Pickle Update
05-08-2019, 10:25 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,053
For the last few years I've been able to use a friend's long arm and now I'm spoiled and don't really have access 
But -- for years I quilted all sorts of things and all sizes of things on my vintage machine older than I am (Remington, circa 1945ish??). Here's my comments.
Some people are able to do wonderful marvelous things on basic home machines. I'm not one of them. For one, I love the piecing the quilting isn't something I want to do. For two, I don't have the right brain/eye/whatever it is to go from the 2-D of piecing into the 3-D of quilting, can't draw worth a darn either so even sticking in 2D is a challenge. Third is I do prefer fluffier batts with less quilting than is currently popular. While you can do a lot of stuff on warm and natural and there are times when I want to use it, that's maybe only about 10% of the time.
I tried the rolling up the quilt and using the bicycle clips, that was really stiff and didn't work for me. You've got to find what works for you, for me it was basically bunching up the extra and throwing it over my shoulder. I managed to do a simple grid on a king-sized log cabin and I can say I never want to do that again! But it came out fine, even if I was all "crunkled" afterwards, that fabric gets heavy and muscles that apparently I don't use often remind me of that.
So what I found I could do was basic griding, simple lines or curves in the "bed" of the quilt, like maybe a clamshell and I could be fancier around the edges, especially if I went around it several times, check out what a pumpkin seed pattern looks like. You can add extra lines for extra interest and it can look quite complex even if each round is simple. My vintage machine requires a darning plate to free motion quilt and I don't have one, so everything I did is feed dog engaged.
I started out with laying out my quilt on the floor, I moved the furniture out of the way, used canned goods as weights for the back, and then it was the big safety pins. At least once in every project a pin would open and rake open my thigh, and more often than that they'd catch on the corner of something. Still I got good at how many to use (lots!!) and how to pin them so they weren't in my way.
And then came spray baste! Oh my goodness, I loved me my spray baste. I think most people overspray in the beginning or at least I sure did, but I developed a technique.
I am fortunate enough to have a sewing room but I would often lug that heavy old machine that wasn't going to move nowhere on it's own to the right corner of the large dining room table so I had all to the left to help support the top and could move freely.
Now that my husband has joined me in the house, I have a smaller table and too much stuff to move, and my layout space is limited to my queen sized bed. I can still spray baste a large quilt but it takes a lot longer. I do like the height better and I'm not nearly so crunkled afterwards. It was really nice when I was still working and they didn't mind me using the conference table on the weekends to spray baste, no crunkling at all. Oh well.
At this point in my quilting I'm torn between a desire to get stuff done and the lack of ability to get them done how I want... I can do stuff that almost looks good on my friend's long arm even if I'm not particularly clever.
I have done a couple of crib sized quilts on the modern Bernina my friend gave me with a super deep throat area both free-hand with the BSR and with the feed dogs engaged and it has gone quite well, but I don't really want to do anything bigger than a twin -- and most of what I make are queen so the tops are stacking up! I don't have the finances to pay the going rate for the quilting I would want done, but I might be able to get my tops basted so that they are easier to manage on the Bernina.
But -- for years I quilted all sorts of things and all sizes of things on my vintage machine older than I am (Remington, circa 1945ish??). Here's my comments.Some people are able to do wonderful marvelous things on basic home machines. I'm not one of them. For one, I love the piecing the quilting isn't something I want to do. For two, I don't have the right brain/eye/whatever it is to go from the 2-D of piecing into the 3-D of quilting, can't draw worth a darn either so even sticking in 2D is a challenge. Third is I do prefer fluffier batts with less quilting than is currently popular. While you can do a lot of stuff on warm and natural and there are times when I want to use it, that's maybe only about 10% of the time.
I tried the rolling up the quilt and using the bicycle clips, that was really stiff and didn't work for me. You've got to find what works for you, for me it was basically bunching up the extra and throwing it over my shoulder. I managed to do a simple grid on a king-sized log cabin and I can say I never want to do that again! But it came out fine, even if I was all "crunkled" afterwards, that fabric gets heavy and muscles that apparently I don't use often remind me of that.
So what I found I could do was basic griding, simple lines or curves in the "bed" of the quilt, like maybe a clamshell and I could be fancier around the edges, especially if I went around it several times, check out what a pumpkin seed pattern looks like. You can add extra lines for extra interest and it can look quite complex even if each round is simple. My vintage machine requires a darning plate to free motion quilt and I don't have one, so everything I did is feed dog engaged.
I started out with laying out my quilt on the floor, I moved the furniture out of the way, used canned goods as weights for the back, and then it was the big safety pins. At least once in every project a pin would open and rake open my thigh, and more often than that they'd catch on the corner of something. Still I got good at how many to use (lots!!) and how to pin them so they weren't in my way.
