Hi Daisey,
Did you ever get the tension right with your Avante? I would think you should be able to use cotton thread on an all cotton quilt. Did you get the stitches to work out better on the quilt with the flannel? Just curious. I went & test drove the HQ Avante today & would be real interested in any issues anyone might be having with their machines.

All is good,
I didnt have the thread down tight eneough in the tension wheel so it had popped out once I discovered that it was all great! Also only problem I have had was with cheap thin batting which I will refuse to accept anymore from customers. It wasnt tight enough of a weave and skipped stitches...when I use good batting and almost any thread the tension is good. The other thing I invested in was a towa bobbin tension guide. It helps alot and havent had any issues since. Good Luck!

I also have the Avante, and have had same problems. My problems were corrected exactly the same. Not tight enough in the tension wheel, and a missed guide on the top of the machine, quilt rolled too tight. Things us new longarm quilters learn soon enough. I also bought a towa bobbin tension guide. How can anyone with a longarm live with out it! It is such a life saver.
I just love my machine, so easy to use. Like that it has two different stitch regulations. The more I use it the more I like the cruise. I want to get the micro handles in the near future for more refined work. Would recommend machine to anyone interested in a very good quality machine at a very reasonable price.

I am sure there are some quilters with your setup on the homequiltingsystems group at http://groups.yahoo.com . It's a very active group.

Seems to me I have read on that group that flannel can be a problem.

Yes I just found out about the micro handles and am gonna hint for my birthday in October..I definately think it will help on small areas...Also the platform for ruler work and a few rulers I saw demonstrated...Really cool! The towa definately is a life saver!

I am so glad to have seen this thread as my Avante is due to arrive in about two weeks!! very excited but also a bit apprehensive as I have never used a long arm before! is there a way we can all stay in contact on this board for questions and support?

I have an HQ 16, and love it! I keep watching these threads to see what else is going on.
Would be great to stay in contact with others who have similar machines, etc. So I need to look at a previous post on a group already set up.
Thanks, and happy quilting!

My machine arrived this week! I just put cheap fabric and batting in last night to have a practice but there are loops on the top and a few eyelashes underneath so I think it is a tension problem. the batting is just a cheap poly one does anyone think this could also be adding to the problem?
Thank you in advance for any help!! lol

Just wondering but have you used variegated thread on top (king tut) and plain ( guterman) on the bottom? I cannot seem to get the tension just right. I am ready to quilt and i love what the colored thread will do for the look but i am ready to to just switch it all for plain brown. Did turning the needle slightly work for you/

I had the same problem and believe it or not, it was me. Make sure your thread is in the right spot on the tention wheel. I worked and worked and finally gave up. My husband came home and looked at the book and put the tread in the right place ---- did I feel stupid.