stitchin cricket Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Well APQS family, I finally got my George!!!! Even though I'm still waiting on the plexiglass insert, I still can't believe I finally have an APQS long arm machine in my sewing room (aka the dining room I took over). I have been planning and researching for nearly three years, and I know that's a long time, but it didn't feel like the right time until now. While my dream is to own Miss Millie one day soon (no room for her right now), I love having my George with me at last. I think George and I will create great quilts together and enjoy a long lasting partnership for the future. I have to say, my husband has been so supportive taking me to quilt shows, driving for long periods of time just letting me "play" on long arm machines and view all the beautiful quilts that people create. While we were waiting on George to be shipped, he kept asking me when is George coming home!!! Anyway, I know from reading just about everything on this forum that there's a lot of knowledge and experience from everyone. I love reading all the questions and responses that are posted, and I hope you won't mind when I begin posting questions because I will have plenty I'm sure. Thank you for listening and I look forward to being a part of the APQS family and this forum. God Bless, and Happy Quilting Stitchin Cricket Quilts Carmen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachside Quilter Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Welcome to the APQS family & forum, Carmen! You will love your George! Enjoy getting acquainted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendasr8 Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Congratulations on your new George, Carmen! Ask away whenever you need help. We all learn a lot from each other's questions and answers. A fellow George owner- Brenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferBernard Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Congratulations and welcome to the forum! You will have so much fun....and some frustration getting to know George! We are here to help, sing praises, and encourage our quilting companions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Congratulations on you new baby. I am sure you will love yours as much as I love mine. Get some charity quilts from your local guild, and go have some quilting fun while learning how to use your new toy. Best of luck with everything. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchin cricket Posted June 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback. My plexiglass piece should be here by Tuesday, June 23rd. It's been hard waiting, but it has given me time to watch the videos several times, learning about my machine before I sew on it. I am working on a quilt using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star template that I hope to complete and give to a young man who is friends with my 18 year old son (they both just graduated high school!!!!). This young man has joined the military and will be shipping out in July. While it won't be a Quilt of Valor, it will be in Red, White, Blue and Gold. I want him to know that we are proud of him for his decision to serve his country and know that his buddy (my son) and our family will be praying for him. I'm not sure, but I think he wants to be a doctor or medic. Anyway, I will post pictures once I complete it. I hope to post more soon. God Bless & Happy Quilting Stitchin Cricket Quilts Carmen Stanley, NC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Welcome to the family Carmen. George is a great machine. He has been a part of our bedroom decor for quite a few years but is now moving out to make room for Lucey. Your description of your hubby could have been written about mine. When I called him from the quilt show (he was visiting waterfalls) to ask about the Lucey addition his response was get what you need! Almost needed to pick me up off the floor! Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Row Studio Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Welcome Carmen ...there is a wealth of knowledge on this forum everybody is so helpful all questions are welcome somebody always has an answer enjoy the addition to your family please post pictures we love the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted June 21, 2015 Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 Carmen in Stanley... welcome to the forum. Congrats on the Pordgie, just enjoy the heck out of him! How far is Stanley from Sanford, or easier, what part of the state are you in? I'd love to try getting the NC and VA and SC if they so desire, to just chat, show and tell have a popt lunch or brown bag lunch or 2 or 3 provide, rotating places and "hosts". Any one from this large neck of the woods interested, or any interested in Quilts of Valor? Gotta run. email me if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchin cricket Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Thank you Rita, I am looking forward to playing on my George as soon as the plexiglass insert arrives which should be tomorrow. It has been difficult to be patient while George is sitting in my sewing room and not be able to quilt on him yet. I have had time to watch the videos on the USB stick several times, and I have learned a lot of valuable information so in a way it has been good. I am located in the Piedmont region of the state just west of Charlotte, NC. I am not far from the mountains/foothills. Your suggestion sounds interesting and as far as Quilts of Valor, I hope to be able to do one soon. God Bless & Happy Quilting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Stanley Carmen, sorry slow to respond. Have only been out of the hospital one day in the last week, and I'm still IN the hosp. Internet here leaves a few things to be desired. Lets try to keep in touch and see why these other quilters are afraid of me, or if I have halitosis or body Odor! GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilt Kat Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 Hey stitchin cricket. I live in North Carolina. Concord kannapolis area. I have been registering everyday for George on apqs. Hope I win. You like your George? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchin cricket Posted June 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 Hey Quilt Kat, I'm about 30 - 45 minutes west of Concord. My favorite quilt shop is We're Sew Creative in Concord. I have been registering too, even though I went ahead and bought one. I love my George. Right now, I'm trying to set the tension which takes patience. I can't wait to quilt my first quilt on my George which will be soon. I would like to wish you luck on the drawing tomorrow. God Bless & Happy Quilting, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 Carmen, when you can check out the Martelli quilting rings (google will find them for you). I used them with my George and found them to easily keep the quilt layers smooth and flat where I was stitching, they moved the quilt sandwich with very little effort and smoothly, I didn't need to grip them tightly or heavily with great pressure. I would recommend them to anyone using a sit down machine that is moving the quilt instead of the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctconn35 Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I am looking into getting George in my life also, I have been looking at all and I love Georges throat size, table size, I'm