There is a secret ingredient that makes all these frames work, The secret ingredient is thread! Thread that is actually designed for machine quilting at high speeds.
The JUKI QVP2200 long arm goes 2200 stitches-per-minute.
The Handi-Quilter Avante goes 1800 stitches-per-minute
The NEW JUKI TL QVP Mini that we use on our smaller machine quilting frames goes 1500 stitches-per-minute
Most ordinary domestic sewing machines go almost 1000 stitches-per-minute.
Many machine quilters really struggle with thread breaking and shredding. Often it comes down to the thread. People are using inferior thread. The high speeds of long arm quilting machines put a lot of stress on the thread. Poor quality thread will shred and break at higher speeds. Inferior threads are fine for slower domestic machines. But fast machines like long and mid arm quilting machines need Superior Threads.
Superior Threads are designed to flow smoothly through your long and mid-arm quilting machines without shredding or breaking whether you're stitching at 2200 stitches-per-minute or almost 1000. Using the right needle is important too.
This year at the 2015 Festival of Quilts our long arm and mid-arm machines were all threaded with various ranges from Superior Threads. We especially like the Magnifico and Fantastico light reflecting tri-lobal polyester threads because they are beautiful AND strong. Designed for long-arm quilting machines, they are happy to stitch at high speeds without shredding or breaking. This makes for happy quilters with less down time.
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| Our cat Tipsy thinks that this cone of Fantastico is a purrfect match! |
Fantastico is available on 2,000 yd cones here in the UK from Machine Quilter for £13.45
Magnifico comes in plain colours on 3,000 yd cones for £9.95. That's a lot of joy for under a tenner!
This quilt used 2 different cones of Fantastico; # 5024 and #5025 to match the flowers in the border fabric.
Don't forget the BACK!
Here's the quilt back. Isn't the texture lovely! We used Bottom Line pre-wounds #607 Light Purple for the back. Also available here in the UK from Machine Quilter.
Finally, here's the finished quilt on show at our stand at the Festival of Quilts 2015. It's looking lovely with the back peeking through in the bottom right hand corner. We kept the piecing simple to show that gorgeous quilting is all about the threads.
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Fantastico has tensile strength which means that its perfect for machine quilting. It's happy to go at high speeds without shredding or breaking. .JPG)
