Prevent drag

[Karen McTavish]

...this girl is just trying to pay the rent here....

[Mary Beth]

It wasn\'t even "Sharon Bashing". It was just a comment not to jump to the conclusion that Sharon\'s remedies are a fix all. I will agree Sharon is one of the greatest quilters I have had the pleasure to meet. In fact Bonnie and I were just talking about her on the phone yesterday. I told Bonnie I thought she is a great quilter, it was Bonnie who beg to differ, and said she was no better than most of the people on our site. I do agree with that, we have some very, very talented people right here.

My comments were not meant to be "bashing" and it\'s too bad anyone took them to mean that.

[Jhend]

Time or talent? Or talent with time. Once I get rid of the day job maybe I\'ll have both.

[shadows4]

I agree 100% with Mary Beth!!! Sharon Schamber is amazing, but she\'s not an authority on APQS machines. It makes more sense to check with Amy or Mark first, or folks with the same type of machine first. Then seek other options.

I tried the rice bags, and foam. Never worked for me. Just impeded movement. Or maybe I\'m just one of those that "will never have the talent" so I\'m lost on all fronts!

[semedo2000]

I am not offended, I am appreciative for the help I received. I just did not understand what was going on in regards to sharon s. I attended a worshop that she gave a few months ago and thought she was great. Now I understand better about why she uses the foam and rice bags. I also appreciate the fact that there are other opinions because I love diversity.

I doubt if I will make any alterations to machine until I get to know it better.

One thing I did learn is not to let others mess around with my machine until I know more about it.

Thanks again for your help.

Cherlyn

[shadows4]

I\'m glad, Cherlyn, because there is a wealth of information here, and wonderful people who are more than willing to share it. Mary Beth gave solid advice in her first answer. You can trust her to give good advice or admit when she doesn\'t know, but she\'s ALWAYS ready to help, just as others who know or want to help will jump in also. Please don\'t let the earlier negativity detour you from learning from the many talented and helpful folks that frequent this site!

[Jeanette]

Originally posted by shadows4

I agree 100% with Mary Beth!!! Sharon Schamber is amazing, but she\'s not an authority on APQS machines. It makes more sense to check with Amy or Mark first, or folks with the same type of machine first. Then seek other options.

, the whole point of several of the posts were that the type of machine doesn\'t apply to Sharons applications. She never claimed to be an authority on our machines. Her tips are not meant to correct a problem with a machine, they are quilting techniques and it doesn\'t matter what kind of machine you have. The subject got confused and turned into comparing apples and oranges. If you have a machine problem of course consult your reps/manufacturer, if you want to learn quilting techniques you consult the quilter:-) This whole thing has gotten silly.

[shadows4]

Exactly, Jeannette. Many Newbies don\'t know that all machines aren\'t the same and don\'t all have the same troubles. Many don\'t know their machines well enough to understand if they are looking at something that\'s a fix for a problem, or at a quilting technique, or, where to look first for answers. Pointing them toward the one that will help them best WAS the point.

As I stated earlier, Sharon is amazing! But I never stated that she claimed to be an authority on our machines, and I never tried to infer that.

[Joyce]

Marybeth I have watch your coments and you just crack me up, This is my post amd i hope not my last. Joyce

[Mary Beth]

Hey Joyce, welcome to the forum! Thank you for the compliment...I think:D I hope it is not your last post too...keep \'em coming, we love good conversation!!

[michaelalan]

:(:("Just because Sharon Schamber says it...don\'t make it so. Will I be excommunicated from the quilting community for saying that 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." :(

"In fact Bonnie and I were just talking about her on the phone yesterday. I told Bonnie I thought she is a great quilter, it was Bonnie who beg to differ, and said she was no better than most of the people on our site."

;)This THREAD just slays me, speaking for everyone and now for

Bonnie! So Bonnie what say you?

;)My Mom is right, this is beyond silly.:P

:mad::mad::mad:Bashing is bashing and you bashed, dissing, cut down what ever you call it.....I know some of you are gonna be mad at me for not playing nice, so what, get over it, there was Sharon bashing going on for absolutly no reason, it\'s very obvious from the 2nd post, very bitter me thinks....I know you like to hear yourself chatter on and on but it was not necessary to cut down Sharon when you didn\'t even address the right topic, And I\'m sure, Sharon would speak highly of you, no I know that she would ....:(

[ffq-lar]

Dear michaelalan,

Your mean-spirited agitation on this site is un-welcome and goes against the tone carefully maintained by the helpful, caring, generous contributors here. Your self-professed caring for others whom you think have been maligned doesn\'t seem to work in the reverse as you poke fun at and selectively quote others who mean no offense and only are expressing OPINIONS. You may express all the opinions you want to here, but knock off the elitist, snobby, mean comments if you please. There, I am now a target--take your best shot......

[michaelalan]

;)Linda dear, I really don\'t care what you think, now do I? ...;)

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by michaelalan

;)This THREAD just slays me, speaking for everyone and now for

Bonnie! So Bonnie what say you?

