pippi65

Boy all this great advice. I've had a WOW quilting machine and it's on a 12 foot table. My DH bought it for my birthday & anniversary present quite a few years ago. I ended up having carpal tunnel surgery and then some troubles after that. So it sat! How heart broken am I. I can't remember how to load the quilt on it!! So when I get that figured out now that I have a little time on my "hands". It's a beauty of a machine I really want to "play" with it.Good luck with practicing..you'll get the hang of it!!

quiltingweb

All great advice. When I first started, I quilted EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. I even quilted over the tops of old store bought comforters and mattress pads that didn't fit the beds anymore. All of my kids got quilts that Christmas, as well as nieces and nephews. I quilted window coverings for my daughter's drafty room, beds for the cats, baby size cheater panels I found on clearance. Just keep going and try new things. I kept a sketch diary of things I wanted to try, ideas, etc.

PlanoDebbie

So glad to know that I'm not alone! Bought my LA last summer, but didn't set it up until 2 months ago. Had so much trouble figuring out how to thread it, adjust the tension, etc. Finally decided to change the needle to see if that would help. The needle wouldn't move and the motor would just hum. OMG! What did I do wrong. I was so upset, I didn't touch it again until last week. Was sure that my timing had somehow gotten messed up and told hubby that he might need to use his electrical skills to fix it for me. Over the past two months I searched tons of youtube videos and other resources. Found out that I wasn't threading my machine properly. Duh! Also discovered that I had put my new needle in backwards. Learned how to adjust my bobbin tension and upper tension. I had searched through the remnant bin at JoAnn's to find two cotton pieces that were about a yard in length to practice on. I think I finally have the tension about 95% set on my machine, and want to try and actually put a small baby quilt on it next week. Been too busy with the Olympics right now. I wish there were some good LA classes near the Dallas area where I could learn some more stuff. I'd better figure it out pretty soon because I put together a huge t-shirt quilt over the weekend and it's way too big to quilt on my regular machine!

Cindy60545

Oh, I know this feeling! I've only had my machine since the end of March. Took me awhile to get it set up & running. I'm still having issues with the frame, as the rollers keep hitting spots on the rails where it's not quite smooth & the machine follows that line instead of where I want it to go.
I agree with all of the above. Practice, practice, practice! Doodle, doodle, doodle! If you are on the phone, doodle on a piece of paper or where ever you may have a minute. It creates muscle memory. We all learned how to write our names in cursive & now do it from muscle memory, so we have to teach our muscles to now move the machine in the way that we want it to go.
Don't give up! Like someone else said, compare yesterdays practice with todays & see the difference a day makes. We get better with each & every stitch or design we do, just relax, put some upbeat tunes on, play & enjoy!

MaryKatherine

Without a computer control, there will always be wonky spots. Places where seams butt, or corners that are thicker. I can seldom do a perfect curve, or at least the curve I had planned. You learn to avoid those spots and do patterns that aren't so precise. Meandering gets easier, but I find by the time I get to the other size of a Queen, I've often forgotten what size of meander I started with. My customers know that I can't do "perfect complex" and they're happy with the style I do. I bought some thick acrylic rulers to help me do precise straight lines but beyond that my work is pretty open.
MaryKatherine

lovedquilts

Start off doing simple meandering designs to get to know your machine. Watch as many videos as you can. I found that drawing out the designs helps alot. There are a few dvds that were very helpful, if you love feathers, Kim Brunner has a wonderful dvds one is for her beautiful feathers and she has another beginner dvd that is wonderful. The Pajama quilter is also a great dvd too. Both of these quilters emphasize drawing.
Don't give up, we have all been there.

calicojoan

I thought once, I sprung for the combo setup, I would become a pro too, but that's as far from the truth as it gets. It takes tons of practice. I got mine with JoAnn's had their black Friday flannels at .90 a yard so I made twin quilts for all my nieces and newphews (about 20) and used them for my practice. Get yourself something that you won't feel bad practicing on and play, that's about the only way you can get comfortable with things. Still today, I would rather use my domestic machine for a lot of things. If I am going to use a pantograph, the long arm is great. But I don't care for using my machine from the front for free hand, and that's just a practice thing for me too. I've had my machine for about 8 years now!

If you have a quilting group in your area that makes charity quilts, frequently they are looking for someone to long arm their quilts. It's all for free, but a terrific way to get practice without building your own quilts. From my experience they are just delighted to get them quilted and are not looking for perfection.
Hang in there, things will improve for you!

Latrinka

I would be terrified!

gramacheri

Please don't give up! It's just like any new thing, it will be awhile till you feel comfortable. You have the head knowledge I am sure, you just need to get used to the feel and flow of the new machine. You go girl!!

sguillot

There is a definate learning curve. Practice, Practice and more practice. It will get easier but don't be to hard on your self. Once you get the hang of it you will love it but it does take a lot of practice and patience. Good Luck