My machine is a little Wal-Mart cheapie Brother XL2600. So far my only real quilt has been a Fun and Done type thing. I really want to do a bow tie with some great charm squares I have but am very intimidated about trying to quilt it on my machine.

Can any of you out there with little cheapie mahines give me some specific pointers on how to handle the quilt when quilting?

If a machine sews a good stitch I don't see a problem using it for machine quilting. Start with stitch in the ditch. That will be easy to start with. Straight line quilting is just as nice as free motion quilting. A walking foot will help keep the backing smooth.

I support Bella. I did it for years on a little cheap Kenmore. My problem began when I tried to branch out into free motion quilting. Some machines will be a problem with tension issues and thread breaking. I also find that many (not all) cheaper machines can not handle well threads with lower thickness (higher weights). You get knots or the thread breaks. Good luck with yours. As I said, this is my experience only. I am sure there are some cheap machines that do well.

Maria

Lisa, I have the same machine! right now I have two quilts going , both are wonky log cabins and I am just quilting square after square after..... well you get the point one measures 48x60 and the other is 50x62
I have done several baby blankets on my machine most are about 40x48 or so!

How large are you wanting to go with the quilt?
I think now that I have gotten use to managing a "larger" (than just a baby blanket) quilt I could even go bigger on my machine! Its all in learning where to put the excess fabric that you don't need in the machine! and knowing what fabric has to be where for it to work and what way you can turn the quilt to get closest to the part you are working on and have the least amount of quilt bunched up in the throat space!

Oh that statement is so true!!!

Billy

The machine that I use for piecing is a lower end Singer...I am still a SID quilter, but it works very well for that. I believe I can FMQ too, just have not taken that leap yet. As long as it will sew well through your quilt sandwich you should be ok... as far as wrestling it...try different ways until you find the one that works best for you!

I have the cheapy Brother from Walmart too! lol!!! I used to SID with it, until my DH made me the quilt frame. Now I use an equally old cheapy White with that, as it has the darning foot and I can drop the feed dogs.
I remember someone saying they sat their ironing board next to their machine, to help hold up their quilt as they quilted it...

I have a cheapie machine - it is called a toyota... the main thing I have found is make sure you have a new needle!!! It makes a big difference... I have tried FMQ but just haven't gotten the hang of it! It is possible, and no one knows that it is a cheapie machine unless you tell them. The finished product could have been produced on a much more expensive model.

No kidding - I have that same cheapie Brother from Walmart - the XL 2600 - and it works great as far as I am concerned. When I do a larger quilt, I divide it into three segments lengthwise, then sandwich and quilt those segments individually, then sew them together. Otherwise, trying to deal with all that fabric would drive me bonkers. But the machine works great and has never given me a bit of trouble. (Knock on wood)

The sisterhood of the Brother....

Renee

The bow tie quilt I'm getting ready to cut fabric for after I type this is supposed to be 48 x 60 or some other thing divisible by 4 inch blocks. I'm just trying to make a nap quilt. I guess if you ladies can do it, I can too. It's just a matter of figuring out how to wad it up.

In case you are wondering, the cheapie Brother will do FMQ. I've been practicing. I don't have a foot so you have to watch your fingers. The fabric wants to climb the need, but that should be solved by getting a foot.
Here is the link to some pics I posted of my FMQ practice.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/27167.page


Maybe you all could post a pic or two the next time you start quilting. I'd appreciate the visual. :D

Did you look on utube? I know there's a lot of quilting videos on there, and maybe some show how to get it bunched right?

Ha. Just tried searching on utube for some - apparently they think only men use it! How does one find quilting videos on there?

I think you're doing great. If the machine gives you a good stitch and no trouble, you can do just about anything. Just look at everyone who loves to stitch on the "oldies but goodies" like the Featherweights and such. It's all about knowing your machine's capabilities and the level of your experience. And experience just comes with the hours and projects you put into it. Just go for it :D
ETA: I recieved my first machine, a Singer with a zig-zag stitch, when I was 12 years old for Christmas. That was 40 years ago. It never kept me from sewing anything! I handed it down to my niece last year and she has been sewing up a storm ever since. I hope you aren't intimidated by all the bells and whistles available today. Those features are certainly lovely, and I do appreciate them now, but 90% of the time, all you need is nice straight stitch.

Since my machine and quilt are on the table and I have been quilting off and on all evening I decided I would take some pictures while I did it! Yea that didn't work out so well. lol

Tomorrow I will have my husband take a video of me doing it and then I will post it!

Have you already decided how you want to quilt it once it is all done?
Do you have a walking foot for your machine?

suggestion from a FMQ class I took...if you put the ironing board up to help hold the extra fabric put a trash bag on it so it will be a smooth move and not gab the fabric on the ironing board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U60Y_...eature=related

There is a video I could, that is NOT how I do it but others have advised they do it this way so I thought I would post it!

Although she has a "mid" arm machine she has some great advice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qo4IqtgDPI

What she says about the foot I have the SAME problem with the FMF I have for my machine! Even though it is plastic, it gets in the way! I think there are open toed feet out there for our machines if you don't already have a foot, try to get one of those!

I have that machine too and used it to quilt til I got my Juki. I still love it for piecing and quilting some of my quilts. For a cheaper machine it sure is a workhorse.

Justwanna -- thanks for the videos. It certainly looks easy, but we all know looks can be deceiving.

As far as how I want to quilt my bow tie quilt, let's say I'm going for not badly. The quilt will be a bow tie pattern with every other block being a solid. I keep thinking it would be nice to do something in the solid and maybe just in the ditch on the rest. Who knows? Right now, it's just a bunch of itty bitty squares on my ironing board.