And then came spray baste! Oh my goodness, I loved me my spray baste. I think most people overspray in the beginning or at least I sure did, but I developed a technique.
I am fortunate enough to have a sewing room but I would often lug that heavy old machine that wasn't going to move nowhere on it's own to the right corner of the large dining room table so I had all to the left to help support the top and could move freely.
Now that my husband has joined me in the house, I have a smaller table and too much stuff to move, and my layout space is limited to my queen sized bed. I can still spray baste a large quilt but it takes a lot longer. I do like the height better and I'm not nearly so crunkled afterwards. It was really nice when I was still working and they didn't mind me using the conference table on the weekends to spray baste, no crunkling at all. Oh well.
At this point in my quilting I'm torn between a desire to get stuff done and the lack of ability to get them done how I want... I can do stuff that almost looks good on my friend's long arm even if I'm not particularly clever.
I have done a couple of crib sized quilts on the modern Bernina my friend gave me with a super deep throat area both free-hand with the BSR and with the feed dogs engaged and it has gone quite well, but I don't really want to do anything bigger than a twin -- and most of what I make are queen so the tops are stacking up! I don't have the finances to pay the going rate for the quilting I would want done, but I might be able to get my tops basted so that they are easier to manage on the Bernina.
05-08-2019, 11:20 AM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 17,636
Originally Posted by Libits
Well, I’m clearly doing something very wrong because I’ve puddled so much I’ve dog-gone drowned. “Puddling” to me connotates something soft and pliable. In reality, my puddling results in granite-like mountain peaks of the quilt. I seriously don’t know how you all do it. I’ve done it on smaller projects but this one just seemed too big to apply those methods.
The good news is that the piecing/seams seem pretty stable; all the pulling, tugging and dragging I’ve done haven’t opened any seams.
I’ve been stabbed, burned, cut and almost crushed trying to “puddle” when my machine almost fell on me. This is dangerous stuff.
The good news is that the piecing/seams seem pretty stable; all the pulling, tugging and dragging I’ve done haven’t opened any seams.
I’ve been stabbed, burned, cut and almost crushed trying to “puddle” when my machine almost fell on me. This is dangerous stuff.
Hold on, there are days when I see the word "video" and go
Not my time to watch one.
If your like me and aren't always in the mood, just watch a couple minutes and then
come back and watch some more.
It's good to have good teachers. Some of my favorites are Angela Walters, E. Burns,
Sharon Schambers sandwiching, Marti Michell.
I have adhd and visuals are everything to me and mood.
Sometimes I can concentrate and stay present and other times I drift off
to anywhere but what's on the scream, I mean screen
.P.S. you get to see everyone's projects finished.
We all learn socially unacceptable words and new facial expressions
and among the threads on the floor are probably a few pulled hairs.
In my opinion, quilting is not "easy", it's just worth it.
My oldest dd says it's not, lol. Ok, I'm among the self torturers, lol.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 05-08-2019 at 01:59 PM. Reason: shouting/all caps
05-08-2019, 01:13 PM
#14
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
Originally Posted by Iceblossom
For the last few years I've been able to use a friend's long arm and now I'm spoiled and don't really have access But -- for years I quilted all sorts of things and all sizes of things on my vintage machine older than I am (Remington, circa 1945ish??). Here's my comments.
Some people are able to do wonderful marvelous things on basic home machines. I'm not one of them. For one, I love the piecing the quilting isn't something I want to do. For two, I don't have the right brain/eye/whatever it is to go from the 2-D of piecing into the 3-D of quilting, can't draw worth a darn either so even sticking in 2D is a challenge. Third is I do prefer fluffier batts with less quilting than is currently popular. While you can do a lot of stuff on warm and natural and there are times when I want to use it, that's maybe only about 10% of the time.
I tried the rolling up the quilt and using the bicycle clips, that was really stiff and didn't work for me. You've got to find what works for you, for me it was basically bunching up the extra and throwing it over my shoulder. I managed to do a simple grid on a king-sized log cabin and I can say I never want to do that again! But it came out fine, even if I was all "crunkled" afterwards, that fabric gets heavy and muscles that apparently I don't use often remind me of that.
So what I found I could do was basic griding, simple lines or curves in the "bed" of the quilt, like maybe a clamshell and I could be fancier around the edges, especially if I went around it several times, check out what a pumpkin seed pattern looks like. You can add extra lines for extra interest and it can look quite complex even if each round is simple. My vintage machine requires a darning plate to free motion quilt and I don't have one, so everything I did is feed dog engaged.
I started out with laying out my quilt on the floor, I moved the furniture out of the way, used canned goods as weights for the back, and then it was the big safety pins. At least once in every project a pin would open and rake open my thigh, and more often than that they'd catch on the corner of something. Still I got good at how many to use (lots!!) and how to pin them so they weren't in my way.
