Bad Day In the sewing Room
 

Everything went wrong today. I am just learning my new machine and that was part of it. I put a double layer of batting on a wall hanging so it would puff a little when I quilt it. I will sew the two layers together if I do that again. I had the machine feed dogs down and the dual feed foot on. That is not the way you do it. because of that I got lots of puckers. I listen to the cd on some things on the new machine and took notes after I kept coming back and saying "now what was that? I used my other machine for 16 yrs and now i have to learn all over again. I did learn a lot today but it was painful. Thanks for listening!!

Y'gotta expect that with a new machine! Now when you've had it for 16 years and STILL fill a bobbin or thread it with the book in one hand like I do, THEN you got a problem! You, on the other hand, will be walking the dog and burping the grandkids with one hand and sewing quilts with the other in under a month. I guarantee it!!!

:D :D :D

Rusty

The learning curve is always steep at the beginning, but Rusty has it right. Soon enough you'll find your groove with this new machine and go back to good days in the sewing room. :-)

Well you have this day behind you- tomorrow will be better!

I realized this week that I need to practice my fmq more than I do. I'm famous for saying it and then not doing it!

If so inclined, have a piece of chocolate and hang in there:)

Yes I had a piece of chocolate cake and went to bed and this morning I am back at it and remember all what I learned yesterday. Hur Ray! Thanks everyone.

Congrats on your new machine sewingsuz. It's a process learning on a new machine. You'll get it, I'm sure today it will be much better. Happy Sewing.

I have had a Janome Memory Craft 6600 for about 10 years and have FMQ about 15 large quilts on it. I love the larger harp space for FMQ and am very used to this machine now. The only thing it does not have is a beep or something for when the bobbin runs low as with FMQ this would be very helpful to let you know so you have time to find a good spot to stop and put in a full bobbin. My husband asked me about a year ago if I would like a new machine. I said definitely not as getting used to a new machine takes a while and at my age, why? I have always cleaned it myself and it has never been in the shop for repairs.

My point is if your present machine has everything for your needs now, why start over? If you have the time and don't mind the learning curve, then go for it. Just saying.

I was telling my sister to be patient while she is learning a new skill. She has been quilting like a pro for under a year and is doing her first QAL as is struggling with the blocks she is trying to make. The key is not getting frustrated when learning a new machine or skill. Now my sister I can have her over here and I can give her tips on seam allowance and give her enough scrap for practice block before cutting into the QAL fabrics. To bad we couldn't work together on your new machine and learn together. It sounds like you have a handle on it though and I am sure you will have it 'tamed' in no time. Rest a bit then go back at it.

yep, takes a while to learn those new machines. I think a month is being overly optimistic! Anyway, I still find myself looking for the foot lever to lower it on Viking and Bernina when switching back to them after using my bottom of the line Bernina 215 which still has one of those. I really have never, ever, learned all the wonderful things any of my higher end computerized machines can do and I am OK with that.

Hate those steep learning curves!

I was glad when I got my Janome 8900 about 5 years ago because it was so much better than the Bernina I had. The literature promises so much, but doesn't always deliver. The Janome performs beautifully, especially when I bought the right even feed foot. I had been sold the wrong one, couldn't even get it on the machine and with the help of Jim Stuttsman (sp?), moderator of a Janome forum, I knew what I had to do and bought the right one. Thank you again, Jim!

When I use two layers of batting on an art quilt, I use wool for the one closest to the front of the quilt, spray it with June Taylor basting spray, spray a layer of Warm & White and add that, then spray the backing and add that. Sometimes I even add a layer of felt to stabilize the wall hanging and help it hang straight. The spray really works to eliminate those nasty tucks on the back.

You're going to love your new machine for a long time!

My new machine has a thirteen inch throat and my old machine had a nine. It does not sound like much but I am sure it is going to be a lot better when I FMQ. I have not done that yet. I have only had the machine for a couple weeks.

Suzanne- when I got my Bernina 770 I scoured Youtube (still do) and have found so many wonderful tutorials. You probably already know this but in case you didn't I thought I'd let you know.
Hope today was better.

Ha...my bad day in the sewing room was taking my Janome 1600P off the quilting frame. For some reason I pulled the take up bar upward instead of pulling it out from the throat of the machine and ending up dumping the machine in the floor. Broke several pieces and spent weeks in the repair shop. Now that was a bad day... I cried and cried.

Oh Linda I am so sorry for you. Yes that was a super bad day!

I'm 75 now and I'm lucky if I actually can remember what I am looking for! Getting old has its problems, but I find not freaking out because I can't find something is a waste of time. If I relax, eat some ice cream, fiddle in the garden, or whatever, the relaxation helps my brain to figure things out faster.