pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I am getting a little frustrated to say the least. Is anyone out there stitching without a stitch regulator and getting great results? I feel like every post I read people are talking about how they love their stitch regulator...and I bet I would too but I can't afford it right now. I'm hoping I can get good enough to take in customer quilts but I'm starting to wonder a little!! I do better when I slow down the speed but I get better flow and stitch size when the speed is fast. I'm getting a little nervous! When I slow down my feather plumes become square again!! ARGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 When I first started quilting I quilted on a domestic machine - free motion. I had no stitch regulator on it. Before long my stitches were very consistant and people were in awe that I had no stitch regulator. If you will concentrate on your head speed movement, you will get very consistant with your stitches. Good luck! You will do fine!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I RARELY use my stitch regulator! I suppose I should practice but I never feel like thats what I want to use.. Funny huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I started out like Sylvia on a domestic, moved up to an Ultimate 2 (no stitch regulator). I used the Ult 2 for some time before I upgraded to an Ultimate 1 with intellistitch. I had such a time going to a stitch regulated machine. The intellistitch kept beeping at me for going to fast! It took time to learn to slow down, but in time I got it down. So give it some time and practice and you will have your stitches looking the same throughout the whole quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jandcembroidery Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I installed a stitch regulator on my DM when I was using it. It only slowed and sped up as I moved, never came to a complete stop. My Freedom that I just got dosen't have a stitch regulator on it. I've been told by people that have used stitch regulator that they prefer without and had better results. Some even mentioned the faster their machine was set the better the flow they had. I plan to master without myself. The great work you did on the blog pictures prior to longarm, you will do awesome work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I installed a stitch regulator on my DM when I was using it. It only slowed and sped up as I moved, never came to a complete stop. My Freedom that I just got dosen't have a stitch regulator on it. I've been told by people that have used stitch regulator that they prefer without and had better results. Some even mentioned the faster their machine was set the better the flow they had. I plan to master without myself. The great work you did on the blog pictures prior to longarm, you will do awesome work. Aww thanks. I am just feeling frustrated I think as you said going from domestic to long arm. I feel like I've paid my dues for years with that sewing machine and it's really hard to go back in time so to speak. I am experiencing just as you said - getting better flow with faster speeds...and I was wondering if that was normal. When I set it at about an 8 or a 9 I feel like I have more control over movement...but I'd like to be at a 5 or a 6 for feathers...but at that speed my round shapes go square because the time it takes to sort of "bump" the machine head into the right movement is too long. Ahhh well. I am finishing up piecing the backing for another quilt top I had laying around. I really love this quilt so I'm hoping it will turn out good. I'm going to do some loops and leaves because those seem to do well - and I'm going to try turning the quilt to do the borders...eeep!!! I haven't tried that yet!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty quilter Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I also started on my DM machine. I just had to find a good rhythm. My longarm does not have a stitch regulator either. It does just take practice. If I am quilting in smaller spaces or it is a more intricate design, I slow down the speed. I have had people who have seen my quilting say that they can't believe I don't have a stitch regulator. Put a practice quilt on, have a glass of wine and go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jandcembroidery Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 I also started on my DM machine. I just had to find a good rhythm. My longarm does not have a stitch regulator either. It does just take practice. If I am quilting in smaller spaces or it is a more intricate design, I slow down the speed. I have had people who have seen my quilting say that they can't believe I don't have a stitch regulator. Put a practice quilt on, have a glass of wine and go for it! not a bad idea. I might have 3 or 4; then I won't know if the stitches are bad or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 The gal at Sew Kind of Wonderful quilts beautiful quilts with a standard Gammill without a stitch regulator. I've been quilting a few years now and still feel like my "custom" looks child-like. My pantos have finally gotten better after doing a bunch of them this past year. I do use a