And then came spray baste! Oh my goodness, I loved me my spray baste. I think most people overspray in the beginning or at least I sure did, but I developed a technique.
I am fortunate enough to have a sewing room but I would often lug that heavy old machine that wasn't going to move nowhere on it's own to the right corner of the large dining room table so I had all to the left to help support the top and could move freely.
Now that my husband has joined me in the house, I have a smaller table and too much stuff to move, and my layout space is limited to my queen sized bed. I can still spray baste a large quilt but it takes a lot longer. I do like the height better and I'm not nearly so crunkled afterwards. It was really nice when I was still working and they didn't mind me using the conference table on the weekends to spray baste, no crunkling at all. Oh well.
At this point in my quilting I'm torn between a desire to get stuff done and the lack of ability to get them done how I want... I can do stuff that almost looks good on my friend's long arm even if I'm not particularly clever.
I have done a couple of crib sized quilts on the modern Bernina my friend gave me with a super deep throat area both free-hand with the BSR and with the feed dogs engaged and it has gone quite well, but I don't really want to do anything bigger than a twin -- and most of what I make are queen so the tops are stacking up! I don't have the finances to pay the going rate for the quilting I would want done, but I might be able to get my tops basted so that they are easier to manage on the Bernina.
But -- for years I quilted all sorts of things and all sizes of things on my vintage machine older than I am (Remington, circa 1945ish??). Here's my comments.Some people are able to do wonderful marvelous things on basic home machines. I'm not one of them. For one, I love the piecing the quilting isn't something I want to do. For two, I don't have the right brain/eye/whatever it is to go from the 2-D of piecing into the 3-D of quilting, can't draw worth a darn either so even sticking in 2D is a challenge. Third is I do prefer fluffier batts with less quilting than is currently popular. While you can do a lot of stuff on warm and natural and there are times when I want to use it, that's maybe only about 10% of the time.
I tried the rolling up the quilt and using the bicycle clips, that was really stiff and didn't work for me. You've got to find what works for you, for me it was basically bunching up the extra and throwing it over my shoulder. I managed to do a simple grid on a king-sized log cabin and I can say I never want to do that again! But it came out fine, even if I was all "crunkled" afterwards, that fabric gets heavy and muscles that apparently I don't use often remind me of that.
So what I found I could do was basic griding, simple lines or curves in the "bed" of the quilt, like maybe a clamshell and I could be fancier around the edges, especially if I went around it several times, check out what a pumpkin seed pattern looks like. You can add extra lines for extra interest and it can look quite complex even if each round is simple. My vintage machine requires a darning plate to free motion quilt and I don't have one, so everything I did is feed dog engaged.
I started out with laying out my quilt on the floor, I moved the furniture out of the way, used canned goods as weights for the back, and then it was the big safety pins. At least once in every project a pin would open and rake open my thigh, and more often than that they'd catch on the corner of something. Still I got good at how many to use (lots!!) and how to pin them so they weren't in my way.
And then came spray baste! Oh my goodness, I loved me my spray baste. I think most people overspray in the beginning or at least I sure did, but I developed a technique.
I am fortunate enough to have a sewing room but I would often lug that heavy old machine that wasn't going to move nowhere on it's own to the right corner of the large dining room table so I had all to the left to help support the top and could move freely.
Now that my husband has joined me in the house, I have a smaller table and too much stuff to move, and my layout space is limited to my queen sized bed. I can still spray baste a large quilt but it takes a lot longer. I do like the height better and I'm not nearly so crunkled afterwards. It was really nice when I was still working and they didn't mind me using the conference table on the weekends to spray baste, no crunkling at all. Oh well.
At this point in my quilting I'm torn between a desire to get stuff done and the lack of ability to get them done how I want... I can do stuff that almost looks good on my friend's long arm even if I'm not particularly clever.
I have done a couple of crib sized quilts on the modern Bernina my friend gave me with a super deep throat area both free-hand with the BSR and with the feed dogs engaged and it has gone quite well, but I don't really want to do anything bigger than a twin -- and most of what I make are queen so the tops are stacking up! I don't have the finances to pay the going rate for the quilting I would want done, but I might be able to get my tops basted so that they are easier to manage on the Bernina.
