chattiekathy Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Hello! I am waiting on the arrival of my George and want to have something ready to practice on. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow or Thursday. I went through my stash and pulled some fabric that I want to use to make some placemats. I thought something small would be best to start out on and don't want to waste thread and material just doodling around. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions of Quilt patterns for my placemats. I am going to try to attach a photo of the fabric so you can see what I have to work with. Please ignore the little grandbaby fingerprint smudge in the center of the picture. I am so excited! I am also wondering if there are things I need to purchase that don't come with the George. I have tons of thread, but they are regular spools of thread, all different types too. Any suggestions on the best types of threads to use would be great too. Thank you all! It's wonderful to have so many experienced and talented quilters to come to for advice! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 There will be a manual with your George. It will give you practice pages and practice ideas. Just work through the exercises one by one. You can also go to Leah Day's website of 365 different quit designs and view some of those videos and practice some of those. You can go ahead and practice drawing the designs so the pattern and direction becomes automatic to you. Have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 What an exciting time for you, Kathy. Your new George will come with enough to get you started...even some sample threads. Later you may wish to buy some extra bobbins or one of the other interchangeable feet for George (available through APQS). George will sew with spools of thread but cones do tend to feed better. Since there is usually a learning curve, I recommend a fairly large needle (your machine will probably come with a size 18- that's pretty big) and polyester thread. It's stronger than cotton, less temperamental than monofilament, metallics, rayon. I've never met a George who didn't love So Fine by Superior. You may have to purchase it through the Superior Threads website. It's a 50 weight polyester thread with a matte finish so it looks like a cotton thread. It can be used on the top and in the bobbin. I give it to my customers for their early practices. I still use it all the time on my own George. Teresa gave you some great advice...start sketching on a drawing pad or white board. Don't lift the pen off the surface. Watch some of the free videos on YouTube. If you can draw it, you can quilt it. And be patient with yourself. Machine quilting does not come naturally to anyone. No one ever sat down at their first quilting machine and made a masterpiece. It's a skill that must be practiced if you expect to do great work. We've all put in our 'time on the job'. We all started with 'practice, practice, practice'. Don't be discouraged. You can master it! George will be a great help. Please continue to keep us in the loop...we are all happy & excited for you. Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 You can also use stencil designs with George. Take a plain fabric and trace the stencil of choice with chalk, pouncer, or washable kids markers right on the fabric. Then follow the line. Also, start out slower and steady until you start to get a feel for George. The dial on the side will slow down his needle speed until you find your personal hand speed and then slowly try faster needle speeds. I think I generally have my George speed around 6. One of the fabric you showed had large flowers on it, trace around the flowers (first with your finger and then with George) and quilt a fat quarter of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Thank you all so much for the information and advice. I will be careful to follow it all, I am such a noobie to quilting to begin with that this is going to be a big leap pretty early in my learning. Nothing like jumping in with both feet! I appreciate all your encouragment. I received a call today from the trucking company, they will be delivering my George on Thursday. YaY!!! I am jumping up and down with joy!! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 I'm curious, have any of you just practiced using the George without threading it? sigh.... I know, I am such a thrifty person, I can't bear to waste thread and material. Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Kathy: I started an answer your post last night but had a difficult time expressing myself. Sometimes it is hard to know how a post or an email will be received when you're not talking with someone in person. I decided to wait until today to see how someone else would answer your question. So far, no one has responded to your post so I'm going to give you my answer. I sincerely hope this does not come across as critical or self-important. I know you are new to quilting. I believe it would be a good idea for you to think about it in a slightly different way. It is my personal opinion that quilts are important. We make quilts for many reasons but the end results (our quilts) are an important way for us to express our creativity, also a way to express our love for family and our concern for community. We all have very busy lives...we find the time to make quilts because we love to do it. I encourage you to realize (early in your quilting