Question on Tin Lizzie quilting machine
04-03-2009, 05:53 AM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: La Quinta, CA
Posts: 3,918
I have had my Tin Lizzie for over a year and I love it. I use all kinds of thread, coats & clark, YLI, thread art etc., they all work for me. The cheaper brands do cause more lint, I brush the bobbin area and case with each new bobbin change. I do check /adjust the tension when I change brands. I almost always use white thread with my machine. I found that I did have to adjust the tension more for colors/black. As with any longarm there is a learning period.
There are very helpful Yahoo Groups to check, one specific to Tin Lizzie.
They are a super source for help and info.
I bought my machine second-hand, locally, for a price I could afford. I have seen some good prices lately on new machines.
Do your research and find the right machine for you. I couldn't be happier with mine. :lol:
There are very helpful Yahoo Groups to check, one specific to Tin Lizzie.
They are a super source for help and info.
I bought my machine second-hand, locally, for a price I could afford. I have seen some good prices lately on new machines.
Do your research and find the right machine for you. I couldn't be happier with mine. :lol:
03-25-2011, 07:59 AM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: SW Minnesota
Posts: 1,120
Originally Posted by butterflywing
i have one and i can tell you the pros and cons of my particular one.
it only like certain threads. especially king tut which is costly.
it can run away with you. it goes very fast on the lizzie stitch.
raising and lowering the take-up bar is a pain.
the clamps will need to be replaced with better ones. big deal!
with the right thread it sews without breaking any thread.
i use it on manual and control the speed myself. very easy.
unless you pay for a computerized machine, they all need to be raised and lowered by hand. sorry. this is no worse, maybe better.
it's very easy to replace the clamps, and schambers has a wonderful
technique for very even tension. definitely use this.
it's a little ticklish on the wiring that controls the left-right controls. they
answer all calls and walk you through any problems. they have
good tech help.
all in all i am very happy with it. it takes time to set it up for each quilt. the tension changes, the thread changes, etc. you should test each quilt to make sure everything is set up right.
like every other sewing machine, when it's good it's very, very good and when it's bad you want to stomp it to death. if it needs repair (has not happened to me since i own it -over a year) it's easy to pick up and take to the dealer.
if you have the opportunity, buy it at a show from the owner, ernie. it will cost less and you can bargain for things like extra needles, even though he says you don't need extras, or extra bobbins. you can still bring to a dealer if you need to. at a show, you might get him to swallow the tax. remember the shipping costs and mentally add that onto the price.
are you getting the computerized one? if not, last year's are all on sale.
since i won't spend the big bucks on a gammill , i think i did the right thing. NONE OF THEM IS PERFECT. THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN.......
PERSONALITIES. i would do it again. practice makes perfect here.
also be sure and join the yahoo group above. there is one especially for lizzie owners. you'll read about every problem and answer.
mine is the TL18SL. good luck with your decision.
it only like certain threads. especially king tut which is costly.
it can run away with you. it goes very fast on the lizzie stitch.
raising and lowering the take-up bar is a pain.
the clamps will need to be replaced with better ones. big deal!
with the right thread it sews without breaking any thread.
i use it on manual and control the speed myself. very easy.
unless you pay for a computerized machine, they all need to be raised and lowered by hand. sorry. this is no worse, maybe better.
it's very easy to replace the clamps, and schambers has a wonderful
technique for very even tension. definitely use this.
it's a little ticklish on the wiring that controls the left-right controls. they
answer all calls and walk you through any problems. they have
good tech help.
all in all i am very happy with it. it takes time to set it up for each quilt. the tension changes, the thread changes, etc. you should test each quilt to make sure everything is set up right.
like every other sewing machine, when it's good it's very, very good and when it's bad you want to stomp it to death. if it needs repair (has not happened to me since i own it -over a year) it's easy to pick up and take to the dealer.
if you have the opportunity, buy it at a show from the owner, ernie. it will cost less and you can bargain for things like extra needles, even though he says you don't need extras, or extra bobbins. you can still bring to a dealer if you need to. at a show, you might get him to swallow the tax. remember the shipping costs and mentally add that onto the price.
are you getting the computerized one? if not, last year's are all on sale.
since i won't spend the big bucks on a gammill , i think i did the right thing. NONE OF THEM IS PERFECT. THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN.......
PERSONALITIES. i would do it again. practice makes perfect here.
also be sure and join the yahoo group above. there is one especially for lizzie owners. you'll read about every problem and answer.
mine is the TL18SL. good luck with your decision.