I’m with you…I positively Love measuring the fabric, cutting it, piecing it and I no longer mind the sandwich-making, but you can keep the quilting part. I’m not all that crazy about binding, either, but I’ve invoked the “my quilt, my rules” attitude. The actual quilting is hard to fudge, though.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I’m done with the quilt and not sure I want to relive the experience but it did turn out very nice. It’s in the washer as we speak. And I’m also quite crunkled.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 05-08-2019 at 02:00 PM. Reason: shouting/all caps
05-08-2019, 01:40 PM
#15
Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 69
Libits......regarding your "clear thread", if it's polyester.....just remember; no ironing! You will melt that thread......not sure if you had thought about that...... =)
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 05-08-2019 at 02:00 PM. Reason: shouting/all caps
05-08-2019, 01:56 PM
#16
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 269
No idea why it's deleting all my formatting and forcing this into 1 paragraph. Sorry for hurting your eyes... I've quilted all of my quilts except 1 on my little Janome with a 6.5in throat including a few queen and king sized quilts and it's definitely doable, but obviously more work than if I was using a larger machine. A few things I've learned along the way:1) Don't roll all of the quilt inside the throat. It's too heavy to move that way. If I'm working in the middle of the quilt, I'll roll maybe the outside quarter, and accordion fold the rest so that there's much more freedom of motion. 2) Make a "frame" around the section you're working on so that there is absolutely no drag. You basically just make a pleat or wrinkle the entire sandwich around your machine so that when you move the quilt, you're not trying to move the entire quilt. You're just moving the section inside your "frame". Picture below. 3) It helps tremendously to have the bed of the machine flat with the surface of the table. I made a very inexpensive foam insulation table topper to fit my machine by following Marguerita McManus' Youtube tutorial: https://youtu.be/g14govA4pIM except I used packing tape to tape down the vinyl and I wrapped the vinyl around the sides of the foam too and taped to the bottom so there are no exposed edges. My only regret was that I didn't do this sooner! 4) It also helps a lot to have your ironing board or another table directly to your left to support the weight of the quilt. If you can scoot your sewing machine table into a corner so that the quilt doesn't fall off the edges of the table, that's best too.5) To combat the drag in front of the machine, you can put a small pillow in your lap so that the quilt is elevated more closely to the level of your machine.6) Elmer's washable glue is fantastic for basting! It washes out completely and it's cheap. I love it. You don't have to worry about any overspray and some basting sprays don't wash out.
05-08-2019, 02:47 PM
#17
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
Originally Posted by NT66
Libits......regarding your "clear thread", if it's polyester.....just remember; no ironing! You will melt that thread......not sure if you had thought about that...... =)
05-08-2019, 03:10 PM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,053
BTW, Libits, something to consider is timing. Somehow I always ended up quilting something with a deadline in the summer heat. Nothing like having a quilt draped over you for hours when it's 80 degrees and your house has no AC!
05-08-2019, 04:42 PM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,042
I’m stubborn and I love machine quilting so I do queen size quilts on my domestic. I agree with the suggestion to watch some videos. One thing I do is loosely accordion fold the part of the quilt that goes on the right under the harp. It makes the quilt less bulky but much more flexible than if you rolled it up.
You only need the area of the quilt that is near your needle to be smooth and flat.
i hope you don’t give up. There’s a great feeling of satisfaction when you’re finished.
You only need the area of the quilt that is near your needle to be smooth and flat.
i hope you don’t give up. There’s a great feeling of satisfaction when you’re finished.
05-08-2019, 05:46 PM
#20
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
Originally Posted by Sephie
No idea why it's deleting all my formatting and forcing this into 1 paragraph. Sorry for hurting your eyes... I've quilted all of my quilts except 1 on my little Janome with a 6.5in throat including a few queen and king sized quilts and it's definitely doable, but obviously more work than if I was using a larger machine. A few things I've learned along the way:1) Don't roll all of the quilt inside the throat. It's too heavy to move that way. If I'm working in the middle of the quilt, I'll roll maybe the outside quarter, and accordion fold the rest so that there's much more freedom of motion. 2) Make a "frame" around the section you're working on so that there is absolutely no drag. You basically just make a pleat or wrinkle the entire sandwich around your machine so that when you move the quilt, you're not trying to move the entire quilt. You're just moving the section inside your "frame". Picture below. 3) It helps tremendously to have the bed of the machine flat with the surface of the table. I made a very inexpensive foam insulation table topper to fit my machine by following Marguerita McManus' Youtube tutorial: https://youtu.be/g14govA4pIM except I used packing tape to tape down the vinyl and I wrapped the vinyl around the sides of the foam too and taped to the bottom so there are no exposed edges. My only regret was that I didn't do this sooner! 4) It also helps a lot to have your ironing board or another table directly to your left to support the weight of the quilt. If you can scoot your sewing machine table into a corner so that the quilt doesn't fall off the edges of the table, that's best too.5) To combat the drag in front of the machine, you can put a small pillow in your lap so that the quilt is elevated more closely to the level of your machine.6) Elmer's washable glue is fantastic for basting! It washes out completely and it's cheap. I love it. You don't have to worry about any overspray and some basting sprays don't wash out.
Is that your quilt? It's beautiful!! I love the quiet colors. For as loud as I can be, it's odd that I like quiet colors and patterns (except for the quilt I just finished. Yours is truly lovely!
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