No Pain

 Here's my third reason for loving machine quilting on a frame:  It's easy on your body.   Real quilting is personal.  Good tools are designed to fit the person using them. Good tools are designed to be comfortable.
Machine quilting on a frame is much much kinder to your body. 

Sitting hunched over the sewing machine, wrestling the quilt under the arm while trying to tension the layers and draw backwards IS hard on your body. That kind of stitching places many physical demands on your neck and arms and back not to mention your brain. I've always found it, literally,  a pain in the neck.

By tensioning the quilt layers for you, a machine quilting frame provides instant relief. Being able to move with your whole body as you quilt relieves the tension in your neck and back. Drawing the right way round is simply easier so that you don't get so tense. And if you get stressed, you can leave the needle down and walk away. There's nothing quite like a little break to clear your mind and relax your body. While you have a nice cup of tea, the frame will hold your project steady for you. It will be ready for you to pick up again right where you left off. 

Anyone with muscle or joint pain will find machine quilting on a frame pure joy. The sewing machine glides  effortlessly with just the touch of a finger. Guiding the sewing machine is much easier than holding a needle or even a pencil. So much so that people who have given up hand quilting due to muscle or joint pain, discover that machine quilting on a frame enables them to keep on quilting. Machine quilting frames gives back what the years have taken.

Our Machine Quilter frames are designed for comfort and custom made to fit the height and quilt project preferences of each customer. Our frames clamp to any table and we can recommend the perfect height so each person is able to work at their personal ideal height for comfort and visibility. The right table height lets you quilt comfortably without stretching up or bending over. The right height  makes sure that you can see what you're stitching too. Our speed control handles are much easier than kicking the foot pedal across the floor and they're ergonomically designed to be comfortable.

Look at the photos above and below. Notice how my arms are level with my elbow as I hold the frame handles. Our Nifty Grip handles are at elbow level so you won't have to lift your arms to use them because lifting your arms puts a strain on your shoulder and back muscles. Our lower handles are also out of your line of vision so they won't block your view. 

Our Machine Quilter frames are designed to fit the person using them so they're comfortable to use. Because we think machine quilting should be a joy not a pain!

Perfectly Tensioned Layers

Reason Number 1: A machine quilting frame perfectly tensions the layers of your quilt so you NEVER have to baste, pin, glue or tack again. Ever! When I was machine quilting sitting at the sewing machine, I hated trying to get all the layers of the quilt sandwich to stay together, steady enough to machine quilt without shifting while I was stitching. No matter how many hours I spent on my hands and knees and no matter how many safety pins I used, it was never quite right. Despite my best efforts, there were always some rucks and wrinkles on the back.

Our Machine Quilting frames tension each layer of the quilt separately so that the quilt sandwich is perfectly tensioned without all that hassle. No more hours pinning or tacking, no clouds of asphyxiating spray glue, no money wasted on gadgets that punch price tag plastic through your quilt. No more hours of doing something I really hate! A machine quilting frame is worth every penny just for this!

Brit Flag Quilt on our frame with the JUKI TL98 straight stitch

Loading the quilt on the frame just takes 20 minutes and when I'm finished, I know the layers will be perfectly tensioned and the back of the quilt will look gorgeous when I take it off the frame, with no rucks or wrinkles - even the first time! I hated the pinning part. My Machine Quilter frame lets me skip it!  By taking care of the parts I hate, machine quilting frames let me focus on the parts that I love...that would be the quilting!



If you're still wondering just how a frame tensions the layers of a quilt sandwich have a look at these links.

• Pinning the purple pumpkin seed shows how to load 3 layers on a frame; a quilt top, the wadding or batting in the middle and the backing underneath

• This Loading Fleece tutorial featuring Rosie's Uni quilt shows how to load a quilt with 2 layers on a frame

Come see for yourself at the Festival of Quilts. Read all about us in the online Show Guide. You'll find Machine Quilter at STAND D17  right next to the Juki stand.



p.s. I just found this pie graph and I had to add it to the post. It's a response to an American quilter's survey. I'm happy to say that I'm in the blue on this one! Having a quilting frame is brilliant because I never have to baste or pin or glue. EVER! Get happy and join the blue team!

