Tella Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 A wonderful lady asked me to make her a bedspread for her queen bed... mattress is 60 x 80 and drop to the floor is 25 inches...that allows for an inch of clearance...she wants a tuck allowance for the pillow...so I calculated Length at 80 + 25 drop + 15 tuck... This equals 120 inches... For the width I need 60 + 25 + 25 for 2 side drops...this equals 110 inches... I pieced together my backing...width of fabric was 54 inches...decorator fabric...polyester...NOT LINING ..I decided to use 2 fabrics instead of lining on back so it males it reversible and so I could use same colour thread in bobbin ...etc... After 2 seams, it is 110 wide EXACTLY...2 widths ...one width cut in half and added to either side of the whole width in centre...no big deal...like a duvet cover... I pieced together my face fabric...it is 116 wide...same process as backing... Batting is the white lofty polyester type...I bought it especially for this project as she told me she doesn't want it like a "quilt"... So I bought this pouffy batt ....never used it before... NOW THE NEXT STEPS ARE SCARING ME... I HAVE A 12 FOOT FRAME, 1. How wide is the widest width one can do on a 12 foot frame...I have never done one this HUGE... 2. Do I have to load it with the 2 side seams going vertically on both top and back...or can I load it the other way and that length is about 135 inches ... 3. Should I add a scrap strip to the backing sides to make it wider than 110 since the top is 116...or do I cut the 3 inch strip off each side of the 116 top to make it 110...but I want as much of the 110 width as I can get...and I am worried about some shrinkage after quilting...it will be loosely quilted..I didn't want to cut anything until after quilted in case of some shifting or shrinking... 4. What quilting design should I do...I was thinking a big meander about 8 inches apart...I did a tester and this looked ok on small piece... Sorry about the long essay ...if you can help me with you advice and expertise I would be so grateful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy (SewAsylum) Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I cannot help because I have a sit down model, and am a newbie, but I would love to see pictures of this when you are done!! I am sure you will get much good advice from this crowd!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 12 x 12 = 144 inches but your leaders don't go all the way to the ends of the poles....I would measure your leaders and see what the max is that you can do...you won't have any room at either end for your machine so you can load it with the machine in the way, not optimal but it can be done...let us know how it goes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibbyG Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I have a 12 foot table and like Vicki says it depends on the length of your leaders. I'd say 115 inches is the max. People forget that the needle is in the middle of the machine, so you've already lost inches on both sides. Then my leaders are stretched from use and I've lost another 8 inches. If you read the maintenance instructions are the canvas, they tell us to pull them to keep them even. Of course, I never read that until lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I tell my customers that the leaders on my 12' table can only hold 118" max! So that's the backer width. The length can be more, of course. One thing to consider is that with puffy batting the "shrinkage" will be substantial. If it starts out at 100", after quilting it may be only 97" in width, due to the quilting. The puffier the batting, the more it will draw in. If you have to load the seams vertically because of how the backer is pieced, well, it is what it is. You will have some sagging of the sides due to the build-up of the seam around the roller. One way to offset that is to cut some lengths of cotton batting about three inches wide and the distance from the center to the edge of the backer--two pieces. Load the backer as you normally would and then load it all onto the back roller. Start advancing the backer to load on the front take-up roller, as you would do to get to the top to start your quilting. As you notice the seam building up and causing the sag on the sides, take those two pieces of batting and tuck them up under the curve of the roller about an inch out from the seam on both sides and then the full length of the backer to the side edges. Advance until the batting pieces are gobbled up into the backer "roll" and the sagging sides will be eliminated in that area. Then continue advancing (the sides should be level now) and when you get the sagging again--two more pieces of batting go under and around the roller. I've used this technique on big backers and it works well. It's easier to show than to explain, of course. All you're doing is compensating for the thickness of fabric that builds up on the roller. You may need only one set of pieces, or you may need three sets--it all depends on the what you have to work with. As you quilt along and advance the quilt, you'll find as you get to the pieces of batting that they will fall on the floor. You don't have to worry about quilting them into the quilt. If you like, you can mark on the backer with a piece of ribbon or yarn so you know where the pieces are--for your own peace of mind. I hope this was helpful. It's always a challenge when you try to fulfill someone else's vision. Especially when they are non-quilters and may not be able to explain clearly what they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie in Ok Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I tell my customers that the leaders on my 12' table can only hold 118" max! So that's the backer width. The length can be more, of course. One thing to consider is that with