stitch regulator but even that takes some practice on my Nolting to do well. Don't beat yourself up. You will get better with time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thanks guys I am feeling a bit better...I think I was ready to walk away and have a break! I appreciate all of your suggestions and encouragement. I've only had my long arm a few days so I think I just need to be patient...and probably getting some sleep would be good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyh Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 I completely understand what you are going through, I also came from an acomplished background of free motion with my DM and was sooo frustrated when I started with my Millie, that does have a stitch regulator-- it did not help much at first. I do free motion from the front exclusively, and I am working on stitching more without the regulator because I like the feeling, the sound, and the stitch. I almost wish sometimes that I did not have it so by now I would be a lot more confident not using it. So keep up the practice, definitely get some rest in between!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegates Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 My machine does not have a stitch regulator so I have been working hard to master that aspect of quilting. It has helped me to keep notes on which speed works best for each type of quilting. I have speeds noted for the CL Swirlz board, certain pantos, and for different free motion designs. I'm not sure why this hepls, my brain just works better when I write or draw when I am learning new things. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 My machine does not have a stitch regulator so I have been working hard to master that aspect of quilting. It has helped me to keep notes on which speed works best for each type of quilting. I have speeds noted for the CL Swirlz board, certain pantos, and for different free motion designs. I'm not sure why this hepls, my brain just works better when I write or draw when I am learning new things. Carol That's a great idea! For the most part faster seems to result in better flow for me - but that's hard when trying to track back over a previously stitched line. I was watching a video by Myrna Ficken last night where she was stitching feathers in manual mode on a Millie - she said she had it set at 12...the newer machines must go faster than my old Ultimate I as mine only goes up to 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiP Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 I started quilting years ago on my DM. Lay the quilt on my wooden floors and pinning the whole thing. It's all I knew and I did pretty well at it, even mastering McTavishing. My DH saw me struggling quilting a bulky quilt with my DM sitting on the dining table and half the quilt over my shoulder. Encouraged me to get a quilting machine. I was afraid to buy any machine without the stitch regulator on it, assuming it would be the element that would make life easy. Millie arrived a few months ago and everything seemed so different, overwhelming maybe. On my Bliss table, it seemed like I couldn't take a step or a breath without it taking a stitch. I felt a bit out of control. On my first quilt I tried a different color and type of thread for each area and discovered I got more relaxed and the stitches got smoother as the quilt was getting finished. Even designed a panto with ferns from Linda Rech's wonderful book for the sashing. On Monday there was a great accomplishment in the completion of my first quilt. Threw it on the snow for pictures, washed it and it's been mailed to my grandson. Well' I'm my second quilt now and not sure when I will use SR again. I'm having fun without using the SR. I like the stitch and the smoothness. It seems more like when I quilted with my DM, the stitches are more deliberate. I love the convenient of load a quilt on Millie over layering it on the floor to pin it. It's also much more convenient quilting Millie! We're going to be a good team. I cannot imagine ever looking back and questioning her purchase. Now it's on to completing my many quilt tops. Hang in there! Put some good music on and smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanbrug Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 I think many out there will agree with me that when you are so intense on what your quilting you see all your wobbles but once you take it off the machine it really looks pretty good. Go easy on yourself, it looks much better than you are giving yourself credit for. When I'm stressed and tense my quilting never looks as good as when you just go with the flow and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisae Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 Angela Walters uses a machine without a stitch regulator. She does beautiful modern quilting. I also had done lots of quilting on my domestic machine prior to getting a longarm. There is a huge difference! You still have control over your domestic in that you can control the speed by the foot pedal AND you can stop by taking your foot off the pedal. My first longarm had an after-market regulator that was honestly more trouble than not...so