winipb2

I agree with dunster's reply. I have the same machine and same problem. LOL

bonitagaye

I have a Tin Lizzie 18! How long have you had yours!? I have had mine long enough to have made some serious progress, but somehow I just haven't! I have done about 25 quilts. Nothing spectacular. Just quilted!

I tried to use the Tin Lizzie site, but I guess there is no one on there! I asked a few questions~no answers.

I would like to know how to clean it myself. (not just the thread in the bobbin area) There are several things that have been upgraded since I got mine. and I have no Idea why there are all those stupid little holes when a little wire hook would have done just as well. I am too old and short to have to try to thread thru all of those!

When my Lizzie is sewing good she is wonderful! Good Luck! I think you have to do baby stuff for a while and not expect perfection the first few quilts. Give your self a break! I did little baby panels and just learned to do circles to start!
Well, I forgot the point of my epistle! You will have fun soon!

w7sue

I got my Gammill this past summer - at a garage sale! I broke my arm this past February and it was still broken when I got my machine. I have taken a "beginner" class and done about 10 quilts since getting my machine. I had surgery in December to fix my arm and have done most of my quilts since then. I am lucky enough to have a group that makes charity quilts that keeps me in practice quilts. I have done pantographs and a couple of meandering designs. I still have the "herky jerkies" and am not as smooth as I would like to be. I have been told to practice, practice, practice.

I have a 60x90 quilt on there right now that I am unsure how to quilt. The blocks are big and I have taken a piece of chalk and drawn on a large meandering design - think it might be too big, but don't want anything too close. I love a pantograph that I have, but it is definitely overwhelming - it has two places that will start and stop on the beginning end and then one place that starts and goes completely across - 14" wide panto - very intimidating! I love it but am afraid to do it on a quilt where the stitching will be so visable.

I didn't have any experience quilting my own quilts before this beast came along. I want to feel more comfortable doing quilts on it. I want to be able to do it without even thinking twice - I feel like such a failure when I look at it sometimes - it scares the heck out of me! I keep telling myself "I can do this"! Now to make myself believe it!

I am making friends with a lady at the local quilt shop who wants to feel more comfortable using her machine and we have agreed to get together at each other's homes to help each other - I can hardly wait!

Thanks for letting me rant ... I will be more positive next time, I promise! I guess it is just important to know that we can do this ... it might take some time to get better and everyone has a different learning curve ... but we will get there!

Just Me...

Practice...practice...practice....if you have an opportunity to go to the Machine Quilter's Expo the first weekend of May, there are lots of seminars you can take. One of the best tips EVER I learned in one of the seminars was on how to do feathers. Buy a Latino dance CD. Yup....it keeps you from tensing up! When you are practicing your feathers, you automatically want to *bump* to the music and it truly does help.....try it!

Just Me...

Have you ladies thought about using a marker and drawing on your machine? I know, the horror of it all! When I was showing Hubs how to thread one of my machines, I took a marker and drew little arrows ---> <--- showing exactly where the thread goes next. Then he doesn't have to get the book out each time. By the time he didn't need them anymore, they had all but worn off the machine.....

Judi in Ohio

Darn, I think maybe the free membership is gone from MQResources. I wanted to look around and see what it is all about and all I see is a $20 fee - not bad, but if I'm not going to use it!

Judi in Ohio

I just got an A-1 22" on a 12' table. I drew and drew and drew until I got my machine. Then I threw some rags together and played and watched YouTube - don't forget this valuable resource. Many great quilters have videos on there. I ditched my zippers and got red snappers - nifty little buggers. I especially like the side snappers - more even than just clamping with clamps. If you just remember it is just a huge sewing machine, oil and clean it like a regular machine and don't be intimidated by it's size. I have my first semi -serious piece on the machine now and am doing a Sharon Schamber pantograph all over - everything else was just a bit of this and that. If you know her work you know it has lots of curves and I am enjoying it. My tension is off right now -on my plug uglies it was perfect - of course - I may throw another practise piece on before I get serious. My dh needs throws for when he's wood working so I am obliging him. I do feel myself getting smoother. One of my best practise ideas was to just do large and small circles all over. I started out doing squared corners and it was frustrating - once I got over that hump my designs looked much better. My drawn feathers are really beautiful - hope they translate on cloth soon!!! lol

hperttula123

Everyone has their own skills and will learn at their own rate. Some quicker than others. It really depends on your drawing skills and your mental memory. When I was learning, I always worked on practice pieces(which some of them turned out pretty cute). I would practice writing names in cursive, doing clouds, swirls, and whatever else I could think of. It's just practice. When we got our machine, they told us it usually takes about 100 hours on the machine for people to become comfortable and know what they are doing. There is alot you have to know about them. It's alot of learning, but it is so worth it in the end. I'm a visual learner, so I watched lots of videos. Some were bought and some were on youtube. I like the pajama quilter. She is lots of fun to watch and she is very helpful. You can also practice on a dry erase board. Drawing it out will help build up your mental memory. I wish you the best of luck, and there are lots of people here willing to help you if you need it.

Geri B

First, what brand do you have. Look at the website of the mfg to see if they offer any classes or tutorials. Do you have a manual or is there one on the website. Important information there about cleaning, maintenance, needle type etc. Go on line and seek out suppliers for thread, patterns, books, dvd. There are many books available-I have found some at the local JoAnn Fab in the quilt book section....Don't try to do too fancy a thing at the beginning....make sure your tension is good.....In 10+ yrs I have never adjusted my bobbin thread tension, only the top.........watch your speed as opposed to the speed of your machine....you must be in sync with it or your stitches will skip or be toe catchers........get a few easy pantos, but get ones that don't have straight lines, curves are easier and easier to camoflauge(sp) if they are not perfect....and they will not be perfect...just use the panto as a guide as to where to go..not a road you must stay on.........if you need to you can pm me, I don't mind giving you some hints....if I can help, I will be happy to....when I started we were few and far between and kind of learned the "hard way", now there are many sources of help and ideas.......just be patient with yourself and you will "dance well"......

katsbmr

thats too funny, cause I have a masters degree and I still have trouble threading mine! Ha. Mine is also a Tin Lizzie 18LS