I don't mean to be dense, but I don't understand this. I can see quilting from left to right, but then how do you get back if you are quilting "rows"- I can see if you do sections at a time, but I usually do small sections and then start at the other end of the quilt. kind of like typing-across, then back.

I am not sure if this is helpful...I have a Gammill. You start at the left. I think I Have a 22 inch area to quilt (I have an Optimum. Once you have started on the left, you continue to your right but you can go sideways, up down left, right, circles or what ever, untill you end up at the right and finished with that section.

Then you push the machine back to the left side and roll the fabric up and start again. I think that is what is meant by starting on the left.

Thanks, that explains it! I'm going to try it when I quilt my next quilt.
This board is great-always learning new things!!

I just think that is more natural for people but when doing a design we change directions alot so thjey dont look so uniform so I think she is probably wrong or maybe you misunderstood? then again I may be wrong, but ive owned two long arms and they both went both directions fine.

My mother-in-law has a long arm and they told her she could only go right to left on the side you put a pattern on. It would the oppisite on the free motion side left to right. She says she has tried going back once she reaches the end of the row and the thread breaks every time.

so, i really do not understand why it would be taught to only go left to right or right to left. my long arm stitches up and down...it does not feed, or pull in any direction, it simply goes up and down. the carriage the machine sits on moves in any direction i want it to go in, and has nothing to do with the machine stitches. poor quality stitches have to do with not moving the machine smoothly, speeding up on curves, moving the machine faster than the stitch speed is set. it is easy to sew in any direction i want to go, the carriage lets me go in circles or any direction i want. as long as tension is set correctly and my speed is consistant it does not matter at all what direction i go in

Would you mind sharing the name of the longarm you have? I will be trying every one I can get my hands on at the International Quilt Show in Houston. I will look for your brand as a first choice.

Alleycat, I've seen the term "floating the quilt" a lot but I don't know what that means. What is it?

I'm not AlleyCat, but I can answer your question on floating the top. This means the backing fabric, top and bottom, is rolled on to the rollers of the long arm machine frame, the batting is then laid on the backing and secured, I pin mine, and the top is then placed on top of the batting and sewn in place through the batting and backing. The top is not attached to a leader or rolled on the roller, thus "floating the top" and can be adjusted and moved to fit the back area much easier than if it was sewn to a leader and rolled on to the roller. Hope this is clear enough for you.

I would not purchase a machine that they say can only go right to left. It is totally bizarre to me. I have a Fusion and I go anyway I want to. How could you possibly do any kind of fancy quilting???? I do float my tops and batting. My frame does a batting bar also, but my poodle really thinks the batting is for her when it is so close to the floor. Not a good thing! LOL