Prevent drag

[semedo2000]

Hello All,

I am fairly new to long arm quilting. I just bought a Milli at the begging of this year.

Yesterday, my machine was not moving freely. I wondered if anyone has tried Supreme Free-Motion Slider for their long arm?

I attended a guild meeting where Sharon Schamber suggested foam and rice bags and the slider to prevent drag.

I was trying to quilt a friend\'s quilt on yesterday but the machine was dragging. We both became somewhat frustrated as we tried everything including changing thread, oiling the wheels, adjusting the wheels on the cam.

Any other suggestions?

Cherlyn

[Mary Beth]

Make sure there is no thread caught in a wheel. (I didn\'t think I had any...but finally found it).

Has there been a problem with drag before? If not, there must be something causing it now. Check to see if everything is level on the table.

Just because Sharon Schamber says it...don\'t make it so. Will I be excommunicated from the quilting community for saying that:o Sorry, but everyone is treating her like she is the authority on all machines. She uses a Prodigy and she talks about Gammills. I have not heard her mention APQS could it be we don\'t have the problems the other machines have??

To all of you with Prodidy and Gammills, I mean no offense. We just can\'t go by everything Sharon says.

Check everything on your table and machine before you use anything on it. I don\'t even know what this Supreme Free-Motion Slider is....But I don\'t have a problem with drag on my machine and I have not heard of anyone else having the problem.

Ooops...there went my opinion again....I have a hard time controlling that thing!!

[veg-girl]

Check for threads wound around the wheels. Dark threads are easily missed when you look.They can get wrapped right round the axle so they are almost invisible.

Has one of your channel locks got stuck?

Are your cables all moving freely and not snagging on the table.?

Are your rails really clean?

If none of the above apply, try loading another practise piece, Murphy\'s law says the machine will be OK today!

I thought rice bags etc were to increase drag in order to get fine control.

[Karen McTavish]

It takes a little adjustment to get your wheels more free-motion. If it feels like you can move up and down and back and forth - but not freemotion - then its your wheels and they need to loosen up. Check your manual for instuctions on how to adjust your wheels.

Make sure your channel locks are not on.

Sometimes, if the machine sits and sits in the same spot without moving for a long time - the wheels will get funky - but moving the machine helps resolve this.

Check that your cord is free and hanging down between the carriage.

[ffq-lar]

Well said, MB!

I love all our APQS Reps--they are so knowledgeable and willing to help at any time. Another big help is Darlene Epp-what a Wonder-Woman! If you want answers about APQS, ask APQS.

That said, there are several reasons to cause drag.

Is it dragging only in one spot--like on the left side going horizontally? Then you need to check if the base is dragging along the leveler roller. You can raise that roller a little to clear the base.

Is it dragging all the time? Check for threads wrapped around the wheels--really get down there with a bright light and a magnifying glass. And tweezers.

This will sound funny--is one of your channel locks engaged? I had to ask.

If you have drag in one area, the table may need to be leveled. This is a problem if you have your table on carpeting. It will settle after a little while and torque the table enough to cause drag. Drop a level across the table in all directions to see if there is a bad spot. Check that the truss bolts (center of the table) are tight.

Now--if all else fails and your frustration level is high--Call APQS!!

You can do the research first and be armed with information if you do need to call APQs---and you will be so bonded and familiar with your machine when you are done.

[Sheri Butler]

Oh Mary Beth, I feel the same exact way about the Sharon S. thing.

We have APQS machines, where oh where on/in her video\'s, comments, etc. does it say anything about having those issues with APQS machines.

Now, I am guilty of putting those thread guides on my machine, as I (personally) believe it did help with the thread whipping around and breaking (and it did!) But, as far as the other stuff......I just did what someone else suggested, and that was that I had the center of my table (you know that screw that pushes up your table center???) I had lowered it to raise no more than 1" and wala!!! Smooth as silk!

Now, why would we expect our horizontal wheels to "glide over a hill" smooth? We should be gliding smoothly on a straight surface, not up a hill, then back down.

It made perfect sense to me, and it worked!

Check out those bolts you use to put some height into the center of your lexan table!

Worked 4 me!