puffy batting the "shrinkage" will be substantial. If it starts out at 100", after quilting it may be only 97" in width, due to the quilting. The puffier the batting, the more it will draw in. If you have to load the seams vertically because of how the backer is pieced, well, it is what it is. You will have some sagging of the sides due to the build-up of the seam around the roller. One way to offset that is to cut some lengths of cotton batting about three inches wide and the distance from the center to the edge of the backer--two pieces. Load the backer as you normally would and then load it all onto the back roller. Start advancing the backer to load on the front take-up roller, as you would do to get to the top to start your quilting. As you notice the seam building up and causing the sag on the sides, take those two pieces of batting and tuck them up under the curve of the roller about an inch out from the seam on both sides and then the full length of the backer to the side edges. Advance until the batting pieces are gobbled up into the backer "roll" and the sagging sides will be eliminated in that area. Then continue advancing (the sides should be level now) and when you get the sagging again--two more pieces of batting go under and around the roller. I've used this technique on big backers and it works well. It's easier to show than to explain, of course. All you're doing is compensating for the thickness of fabric that builds up on the roller. You may need only one set of pieces, or you may need three sets--it all depends on the what you have to work with. As you quilt along and advance the quilt, you'll find as you get to the pieces of batting that they will fall on the floor. You don't have to worry about quilting them into the quilt. If you like, you can mark on the backer with a piece of ribbon or yarn so you know where the pieces are--for your own peace of mind. I hope this was helpful. It's always a challenge when you try to fulfill someone else's vision. Especially when they are non-quilters and may not be able to explain clearly what they want. Linda, I recently had an issue with a backer that was pieced horizontally and when I put it on the frame as I was quilting down the quilt the backer started to bag in the middle even though I had plenty of tension on the sides. Would your technique work for this also or do I need to correct something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Bonnie--You had sagging with the seam running horizontally? If the backer is really big or of heavier fabric, it can sag from it's own weight and the side clamps may not be able to hoist it up flat. I would imagine that placing some pieces of batting in the center area could have helped with that. It's the same technique as pushing some batting under either the top roller or the front roller when you have occasional sagging of the whole quilt sandwich. That will happen to me if I quilt all down with one color thread and then roll back to the top to start another color thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tella Posted April 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Linda, I am not sure I get what you are saying but I am going to try to figure it out when I am ready to load...my bat is the polyester...but only sbout 1/2 wide loft...do you think I will still lose 3 inches...I am tempted to switch the batt to Hobbs... The extra pieces of batt that you mention .... I tucking them into the roller closest to me right? So I am going to load the back...as per regular...then pin it to the take up roller....the roll it ALL ONTO THE TAKE UP...then roll it back to the backing roller, adding the bits of batt as I felt sagging...am I on the right track? This one os going to give me a couple do sleepless nights..why did I say yes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Hi Tella! That pit-of-the-stomach feeling has been felt by every longarmer in history! You've interpreted my long-winded instructions correctly. Add batting strips all along the sagging part as the sagging appears. Only add when it sags and only enough batting to elevate the backer to the normal height. And yes, under the roller closest to you. I'll share my first quilt story to try to make you feel better. I had zero paying customers under my belt and three of my own quilts quilted when I ventured to several LQS's (Local Quilt Shops) to see if they'd allow me to leave some business cards. Sure, we'll take your cards they said. Then I offered (as is standard with this transaction) to quilt a shop sample for them at no charge in trade. The owner bundles up and hands me her Thimbleberries Club BOM that she had pin-basted and planned to quilt herself on her domestic machine. Queen size, sampler blocks, filler blocks that were checkerboard and HSTs, basket blocks, applique, blahblahblah. It was HUGE! I almost cried. Two weeks later, lots of frogging, lots of thread color changes, a few meltdowns and wails that I "couldn't do this" and it was finished. It wasn't perfect. But it was OK. And best of all, she liked it a lot. She told me she was happy that I didn't quilt it to death "like most longarmers do". It hung in her shop for a year and I did get some business from my cards there. So realize that you have taken your first steps and now there's no going back. And you'll never want to go back anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tella Posted April 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Linda thanks a million...I am going to pray it goes well...thanks for the story....I guess these things make us stronger and smarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkeindl1 Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Good Luck Tella! Let us know what you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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