Perfectly Tensioned Layers

Reason Number 1: A machine quilting frame perfectly tensions the layers of your quilt so you NEVER have to baste, pin, glue or tack again. Ever! When I was machine quilting sitting at the sewing machine, I hated trying to get all the layers of the quilt sandwich to stay together, steady enough to machine quilt without shifting while I was stitching. No matter how many hours I spent on my hands and knees and no matter how many safety pins I used, it was never quite right. Despite my best efforts, there were always some rucks and wrinkles on the back.

Our Machine Quilting frames tension each layer of the quilt separately so that the quilt sandwich is perfectly tensioned without all that hassle. No more hours pinning or tacking, no clouds of asphyxiating spray glue, no money wasted on gadgets that punch price tag plastic through your quilt. No more hours of doing something I really hate! A machine quilting frame is worth every penny just for this!

Brit Flag Quilt on our frame with the JUKI TL98 straight stitch

Loading the quilt on the frame just takes 20 minutes and when I'm finished, I know the layers will be perfectly tensioned and the back of the quilt will look gorgeous when I take it off the frame, with no rucks or wrinkles - even the first time! I hated the pinning part. My Machine Quilter frame lets me skip it!  By taking care of the parts I hate, machine quilting frames let me focus on the parts that I love...that would be the quilting!



If you're still wondering just how a frame tensions the layers of a quilt sandwich have a look at these links.

• Pinning the purple pumpkin seed shows how to load 3 layers on a frame; a quilt top, the wadding or batting in the middle and the backing underneath

• This Loading Fleece tutorial featuring Rosie's Uni quilt shows how to load a quilt with 2 layers on a frame

Come see for yourself at the Festival of Quilts.It all makes sense in person. We're with the JUKI sewing machine guys at Stand A46.



p.s. I just found this pie graph and I had to add it to the post. It's a response to an American quilter's survey. I'm happy to say that I'm in the blue on this one! Having a quilting frame is brilliant because I never have to baste or pin or glue. EVER! Get happy and join the blue team!

Little Quilts on the Go

stitching pretty fabrics together on the JUKI HZL Exceed 600

I love to make Valentine postcard quilts. Most postcard tutorials show how to make the postcards one-by-one, but this post will show how to use a machine quilting frame to create lots of postcards at the same time. First, I go through my stash and pick out reds, pinks and heart fabrics and stitch them together.

Machine quilting hearts and loops on the 6 foot New English Quilter with the JUKI TL98P

Then I load the pieced top on my New English Quilter frame with some fleece underneath to serve as backing and wadding.

scalloped machine quilting detail stitched with the JUKI TL98P on the New English Quilter frame

Then I choose pretty pink and red threads from the Superior Threads range and 'draw' scallops around the hearts or doodle loops and hearts over the pieced top to create texture.

Notice the gorgeous machine quilting threads, from Superior Threads in the background.  I'm using Fantastico.

Creating the line designs with thread on the fabric 'canvas' is the fun part!

machine quilting hearts and loops detail with Fantastico #5031

This is a fun way to try out lots of different designs and play with lots of different threads.

hearts and loops machine quilting detail with variegated Rainbows thread from Superior Threads

Next, make the postcard backing. There are postcard templates that can be downloaded, scaled to various sizes and then printed on your home printer. Use an old dull blade and your ruler and mat to rotary cut the postcards for a professional look.

cutting out the postcard backings with the rotary cutter, ruler and mat

• Now take your postcard backings and find some nice parts of your quilted top. 
• Use them as templates and cut up your quilted top to fit lots of little postcards. 
• I use scissors to snip round the first time. 
• Then I straight stitch round the postcard, 
• Then use the sharp rotary cutter blade to tidy the edges. 
• Then finally go back to the machine and zig-zag around the edges.

