful for your help and everyone on this forum. I honestly might have passed on this particular long arm if there wasn't a place like this to come and ask questions and get inspiration!

I often mark a chalk line just to show my path, use school chalk, and then the thinking is out of it for me.

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I often mark a chalk line just to show my path, use school chalk, and then the thinking is out of it for me.

OH you smart girl you!! Good advice...so many things are on my mind because it is so new I didn't even think of that!!! DUH!!! I generally mark where I want my feathers when I'm quilting any other time on the domestic...hahahaha. It's kind of like driving for the first time..."seat belt, check! Rear view mirror adjust check! Keys...where's my keys...." ;) THANK YOU!!

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OH you smart girl you!! Good advice...so many things are on my mind because it is so new I didn't even think of that!!! DUH!!! I generally mark where I want my feathers when I'm quilting any other time on the domestic...hahahaha. It's kind of like driving for the first time..."seat belt, check! Rear view mirror adjust check! Keys...where's my keys...." ;) THANK YOU!!

LOL yup good analogy! You're welcome!

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The driving analogy is so right! I go through the checklist every time I quilt. Ok, changed the thread, bobbin's full, clamps on both ends, needle is good, yep, I think I'm ready!

Your feathers look great. I've had my machine for 2 years and mine don't look that good!

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I started out only being able to do "nice" feather plumes by going one direction and then going back to the begining and doing the other side the same way. I could go "up" but not back "down" the spine and could go "left" but not "right". I could do the bump bump feathers better than any other style. Then I heard about practicing on a white board. By using the white board to "draw" feathers and other patterns I could practice the muscle memory. I spent 10 to 15 minutes each day with the markers and white board. I draw the same size as I would stitch and use my arm rather than wrist to draw. Soon it was easier to go all directions. When I had one style of feathers looking acceptable when going all directions I would practice on fabric. I still warm up using the white board before doing a new design on a quilt. It is much less frustrating to "erase" my marker than it is to "frog" on a customer's quilt.

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Thanks guys! I do the white board technique - well - I do it on a sheet of paper so if I do something good I can keep it! LOL* My problem right now is getting back to the center. I'm doing well with bump bump feathers and getting over the bump in the plume, now what I'm struggling with is the spine. My spines are all crazy and liney!!! When I first did feathers on my domestic I did the same thing - I did two or three quilts and just feathered them all...they didn't look amazing, but by the time I was done with the last quilt...my spines were consistent and ONE solid spine! So I think I'll get there. I tightened up the handles too and that has made it SO MUCH better! What a dummy I am! It's almost been a week with my machine so we're still getting to know each other...but I sure can't wait until I can produce some of the gorgeous feathers I'm seeing on this board!

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