Do I need zippered leaders, and what accessories to get
 

HI

I am going to be getting the Gammill Vision 26" and I can get $1,000 of accessories. Do I need the Leaders with zipped edge ($300)??
I am only quilting for myself and will not be taking the quilt off the frame until it is finished.

Secondly, I do want to learn ruler work.

Here is my other question, what accessories are the best for me to get ??

Thanks for Any help and advice, as this is a really big (and last) purchase of this type for me.

Karensue

Just my opinion, but I would not get the zippered leaders, I would instead spend that money on a larger extended base for ruler work, a set of circle rulers (from 2 inches up to 12 inches with a marked center and marked lines), a straight edge ruler (2 inch by 10 inch with 1/4 inch markings); a set of oval rulers. I wold also make sure that all rulers were Not nested but solid as the solid ones are much easier to hold in place.

You will need leaders of some sort, but I wouldn't go with zippered ones personally. The longarm I rent time on uses Leadergrips, and I find them great for loading quilts quickly and easily.

I would get the extended ruler base, and the micro stippling handles. Beyond that I will let more experienced people weigh in. Enjoy your new machine!

I tried velcro leaders, which are the same idea as zippered leaders in that you attach the quilt edges to one side of the leader and can then take the quilt off the frame and replace it later. I didn't like those leaders at all, and wound up using Renae Haddadin's Red Snappers. I really love those, as well as the Red-E-Edge for the sides of the quilt.

Can you provide a link as to what accessories you have to choose from?

I would not get zippered leaders. If you want to do ruler work find out if your machine needs a special foot for that. And yes, definitely get an extended ruler base. And if rulers are in the mix I agree on a set of circle templates and definitely a straight ruler but I find a much smaller size easier to handle. My most favorite straight ruler is 2" x 6". I have another that is bigger and I find it unwieldy and hardly ever use it. I would also get an arc ruler commonly used for curved cross hatching but you may wish to wait on these because there are many suppliers of rulers and the prices vary so you may want to work with the basics (straight and circles) before expanding your ruler collection.

Are there lighting accessories? What about an auto advance? Or even handle systems to make advancing easier.

Micro handles are an awesome add on to have if you plan on doing dense micro quilting and backfills.

If you need to use up the final couple of hundred, I would spend it on parts like an extra bobbin case, an open toe foot, a spare tension assembly and a couple of spare tension check springs. You will always need these things and it is nice to have them at the ready because needing to replace something always happens at the most inopportune time and you don't want to wait.

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Here is the list of most of the options. I did find circle templates on the site. And below is what is in the maintenance and starter package, of which I am pretty clueless:

Maintenance Kit – $99
Includes: bobbin case, needle set screw, encoder “O” ring, tension check assembly, 2 anti-backlash springs, cone spring, bobbin winder “O” ring stand alone, 2 thread guides, 3-hole thread guide

Start-Up Supply Kit – $499
Includes: Roll 80/20 cotton/poly batting, Maintenance Ki, stand-alone bobbin winder, 13 cones of assorted thread, 10 extra bobbins, 100 extra needles, 1-quart oil, magnetic pin holder

I'd get the maintenance kit, stand along bobbin winder (thread, bobbins and needles are most likely cheaper to get somewhere else).

I'd check out the optional light kit, I added lights to my HQ and really like them. I'd also check out what the cutting mat is. I put cutting mats all along the back edge of mine, and that gives me a 12' long cutting surface. I use it for trimming quilts after they are quilted so I can put on the binding.

And the Micro handles, I leave mine on all the time, just rotate them out of the way.

There are a lot of other items people have mentioned that I agree with - but they are not shown on your list of options. - extra feet, ruler base, front winder wheel (if your frame does not come with one), extra bobbin case (in case you drop one and knock it out of round).

The other thing that HQ now has is a support so you can lift the top (quilt top) rail out of the way when positioning batting.

The extras I got with my HQ Avante are a ruler base, glide foot, bobbin winder, electric channel locks, casters, micro handles, and an extra rail winder so I'd have them at both ends of the frame. I bought all of my rulers from people selling them on the Yahoo group SewItsForSale so I saved quite a bit of money that way.

Cari

I agree with Macybaby on the maintenance kit and stand alone winder. You may end up liking prewound bobbins better but it is nice to have the winder. Lighting is always a major thing. On my LA my DH installed track lights over my LA and those work great but what I really love is a special LED/blacklight combo that is installed right around my needlebar. I LOVE it and now that I have it, can't do without it. So definitely see what that optional light kit is for $249.

I understand Gammils are oil hogs. And I guess that must be so as the start up kit has a quart of oil :eek: Wow, they are oil hogs. I have had my LA (Innova) for 7 years and I am still on my first little 4 oz bottle of machine oil (zoom spout).

But you can pick up gallon jugs of machine oil on line for $25 so like Macybaby, I would take a pass on the startup kit

Also don't be afraid to negotiate with your dealer. Say you only like a few accessories, ask them instead to give you free setup and delivery or something. Many will negotiate on stuff like that.

You don't need to spend that much to use zippered leaders. Here's a link to a company that sells the zippers:

http://stores.longarmconnection.com/quick-zip-system/

You need to add the zippers to your leaders yourself but it is easy to do. You need to get the "machine set" which includes the zippers for the leaders and a set for the quilt. Then you can get as many "renter sets"(only has quilt zippers) as you want so you can have more than one quilt on zippers at once.

I've used zippers from the beginning. While waiting for my zippers to arrive I did do a quilt or two with the pin method and found it tedious and I didn't like the extra time spent standing. I switched to zippers and have never regretted it.
You can sit anywhere to attach or remove the zippers(no standing at machine and no pins to stab you). I still use pins to start attaching batting and the top but the safety pins are great to work with(just never close them after using-much easier to use).
Look into the zipper set and I think you will like it.

Edited to add: I've never used a stand alone bobbin winder as you can wind a bobbin as you sew. Even if you find you need to wind a bobbin manually(run the machine to make bobbin wind) it only takes a few minutes. You definitely want the maintenance kit though. The other kit - I don't know you could probably get all that separately, although I don't know if it would cost more.