Zig-zaging round the edges with the JUKI Exceed 600 using variegated Fantastico thread

the fabric front and the postcard backing are all stitched together

Now they're all ready to write your notes and pop in the post. My postmistress was so impressed. Posting costs just the same as an ordinary postcard or letter and they travel all over the world!

machine quilted postcards all stitched and ready to go

If you want to hand-deliver the postcards you can find and print your own stamps.

Fabric postcards with a heart stamp for hand delivery

I probably spent more time writing this blog post than making the postcards! The NEQ quilting frame makes it possible to make lots of cards quickly and beautifully. What fun to make little quilts that get to travel all over the world! Once you've made some you'll think of all sort of other themes and occasions to make and send machine quilted postcards. For other postcard ideas visit my 'Going Places' pinterest board.

Another Happy Customer

Carol bought a machine quilting frame a few years ago, NOT one of ours.  But the frame didn't perform as she expected it would and the seller did not offer any after sales service. Understandably, Carol was really frustrated!

Carol heard about our 'La Mer' DVD. We designed the DVD to be helpful to ANY quilter using ANY sewing machine on ANY frame. Carol did find it helpful, but she was still struggling to get a nice line of stitching on her frame.  Just before Christmas she decided to get a set of Nifty Grips to help guide her sewing machine but realized that the installation was going to be difficult. As we were trying to figure out what to do, Carol's husband stepped in and said, "Just order the 6 foot New English Quilter frame." So she did! 

Carolis smiling now with her NEQ frame 

Carol's New English Quilter frame, purpose built table and Nifty Grip speed control handles arrived yesterday. Carol set it up today and here's what happened:

"Hi Martha, And we are off!!  I have just completed my first line of quilting and followed your manual instructions to the letter.  As you say in the manual practise is the key but I am so pleased with efforts so far and the simplicity of setting up.  The goody bag is just lush – I love the thread colours am sure I shall be ordering some in the future.  The manual is brilliant and is almost as if you are speaking directly to me very easy to follow and reassuring with the little summaries of steps along the way.  I just had to take a break and let you know my progress so far.  I am delighted. 

Very best wishes and thanks,Carol."

Carol is up and running with her New English Quilter frame

We love our customers, even AFTER they pay us.    We offer lots of customer support before, during and especially after our sales. We are delighted that after years of frustration,  Carol is up and running with her New English Quilter frame. And if she does run into any problems we are always happy to help.

Santa's Workshop

Linda and Paul Hayes in the workshop

Our New English Quilter frames are designed and made by Paul Hayes in Lincolnshire, UK. Paul is our genius designer and see, he does look like Santa! Paul took all the best ideas from the American machine quilting frames and adapted them to fit into smaller English and European homes. Designed to be quick and easy to set up, our frames can be ready to use in less than 2 minutes. So we can set up the frame on the kitchen table, get in a couple of hours quilting and take it down again in time for dinner.

   

New English Quilter frames in the making

Paul is inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement so simplicity is a common thread or guiding principle in the design and engineering of the frames. Our frames are made to order, designed and created by local craftsman from the finest materials. We believe that tools can be beautiful as well as useful.

 "In Britain, the Arts and Crafts Movement flourished from about 1880. At its heart lay a concern for the role of the craftsman. Inspired by the ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris, it advocated a revival of traditional handicrafts, a return to a simpler way of life and an improvement in the design of ordinary domestic objects."

New English Quilter frame crafted to last a lifetime

Our New English Quilter frames celebrate a revival of the Arts and Crafts movement. They're crafted by hand guided machines using the finest materials and designed to last a lifetime. New English Quilter frames make wonderful Christmas presents for quilters. They are the gift that keeps on giving.

Eureka Moments

New English Quilter frame on the Franklins Stand at the Festival

Another great show has come and gone. As the dust settles we are tired but happy to have shared our machine quilting passion with thousands of people. It's a perfect chance to find the machine quilting frame that's the 'right fit' for each persons space and pockets.

