cathyvv

1. Should I invest in pre-marked leaders?

Absolutely. They are well worth the money spent on them.
I noticed that others suggest making your own leaders. That works, but it requires that you sew absolutely straight lines; I often stray from the straight, so the purchased leaders work great for me.

2. What's the best way to attach the leaders onto the rails and make sure they're straight/square?

I use long strips of velcro. It seems to hold up well.

At this point, you should also make sure the entire frame is square. If it is not, then no matter how hard you try or what else you do, your quilting will be skewed by the out of square frame. My frame was not straight for a very long time and no matter what I did, I could not get a straight quilting line. I am still amazed at the difference that has made for my quilting!

If you ever move the frame from where it is originally set up, check to ensure that it is still square before you load your next quilt.


3. How do I make sure that the centers on the leaders match from rail to rail? There are no markings on the rails.

1) Measure the rails and mark the center point on each rail.
2) Mark the centers of each leader before you put them on the rails. I saw that others say to do it after you have the leaders on the rail. Whatever works for you is fine.
3) Start attaching each leader from the center mark on the leader at the marked center of the rail, then move move to the left of the center and attach the left side, then to the right to secure the right side.

Velcro allows you to adjust the leaders if you don't get them on perfectly straight when you first attach them.

4. Do any of you use the zipper method of attaching your quilts to the leaders? I used a longarm at my LQS a long time ago and spent a good part of the day getting poked like crazy.

Not me. I cheat a lot on attaching the quilt sandwich to the frame. The backing is the only part of the sandwich that I pin to the first rail. The batting and quilt top are "floated" on the backing and over the second rail. I quilt that way until I reach the 2nd to last row as the weight of the batting and top keep the sandwich tension even until then. At that point, I attach the backing to the second rail, tighten it, (still floating the batting and top) and continue quilting.

My quilts are for family or charity, never for a judged show, and I am not a perfectionist. This method works well for me, and I don't prick my fingers or scratch my hands and arms very much.

There are products for sale that allegedly make it easier to attach the quilt to the leaders without pins, but I haven't tried any of them.

Have fun with your frame and long arm!