going out next week to test it. Iseen on stitchen cricket about pexiglass... what's that for? Any info would be wonderful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 The plexiglass insert is what goes around George just like one in your DSM sewing cabinet when you set it down flush with the top. This allows you to have a full flat surface for your quilt without needing to work with only a small area of surface around the needle bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchin cricket Posted June 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks Madelyn, I have seen the Martelli quilt rings. My APQS dealer introduced me to Sharon Schamber's Quilt Halo which is a metal ring with a red rubber coating around it. I love this tool, and it only takes the lightest touch of your fingers to move the quilt under the needle. It also helps you to maintain control of the area you are quilting. ctconn35, Madelyn is correct, the plexiglass is the insert that covers the area where the George fits down into the table similar to the insert that is used when your DSM fits inside the sewing cabinet you use. I hope you enjoy your time testing out George. I will tell you that my dream is to own Miss Millie, and when I went to my APQS dealer to test out Millie, she also had a George, but I had decided at that point (or thought I had) that if I had to buy a sit down long arm, I wanted one where the needle end would face me when I quilted and not the same way a DSM sat. Well, I can tell you, I was profoundly surprised when I sat down to test out George. Not only did I "fall in love" with Millie, I also "fell in love" with George. I stitched on Millie with and without stitch regulation, and when I sat down to test out George, my stitches on George looked just as good as the ones on Millie. Now I am by no means a professional quilter, but I have been practicing both on paper and on my DSM and I have quilted a few quilts for friends and family so I have learned to maintain my stitch length. While I still plan to buy Millie sometime in the future, I love my George and plan to quilt many quilts on him for many years to come. If you do decide to have George come and live in your home, you will not regret it, he's a wonderful quilting machine. Keep me posted, I'd love to know how your test drive goes. God Bless & Happy Quilting, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Carmen, I'm glad you found the Halo helpful to you. I also had one of those but didn't find it as effective for me. It took more pressure and hand stretching for me. The rings have a gripping (suade-like) material on the bottom and handle knobs that were easy to use. I don't know if the size of quilt made a difference in how each worked. Most of my quilts are bed sized, many queen-sized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctconn35 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Girls thank you so much for your feedback!! I go tomorrow to meet George and see how he works, I'm so excited, but even more after reading all the comments. Wish me luck!! Theresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctconn35 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Hi everyone,you would never guess what I did!!! Yep I did it. He arrives in 4-6 wks, that I'm not happy about, but whoohoo. Thanks for all your help girls, theresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Madelyn: I have tried the Martelli quilting rings at a quilt show. The piece of fabric you could practice on was only about 18 inches by 18 inches. It seemed to hold the fabric rather taut, and I could easily quilt the area within the ring. I borrowed some other rings from the local quilt store on a large quilt that I was working on, and found they did not hold the fabric flat and tight. They were much lighter, and only had what I would call a rubber seal on the bottom to hold the fabric in place. I finally went back to just using my hands with batt scooters. I would like to know if you have had any issues with the fabric in the 11 inch or 8 inch ring not lay flat and taut, when quilting on a full sized quilt? The hundred bucks they want for the rings seem rather a lot to pay if I will end up not liking them. Plus, know that I will have to have either cut the opening in the ring completely out or have it ground down so it will slide under the hopping foot. It will probably be impossible to return them after they are modified. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Cagey, I really liked the rings, in fact I quit using gloves and used only those since I got them. I have used them on my king sized quilt and other bed sized ones. I just showed them to a dealer last week and she was able to move a quilt just laying on her table. As for doing the modification, I didn't do anything that way. I put them on George when I needed to replace the needle or by taking off the needle plate. You can sometimes give the needle bar just enough upward push to get them on too. It wouldn't be a problem with the interchangeable feet George has now probably. Once I put them on George I just kept them looped over the back of him. I used some tape and taped an empty spool of thread on the top of his case so the rings would stay behind it and not slide down in my way. I had all three there, the 8 and 11 rounds hung well and the 12 inch square could even go farther back to stay out of the way. That way I had any size I needed throughout the full quilt and didn't need to change anything other than hang one up and bring the next down. The only thing I would change with their design is the shave/cut off the knob side to make it flat and even with the inner ring edge. Then you could use the sides of the rings to guide the needle for lines or circles. Yes, it would be nice to have just a bit more shaved off the cut out, but it doesn't need to be much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendasr8 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Cagey, if you sign up for the Martelli e-mails, you'll be notified when they have their sales. They have the rings 50% off a few times a year. Brenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Madelyn: Thank you for sharing. I unfortunately, have an older model George without interchangeable feet. He is working so well now, I do not want to screw it up by taking him apart to put on the new foot bar and go through the retiming process. I could see how you could use the whole ring as your template to make circles. You should e-mail Matelli, and let them know about your improved design. You never know they just might take your input. Brenda: Thank you for the information. I will checkout their website and get on their e-mail list. If the price is right, I just might get a set. I hope all of you have a wonderful day. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 My George was the older model as well. That is one reason I had the rings hanging at the back, so I didn't need to mess around taking items or them off and on. On one quilt I remember changing between the two round ones more than once depending on the design I was making. Watch the sales for them or check at shows for the show price. Cagey, give me a note next week if you would be interested in the ones I have. There is a week of pending sale on them, if that doesn't go through, they are up for anyone interested, the 8" snf 11" round and 12" square, all three for $200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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