still scared of my machine

[amyfaith]

I have heard these wheels can break - should I put some replacements on order?

[amyfaith]

Not even sure if these bars are set right. I need to get a manual for this model to make sure we get this set up correctly. Same deal - no automatic anything. Builds character right? I am prepared to PPP!! Other than the great people on this forum, what would you recommend as the best resource for trouble shooting the most typical problems this newbie will run in to? What are the must haves when you have no experience to start out with. I know it is silly to stock up on patterns or templates and rulers if I am not familiar with my machine yet. Any recommendations on budget friendly supplies to PPP with?

Ready to quilt!

Amy

[barbm]

Amy,

Can\'t help you with the setup of your machine, since I have the big sis (Millie), but don\'t worry about templates, rulers, etc. Get some yards of practice fabric (start with plain colors and move up to cheater cloth) and some quilt-quality batting, an assortment of threads (Superior has a Longarm Starter Assortment that lets you try one of everything), some spare needles, a good "encyclopedia of longarming" - there\'s one by Linda Taylor, another by Carolyn Thiessien (sp?). Oh, and any of the basic books by Darlene Epp. Then just play on the fabric. Get to know what your baby likes in terms of speed, thread, designs. Get to know what you enjoy doing. Write your name in thread. Draw abstract designs. The more you play, the more relaxed you\'ll become. Pretty soon you\'ll be doing all those fancy things you don\'t even dream of doing right now. What an exciting time!

[DawnCavanaugh]

Amy,

You\'ve got a couple of questions going along with your photos. Here are a few answers:

1) Your springs are actually in the correct place. An earlier photo posted of a wooden table had the springs in a different location, along with the caption asking if the springs were correct in thatphoto.

2) The last photo shows the quilt top roller (the one with the canvas attached to it) mounted to the frame, along with an empty roller. The backing roller should actually go where that empty roller is mounted. (It looks like the backing roller is laying on or near the floor in the photo.)

A long time ago, the machines came with that empty roller, which mounted to an additional set of brackets near the bottom of the legs (you can see the empty bracket on the leg in the photo). Its purpose was to give comforter-style quilts something to wrap around so that they didn\'t create a lot of bulk on the canvas rollers. Since nobody really does extra-thick comforters anymore (at least not many quilters as opposed to those in the decorator industry), the bar was discontinued long ago.

So, you can either mount that empty bar into the brackets you see on the legs, or store it somewhere else. Some people mount it and then toss the batting that would normally drag on the floor from the quilt right over it, to keep from stepping on the batting as they work. Personally, my extra bar is in the garage and the lower area of my machine is filled with 3-drawer Rubbermaid containers stuffed with fabric, thread, supplies, etc.

3) The wheels you show in the photo were in use for many years and are very durable. The chances that they will actually break are minimal. However, that\'s not to say that they can\'t wear out. Depending on the age of the wheels and the care the machine received, you may want to treat yourself to new wheels to avoid any unknown issues.

4) From your photo I can see that you have "ratchets" on the quilt top and quilt backing roller that drop down and hold them in place; so do I. One piece of cheap advice: wrap a rubber band several times around the toggle that holds the quilt top roller. When you are ready to attach fabric, you\'ll want both of those toggles to stay out of the "teeth" and they don\'t want to stay up by themselves. The rubber band will give the backing roller toggle something to rest on when you lift it, and will keep them both out of the way.

5) As for inexpensive practicing supplies, get some cheap sheets from Goodwill and doodle on them. Start with a light colored thread, then switch to one a little darker, and then darker still...you\'ll be able to quilt over one area many times without even advancing your fabric just by switching thread color.

If there was one "gadget" I couldn\'t do without, it would be an extended base plate for the machine\'s throat and a straight ruler to do diagonal lines.

There are thousands of supplies you can get--start with the basics and you\'ll be fine.

Let us know when you\'re ready to start up the machine and we\'ll help you through it!

[amyfaith]

Dawn, I am impressed at how you are able to tell which roller is what from that tiny picture. I have a feeling I will be posting pictures of random Ultimate body parts with pleas of instructions for what goes where. Such good information. I LOVE the idea of quilting on the same section of material with different color threads and not having to advance the quilt. I am sure that is something so many of you all have done, but I would have NEVER thought of it - yippee!

Barb - great ideas on where to start with supplies. I did try to find the sampler pack of superior threads. I found one that is a set of small spools for $79. Does that sound right? I might just have to start with a couple of spools and add more to my collection next month. From what I have read....King Tut, Superfine, and Bottom Line may be a good place to start.

Amy

[barbm]

SoFine and Bottom Line are both favorites on this chat - you can\'t go wrong with them. King Tut is a heavier thread and will show every bobble, which may be nice for some applications.

Have fun!