Pds

My husband purchased me a Gammill several years ago (in 2006) and I had the same regret. As soon as I got it, a part was broken. The dealer came and fixed it, then I had alll kinds of trouble with tension, then my dealer got weird on me and I had to complain to Gammill and got a new dealer. I was all ready to send it back but then I thought, that the people who used these machines so beautifully aren't really any smarter than me (us) and if they can learn, then so can I. I am still not at the level of some quilters, but I am pretty good---certainly better than I was. I purchased some tension tools (the Towa) and now I can get a pretty good tension. My machine isn't stitch regulated either, but again, my stitches are pretty good. I have learned to sorta hum along and I seem to get it right :c). Pantos are my "thing" now---especially since I learned to not try to follow exactly, it is okay to come outside the line :c). The moral of this story is you can in fact learn this!!!! There is a Gammill yahoo group that you should think about joining. They give all sorts of tips that have really helped me. The one thing I regret is my new dealer isn't in the area, they are in Mississippi---but are wonderful people. They have helped me a lot on the phone and sent a repairman to re-time the machine (I really messed it up) and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. He was so much nicer than my original dealer and it actually was a great visit. It will be okay----you will learn this and will one day be able to laugh and support someone else. These machines do have a big learning curve---we aren't always told this and I don't know about you, but I thought the curve was the same as my domestic machine----NOT---give yourself time. Practice--Practice--and then Practime some more.

QUOTE=w7sue;5108325]I hear you ... my husband purchased me a Gammill last summer - great deal! I had fallen at the end of February an broke my arm and was still in the pre-surgery recovery stage. I finally had surgery in December and am really on the mend - long story. I had to wonder about the timing of this purchase and laid awake many nights thinking of the $8000 we had spent on it and how my car would have been almost paid off - lol

I have used my machine for a total of 10-15 hours since he purchased it for me. I have done a few quilts of my own and several charity quilts. Every time I get a quilt loaded onto it, I get excited. It is the getting the quilt onto the machine that scares the dickens out of me. Every time is easier and every time the results are better.

I had never really done any of the quilting on my own quilts so this was a scarry prospect for me. I know that I dream of the day when pinning a quilt on doesn't take me so long and when I can do it without even thinking about how to do it and getting the directions out.

I look at quilts that have been done by other longarm quilters and shudder - I am just positive that I will NEVER be that good. I have to remember that they were all beginners too. And ... I tell myself that they could also be using a computerized machine, whereas mine isn't. I know the lady who used to do all mine had one.

I just finished a quilt that I wanted to do a pantograph on, but I couldn't figure out how - I have only taken one class - and I ended up doing a meander on it with varigated thread and it turned out great (even if I do say so myself). I want to take more classes because, honestly, the longarm quilters that I have met in this area don't seem to be too anxious to help me learn - it's like they think I will be competition - right ?!?!?!? lol I am sure some of the problem is that I just don't know what questions to ask.

My best advice would be to ask about the return time frame and use the dickens out of it before it ends - you might find that you become more comfortable with it and want to keep it. I know that I feel less guilty about all that money each time I finish a quilt.

I am determined to master this beast - if it takes me until my dying day - lol If I can do it, you can too. I will have faith for both of us. I wish you lived close by so we could learn from each other.

I did learn something the other day when I was doing a small (26 x 26) wall hanging --- I pinned only the back on, laid the batting down, used the machine to stitch placement lines for the top and left side of the quilt. I pinned the top onto it and then let it rest while I stared at it. I finally decided to meander on the outside of the quilt and fussy stitch around the applique in the 10" center block. My goal on the center was to stay close to the applique without actually stitching on the design. I was more succesful than I thought I would be. I meandered on the hourglass blocks that surrounded the center square. I learned that the corner where four blocks came together were difficult to stitch over and if I stitched around them, they looked like small volcanoes. LOL I will do a better job of pressing next time. I showed my quilt to several people this weekend and most of them didn't notice the issues I saw and I even got a few compliments on how well I did - you should see me strut - lol

You just have to jump in with both feet and know that some quilts will look better than others but you can always spend some time practicing on muslin - I have and I am going to load more on so I can do some more practicing because I want to do that pantograph on a quilt, but I want to mess up on muslin.

I know this has been long and probably disjointed, but I hope you keep trying and end up falling in love with your machine.[/QUOTE]