adventure) that it is an investment of time and your time is valuable. Precious, actually. Could you try to think of your practice sessions on your new George as learning & bonding rather than a 'waste' of thread & material? You describe yourself as a thrifty person and yes, good quality fabric and threads are expensive. In my opinion, it does not make sense to skimp on quilting supplies. I want to create something I can be proud of. Something that will look great and withstand the test of time....whether it is a show quilt or a baby quilt, a bed quilt or even a set of placemats. I didn't realize this when I first began quilting but now I know for sure: that bin of thread at JoAnns that is $1 a spool and those flat folds that are $3 a yard will not hold up. They'll create a product that is not worth the investment of my time. I don't know if anyone has practiced without thread in their machine. I have seen domestic machines run without thread to perforate a pattern on paper. I do know that using cheap thread in any machine is liable to create an unhappy machine. You are about to become the owner of a really fabulous quilting machine. All of us here on the forum want you to get off to a great start...with your George machine and with your quilting in general. To economize on fabric & thread, you can spend more time drawing out your quilting designs...practicing on paper. At the machine, you can work on a smaller scale (lines of quilting closer together)... you will burn through fewer practice sandwiches that way. In an earlier post, I talked about the learning curve...be prepared that you will wind up with some sandwiches that are just lessons...the tension will be off or the stitches will be jumpy...you have to be prepared to 'sacrifice' some fabric & thread in the interest of developing your skills. Again, Kathy, I offer these remarks and advice with the kindest & most encouraging intention. I sincerely hope you read them that way. There have been times when I have felt 'scolded' by a few of the responses on the forum. I guess I'm on a soapbox here and I don't want to offend you or anyone in this online community. Keep on posting your questions...we honestly want to be of help to you. OK? Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jain Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Hi Kathy, Congratulations on the anticipated arrival of your new George! You have really landed a big fish there! I have been a VERY happy owner of George for about a year and a half. I just wanted to add to the encouragement you've received to practice, practice, practice... something you already know I'm sure. Give yourself time, and believe that with practice every aspect of what you do with George will get better and better. I hear ya girl, and know you will anguish over every piece of fabric you sew on for a while. We probably all did. But Nancy has a good suggestion about viewing your time with George as learning and bonding. So, I have a question for you. Have you ever done any free-motion quilting on your domestic machine? That might take some of the trepidation out of firing up George and using materials in the process. But either way just know that George is a wonderfully simple machine. I mean, in the world of today's fancy computerized machines that do everything except vacuum the carpet George is pretty easy to get to know and there is lot's of help on this forum. If you're completely new to machine quilting then you'll just have to be kind to yourself, give yourself 'permission' not to be perfect right out of the box. Personally, my advice about sewing with no thread is don't do it! You may hear otherwise from other quilters, but as a teacher of sit-down-free-motion-quilting... I strongly feel there is nothing to be gained. The time spent would be much more valuable if you were able to see what kind of stitches you're producing. With a sandwich and thread, you are able to see what is happening, and that is exactly the purpose of practice. Are your stitches the same length, too long etc. Is the tension good... any bobbin thread coming up or making a mess below. You would have no idea without thread. Are your curved lines smooth where you want them to be smooth? Again, without thread you just don't get the feedback you need to know what areas you want to work on. Does this make sense? You are about to embark on a new adventure and I hope you enjoy it to the fullest! very best, Jain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Kathy I made a bad mistake in the origional message.. please forgive, it was not how I wanted it to read. I have corrected it now. Kathy, please, rethink practice thread and fabric as a learning tool, not as waste. It is So necessary for growth and improvement. We all go through that and I've not heard of one person saying they think it was a waste, once they done it. On placemats, I like to use crosshatch. I just mark the top of the placemat with marker, taking care to keep the lines straight, and then sew on thru it. I did this many times with my dsm and know it's only easier with George because of throat space. I had that experience with the first long-arm I had. Then it was so much fun. I also keep/kept a very slight tension with my hands and side to side pressure on the sandwich each side of the needle as it fed thru, and it helped it lay flatter and not get tucks or gathers on the back. NOT a lot of tension, by using a practice piece, you could easily learn the tension you need with george. I hope it's not a mistake to jump in so far so soon. These machines are different than even the priciest dsm's, and do take time for you to adjust, even if they owned a long arm, APQS or not. I just don't want to see you get discouraged, when these machines can be such a blast. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Nancy, I think your intention is beautifully clear here. You stated with eloquence what so many would have had a hard time explaining. Kathy, practice drawing on paper, practice drawing on napkins, watch all the free motion quilting videos you can find on youTube, sign up for QNNtv.com and watch all the videos there. Get out your DSM and lower the feed dogs (or tape a piece of cardboard over them) and just practice moving the fabric under the needle so you can get a feel for the process. Use all your little practice pieces as potholders, or placemats for the dog, or dusting clothes, or bath mats, or whatever. You are not wasting fabric and thread. You are investing in yourself and your ability to create beautifully quilted projects. And there is no better investment than bettering yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Nancy, I totally appreciate what you are saying and don't feel like you are putting me down and you are not coming across as self-important. I'm a member of many different forums, and know exactly what you are saying about people misinterpreting something that is said. The typed word can no way compare to the spoken word. You will find that I use way tooooo many smileys in my posts just for that reason. LOL I don't get upset too easily and I really do value what you are saying. Although I am newish to quilting, I've been creating things for others for a long time, and I feel just like you about making things that have meaning and will be passed down as heirlooms or to comfort people, they need to be of the best quality materials. I should not have used the word waste when I was asking my question. I guess what I meant was that putting the time in to practice is important, but I was hoping to have something that would also be useful after I was finished practicing on it. I have tons of scrap materials that I have cut out of tossed out clothing that I could use to practice quilting on, but I am anxious to make something that won't be thrown away. I was thinking that sewing without thread on a sandwich of material would give me the feel of moving the material around under the machine without using thread, but maybe the machine won't run the same or feel the same without thread as it would with thread. I actually have tons and tons of thread that I inherited from my mother-in-law and I would probably be able to get in a good bit of practice and still have tons left over. Thank you so much for your candid and much appreciated comments and encouragement Nancy. I knew that I found a great place for learning and making friends when I came here to the APQS Forum. I'll be looking forward to each and every person's opinion as I get to know all of you and learn more about this wonderful world of quilting. Many Blessings, Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Kathy, use those scraps of material to make some easy 4 patch or 9 patch blocks and make yourself a pillow top or a wall hanging out of them. Then you will have something useful without spending money on fabrics. I think you would need to practice with the machine threaded so you can learn about tension, stitch length, sewing over piecing seams, and so forth as you practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Kathy, I have not spent a lot of time doing "practice only" pieces (it just isn't available in my schedule right now) so I figure that every piece I work on is practice. I don't expect perfection but do like a quality look to the finished project. I know some have stated that they use their practice pieces to give to animal shelters for pet bed use. Or you can make bags to store things in. I would be more cautious of older inherited thread since it can deteriorate when we don't realize it. It is very frustrating to be working on something (even a practice piece) and have the thread break frequently. In that case, you don't know if it is the thread or the tension and technique. Take your time and remember that you can always keep using the same sandwich for tension check on other projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Jain, Rita, Teresa and Madelyn, Thank you all for your replies too. I was taken away from the computer for a while and after I finally finished my post I see that you had also responded to my question. I don't think that I will get discouraged I am far too stubborn to quit when something gets difficult. I am so glad for all of your suggestions. I will use the drawing on paper and napkins for practice, those are readly available. I will also go find all those videos to watch too. I am such a visual person, they will help for sure! I hadn't thought about donating some of the items to a shelter. That's a great idea. I think that some of the thread that my mother-in-law had could be pretty old so I won't use it, It will be hard enough figuring out what I am doing wrong if something doesn't go right to have to guess if it's old thread or not. This past fall, I actually purchased a small Janome quilting machine that I can take to the quilt shop when some of the ladies get together, but I have not tried to quilt on it other