I bought a Brother cs6000. I use the darning foot--the manual refers to it as the free motion quilting foot. I set the speed control to 1/2 it's fastest setting. I also drop the feed dogs. (I have a really old Brother that came with a darning foot to cover up the feed dogs).

I always use a new needle and try to sew fast. For me, I can make better curves. I'm guessing the foot may make a huge difference for you.

If your machine did not come with the foot, you can order them. I bought a generic one from my sewing center at Joanns. It did NOT fit my older machine. Just make sure returns are possible.

HTH, and good luck :wink:

i bought this one thru Walmart and I love it. Going on 10 quilts qith it, BUT I tie mine
http://www.brother-usa.com/HomeSewin...ductID=CS6000i

I use a Brother XR-65 purchased at Walmart for everything. I have free motioned one queen size and many lap size quilts on it. It was not easy doing the center of the queen, to say the least.
I just finished the last of 10 tops for Christmas giftsl I hope it makes it through quilting all of those.

I use a 30-year old Singer that has no bells and whistles and it does a great job on free motion.

I use a cheapie from WalMart and I have probably done 50 quuilts on it. From 20x20 doll quilts for my great grandkids to 120x120 queen size. I always SID, but have experimented with FMQ. But am real nervous about trying a complete quilt. It is easy to SID. Just roll it tight and throw the extra over your shoulder. :roll:

This board is full of resourceful people!

I have a Brothers CS-8072. Some electronics. I have used it to FMQ smaller projects and just love it. A quilter friend used mine at a meeting, and has purchased on to keep in her 5th wheel camper as it is lighter weight that her main machine. She liked that the bed of it is slanted in the front and she doesn't have to bend her head forward to see what she is doing. I do have a darning foot and I use the thread that is the larger spool for quilting. The only fault I see is that it does not want to sew over a bulky seam, so I just pull the fabric through at that point. :D

Put me down as another person quilting with the cheap WalMart Brother machine - so far all I've done on it is lap and throw-sized quilts. I have two tops in progress, both samplers. One will be double-bed sized and one will be queen-bed sized. I think I'm going to send the queen out to be long-armed, but I might try the double on my little machine.

I'm also due to "inherit" a high-quality 1970s Brother from my mother, as soon as she buys her self a new, small, light machine - because she can't lift the big old heavy metal machine any more!

Jan

I only use a machine that I bought at Wal Mart. I have found that I like to quilt blocks as I go. No stress on the machine or me. I have had more expensive machines in the past but my inexpensive machine works just as good. SG

I have a uro pro shark from Target. I do not actually do any big quilts on my machine. Have not learned how to handle the large ones without causing wrinkles on the back while sewing. I do however machine quilt very small pieces on my machine. I like hand quilting better. I do put together my tops on the machine.
chamby

I bought (a few years ago) a Singer online for $99 and use it on my quilting frame. It is a fantastic machine and works great. I am hoping to get a mid arm one of these days, but for now, the Singer can't be beat!
Before I had this one, I used my old Singer for free motion quilting when I didn't have the Handiquilter frame I have now. I was new to FMQ and just did squiggles and stuff but it did fine. My new machine now is a Brother and is computerized which I didn't really want, but seemed to be all I could find. It is a great machine too, and I use it to quilt small things like table runners.

Chamby - try using spray baste and a walking foot (if you are doing straight stitch quilting). They do help quite a bit!

A friend who is in three quilt groups helped me put together a quilt for quilting. We went to our church and put together two of the 8 foot tables. Put down the backing and stretch it taut, fastening around the edges with the larger bulldog clips found at office supply stores. Spread out the batting (which you have unrolled previously to let it relax) over the backing and smooth out well. Then put the quilt top over these two. Stretch it taut by securing a spot on each side, then on each end. Then gradually work out from each clip so it will be evenly stretched. Then pin with large safety pins about a fist width apart. This worked for me and she does all her quilts this way. I had no trouble with wrinkles. Using a walking foot would help also.

My Parkinson's has confused me, maybe meds are doing this ... but, I have had to drop down to a "cheapie" and love it ! I can still do all my baby/lap size quilts and anthing I am up to doing.

So, no longer doing the fancy stitching, but am very happy with my Brother LS1520, and "Beginning Singer." Both were about 100 dollars. Had to rebuy because I lost my foot press electric chord on the Singer.

OK, found the foot chord and have two cheapies.. very happy !

Ell

It amazes me how many of you all are making great quilts....and big quilts...on the little machines.

Lisa, I did a queen sized quilt on a 10 year old $89 Brother from WalMart!! Ha-HA!! It was a challenge (especially the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting), but I got it done. That Christmas I bought myself a nicer Brother, which I still have, and an inexpensive quilt frame and machine. It makes it much easier!!

My old faithful was a Kenmore I bought in the early 70s when I was in high school. A few years I ago i bought a Singer Ingenuity (definately not an expensive machine). I thought I was in heaven 'cause i really didn't know what i was missing. I too am a SID quilter and haven't ventured for FMQ yet but my DH bought me a used Bernina which should be arriving soon so I'm sure I'm going to be feeling like i'm at the Pearlie Gates again!! Just keep at it and you will find what works for you. After all, it the love and creativity that counts, right?

I've got a Brother XR-9000 from Costco ($170) and just finished a full sized quilt with FMQ and stitch in the ditch. Before that I used a cheapie Singer that my mom got me at Target. I was able to make several queen sized quilts on it with stitch in teh ditch that looked great.