I so amazed at how a simple general conversation got so out of control....the written word is so hard to analize and without the tone of voice of the writer, how it can get SO OUT OF wack in just the written word.

First off I don\'t believe anyone was bashing anyone....it wasn\'t until the word bash was brought up that it started to turn that way, up to that point it was just an opinion and we all understood that, and could agree or disagree with that. When the wording of BASHING was brought up then did people become tense and on alert waiting for the next shoe to drop and the fight to start.

WE are all aware that what doesn\'t work for one may work for another, and the other way around. We all make suggestions, we all try to help, that\'s why we come here to help and learn new inventive ways to make our lives in quilting easier. 11 years ago when I started we didn\'t have this link to the world and what you are now getting as free advise MANY of us had to learn on our own and some even started to share by writing books and articles for magazines. We didn\'t have this forum in the beginning...and we have grown to a family of almost 4000. Its because we care that we have gotten this big...

IT DOES NOT mean that if I say something works for me, its gospel...its just what worked for me and IF YOU choose to try it then that\'s your choose and then it can become either your opnion or your dislike for it..... And if you say it didn\'t work for you that is not BASHING...me or my method. It then becomes your opinion, and yours alone...and people can agree or disagree with it.

I too believe that Sharon is a GREAT quilter, but in total conversation I did say that I didn\'t believe that she was any better than MANY MANY of others which alot of them are on our little forum and in our family. Was that Sharon bashing??? NO, I believe that was an honest opinion...an mine alone.

I know that the person who started this thread is ready to crawl back under a rock and hide. Please don\'t let that happen....we are all here to learn and to help...some of the conversations do get out of control and some feelings do get hurt and we don\'t hear from them for sometime before they get brave enough to come back out and try again.

Just promise to keep an open mind and understand that at times the written word doesn\'t always convey the same meanings as words and voice tone can.

[semedo2000]

Thanks Bonnie,

I agree with what you stated about written word. There is something about how some people can hide behind a computer and say things that they would normally not say in person. It is too bad that people have to use a message board for this purpose.

Cherlyn

[quiltmonkey]

Originally posted by 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

This was Cherlyn\'s initial question. Truly, (in my opinion) I believe that because Cherlyn just got her machine a few months ago, she is still trying to figure it out, still learning.

I think Cherlyn\'s question about the drag problem with her new machine (and because she is so new to learning everything) she heard about this "foam and rice bag method" from Sharon Schamber. Well Sharon\'s method is for adding weight and drag for better quilting control in tiny tight areas. Cherlyn thought this method might help her but in all reality, this creates more drag (temporarily when you need it), and it doesn\'t reduce drag. (Cherlyn wants to eliminate her drag == completely!)

So in all fairness to everyone (including Mike) I think Cherlyn is still learning "quilt speak" and she didn\'t quite understand what Sharon Schamber\'s method was really used for, and she didn\'t quite explain herself to where we completely understood her "REAL" issue which is most likely her table is not level or her wheels are not adjusted correctly (or both). Probably both. It’s like a new patient trying to explain the symptom to the doctor but doesn’t quite explain it clearly and the doctor misdiagnoses the patient. All the advice was meant well with good intentions.

Cherlyn, after I had my machine set up for a while, I later spent about an hour or so with my 3 foot level and followed the bubble until I got my table nice and level. I was crawling all over the floor under that table like a toddler. I also spent a lot of time fine tuning and tweaking the four cams on my carriage. You have to have a little patience and diligence to get these adjusted just the way you like and I must tell you that (now) my machine glides like a swan on a lake. It\'s worth the time (actually, it is critical; very important) to get that table completely level and carriage wheels adjusted just right. It\'s like a house on a foundation; if the foundation isn\'t level, then the house is crooked and it all goes downhill (literally) from there! Same thing with our longarm table. Cherlyn, keep tinkering and you\'ll be gliding smooth in no time. If you still bump into problems with drag, let us know and we\'ll try to help you further. The good news is, this is easily fixable. The first thing you must do is get that table completely level. Then, then... you can adjust your cams. In that order.

I think this quilt chat is a terrific place. It\'s a golden place. I am so grateful for all of the information that is freely shared here. I have gained an abundance of knowledge on this chat. You all are tops in my book. All of you! Thanks for being there for me when I needed your advice. It\'s perpetual. Let’s continue to pass it forward.

This chat is a giant melting pot of diversity and experience from very caring and giving and talented people. This is a golden place.

Quilt on!

[jmyhogan]

I agree with Linda Rech.

I believe sometimes people are Super Sensitive about Trivial things and end up reading meanings into what others say or write that were never intended.

When someone is Inappropriately Over Defensive about a subject there is usually an unaddressed problem working in the background.

This site is about all of us expressing good will and helping each other. No one should take offense at truthful crtitcism.

[victoriasews]

Got my drag problem solved temporarily. My engineer husband (how would I ever survive without him?) turned the wheels around, said they were really worn, and now I\'m fine until they wear the other side down, then I\'ll have to get new ones. That\'s only 2 years of quilting, so keep that in mind if you get drag.