lindaschipper

Saw in an e-mail this morning where Quilt in a Day had edge to edge embroidery CD's for sale for quilting. I honestly had no idea! Is this something you have to use a special hoop for or what? Need someone to explain this to me please. Just need to be informed before I get it in my mind that I need an embroidery machine.

Iceblossom

It is indeed one of the things about the current level of embroidery machines that they have quilting designs! E2E is new, but single blocks have been out for awhile.

I should go look at the site/CDs and look at them first, but typically with the single square yes you had to hoop the project.

Edit: If you blow up the picture and look, you can see the big rectangular hoop right under the machine!
https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/notion//200241

edit 2: I never felt much of a desire for an embroidery machine until I heard about the quilting designs!! Is higher on my list than before...

Iceblossom

Here's a youtube showing a machine in action, starts about 17 minutes in -- just so you can see the actual process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WggPIOMQqMg

We are used to thinking of embroidery designs as being thick -- but it turns out a quilting design is just a single stitch embroidery.

Iceblossom

Me again -- you had started a thread about Thread and there was some talk about the Bernina 820/830 and why would anyone put up with something like that -- well, quilting is one of the reasons! Unfortunately, my Cranky Bernie is an 820 which does not have the embroidery unit -- but it still has the BSR (bernina stitch regulator) and an integrated walking foot. This thread on thread!
Quilting threads

This is the machine that my friend (and her friend who originally bought it) moved on to after she gave me Bernie, and she loves it. When I say the 820/830 did not go over well -- people rave about the 770.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevVHHKF330

Makes some of us vintage fans who insist "a straight stitch is all you need" reconsider a bit...

Gay

Do watch that video, it will show you some of the many extras you will need to buy to do machine embroidery, also shows how complicated it is (for some) to ready the design into place to stitch it out. Imagine doing this on a huge quilt, the demo was only a tiny size in comparison, then you have to move the quilt to start joining the next section. You would need a machine with at least a 5x7 hoop - larger is better - but you may not want to spend the $$ for a bigger machine, which also has a great learning curve. I have 2 embroidery machines so I know the expenses involved. You need to ask yourself if you are keen enough to do more embroidery or just a few small quilts. Also buying CDs with a few designs, you may only like a few on each disc, although they're not expensive, and this lady has several available.

sewingpup

oh...that looks interesting. I am liking my Bernina 590 and while it does not take the biggest hoops, it has a good sized hoop and I have a small card table sized quilt I have been putting off quilting because I didn't know what to do...I will have to look at the quilting designs and see if I have some that will work. Actually, I also have a second little quilt that size that needs quilting too.

Iceblossom

And listen to Gay -- every embroidery machine owner I know complains not so much about the expense (which there is) of the stabilizer but the amount of waste in addition. And likewise, every long arm owner I know has been surprised by the still considerable amount of physical effort it takes to load and quilt even with the robotics.

If you are using the embroidery features to quilt it might not be so bad, but again, every embroidery machine buyer I know has been amazed, overwhelmed, and usually unprepared for the amount of space everything takes. Not just table top space which is considerable and it is usually easiest just to leave everything correctly assembled. But even more threads than a standard quilter, typically boxes and boxes of them. Cases. Attachments. Hoops. Tools and learning DVDs and download sticks and it goes on and on...

Still, when we want the results we want, we try to find a way to get them. Machines are one of them! I do love me my tools. I did have access to a long arm for a few years and found that yes, I am better moving the machine than moving the quilt and I am able to get the results I want. On the unfortunate side of things, I do not think in terms of the quilting stitch and don't have the gift to elevate with my quilting -- good news is I can buy stencils and pantographs from people who do. And on the truly unfortunate I have a small house and smaller budget, even with an affordable set up (and I have come across some good deals) there is simply no space. And again, you do not take a long arm up and down all the time, it needs to be dedicated space which would be my living room...

So one of things I do is draw designs onto parchment paper and sew/quilt through everything. You can get really great looking results and no one knows if you blew the line or not. I can see it clearly and for me that's the big thing. I have vision issues yes, but my style of scrap quilting makes it really hard to mark a top anyway. I really need to get an actual sewing table with an adjustable lift for the machine so that when I am quilting it is all at table top level, just that physical change will help my results quite a bit.

Rhonda K

Linda,

I have done some quilting using my embroidery machines and taught some classes at the LQS. I use a magnetic hoop as it would be difficult to hoop a quilt sandwich. You will want to use the largest hoop possible to allow for the most embroidery field. Quilts will take multiple hoopings.

You can use E2E designs or some machines have stippling features built in.There are tips on lining up the blocks after the first hooping. You also want to keep the field of embroidery quilting running in a straight pattern along the quilt block.

What machine do you have for embroidery? Are you familiar with aligning designs in the hoop?

Macybaby

This kind of reminds me of when I took a beginner's embroidery class a few years ago. We were doing a quilt in the hoop project. The teacher told me I was sewing too fast and that I really didn't want to break my thread as then I'd have to line back up the design and all . . . I said that was no big deal and he gave me the "look" and moved the stitch selector to "slow".

He wouldn't know that I have an LA and I have to line up the pattern with the stitching all the time, so when I've had to do it with the embroidery machine, it's no big deal.

juliasb

I love my embroidery machine. I have a nice Brothers machine and it meets my needs most of the time. I too have thought about the E2E cd. This is an interesting discussion to follow.