than stitching in the ditch. It does have a quilting foot, so I think I will get that out this evening and play around with it to see if I can do some free motion quilting with it to get the feel. I again want to thank everyone for the words of encouragement ideas and advice. I am looking forward to learning more about my George P.S. I have to ask, what does DMS Stand for? I am sure that this is not going to be my first question like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jain Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 haha! What fun it is to have you here! Kathy, DSM is Domestic Sewing Machine. Love your questions, keep them up ... love your can-do, will-do attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Hahaha Jain, Thank you. I thought it might be something like that, but figured I better ask so I knew what people were talking about. Actually I have 3 DMS's in my house. (is that the plural of DMS?) LOL I've got my old trusty White, my cute little Janome, and I have a babylock serger. George will make it one big happy family! LOL I will for sure be asking alot of questions! Soooo much to learn! I am very lucky to have you all to help me out, and I am also very lucky to have 3 wonderful quilt shops with in 12 miles of me. It's time to go play with the Janome now! Fun stuff happenin at my house! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiP Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Kathy, you will have so much fun with George! I would "practice" on real fabric that can be used. You might try drawing some 8"-10" circles on fabric and try different quilting in each circle. When you're finished they can be cut out and used when you stack your China or Christmas plates. Machine attached binding or a simple zigzag edge finish would work fine. You could even do practice on Christmas fabrics and use them for gifts. Time spent learning is never a waste. Enjoy your bonding time and 'remember when you see the amazing quilting on the forums that some of those quilters are incredibly gifted but many started right where you are. You can do it!' Encouraging words I received from Barbara M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Dang Kathy, 3 quilt shops within 12 miles. I want to come live where you live. I have one quilt shop 50 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Love your idea of dish stackers, Heidi. That's what I can do with all my own sample & test sandwiches. Good one! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattiekathy Posted July 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Hello again, Just wanted to post that my George arrived yesterday!!! YaY!! But Alas, It is still in the boxes, but it is in the room where George will live. We have had some devastating problems going on here for the past couple days, and I haven't been able to get the boxes opened yet to set George up. I would like to ask for prayers for my husband and our family. We have on a dairy farm in PA, we have 130 milk cows and other young cattle. The other day, the cows started getting sick, we think it's feed related, but are awaiting tests to see. We have lost 5 of the cows so far, and most of the rest of them have slowed way dowin in their milk production which is our income. The first day they got sick we awoke that morning to 20 cows laying out all over the field that were too sick to get up. It looked like a war zone. (Praising God for friends and relatives, we had many people come to help). We spent all day treating them and then more that became sick later that day. All of this going on with temperatures in the upper 90's with matching humidity. Yesterday there was 12 different cows down in that field and 3 more down in the barn. We didn't even milk the rest of the herd, because they didn't have enough milk to bother milking them. Today was better, only 5 cows were down and hopefully no more today. My husband is 60 years old, and this is taking a toll on him also. I hesitated to bring this in here, but I can see that there are a lot of prayer warriors, and we could use some prayers now. Once we get things back to normal, I will be going full tilt on George practicing and creating fun things, but for the moment, this mess has taken my joy and stomped on it. but we are resilient and we will survive this and from past experience, there will be a silver lining in this cloud somewhere, we just have to look to find it.Thank you all for your support and for the posts in this topic, Hoping to see you all again very soon!! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 So sorry to hear of the troubles on the farm, Kathy. It must be heartbreaking to see all those animals so sick. I'll keep you, your husband, and your cows in my thoughts. Farming requires tremendous resiliency! You have a wonderful attitude. George can wait...a reward once you are over this hurtle. Best thoughts from Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jain Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Kathy, thinking about you and looking forward to hearing the joy back in your life. You have a great reward waiting... but first things first. I sure do admire what you go through to keep a business like yours going!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 (((((Kathy and Husband)))))) Take care of yourself, as well as the husband and the animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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