[semedo2000]

Thanks for your suggestions.... I did try to adjust the wheels on the cam. The one on the bottom right is not moving at all. I tried to adust to no avail.

I will try some of the other suggestions.

I was trying to figure this out myself before calling APQS. However, I will call them if I need to.

Thanks again to the wise peanut gallery !

[ramona-quilter]

Oh, MB, there you go getting lippy, again. Many of us think it, but you have to be one to say it out loud. :P

As some of you know, I drive a Gammill. I have seen the ads (You Tube etc) about some of the products. But I didn\'t drink the Kool-Aid.

We all spent a lot of money for our longarms. Why should we fix them with chewing gum and bailing wire? I don\'t get it. And now a rice bag. Does it come with soy sauce? :D

These machines are precision equipment. Some of these fixes smack of putting aluminum foil on your TV antenna. Before I would put any non-standard stuff on my machine, I would talk to my rep. They are the experts.

[lisae]

Originally posted by SheriB

......I just did what someone else suggested, and that was that I had the center of my table (you know that screw that pushes up your table center???) I had lowered it to raise no more than 1" and wala!!! Smooth as silk!

Now, why would we expect our horizontal wheels to "glide over a hill" smooth? We should be gliding smoothly on a straight surface, not up a hill, then back down.

It made perfect sense to me, and it worked!

Check out those bolts you use to put some height into the center of your lexan table!

Worked 4 me!

Hi, Sheri,

I totally agree!! I had a horrible issue with drag right in the middle of my table. I tried everything over the last year. Recently, I lowered the truss bolts in the middle of the machine to about 1". That solved the problem! As a result I was able to do away with the foam under the leveler bar. I never could get the rice bag thing to work very well. Now I might be really brave and remove the Edge Rider wheels and put the original Millie wheels back on.

[JLM]

The free motion slider is for your domestic sewing machine (or George). It allows you to move the quilt over the bed of your machine, so it would not help on a longarm.

Janet Mohler

[jmcclannan]

You know, Mary Beth I\'m going to have to fly down I-29 and meet you one of these days cuz we think a lot alike. I laugh at what you write and say YOU GO GIRL!!

[TAQuilts]

I drive a gammill too, and most of the time I steer it with my index finger cuz it\'s so smooth. The last thing I need is more fish hooks to thread or Rice Bags to weigh me down:D

But Sharons modifications are great solutions to try, IF one is having difficulty with their particular machine in certain areas. As we all know even within the same family each of our machines has their own unique personalities, and quirks and sometimes a family member just needs an extra band-aid to make it work better.

Terry

[Mary Beth]

Terry, you are right. These machine do have a personality and we do need to get to know them.

Linda....yep, it\'s me Lippy MB Oh gosh...I wish I could catch it before it goes past my lips...somehow it bypasses my brain and out the lips, then to the brain Me thinks me\'s wired up wrong

I too have put the fishing pole eyes on my machine...yes Sharon...I feel for it hook, line and sinker The jury is still out...I can\'t tell any difference. My thread doesn\'t whip around any more...does it break - some times, just like before!!

Right now my wheels are not adjusted right - my stitches look terrible - and I can\'t seem to get it right. So not one thing Sharon says is going to help. I need and APQS repairperson to come to my house for dinner during MQS!!

[victoriasews]

I have had my millie 2 years now and this week it started dragging when I quilt horizontally. I checked channel locks first because it really felt like that was the problem. I\'ve cleaned and checked wheels and bolts and the level and still can\'t figure it out. I asked about it at the APQS booth in Paducah and did all they said there but it is still dragging. I\'m going to try new edgerider wheels when I get to MQS. A "very famous quilter and rep" said she has had to replace wheels in that short of a time so maybe that is my problem. As long as I have to replace wheels, I\'m gonna give edgriders a try.

Good luck finding your problem. I can empathize with you while you are figuring it out.

[LynnQuilts]

Another thing to try is to make sure that the gold bolts on the bottom of your adjustable wheels are tight. Sometimes if they are loose, the machine acts funny.

The rice bags/foam are for a specific kind of quilting, not for your general everyday freehand. They are for when you want precise exact quilting, when you need more control. They are for the kind of quilting Sharon Schamber does. If you are not doing the kind she does, then you probably don\'t need the rice bags!

