Eye Hand Coordination

Following on with  5 reasons why I love machine quilting frames. Here's reason # 4: Machine quilting frames help you see what you're quilting. FMQ wherever you do it, requires a certain amount of eye hand coordination. Drawing the right way round is a huge advantage. So is being able to see what you're doing!

So this 4th reason that I love machine quilting on a frame, has to do with visibility. Our Machine Quilter frames are designed to give you the best view of what you're quilting.. When you're free motion quilting sitting at the sewing machine you are working on a relatively small section of your quilt, maybe 5 by 7 inches. In contrast, a machine quilting frame lets you see a whole slice of your quilt. This really opens up your view. On a frame you can see where you've been, where you are and where you're going. This helps you keep your stitching consistent. Being able to see what you're doing makes you a better quilter. 

Our Nifty Grip speed control handles replace your foot pedal, so you don't have to do one thing with your foot and another with your hands. The Nifty Grips mean that you don't have to kick your foot pedal across the floor, or squeeze it with your hand at the same time as you're trying to guide the sewing machine. 

Our Nifty Grips are designed to make machine quilting much much easier. They're also designed so you can see what you're stitching. They're low for comfort, and being low they won't block your vision. Machine quilting frames create the perfect platform to foster eye-hand coordination so that the ideas in your mind's eye can flow out your fingers.

Stitches per minute

Getting a nice line of stitching requires a certain amount of speed. 

Professional long arm quilting machines are designed for higher speeds to create those beautiful lines of stitching.  Speed puts stress on thread.

So machine quilters using long arms need threads that can cope with high speeds. Lets look at stitches per minute and compare stitch speed across a range of popular quilting machines.

APQS long arm machines can go  up to 3500 stitches per minute

Gammill long arms can so up to 2700 stitches per minute

JUKI's new QVP  goes 2200 stitches per minute.

Innova 22 inch long arm goes 2000 stitches per minute

Avante HandiQuilter runs up to 1800 stitches per minute

JUKI TL98P semi-industrial straight stitch  1500 stitches per minute

JUKI TLQVP Mini semi-industrial straight stitch 1500 stitches per minute

Bernina 820 goes 1100 stitches per minute

Janome Horizon goes 1000 stitches per minute

Most domestic sewing machines go just under 1000 stitches per minute. That's NOT very fast. Most threads will run fine in sewing machine limited to or near the  1000 stitches per minute mark. Even though they have a longer arm the Bernina 820 and Janome Horizon fall into this group. 

Feathers created with 1500 stitch per minute JUKI TL98P

Once you move up to 1500 stitches per minute you need better quality thread. I discovered this when I upgraded from a much beloved old Bernina to the JUKI TL98P. I had all sorts of tension problems and thread breakage.That's when I discovered Superior Threads designed for long arm quilting. The large cross wound cones come in lots of ranges. Some long arms are pickier than others where threads are concerned. If you're having thread problems with your long arm ring me for a consult. Machine Quilter has been selling thread to long arm quilters here in the UK for 10 years. We can help you choose the ideal thread for your machine quilter whatever the speed. 

Ring or email Martha at Machine Quilter for advice about which threads to use with your sewing machine.

martha@machinequilter.co.uk

01526 553366

Magnifico from Superior Threads Perfect for machine quilting

Valentine Post Cards: part one

This is a Valentine post card tutorial 

for making lots of post cards.                         

First go through your stash and pick out pretty fabrics. I go for reds and pinks and hearts and flowers. Then stitch them together.  It ends up looking a bit like a crazy quilt but there's method to my madness. I know that I'm going to be cutting the top into post card sized pieces at the end. So I'm putting together fabrics that look nice and leaving some open places for machine quilting.

Once my 'top' is pieced I load it onto my quilting frame. Then comes the fun part. I'm going to free-motion-quilt all over the top. Quilting frames make this easier but you can also just do free-motion-quilting sitting down at your machine. I don't need to worry about being perfect. I'm going to cut it up into post cards at the end so mistakes won't matter. I'll just use my favourite parts for the post cards. This lets me have fun and take risks that I probably wouldn't if I needed the whole top to look good.

I like to play with lots of different threads. Sometimes I'll scallop around a pattern in the fabric.

 This 'hearts and loops' pattern is fun too. It looks so pretty with the variegated threads.

We call this pattern 'mussel shell hearts'.

and this one 'baby bum hearts.

This pattern reminds me of the flower called 'Bleeding Hearts'

and this one is a fun feather pattern.

Once the top is all free-motion-quilted. 

I take it off the frame and 

choose the best parts for the post cards. 

Now I'm ready for Part Two.

Pumpkin Patch

This year we had a pumpkin patch just down the road! 

