Thought I would get the ball rolling on some my questions.....

1) I've been looking at an emboidery machine. Mostly to be used for putting BF business logo on things, sons team logo on things, and quilt lables. I'd like to find something in the $1500 or less range. I came across the Singer Futura CE-350 that seems to be able to import pics to be used. Anyone have one and know how well it works? Any other ones I should look into?

2) Anyone use the Omnigrid Double Wedding Ring templates? Or know of an EASY way to make a double wedding ring quilt?

3) What's the biggest square ruler I can get? I have a 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 but have a quilt with 16" blocks that I need to square.

One thing to look at in embroidery machines is the embroidery field. Meaning the size it can go up to and down to. (smallest/largest)
I have a Kenmore Ergo3. Sews and embroiders (up to 4 1/2")
It works great for me and you can find them brand new on ebay for under $1000 and some Sears stores still carry them.
I know Janome sells a nice one as does Pfaff, Viking and others.
You should go and try them and compare.

I have a friend who used Quiltsmart interfacing for the wedding ring quilt she made. Said it was easy and fun and came out perfect!

I'm sure they sell the size ruler you need. Maybe call a quilt shop and ask if they have it or if they can order one for you

i believe rulers go up to 20 x 20, they cost about $35-$40 but would be worth it for those bigger blocks!

You may be better off asking a glass place to cut you some plexiglass that size.

Can't help you on embroidery machines.

Hi Shelly, one of our members had her DH make her a set of plexiglass templates. http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/8109.page Here is the link to the ones he made for her, and of course they could be made about any size.

I made 17.5" blocks and I used my good old 6.5" X 24" template. Was it easy? no. Did I enjoy myself? no but I got the job done and did it well as my sashing lined up perfectly.

You price range should be big enough to find a good quality embroidery machine. I highly recommend going to the stores in your area (or the next town over), and sit with them (the embroidery machine that is), try them out. Talk to the sales people. The more stores you visit the more you will learn about what you need, what you don't and why. And if you find a sales person knowing less than you, talk to someone else and if that means going somewhere else, do so. It's to much money to spend without having the store that you can call if you run into trouble.

About embroidery machines, I only have experience with Bernina machines, but I would definately get one with 2 hoops for the things you mentioned, because you will want to do so much more than what you originally wanted. Generally they will stitch out a design up to 5 X 7 and 4 X 4 sizes. Some machines come with larger hoops (mine does).

The Bernina Deco 340 is a nice machine. I had one for a year then upgraded. I out grew it so fast.

I also would recommend getting one that you can use a USB stick to transfer your designs from your pc to your machine. That way you avoid the extra cost of a magic box (or similar devise) to transfer and the costly design cards.

Keep in mind, you will need stabilizers (recommended espically for emb machines) and that isn't cheap! Then there's the threads...

I'm not trying to chase you away from embroidering, just wanted you to know a little about it. No one told me these things when I first got into embroidery.

re: #2
I think Eleanor Burns has a set of instructions and template in her Egg Money Quilts, it might be worth calling the library for if you don't have it.

Also Cheryl Phillips has a wonderful book out on the wedding ring quilt it is called rings that bind and is quilt as you go so when you get the size you want you are done needs no binding

Hi ShellyP,
I would try and get the largest emb field that I could...5x7 at least...
I would also get a machine that does both sewing and embroidery
I also keep an eye on Cragslist and Ebay...because I find alot of sewers that are getting rid of their machines to upgrade to another machine...
But as far a getting your BF and sons logo to embroider that is a whole 'nother question...
Hope this helps and PM me if you have more questions.
Kirsten

I have used the Quiltsmart interfacing for a double wedding ring. Very easy and fun to do. Some of it can even be done as take along. My arcs were just one fabric (not pieced). I made it at a workshop someone in our guild did. It is just nine circles but it looks good and is more of a lap quilt. It isn't quilted yet (because that is my least favorite part).

Ok...Looks like I have a to do list!

1) I'm going shopping and playing with each one I come across until I find the one that tells me to take it home. Should be fun but I don't know how long I can hold out just walking in and buying it!

2) I'm going to order Quiltsmart. I've got pleanty of time, it's about 5 projects deep. I like to be prepared. I like not having to sew the curvy middle in it.

3) Looks like I need to buy some plexiglass. It will be nice having them in the exact size I need anyway. Great idea!!!!


Here's a couple other questions.
1) I bought a kit that has the eyelet material. Do I need to back it with interfacing, stablizer, muslin, or something before I put it in the quilt so the batting doesn't come thru the holes?

2) Once I get my quilt squares square, and sewn together, and the borders on, do I need to square it up again? If so, how? No way am I getting a 58"x64" template!

3) When quilting, I know you start in the middle. My question is....do you go straight out to the edges than go crosswise in the middle working your way to the outside edges, like an x, or do you go in a spiral out from the middle? Confused yet? I am.

If you square as you go along, you can usually tell whether things are lining up right or not. If I am doing borders, I like to square before and check after, by measuring several places along each side and adjusting/cutting as needed. My final check is measuring both ways diagonally, and if they are the same size (or pretty close) I go forward with assembly.

The eyelet should definitely be lined. Today's battings don't shed as much as older kinds, but it will be worth it to at least use an iron on interfacing. I'm sure you could get some interesting effects by using a contrasting color that showed through the openings.

Starting quilting from the middle gives you room to smooth out any imperfections. If you baste well, I wouldn't think where you actually started quilting would be that big a deal. I learned to do an X and + years ago for handwork, but that was before spray glue and great battings.

When I was using my daughter's baby clothes to make quilts, I always intended to do something to line the eyelet fabrics, but never did. Granted they haven't been on the bed for very long, but they seem to be fine. You see I was worried about her pulling the batting out unpurpose, but the hole is so little she can't do that.

Lorretta I looked at that Double Wedding ring pattern that Patrice put together and that is amazing. Thank you for sharing it. Someday I might have run a search for double wedding ring, but it was great to just go there and read all those amazingly simple sounding steps!