jude by the sea

Hi, I just got a used APQS Liberty, she is great! I am over whelmed as I am teaching myself about the machine, trying to practice on muslin with batting, any troubles come my way I try working them out, I am watching videos, reading etc. I have not put on a quilt yet because I am scared of ruining it. I have several questions for all of you: how do you get the ends you mount to frame cut so they are straight? I like to do big quilts so in cutting my muslin at 108 inches is challenging me. I fold several times then cut, am I doing that wrong? I can't seem to get good c's when I practice! Is that normal? I only have my first practice piece on and it's going to fast because by the look of my work I have a whole lot of practicing to go yet so I will have to put another practice piece on. How did all you guys begin this journey? Anybody with any suggestions of how to begin would be appreciated!

PaperPrincess

HI, Welcome to the adventure! It will take some practice, so don't be too hard on yourself. As far as cutting wide fabric, the only way I know is to tear it. If you buy yardage, get extra, because of the way it's on the bolt, it's almost always cut crooked & you will loose some getting it straight.
On your practice pieces, you can just put another piece of fabric on top of your previously quilted sandwich. Use different color bobbin thread so you can easily determine how your tension is coming. You can cut rectangles from your practice pieces, bind them & donate them to animal shelters, use them as washable floor mats or car or picnic quilts.

Barb in Louisiana

First let me say...I have a long arm and am pitiful at even following a pantograph. A friend told me to do the quilt, wash it and you won't even notice. She was mostly right. All my grandbabies that I have made quilts for, love them a lot. They don't see any of the glaring errors and hearts that look like beets or butts. haha I am getting better, but am not an artistic (can't draw worth a lick) person so doing free motion quilting will probably be a long time coming for me.

I never even practiced. I had a "Just Can't Cut It" quilt top made from WalMart fabrics and just used a panto for my first quilt. It is a long way from perfect, but I still use that quilt today. The batting cost more than any of the other material in the quilt. Make a "cheap" quilt that could be a baby quilt of 1 piece of material on front and back. This is how I practice. I end up with something usable and can judge how I am progressing. I still won't quilt some things I have had made for a while, because I do want them to be a bit special. Make some strip quilts. Measure WOF and cut difference size strips of several fabrics. Put a sashing between them and practice on them. I really wouldn't keep working on something that you don't really plan to do anything with, but that's just me.

I buy the 108" wide muslin when it's on sale at Joann's or Hancocks or use my coupon. Then I only have to cut the length I need. Most often that will help. I cut an extra 6 to 8 inches to keep everything square and to practice after I change the bobbin on my very pre-owned Nolting 1996 model. It is a workhorse!

All the videos and everything make it look like you will be an expert in just a few quilts. Unless you are an absolute genius, it just is not going to happen that quick. We all get better as we go.

dunster

I started right out on real quilts. When you're using muslin you will see every wrong move, while a printed fabric will hide many of them.

Prism99

I started right out on real quilts too. Worked out fine! (I did have some experience FMQing on my domestic machine.) If you feel the need for practice, instead of muslin you might want to try used sheets from the thrift store for top and backing. Afterwards you can cut up and bind for pet shelters (call the shelter first to get info about sizes and fabric/batting content).

As for cutting the backing straight, you may be over-stressing about it. How it is cut isn't really the issue; how it is mounted on your frame is what's important. I would recommend investing in Red Snappers if you can add casings to your leaders; makes loading much easier and faster. There are lots of Youtube videos on the Red Snappers, but in my opinion the following video is the one that both shows and explains how to load a quilt so that everything is straight on the rollers:
http://manquilter.com/
If the sound isn't good enough on this video, check out this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5m...B_d7zHVyA8J7JQ
It's much shorter (I think the one on manquilter's website is better), but the sound works better on my computer.

Basically, manquilter is showing how you do not need to use measurements (or even straight cutting lines) to load a quilt evenly on rollers.

alleyoop1

Change the color of your top thread and reuse the same piece to practice. Changing the thread color will make it easier for you to see the new stitches.

ka9sdn

Go thru your manual and find where it tells you how to use the wheel locks so you can stitch straight across or up and down to get a straight line then line up your batting and top to the line. Really makes a difference. Also agree to just put the quilt back on the frame and use a different color thread so you can see your pattern and practice over and over. I've used mine for several years and still learn new all the time.

0tis

I've had my longarm for about 4 yrs - I had the same problem - I didn't use mine for the first 6-8 months - I was just petrified that I would do something wrong. Finally I started practicing on muslin - then I used groovy boards for a while - those are wonderful but they are expensive. I am just starting to feel very confident with my fmq skills - I watched videos, read books, etc - It all comes down to practice, practice, practice. I took a class on Craftsy with Angela Walters - Machine Quilting Negative Space - I loved it - it really worked for me - I love my fmq so much more - I also purchased her first book that was a huge help too. Good luck and practice.

letawellman

First of all, congratulations on your new toy!! Once you get the hang of it, you'll love it!!
Now, how I started was this - I found less-than-wonderful tops - yard sales, Salvation Army stores, flea market, etc. - and loaded them with some very old fabric that someone gave me when their grandmother passed away (double-knit polyester!!!) as my backing. And just started stitching away!! I didn't worry about getting it perfect, I just wanted to start learning about my machine and how to use her. My dogs have quite a few of those polyester-backed quilts in their beds.

Don't stress over your stitches not looking perfect - we are our own worst critics. Just relax, and spend this time learning your machine (they each have their own personality, you know!) Learning how your machine likes the tension, finding out if it is a picky eater (some of them are very particular about certain brands of thread), finding out if it has batting preferences, all of those are the things you want to learn about right now. I know that if you were to contact any of the well-known LA'ers, they would all tell you that their work was NOT fantastic the first time they started with their LA machine.

And another thing I do (especially when I'm trying to learn a new technique) is get preprinted (cheater) tops. That way, you have the visual effect of a pieced top, but without the time or expense of a pieced top.

Purchase a dry-erase board and dry-erase markers, and practice DRAWING the FMQ designs (feathers, flowers, whatever) on that first. You will develop the muscle-memory for those motions, and you will get better and better, then when you go to the machine, it's a lot less stressful and your stitching will be better than you might expect.

And someone else suggested the Red Snappers... may I suggest a less expensive alternative? Mondo clips on Amazon... http://www.amazon.com/Clip-n-Seal-Mo...clips+quilting
There are 10 in the package, this gives you PLENTY for your leaders, and even leaves you with some extras that you can cut down to whatever size you need, depending on the size of the quilt you load. They are essentially the same thing as the Red Snappers or Leader Grips, and a LOT cheaper.

And BTW... I've had my machine for about 6 years now... and I'm only just now starting to LA for other people. And I'm STILL working on improving my feathers.

Good luck - relax - have fun - and give yourself permission to NOT be perfect!!!

quiltstringz

I always rip the top and bottom of my backing fabric. I think it needs to be straight before you put it on the machine.