So we got to see the pumpkins change from flower to fruit.

I thought that this fabric from Dinara Mirtalipova - Mischief Night really did capture the pumpkin patch perfectly. It made just the right border. The pumpkins we so fun to trace around! This variegated Fantastico thread was just what I needed to create beautiful texture.

Dinara Mirtalipova - Mischief Night brought to life with Fantastico # 5023 Orange Marmalade

The pumpkin patch quilt just off the 6 foot New English Quilter frame machine quilted with the straight stitch JUKI TL98P

  I created pumpkins in all sorts of shapes and sizes for the middle.

 And raw-edge appliquéd them to the black pieced background.

The fun part was adding all the detail with free-motion quilting using lots of gorgeous threads from various Superior Threads ranges. The light-reflecting tri-lobal polyester in the Magnifico and Fantastico ranges really made the pumpkins shine.

While the bold matt line from the King Tut100% extra long staple Egyptian cotton gave just the right texture for the vines and leaves. Of course the Superior Metallic was just super for the spider's web. All these threads were designed to go at high speeds for machine quilting. So I didn't need to worry about thread  shredding or breaking. 

Happy Halloween!

I hope that you enjoy your pumpkins as much as I do mine!
The pumpkin patch down the road has long since been harvested and ploughed under but my pumpkin patch art quilt is still here looking lovely.

This Juki Exceed 600 was brilliant for the piecing, appliqué and binding! 

Our NEQ frame is 'just right'!

Emily on the QVP and Ellie in the background on the New English Quilter frame

Long arms are WOW! But many people just don't have the space. That's where our New English Quilter frames come into their own. These smaller more affordable frames are an American idea that has been adapted to fit into our smaller English and European homes.

Ellie demonstrating on the 6 foot New English Quilter frame with the Juki TL98P

These versatile frames clamp to any table. The frame perfectly tensions each layer of the quilt so you'll never have to baste, pin, tack, or glue. Your sewing machine sits on a set of carriages that ride on tracks. This ingenious frame allows your sewing machine to glide effortlessly across the top of your quilt. Just like a long arm but for a fraction of the cost.

People are so surprised the first time they see it! And often a bit reluctant to have a try. But we really encourage people to  give it a go so that they can feel the easy movement of the sewing machine.

Here's a shot of Ellie showing how to guide the sewing machine with the ergonomic speed control Nifty Grip handles

And here's our visiting quilter giving the JUKI TL98P a 'test drive' on our New English Quilter frame. She's surprised at how easily the sewing machine glides and happy that she tried something new at the Festival. It really does move "like magic!" 

Sewing Machine Adultery

I've just been reading some sewing machine reviews by Rebecca Lynne. This gal has a great blog and a real knack for reviewing. She calls her reviews "Sewing Machine Adultery". I like her style. I found the reviews really helpful and I liked the comments from other people too.

So today I'm suggesting that you visit Rebecca Lynne's blog and see what she has to say about the Juki. Rebecca Lynne lives in America and the Juki 2010Q that she mentions is very similar to the Juki TL98P that we have available here in the UK.

Juki TL98P perfect for machine quilting on our New English Quilter frames

I love my Juki! I have a TL98P that I use for machine quilting on a frame. It has all the features that I need and it's not cluttered with loads of features that I don't need.

There's plenty of room for the fabric pole under the arm of this Juki TL98P

• Space - the arm is longer and TALLER. Lots of new machines are longer now, but only the Juki is taller too. On a machine quilting frame, I need the height.
• Speed - I need speed to get a flowing line of stitching. The Juki TL98P goes 1500 stitches per minute effortlessly, it purrs. 
• Simplicity - it only does a straight stitch, but it does that perfectly. Being simple it is easy to tension, easy to maintain, easy to fix.
• Strength - it's a workhorse, metal semi-industrial, built to last a lifetime.

Like a few of the gals who commented on Rebecca Lynne's review, I have 2 machines. I use the straight stitch JUKI TL98P for machine quilting on a frame and I use the Juki HZL Exceed 600 for piecing, appliqué, general sewing, mending and everything else. The cost of both of these machines together is less than many people are spending on the newer computerized sewing machines. Heck, for some of them you could throw in the cost of the frame as well and it would still cost less! These Juki machines give you value for money. Computers begin to be obsolete the minute they hit the shelves.Likewise computerized sewing machines have a built in obsolescence. These Juki machines are timeless classics built to last.

Juki HZL Exceed 600 perfect for piecing and everything else!

Franklins Group are the UK Juki Distributors. 

Give Laurence or Gary a ring. They'll answer any questions 

and let you know the JUKI sewing machine dealer nearest you.

