Originally Posted by
Anniedeb
I'm self taught thanks to books, blogs and anything else quilt related. Just finished a class at a local fabric shop, and came away very confused! According to the teacher: don't pre wash, don't pull bobbin threads up, never roll excess when quilting, (just smooch and scrunch), bias is the only acceptable binding, don't need a walking foot, basting is the only way to go, and my Singer HD110 is barely a beginners machine, not really designed for quilting - and don't use the acrylic table it came with. Needless to say, since I was doing all of the above, with great success, I'm confused. I've had great luck with my machine, and love the table! Any thoughts??
Well, I think that this should all be taken with a great big grain of salt. There is a huge "controversy" over pre-wash and don't pre-wash. User's choice.
I had never even HEARD of pulling up the bobbin thread until I watched some videos on-line. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. Depends on what I'm working on. Again, User's choice.
A walking foot is the Bee's Knees as far as I'm concerned - maybe she had a reason why she preferred not to use one.
IF a person is lucky enough to have a drop-in table for their sewing machine, there would be no need for the acrylic extension table. But for the rest of us mere mortals...
Basting. Well, there's spray basting, the Sharon Shambler (SP?) way, using straight pins with or without pin moors, the method of laying the sandwich out and basting away with the needle, OR using safety pins. Baste away with what ever method warms your heart.
Binding is binding to me. I hate cutting bias binding and so I don't.
Scrunch, roll, wad, mash - whatever works to get the quilt in there so you can work on it! LOL
But to even think of blasting your machine goes beyond the pale. You must have felt like crawling UNDER the table after that lovely comment. Again, us mere mortals use what we have/can afford! If it sews, it can quilt. And applique. And thread paint. And free-motion. It's ALL sewing. Go for it and have fun!