Ikuko, Clarissa and Martha at the JUKI stand Festival of Quilts 2014

After making the rounds, many people are surprised to find our New English Quilter frames. People appreciate the simplicity of design and the freedom of movement. They especially like the variety of sizes to fit in a variety of homes, not to mention the affordable pricing!

feeling the movement on the Art Quilter frame for the first time

During our demonstrations there are 

three 'Eureka' moments. 

The first is when we persuade people to actually move the sewing machine. People are often shy and hesitate to touch the machine. But when they do, they're astonished by the freedom of movement. It's like magic - so easy and effortless!

Martha demonstrating the New English Quilter frames

The second Eureka moment is when they realize that they will never need to baste pin or tack again, ever! Each layer of the quilt is tensioned separately so there are never any rucks or wrinkles, even on the back. The frame creates a perfectly tensioned surface all steady and ready for you to draw with the needle.

The third Eureka moment is when we take the frame apart. Most people say, "No, don't bother to take it apart!" And we say, "It's no bother, it just takes a minute." We lift the fabric poles out, take off the sewing machine, lift of the carriages, unclamp the side arms and lift off the tracks. Suddenly the penny drops and people realize that it really is just that easy!

Rosie showing how the 6 foot frame comes together

We do this hundreds of times every day of the show and quilters discover that our New English Quilter frames offer the same freedom of movement as the long arms for a fraction of the cost. Our frames are designed to easily fit into your car and your homes.  It's exciting to find that free motion quilting can be fast, fun and affordable too.

Rosie and Martha taking the Art Quilter frame apart - it's so easy!

Treasure Hunt

JUKI/ New English Quilter Stand at the 2013 Festival of Quilts

Finding the JUKI/New English Quilter stand at the Festival of Quilts is like looking for buried treasure! The new online guide to the Festival of Quilts is going to make it easier to find us.  There are lots of fun links to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Blogger.

Franklins have sewing machine shops throughout the UK

We're listed under FRANKLINS Group Limited. Franklins are the UK Distributors for JUKI sewing machines. We at Machine Quilter have been sharing a stand at the Festival of Quilts ever since 2005 when we fell in love with the JUKI TL98 P sewing machine. 

Martha Milne with her JUKI TL98P on the New English Quilter

We're just where we were last year Stand A46  B36-38, just past the exhibition quilts on the right as you're walking to the back of the Hall. See you at the Festival!

Double Takes at the Festival of Quilts

Nick Loven Film maker

I was looking through last years Festival of Quilts photos. We'd asked Nick Loven, our film maker and photographer to come and take some photos of our stand. He took lots of great photos of people trying the Juki sewing machines on our New English Quilter frames. It was a great year! There were thousands of quilters everywhere.  Camera-men are people watchers and this is what he noticed.

Too cute!

The 2014 Festival of Quilts is early   
Thursday 7th August until Sunday 10th August
We'll be with the JUKI dealers under
The Franklins Group A36/B36 

You'll be able to see Juki sewing machines, New English Quilter frames and Superior Threads all in one place. See you there!

Wiltshire Quilt Festival

Franklins  in Salisbury is hosting 

the Wiltshire Quilt Festival from 

Thursday 13th March to Monday 17th March 

Salisbury is the perfect location for all quilters in the south west to come and test drive new sewing machines and quilting frames. We'll have a great selection of Superior Threads for machine quilting. There will be special deals on fabrics and discounts on sewing machines. Best of all there will be experienced instructors on hand to demonstrate and advise on everything. 

Franklins in Salibury a recently restored and refurbished historic building

The Franklins Salisbury shop is a gorgeous building in the heart of the historic Salisbury town centre. There's everything for the quilter, stitcher, knitter and crafter all under one charming roof. The Wiltshire Quilt Fest will focus on the Quilter but  Franklins new Salisbury Needlecraft shop is well stocked for every textile pursuit. Salisbury Franklins has something for everyone!

To get to Salisbury, aim for Stonehenge and  go south east. 

 Franklins Sewing Centre

41 Fisherton Street

Salisbury

SP2 7SU

ring  Nathan or Emma for details

01722 554466