Operator Error - Long arm
 

I wasn't going to post about this because it was stupidity on my part, but I read about people not using the basing stitch on their long arm and didn't understand it. I am a beginner with a long arm. I was quilting a quilt for my DGD using the Pro Stitcher and the long arm went off the edge of the quilt top (planned) and started to come back and got jammed on the batting and top - forgot to baste the right edge down - did the left edge. Shut it down, the hopping foot was down to the plate. Told my DH to get a wrench and we'd adjust it. After making the adjustment, turned it back on and machine made a terrible noise so I shut it down. Then I check directions, do not touch the hopping foot - factory set. You know you check directions after all else fails! A couple of day later we were going to go up to the cottage and the dealer I bought it from is close to the cottage so I started to unhook it to get to ready to go. DH came in and was looking at it and said "Find out how much a service call is - I don't want to do this." I called a dealer that was a little closer, still well over an hour away. The hopping foot was jammed and the press bar were hitting - that was the noise. Could have that part wrong. Won't tell you what the bill was but I don't think I will forget to the baste the quilt edge down. Still can't believe forgetting to baste the one edge down can cause damage. One good thing, DH thought it was money well spent for the service call and didn't say anything else about it. He's a keeper.

Sharing may save someone else, thank you. I backed my car up a few years ago when the door was still open and it caught on the front porch bricks. I still feel SO STUPID about that ;)

One person's errors are another's blessings??? Thanks for posting that reminder for others.

My long arm is all manual. I am the Pro Stitcher, so I watch the edge very closely when I am stitching. My main thing is to avoid stitching over a pin. If I had a computer system, I would do the basting stitch, but for me, not really necessary right now.

You are lucky it didn't rip your quilt top. I've heard of this happening.

Thanks for sharing. It's a good reminder for all of us who long arm...

We are ALL human and bound to make mistakes. We certainly DO LEARN FROM THEM. Yes, he is a keeper.

I call that 'learning to trouble shoot'. I have made many mistakes with my machine, but ESP when they are a biggie like this, I rarely do that twice! (note the word RARELY...I have made a few big mistakes more than once!)

don't feel too bad. My father did the same thing many years ago.

I feel your pain!!! I did something simuliar and had to ship my machine back to the company.

So happy that your DH was ALL for the house call, you are very lucky. We all need to remember "If you learn from your mishap, then it's never a mistake it's a lesson learned".

Thank you for sharing your problem. I always feel like a super dummy when I do something stupid, but I usually remember not to do it again. We learn by doing and the more we share the more we care; quilters are wonderful teachers and I've learned so much from this board and its members. Thirty years of quilting and I still learn new things; and I still do dumb things.

So glad everything worked out for you. Your DH knew it would be worth the time and expense to have a service call.

Thanks for sharing your "BooBoo". It will definitely help someone else. All of us make them. They are steps to learning.

don't have a computerized LA, but on a couple of occasions have hit a ruler edge and cringe--so worried I'll knock off the timing.

Oh the things I have done to my Innova! First I caught the lamp shade of a floor lamp with the back handle and when I stopped the machine, the lamp fell on the go button then pushed the machine across the quilt. When I was setting the height of the hopping foot, I stuck my nickel under the hopping foot then broke loose the screw that holds the hopping foot and hit the needle down button at the same time...divot from the needle in my nickel, shattered needle - put in a new needle and off I went. Chipped a chunk out of a ruler when the hopping foot came down on it (never did find that chunk of plastic). None of these "oops" ever knocked the timing out of whack. I even had a needle fall out when I was quilting - I didn't tighten it down properly - bent the needle but that was all. Guess my Innova is pretty "me-proof"!!

Had that needle oops, too! thought I'd tightened it well, but guess I had some oil on the threads and it worked loose--what a racket when it slipped down and broke. Luckily just needed to replace needle.

Farm Quilter, you made me LOL! Thanks, I needed that.

So glad I could make you LOL!! We all need that!!! I've done some really weird things to my poor girl, but she just keeps on stitchin' for me - can't ask for anything more!!! Quilting, especially longarm quilting, is such a solitary pursuit, that we need to connect somewhere!! I can drag my sewing machine to sew with you, but I'm not bringing my longarm and frame!!! If someone could come up with a really solid frame that was easy to fold up and travel with, they will definitely have a winner! Then we could have longarm quilting retreats :)