[Jeanette]

"Yesterday, my machine was not moving freely. I wondered if anyone has tried Supreme Free-Motion Slider for their long arm? I attended a guild meeting where Sharon Schamber suggested foam and rice bags and the slider to prevent drag".

I was under the impression that Sharon recommended using the foam, rice bags, etc., to CREATE drag for precision quilting, not prevent drag. I use the foam on quilts that are very \'full\' or distorted to help take up excess material and rice bags to weight the top down on either side of the base arm so I can quilt out the fullness without stretching the top and also for slow precision quilting on custom designs. (my rice bags are actually one and two pound bags of dry beans from the grocery store) The free-motion slider is for your domestic.

[judysmith]

I\'m giggling now as I read Marybeth\'s comments. Tut tut tut!

I have to confess I love creating drag for precision work and I thought that was what Sharon suggested works for her. If I got my wires crossed/twisted, it doesn\'t matter, because it works! Perhaps when I grow up I\'ll eat the rice instead and just do like everyone else...

Judy:)

[Jeanette]

giggling along with you now - Sharons\' use of rice bags just netted her a cool $100,000 for her gorgeous quilting. It wouldn\'t matter what brand of machine she used with that kind of talent:-)

[michaelalan]

:D:DTeeheeheehee, .....I\'m with you MOM. It doesn\'t matter what you quilt with, it\'s if you have the talent....some people just will never have it and some have it....:cool:

[bobbipatillo]

that just reads elitist.

Cherlyn, Call APQS or email them. they really do have the answers. You paid a LOT of money for your machine. It is possible to start a downward spiral with one thing causing another, eventually you may be unable to tell what the cause is.

call \'em, they are so easy to talk to and it\'s not like talking to a genius or something, they know what the sound effects and descriptions we use mean.

bobbi

[Cheryll]

Here is a simple cure. I was feeling some drag and I just turned off the machine and then all was well. maybe it was channel locks. I never use them so I didn\'t even give them a thought. I love this forum. Cheryll

[semedo2000]

I tried to call APQS yesterday and the service rep was on the line. I turned on my machine as well as moved it up and down back and forth. I also checked to see if the table was level. I do believe that the channel locks may have been on because the left wheel was moving yesterday. I still have a lot to learn about my Milli. But all of your comments were very helpful. Thanks for taking time to answer my question. I think the mystery is solved.

BTW, I am not sure how this forum deteriorated to who has talent or not. I am just very green to long arm quilting and asked for help.

[LynnQuilts]

People were just playing around. There was nothing against you. Everyone here is very happy to help anyone who needs help, no matter if they are very new or not. If they can help, they always try to do that.

[Mary Beth]

If I offended you in any way, then please accept my apologies. We all were "green" at one time, and I still feel a little green most of the time. I learn something new every day, right here on this site. Lynn is absolutely correct when she says that everyone here is happy to help anyone who needs help, info, inspiration, or just a good old fashioned shoulder to cry on. We are here to support each other.

I did not mean anything at all against you or what you were asking. My comments are more directed to people jumping on Sharon S\'s bandwagon of adding to their machines when there could be a simple explination to their problems.

Like I said, I fell hook, line and sinker too and added the extra eyes. I don\'t think it was a bad thing, because my thread whipped all the time before, and it doesn\'t now. But, I don\'t think it did anything for thread breaking or quality of stitch. So, I\'m just saying, just because she is Sharon S. doesn\'t mean her methods are the best.

Any time you need help with minor things, we are here for you girl! Any time you have something that may be a bigger problem, I would call the APQS techs and have them help, they can fix things "just like that", over the phone!! And they don\'t mind...in fact they would tell you that\'s what they are there for.

I\'m glad to hear that you problem was an easy fix.

[michaelalan]

:oIt went from your problem with preventing DRAG, to a few people bashing Sharon S. Who uses friction/drag to do precise quilting....I believe Sharon has the talent being talked about, no one else on this thread won $100,000 or close to it did they, except maybe Karen. The commets weren\'t directed at you.:cool: