Mary Beth Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Wow! I know that girl can quilt, that much not one can disagree on. But today I tuned into her videos and now I have some questions. First, is there anything to this thing she says about needing more thread guides on our machines? She talks about the thread whipping as it comes off the cone, and yes it does. We need guides every 4" according to her. True/not true...I know that the manual states that it is very important for our machines to be threaded properly. Second, what about all the different needles she mentions. She gets the fabulous quilting because of the thread guides, the needles, and something else I can\'t remember and don\'t want to go back to find out:) Have you all at APQS viewed these videos and can you tell us how much of this we should listen to, and how much we can let go. Sharon is an artist. I bet she could creat a winning quilt if she operated a quilting machine with her toes and blindfolded. I\'m not really sold on the concept that it\'s all in the needle. We have some really great quilting artisit here on this site and they have never mentioned any of these things. Are they just keeping secrets?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryRogers Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Hi Mary Beth I posted about this very topic last week or so. You can see how inspired I was also about her helpful videos here. http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=9286#pid82114 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Thank you Sherry, I will go there right now. I thought someone must have talked about this at some point. (You are one of the great ones I was talking about). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Okay, now I\'m going to start messing with my machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennan100 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Sending Mary Beth subliminal messages....stay awaaaayy from the wheeeeels..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 My wheels are a complete mess!!!!! I have my SR working now, but my machine wobbles. I either get them too tight and I look like Popeye after I have finished a quilt, or the are loose and feel like I am out of control. As long as my SR is working, I\'m giving up on the rest. But thanks for trying Kenna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 And now I am sending Mary Beth subliminal messages....stay awaaaayy from the electronics stuff under the hood..... no touchie with the pinky toolies!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Mary Beth, Everything that I\'ve tried that Sharon recommended has really made a difference for me. I made the big a-- base and posted pictures under my post today of my baby quilt. I use the rice bags and use her side leaders. All of these things I think have made a difference in my quilting. I have the thread guides and will be adding them as well and I hope that takes care of any of the problems I have when using different color threads, top and bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonjaHammond Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Mary Beth: I love the control I have with the rice/bean bags on the back of the machine. I was having trouble with my thread flipping and the additional guides has really helped. I added four. I still need to get the one for the needle bar. I am doing crosshatching and sid right now and really like the accuracy I am getting. I am going to the store tomorrow (if it doesn\'t snow anther 16 inches tonight) to get the stuff for Sharon/Sherrys big A extended base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieBrewer Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 What\'s up with the rice bags? I don\'t have her videos and am wonder where the bags go and what they do. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 MarieB. The bigger, additional base, fits behind the extended base and the rice/weight bags etc.. set on the quilt, near the roller which nothing goes on.. I call it the third roller, or leveler roller (3 rd from the needle end). I am finding it makes a diff, but want to play with a little less weight, because of physical reasons.. As you quilt side to side, you do have to move the bags, though if made narrow and long, you\'d not have to move them as often as I\'m having to do with the bag of beans from the store. I want to try some foam under the leveler bar, (the third roller), tomorrow and see if that does the same kind of thing or not. I don\'t have the power advance, so I\'m thinking it will take too much rolling and unrolling to move the foam.. I\'ll find out. I also use the Sharon Schamber side leaders, and wouldn\'t do without, when I have room to put them on. This queen size backing wouldn\'t allow me to connect to anything at the edge of the fabric.. so I just pinned further in, before I get to the quilt top. So much better overall tension on the sandwich. RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyeQ Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Are you guys seeing all this on the subscription videos or on the free ones? Or on ones you bought? If the free ones, which ones? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Tracye, Here is the site they are talking about, just click on the free stuff. http://www.sharonschambernetwork.com/ Dawn C told us about the rice bags a long time ago, I just was so new I didn\'t get it. Looks like I need to make some changes in my spare time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Myrna, The only problem I have with my thread is the whipping around. I also have a lot of static, and DH said that the more places the thread runs through the more static it will creat - humm....does he know what he is talking about?? Or does he want me to stay out of his fishing poles?? I think the latter is true. My biggest problem is my wheels. I talked with Amy about it a couple of weeks ago because my SR was way off and I was getting long stitches. My wheels had been too tight so I loosened them, then they were too loose, can\'t seem to find the happy medium. It is so frustrating. I know the whole on the cam needs to be in a certain spot, and I get it there, but the wheels are still not right. I just want to give up, but they are so loose now I feel like I am out of control and when dooing a panto or making a loop I swing way around it - does that make sense?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I can\'t get the videos to load from Sharon\'s site. I keep trying to install the flash player and getting error messages. One thing I have done, at Bonnie\'s suggestion, is to take a leftover piece of batting and just tuck it between the quilt and roller to help take up any loose spots. Is this the purpose of the bags? I\'d think that adding weight on top of the quilt would cause even more saginess (is that a word) and make it even harder to get good stitches. Maybe I\'m thinking too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hi Teresa No, the reason for the bags is to put a little drag on the machine, to make it easier to control. The rice bags, or piece of foam (it should let you get even tension across the area you are working on, plus some drag thus control), has nothing to do with loose areas.. Hope that makes sense.. I\'m not wide awake yet. RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grammie Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 It\'s true that getting this control is great. Less ruler work for sure. I have mine kinda rigged but I\'m using Heavy towels and rice bags also. It gives such better control. Honey comes home early Febuary and I hope he can make me the Plexi-glass to fit the machine better. He is really good at this stuff when he\'s around. I didn\'t know about this plate that Sherry is using. I think I might have to have that. I\'m going to wait as I think my Husband can make a larger Table to fit as it is but I will have to see. If not I am going to do what Sherry did. If you like intricate work it\'s worth it. Sherry if your set up became available I would probly be one of the first to purchase it. I am wanting my plexi to fit the entire Throat space kinda like Sharon\'s if you know what I mean. I\'m not sure where you gets the material she uses to reduce static and friction. Can\'t remember what it is called. I\'ll have to see video again. Hugs Grammie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I use Sewers Aid on my spools/cones of thread as I use them. If they set over night or for several hours I add a bit more, and sometimes a bit on the guides off the tip of my finger, to control static, and slicker the thread into the quilt. I\'ve used iton the needle and in the bobbin thread too, for same reason. Our air is very dry here in the winter, and we shock each other just passing, and on laminate floors.. bare feet or with shoes on. Touching some of the small appliances send my hair straight up. Gosh I hate that. RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Here is a site that sells the Sewers Aid http://www.jennyraymond.com/html/catalog/Notions.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanette Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I love her stuff:-) I started out using the needles she does but quite by accident. I know that when I bought a different brand I had trouble with shredding and such. I purchased those extra thread guides this week too. I\'ve been using bean bags for several years, can\'t remember where I first heard about it. I have 1lb and 2lb bags and use them frequently when customer quilts are poofy with extra fullness in the piecing. Of course my own quilt tops are NEVER poofy! I also keep several different size cans of Menuedo or Chili and use them. (Can also have nuked lunch if need be, VBG) Put them on either side of the quilt and they roll away from the bed or with it depending on the direction you are quilting. It really does help. I float my quilts and keep a fairly loose sandwich. Sharon is my hero!. My next thing is a thread tree on the top of the machine. I started out doing fast pantos and meandering and didn\'t have a need for the extras. I have finally gotten comfortably with custom work and find that these things make a huge difference for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieqwv Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Teresa you can view on YouTube http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=SharonSchamberNet&p=r http://youtube.com/watch?v=qfpRZHnRs54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyeQ Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Thanks Mary Beth, that\'s what I was doing wrong, I was leaving off the "network". It still got me to one of her sites, but not the one w/the LA videos. Also, since you live in KC, if you\'re still having issues when MQS rolls around maybe you could bribe someone w/a home cooked meal and get a house call to look at your wheels? Just a thought. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 I posted a message on this site just today stating that I would be kidnapping someone from the APQS booth and bringing them home for dinner and wheel fixin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyeQ Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Okay I saw the video about making adjustments. She uses Schmetz (sp?) needles for embroidery she says. Where do I get those that work on the LA? Do I have to retime for them? I only know sizes like 3.5 and 4.0, so what size is she using or do I order? And she uses a thread tree that is like the one that came w/my machine from Hartley but she uses it at the back of the machine it looks like. Why? Doesn\'t that just give the thread a long way to travel back down from being up so high to get to a thread guide? Mine is supposed to be attatched at the front it says, so you don\'t have to go around back and change the thead. I think. Is that right? She said something about the reason for using the fishing guides is because it causes less friction than a regular thread guide. Really? I like what Sherry pointed out about the guides not having to be threaded thru the eye. Do you think it is really critical that it be porcelin (sp? I\'m apparently having spelling issues tonight LOL). I feel like there are things I want to do I just don\'t know for sure what they are. :P:P:P Help me before I smoke myself out thinking too hard. LOL Thank you for your thoughts on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Tracye, One point that Sharon made about the porcelain guides is that they won\'t wear like the metal ones so you won\'t get little grooves in them. I have mine but haven\'t put them on the machine yet. Also for any of you that haven\'t seen I posted a picture of the big a-- base I made for my machine on this thread. I jsut love the control I got on this quilt! Oh somebody asked about what the rice bags did, like somebody else said they just add a little resistance so the machine doens\'t move so quickly or loosly...hard to explain because it doesn\'t really slow it down just makes it easier! I didn\'t use any rulers on this quilt and used 3 lbs on the diagonals which is where I needed the most control. Everything else I used 1 or 2 pounds. http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=9411 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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