Laurence ~ 01206 574758

Gary ~ 01245 346300

Happy Customer

Lesley and Ian came up for a free demo a few weeks ago. 

Lesley decided to take the plunge and purchase her very own 6 foot New English Quilter frame. 

She ordered a 6 foot table too so we could custom the table legs  to get it to just the right height for Lesley to quilt in comfort. Using a quilting frame means that Lesley will never have to baste, pin or tack a quilt together ever again! The frame holds each layer of the quilt sandwich steady and perfectly tensioned.
Lesley also purchased a new JUKI TL98P lockstitch sewing machine and a set of Nifty Grip speed control handles to replace the foot pedal.

Now lesley can glide the sewing machine over the top of her quilt effortlessly creating beautiful and bold lines of stitching. The speed control Nifty Grip handles are ergonomically designed so that guiding the machine is comfortable and puts no stress on Lesley's neck or back.

Lesley and Ian came up on Monday to collect her New English Quilter Frame, 6 foot purpose built table and Nifty Grip speed control handles. She brought her new Juki TL98P sewing machine that she'd purchased from Franklin's so that we could get it tensioned and running smoothly. We give a free workshop to customers who choose to collect their frames. Our free workshop gives Lesley the chance to run the new sewing machine through its paces and get advice and tips for getting started. When Lesley and Ian went home they were able to get the frame up and running in no time.

Lesley emailed today to say;

"I’m having such fun. 

I love my frame
 it's fantabulous!!!!!!"

Lesley is delighted to have the benefits of a long arm for the fraction of the cost. She's happy that the frame just the right size to easily fit into her car and her sewing room. 

All the after sales support from the Machine Quilter team means that Lesley will have the help she needs to become a fluent machine quilter in the weeks and months to come.

Lesley's husband Ian, just emailed me this photo of Lesley's very first 'play' on her 6 foot NEQ frame. It's such a good idea to begin with some scrap fabric and launch into some playful line designs. Well done Lesley. A brilliant beginning!

Lesley's very first play on her new frame

Under the Arm

storybook illustration

There's a hidden dimension in long arm measurements. It's the height! Lots of people talk about how long the arm of a sewing machine is. But the height is just as important!  Long arm machines usually list the length AND the height of the machine arm.

So the longest Gammill is 30 inches long and 12 inches tall and

the shortest Gammill is 18 inches long and 8 inches tall.

Both dimentions, the length and the height are important.

Long arm sewing machines are proportional:

 as the length increases so does the height.

JUKI QVP 2200 18X 10" long arm

Machine Quilters don't need the height of the quilting machine to be high enough to drive a car through. But we do need to fit a fabric bar under the arm. As you move through your quilt, this fabric bar gets bigger and bigger. The taller arm allows for this.

JUKI TL98P 2 inches longer and taller than most domestic sewing machines

Before you buy a sewing machine for quilting look at the height. No matter how long the arm of the machine is, if they didn't make it taller,  you will still struggle to fit your quilt under the arm.  Taller machines will fit more of your quilt easily under the arm whatever quilting method you use.

Free Workshop with Collection

Jacqui packing up her new 10 foot NEQ frame, table and Juki TL98P Nifty Grips

We offer a FREE 2+ hour workshop for customers who choose to come and collect their New English Quilter frames. Earlier this month, Jacqui came to collect her 10 foot New English Quilter frame, customised table and Nifty Grip speed control handles. Everything she needed to get the advantages of a long arm for a fraction of the cost.

Juki TL98P straight stitch sewing machine - great under arm space

Jacqui brought along her new JUKI TL98P straight stitch sewing machine so that we could help her to get it tensioned properly and run it through its paces on the NEQ quilting frame. 

We showed Jacqui how to oil it, change the foot and the needle and  how to get to the secret compartment for a really good clean.

Investing in the right sewing machine makes a huge difference to successful machine quilting on a frame. So is some personal help in getting everything tensioned properly and up and running smoothly.

Martha's machine quilting studio in Martin, Lincolnshire

every NEQ frame comes with a FREE Goodie bag

We had a play on a practice piece on the NEQ frame, showing how to move across the length of the frame and achieve a happy stitch length. We then took the frame apart and put it back together and showed how to extend the fabric poles and tracks. We showed how to load a 2 and 3 layer quilt sandwich on the frame.


Then Jacqui got to choose some threads for her FREE Goodie bag, which includes the ideal needles and threads, pre-wound bobbins, real thread cards and a New English Quilter Handbook CD - everything that Jacqui needs to get off to a good start.

We looked at lots of machine quilted projects too.so that Jacqui would be inspired when she got home. After a snack and a drink we packed it all up in Jacqui's car and off she went excited to be starting a new adventure.