03-26-2011, 12:12 PM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: currently central new jersey
Posts: 8,623
UPDATE: mine, too, is accepting other threads now. i may not have been too good about the tension before. a also bought needles with a larger eye, and bought a heaver weight thread that i want to experiment with.
i saw a good video, i can't remember where, that showed some guy who attached a board right across the front of the quilter, above the quilt itself, but not touching. he placed his panto there and aimed his laser from the front of his machine. that way he was able to see exactly what he was doing. i want to check out the frame and see if i can figure that out.
since last time, i did buy the table extension and that opens up a world of possibilities. your straight edge balances and allows you to stitch perfectly straight lines, although long diagonals are still hard to get right, as on any machine. i also got the open-toe foot, but haven't used it yet. i got them both at all-brands.
the prices were better there than any other place, although the shipping time was awful. maybe that was a one-time thing, i don't know.
i also changed over to the lizzie stitch because i felt i should learn to be versatile. i still don't use it all the time, but at least i use it occasionally.
i have a microhandle, not the real one, and i don't like it. you have to get down to it really, really close, and it's very uncomfortable. i find that if i sit in a chair the right height, i see well enough to steer it properly. and if you get very close, you end up working in your own shadow.
all in all, i still love it. whenever i go to a show, i still try all the others out, and i'm not overly impressed. the bells and whistles would be nice but i just want a reliable machine that i trust to do the job and has good tech support and a nearby dealer.
there was a post recently about setup time. i load the frame in about 30-45 minutes. that's pinning the backing to the leader, pinning and rolling the backing onto the belly bar, and machine basting the batting and top to the backing. i float the batting and the top so i can tweak it as i roll it along. it also includes clamping the sides to ready the whole thing for quilting.
how are you liking yours so far?
i saw a good video, i can't remember where, that showed some guy who attached a board right across the front of the quilter, above the quilt itself, but not touching. he placed his panto there and aimed his laser from the front of his machine. that way he was able to see exactly what he was doing. i want to check out the frame and see if i can figure that out.
since last time, i did buy the table extension and that opens up a world of possibilities. your straight edge balances and allows you to stitch perfectly straight lines, although long diagonals are still hard to get right, as on any machine. i also got the open-toe foot, but haven't used it yet. i got them both at all-brands.
the prices were better there than any other place, although the shipping time was awful. maybe that was a one-time thing, i don't know.
i also changed over to the lizzie stitch because i felt i should learn to be versatile. i still don't use it all the time, but at least i use it occasionally.
i have a microhandle, not the real one, and i don't like it. you have to get down to it really, really close, and it's very uncomfortable. i find that if i sit in a chair the right height, i see well enough to steer it properly. and if you get very close, you end up working in your own shadow.
all in all, i still love it. whenever i go to a show, i still try all the others out, and i'm not overly impressed. the bells and whistles would be nice but i just want a reliable machine that i trust to do the job and has good tech support and a nearby dealer.
there was a post recently about setup time. i load the frame in about 30-45 minutes. that's pinning the backing to the leader, pinning and rolling the backing onto the belly bar, and machine basting the batting and top to the backing. i float the batting and the top so i can tweak it as i roll it along. it also includes clamping the sides to ready the whole thing for quilting.
how are you liking yours so far?
03-26-2011, 01:31 PM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: SW Minnesota
Posts: 1,120
Originally Posted by butterflywing
UPDATE: mine, too, is accepting other threads now. i may not have been too good about the tension before. a also bought needles with a larger eye, and bought a heaver weight thread that i want to experiment with.
i saw a good video, i can't remember where, that showed some guy who attached a board right across the front of the quilter, above the quilt itself, but not touching. he placed his panto there and aimed his laser from the front of his machine. that way he was able to see exactly what he was doing. i want to check out the frame and see if i can figure that out.
since last time, i did buy the table extension and that opens up a world of possibilities. your straight edge balances and allows you to stitch perfectly straight lines, although long diagonals are still hard to get right, as on any machine. i also got the open-toe foot, but haven't used it yet. i got them both at all-brands.
the prices were better there than any other place, although the shipping time was awful. maybe that was a one-time thing, i don't know.
i also changed over to the lizzie stitch because i felt i should learn to be versatile. i still don't use it all the time, but at least i use it occasionally.
i have a microhandle, not the real one, and i don't like it. you have to get down to it really, really close, and it's very uncomfortable. i find that if i sit in a chair the right height, i see well enough to steer it properly. and if you get very close, you end up working in your own shadow.
all in all, i still love it. whenever i go to a show, i still try all the others out, and i'm not overly impressed. the bells and whistles would be nice but i just want a reliable machine that i trust to do the job and has good tech support and a nearby dealer.
there was a post recently about setup time. i load the frame in about 30-45 minutes. that's pinning the backing to the leader, pinning and rolling the backing onto the belly bar, and machine basting the batting and top to the backing. i float the batting and the top so i can tweak it as i roll it along. it also includes clamping the sides to ready the whole thing for quilting.
how are you liking yours so far?
i saw a good video, i can't remember where, that showed some guy who attached a board right across the front of the quilter, above the quilt itself, but not touching. he placed his panto there and aimed his laser from the front of his machine. that way he was able to see exactly what he was doing. i want to check out the frame and see if i can figure that out.
since last time, i did buy the table extension and that opens up a world of possibilities. your straight edge balances and allows you to stitch perfectly straight lines, although long diagonals are still hard to get right, as on any machine. i also got the open-toe foot, but haven't used it yet. i got them both at all-brands.
