One more question for the vintage machine quilters
 

I am working on a quilt. It will be pieced by each and every machine we have. But, once that's done I want to quilt it myself. I know I'm biting off a big chunk doing that.

We have a variety of home machines with decent sized harps so I'm thinking of using the 201 to do this with.
Only my Free machine is close to the 201 all the rest are a bit smaller, and some are way smaller.

OK, now, when you are quilting a bed sized object just how in the heck do you do it?

I know I could or should take this to one of the quilting forums but almost never post over there and I have vintage machines not long arm quilting machines.

J :D e

The throat space will help you greatly. You just scrunch it and sew. I suppose you're not doing free motion on the 201 and are doing stitch in the ditch. A walking foot would help you not get puckers, but if you don't have one give it a try without to see how each machine does. You should try to stitch from the middle first and then outward. You also want to change directions so you're not always sewing the same direction. This can cause distortion and the dreaded puckers. Be sure your backing is taunt but not stretched and that you top is smooth and pinned every 4-6 inches and you'll be ready to give it a go.

Candace,

Thanks.
We have an aftermarket walking foot that we've never used, and we've got a couple of rolling feet. I've read those are good on quilts too.

I have a small quilt I'm almost finished with. It's a cover to my #2 treadle. I'll try your advise on it first.

Joe

Joe, watch some YouTube videos on FMQ...there are many!! You need lots of table space around your machine to support the quilt weight while you are doing FMQ. Like I said, look at YouTube....you will get lots of tutorials, and you'll be able to do it. I learned that way. :-)

I always try to roll up the quilt; it's more economical space wise when working with bigger quilts, and it ensures that the part you're not working on will be maneuverable. :)

Rolling feet don't feed the fabric from above like a walking foot. So, they won't work as well for quilting and feeding the layers through evenly. Use the walking foot before the rolling foot. Rolling feet were designed for feeding leather and slick fabrics, as I'm sure you know. Not for layers, though I'm sure you'll see the difference if you do a few samples.

Another option is to piece the batting ...

Batt the center 1/3 of the quilt and quilt up to 5" from the edge of the batting. When done, attach more batting to the left side - baste - and quilt the left section of the quilt. Then do the same for the right side.

To join the batting you can use batt tape, or a long-wide zig zag stitch (by hand or machine).

To cut the batting so that it matches exactly ... lay one edge of the batting over the other - overlapping by 2" or so. Rotary cut only over the section where the batting overlaps, and rotary cut with very slight "waves" - not a straight line. Pull away the trimmed edge and it's very easy to match the batt edge to edge because the curves will match.

Pretty cool that you're making the quilt with ALL of your machines!!

My LQS owner told me to roll the quilt from both sides.... like a scroll. Then, if the quilt is big, you can fit the scroll between your legs and feed it through the machine. It's a little awkward at first but it works quite well. I always pin the layers together well first and work from the middle outward. I've done several quilts that way and I always use my walking foot. Good Luck... and let us see it when you're done.

nanna,

That's pretty much what we did with the batting for my treadle cover quilt. It worked pretty good.

Joe

First, make sure there is plenty of table space behind the machine and to the left. You don't want the weight of the quilt to hinder free movement under the needle. I don't roll my quilt, I just smoosh it as I go. I think rolling and re-rolling wastes too much time and makes the quilt too stiff to move easily.

I use Machingers gloves for better gripping power. These are my favorite because threads don't stick to them and you don't have to keep taking them off when you clip threads.

I would suggest that you take a FMQ class if you haven't already. I learned alot in the one I took, especially what I was doing WRONG! I also love books like Harriet Hargraves' Heirloom Machine Quilting, and Diane Gaudynski's Guide to Machine Quilting and Machine Quilting Guidebook.

Longarm quilting is totally different than quilting on a domestic machine. With a longarm or other frame system, you are moving the machine over the surface of the quilt. With a domestic machine, you are moving the quilt under the needle.

It takes awhile to get a rhythm going between your hand movements and machine speed. It takes TONS of practice to get to the point where you are happy with stitch length and motif shapes. I highly recommend that you make several practice sandwiches before you attempt to work on a quilt.

I see now that you are probably talking more about straight quilting with a walking foot. Alot of this post is referring to free-motion quilting. But, you still need the table space!