I learned to stitch in manual mode. Did I make mistakes? Heck, yeah...lots of them! Give yourself some time to practice with the longarm. Just like anything else, you will get better with time. Depending on your machine type, you might want to look into M&M wheels. They really help with backtracking and "round" feathers/circles, etc. Good luck! So far your quilts have looked great to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 Pumpkin: Lisa has a great idea. If your machine isn't Bliss fitted, or doesn't have after market wheels you're missing out. You wouldn't believe the difference they make in the precision of machine movement. Well worth the $200-$250 you have to pay for them. As for regulated or non-regulated stitching, it's just a matter of what you like. I've done both, and have to say I much prefer regulated (it lets you do so many things that are very difficult in the unregulated mode) In my view, the benefit of a stitch regulator is not the stitch length, but rather all the options it gives you for moving your machine. Easy starts and stops, fast or slow stitching and so on. Each machine has it's own personality. You can't expect to go from one to another and get exactly the same results. Going from a DSM to a long arm is a really big move. Some of what you learned on your DSM may transfer to the Long arm, but not a lot. You're moving ther machine not the fabric. A whole different routine. Patience and practice are the keys. After you've quilted 100 quilts you should have a good feel for the machine. Don't be too hard on you results. Pay attention to your progress, and learn from each quilt you do. Hang in there, and good luck. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestuart Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 I got my first "big girl" machine in 1996. A Gam Classic, No Stritch regulator, they didn't even offer them then. Before that I used my Domestic to quilt, but to be honest it was mostly straight lines. I learnt a lot by "following" pantos over and over and over again. Knowing when to slow down and when to speed up. ie: into corners and going along straight stretches. It's PPP and then more PPP. It will get better and you will be able to do better. SID was always a b____er. It's the muscle memory that PPP helps. Also doodling on paper over and over and over again. Don't erase just do it again. Save those first practice pieces and revisit them in a couple of months. You will get better. Do pebbles tiny and larger, do peacocks, do CC's, do Terry Twists, This is the place to get encouragement and inspiration. Happy Stitching Marion in BC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie_Grace Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 I think it does get better. I am glad somebody mentioned Angela Walters. She has a non-stitch regulated Gammill with no single stitch button, so similar to the ultimate 1's. She will tell you not to worry about stitch length and to use matching thread that way it blends in and what you see is more about texture. If you don't have her book, I highly recommend it. All the quilted samples show in the book she did on her Gammill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 You guys are seriously awesome. I appreciate all the suggestions and encouragement SO much!! I am going to check out Angela Walters - thank you guys! I have a habit of NOT using a blending thread...I'm really going to start doing that. I'm getting better but those spines are just SO thready. I can't stand it. I'm doing a lot better - fourth quilt done tonight and I'm going to post pictures here in a moment. Can somebody tell me the difference between M&M's and Edgeriders? Are they the same? Different? I have Edgerider wheels that came with the machine...the original owner also sent the composite wheels home with me and I can't imagine trying to quilt with those on. WOW. Also - I had a freak out moment tonight because I had skipped stitches going to the left. EEP! Please tell me this is not timing. I'm feeling brave about my machine but I'm freaked out a bit about retiming it. I changed my needle...that didn't help but it was time and my thread was starting to shred. No more shredding...but I had HUGE gaps of skipped stitches. I did loopy loops to the left and it was fine. Then I did a straight line to the left and it was fine. But when I would go to the left to make a feather spine...maybe because I was trying to follow the line and not paying close enough attention? It seemed worse at slower speeds...I'm wondering if I was just moving the machine too slow...rr do you think it's a timing thing? I cannot thank you guys enough! Truly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 "Can somebody tell me the difference between M&M's and Edgeriders? Are they the same? Different? " I have Edgeriders on the U1 and Brenda has the M&M's on the Millie. I like the M&Ms slightly more, I think the material is a little harder and therefore rolls better. If I don't use my machine for a few days the Edgeriders seem to flatspot but that goes away after I move the machine back and forth a couple of times. Both are a huge improvement over the original wheels. You've said in you other posts you are seeing improvement every day so why not wait a month or so to see if you really need those wheels. We all tend to blame the machine in the beginnig for our square circles when it is really we just need to practice. "Also - I had a freak out moment tonight because I had skipped stitches going to the left. EEP! Please tell me this is not timing. I cannot thank you guys enough! Truly!!" It might be. Try turning the eye of the needle slighty to the left so if you think of a clock it would be about 6:30. It probably is needle flex and to minimize that use a size 4.0 or 18 needle and turn up the speed for shorter stitches. Also loosen the quilt sandwich most of us have it too tight in the beginning. Keep sending the pictures we can see the improvement each day as well. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Pumpkin: There is a difference between M&M and Edgerider wheels, but not much. The folks who have had both seem to perfer the M&M's but not enough to justify the cost of replacing the Edgriders. I happen to have Edgriders on my machine, and am very happy with them. Much better than the originals. I'm afraid your missed stitches are caused by timing. Sounds like the there may be too much space between the needel and the hook. What size needle are you using? If you have different sizes, put you biggest (MR 5.0, 4.5, or 4.0) in and try stitching. If the missed stitches go away, it's probably timing. If not, it could be something else. One problem new longarmers frequently encounter is pulling the quilt sandwich too tight (too much tension). That can cause miss stitches. Make sure you are working on a realitively loose sandwitch. Also, shorten up you stitch length (if you're in regulated mode), or slow down (it you're stitching in non-regulated mode). Let us know what you find out. Good luck. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Nigel and Jim - I think you may have hit the nail on the head. I loaded up a practice sandwhich this morning and loosened it up a bit...I think it may have been too tight. I don't think I'll know for sure until I start on my next quilt and am forced to do many different movements at different stitch speeds. I did speed up and slow down and followed a line to the left with no issues though. **crossing fingers** I watched the video on how to time my machine and I'm a little more confident for when the time comes...but I still don't want to!!! Thank you SO much for your help. I called Amy at APQS about my handles and she did call me back quickly with great information. But I can see how she probably gets overwhelmed with calls for simple errors like mine so it is so great to have this resource to go to experieneced quilters who are willing to offer advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Ferret is a incredible quilter, she has a APQS Discovery (non-Stitch Regulated). Check out some of her work at the links below. http://ferfab.blogspot.com http://www.ferfab.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Pumpkin: You need to learn how to time you machine. It's not difficul, just intimidating. For me the most difficult part is seeing exactly what you're doing. Poor eye sight and bad light. In advance of actually doing it, start looking at the hook, needle, and the black "finger" that secures the bobbin basket. Take the needle plate off (a good time to clear out all the lint), and study the hook and how it works. Locate the screws that secure the hook, turn the machine by hand and watch how the needle and the hook point relate to each other. Study the vertical position of the needle to the hook point so you're familiar with where the needle eye is on it's upward journey. Study how deep the black "finger" is set into the bobbin basket. Look to see how close the needle is to the hook when they pass each other. After that, go back and look at your owner's manual and reaffirm what you looked at. Put the needle plate back on. Pay attention to where the needle hole is when you put it together. On my machine, the plate is not symetrical and if you put it on backwards, the first stitch you try to make will break the needle, and mark the needle plate. Ask me how I know. Go through this routine a few times to become very familiar with all the parts. The second or third time you might loosen one of the hook attachment screws to get a feel of how to do it, and how difficult it is to do. Just do one, and retighten it for practice. Unless you loosen all the screws the hook won't change positions. After all this practice you'll be ready to make an adjustment when necessary. Also study the needle bar adjustment. Locate the access hole, take off the side cover (again a good opportunity to clean out the debris), turn the machine to line up the screw driver with the needle bar clamping screw. Needle bar adjustment becomes necessary when you hit the ruler (or the needle plate) and push it up out of adjustment. The eye to hook relationship is what tells you if your needle bar is properly set. After you've adjusted the timing a time or two, it will become just one more thing you check/do to keep your machine running in tip top order. Regards. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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