the prices were better there than any other place, although the shipping time was awful. maybe that was a one-time thing, i don't know.
i also changed over to the lizzie stitch because i felt i should learn to be versatile. i still don't use it all the time, but at least i use it occasionally.
i have a microhandle, not the real one, and i don't like it. you have to get down to it really, really close, and it's very uncomfortable. i find that if i sit in a chair the right height, i see well enough to steer it properly. and if you get very close, you end up working in your own shadow.
all in all, i still love it. whenever i go to a show, i still try all the others out, and i'm not overly impressed. the bells and whistles would be nice but i just want a reliable machine that i trust to do the job and has good tech support and a nearby dealer.
there was a post recently about setup time. i load the frame in about 30-45 minutes. that's pinning the backing to the leader, pinning and rolling the backing onto the belly bar, and machine basting the batting and top to the backing. i float the batting and the top so i can tweak it as i roll it along. it also includes clamping the sides to ready the whole thing for quilting.
how are you liking yours so far?
03-26-2011, 02:35 PM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: currently central new jersey
Posts: 8,623
i have the hinterberg wood frame (i love the way it looks) and it's as low as it gets. i'm only 5'2", so there's a lot of reaching for me. i don't quilt for anyone but me, so i don't need more than what i have, although he offered me a good trade-in if i wanted it.
we're retired and we travel some, so we aren't always home for me to concentrate on quilting.
for mother's day i asked for some groovy boards, baptist's fans, and we'll see where that goes. i'm not crazy about the pantos, because i can't see what's going on (because i'm vertically challenged).
have you tried the open toe foot? and have you seen the Brower's Lifts?
we're retired and we travel some, so we aren't always home for me to concentrate on quilting.
for mother's day i asked for some groovy boards, baptist's fans, and we'll see where that goes. i'm not crazy about the pantos, because i can't see what's going on (because i'm vertically challenged).
have you tried the open toe foot? and have you seen the Brower's Lifts?
03-26-2011, 03:22 PM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Edgewater, FL
Posts: 924
Gammill makes a small one now also but I'm not sure how the price compares. Having a dealer near by might help in the decision making. I've used a Tin Lizzie and I know people who love it and I know people who don't. See if you have other dealers in the area and try them all
03-26-2011, 07:47 PM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: SW Minnesota
Posts: 1,120
Originally Posted by butterflywing
i have the hinterberg wood frame (i love the way it looks) and it's as low as it gets. i'm only 5'2", so there's a lot of reaching for me. i don't quilt for anyone but me, so i don't need more than what i have, although he offered me a good trade-in if i wanted it.
we're retired and we travel some, so we aren't always home for me to concentrate on quilting.
for mother's day i asked for some groovy boards, baptist's fans, and we'll see where that goes. i'm not crazy about the pantos, because i can't see what's going on (because i'm vertically challenged).
have you tried the open toe foot? and have you seen the Brower's Lifts?
we're retired and we travel some, so we aren't always home for me to concentrate on quilting.
for mother's day i asked for some groovy boards, baptist's fans, and we'll see where that goes. i'm not crazy about the pantos, because i can't see what's going on (because i'm vertically challenged).
have you tried the open toe foot? and have you seen the Brower's Lifts?
03-27-2011, 09:01 AM
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: currently central new jersey
Posts: 8,623
the video i saw had the man using the laser light clamped to the front also, but he rigged up a board across the front of the frame so that the panto could rest on that. then he followed the panto with the laser right there in front of himself and could see exactly what he was doing. i agree, i don't like to work in the back because i can't see. that's why i want to try the board. i don't think i can make a mistake that way. they also come in blocks.
the brower's lifts attach temporarily to the sides of the frame and have a system for lifting the roller bars that's different than turning the side wheels. i don't know how you lift on the metal frame, but the lifts have a top handle, sort of, level with the floor, that makes it very easy to screw the bars higher and lower. browse it. they're privately made. if your dh is handy, he might get a similar idea. i'm not saying he should copy it.
if you look at 'photos' or 'pictures' (whatever) on the tin lizzie Yahoo! group, they show them, as well as all kinds of retrofits and basic instructions as to how they were made. like the table extension, but i got tired of waiting.
********EDIT*******
http://www.kathybowers.com/
the brower's lifts attach temporarily to the sides of the frame and have a system for lifting the roller bars that's different than turning the side wheels. i don't know how you lift on the metal frame, but the lifts have a top handle, sort of, level with the floor, that makes it very easy to screw the bars higher and lower. browse it. they're privately made. if your dh is handy, he might get a similar idea. i'm not saying he should copy it.
if you look at 'photos' or 'pictures' (whatever) on the tin lizzie Yahoo! group, they show them, as well as all kinds of retrofits and basic instructions as to how they were made. like the table extension, but i got tired of waiting.
********EDIT*******
http://www.kathybowers.com/
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