Sue51 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 My husband surprised me with a longarm machine - Millenium. I know nothing about using this machine so I have downloaded the instruction CD. Now what do I do? (I am an experienced sewer, but never on a longarm.) Is there a list of items I need such as the special flower top pins I saw on this forum, markers, etc?) How would you start? Trial and error? Thanks for any help you can provide, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 If your machine came with needles and thread to get you started, all you need is some fabric and batting and you are good for some serious play time! Load her up and have fun with the features of your machine and learning how to get your tension set. I wouldn't buy anything to start out unless you don't have needles, thread, fabric, and batting. Once you are ready to load your first quilt, then you might consider what you need to buy, depending on what you want to do to your quilt. Congrats, welcome, and have fun!! Oh, and you have an awesome husband!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 first of all...welcome to the forum and to the world of longarming! You can either start with muslin or sheets and after learning how to thread your machine and setting stitch length...start playing. The most daunting part to starting to quilt on a longarm...is getting the nerve to start! Begin by making stipple type movement or squiggles. get a feel for how the machine moves. Do not expect perfection when starting out. Your quilting will be tight spaced...then loose most likely. You will become more relaxed and get into a groove while sewing. Quilting can be therapeutic. Dont get overwhelmed. I suggest starting with muslin or sheets, then when you have filled it up with quilting...change thread color and start again. Tweek your tension as necessary and Have FUN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Sue welcome to the forum and family! If you go to youtube and search APQS there are loads of videos you can see on pretty much anything you need to know..some of them are about repairs and timing - you can skip those for now and watch how to load a quilt and how to do swirls, circles, etc. you will get a feel for your machine and feel more comfortable the more you practice. There are also lots of videos put out by teachers ie: Deloa Jones, Kimmy Brunner, etc that teach some basics on longarming. They are worth the investment as you can watch them over and over and seeing someone on the machine really helps when you are new. Let us know how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on being a new Millie owner, have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 If you are using a plain muslin or sheet for practice, but have a hard time thinking ahead of where to stitch use washable children's markers and draw lines or designs to follow. If you want to, draw out the shapes of blocks, (churn dash, etc) and play with how you would quilt those, draw a stencil on the fabric and see how that works for you. Do you remember penmenship classes in school (back in the dark ages)? Keep making the oooo's, l's, e's, and c's or other flowing repeatable letters and eventually your letters will smooth out. Welcome and have fun. Come back often, post pictures when you can and REMEMBER, there are NO dumb questions. Someone should pop in with an answer quite quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyl Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Just Doodle with your giant pencil and have fun. Don't get carried away buying a whole line of thread just a cone of what you want to try until you figure out what works for you. At some point you might like a ruler base and a straight ruler. If you find yourself being poked in the belly and snagged blouses you might eventually want a loading system like red snappers (my choice). Maybe a few prewound bobbins like superiors super bobs or filtechs magnaglides. Videos are a must. Have fun and if there is a quilt show near you take a class in the future. Hope he knows he opened a can of worms. You will find lots of help and fun here on this site and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. I didn't see if you put down where you live but there might be someone close to get you going with a few basics. If you are close to me I would give you a hand. Headed from Wyoming to Nevada tomorrow if you are on my way I would stop. Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Farnham Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Hi Sue~ Congratulations on your new machine and welcome to the forum. You have been given some great advice already. This forum is a great place to get info and YouTube has some great instuctional videos. Do you have an APQS Sales Rep near you? Many offer Beginner Classes to help you feel comfortable with your new machine as well as technique classes as you grow as a longarmer. Go to the "Find a Dealer" link and search your area. Also, see if there is a Longarm Guild near you. A great way to meet others in your area a bounce ideas around. Have fun with your new machine. Laura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekah Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Welcome Sue!! We are always so excited when we get a new sister or brother to our APQS family. You have received some wonderful advice from others already so I won't repeat what is already said. Just a couple of things I remember from being new, I used to grip my handles with a death grip, that is a no, no. Just relax, remember to breath and don't be scared of your girl. You will dancing with her in no time. Be sure to find the sales rep closest to you and get a beginner's class scheduled as soon as you can but you will be amazed at how much you can learn from the videos. My favorite beginner DVD is from Myrna Ficken, but all of them are a wealth of information. I am sure any of us would be glad to talk to you about any questions or issues you might have, just pick up the phone and call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaC Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Welcome, Sue! You are going to love your new Mille. What a wonderful gift from a wonderful hubby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestieMom Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Welcome to the forum and lucky you to have such a thoughtful hubby! The DVD that came with your machine should have some basic videos on how to load, thread, and start with some basic stitching exercises. If you don't have that You Tube has some great videos as does the APQS website. Long arming is so much fun! You'll be surprised how the hours pass by. Relax, remember to breathe, and enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachside Quilter Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Welcome, Sue! As Carol said, the DVD that came with your machine covers the basics and is a good place to start. There are also "how to's" in the manual showing practice ideas. Enjoy your new Millie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aithne Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 If you can, find a dealer and take a personalized lesson. I was too afraid to do anything. I spent four hours with Myrna Finken. She got me started, answered my questions, showed me how to use some of the tools available, and we stopped when I hit overload. It really made a huge difference for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I agree that watching YouTube videos will help you get started. Sometimes the basics are the hardest to learn without actually seeing it. Loading a quilt, the workings of your machine, ect. There are alot of very good videos you can purchase as well. Bet you are just thrilled with your new machine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Sue, welcome to the Forum & congratulations, great machine and great husband. You just entered the big & wide world of Longarming. There should be a free beginners class with the purchase of your machine, that is if you got it from APQS. In my case, I went to the nearest APQS rep. The rest is up to you to dig into different sources available for learning, you received lots of good infos in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Sue, even before you do all the wonderful things that have been suggested, you need to go give your husband a huge hug and tell him he is definitely one in a million. WOW! What a guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Welcome... And if they ever legalize cloning, your hubs is going to get my vote! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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