| Can someone help me please | |
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+7quiltermarynel golo QBee - Mary Ann Calico_Chris FiberBabble Anita M. foxxigrani 11 posters |
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foxxigrani

Number of posts : 73 Registration date : 2008-09-02
 | Subject: Can someone help me please Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:16 am | |
| All instructions say practice practice practice you machine quilting. I have looked and looked and can find no print out patterns to practice my machine meandering or stippling. Does anyone out there know where or have a site for print out patterns for practicing thier machine quilting. I have found a few but they are way to fancy for this ol country gal. Please please and thank you. | |
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Anita M.

Number of posts : 8692 Age : 66 Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:21 pm | |
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FiberBabble Moderator

Number of posts : 2736 Age : 62 Location : SW WA Registration date : 2008-09-04
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:56 pm | |
| - foxxigrani wrote:
- All instructions say practice practice practice you machine quilting. I have looked and looked and can find no print out patterns to practice my machine meandering or stippling. Does anyone out there know where or have a site for print out patterns for practicing thier machine quilting. I have found a few but they are way to fancy for this ol country gal. Please please and thank you.
Try here: http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.com/VictorianaQuilters/Library/QuiltingDesigns/Quiltingdesigns.htmThey're not all suitable for continuous line machine quilting, but there are some that are appropriate. If you have a public library available, you might check there for books of motifs. Dover publications has a couple of books that are really inexpensive - I use them when I'm looking for simple inspiration (simple/unomplicated is WAY hard for me to leave alone). Most of the freebies online that I've found are a bit more involved than you say you want (for now!). You can also just doodle. The practicing isn't just for "following a pattern", but it's to get you used to your machine, how to set your tension, how fast to move your hands, how fast to run the machine. When stippling and meandering, it's also good to be able to figure out how to get yourself out of a corner (easier said than done, without some forethought!). I usually have my students practice by writing their name. Over and over and over! _________________ Perfection is the enemy of progress
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Calico_Chris

Number of posts : 4269 Location : Ann Arbor, Michigan USA Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:36 pm | |
| This all begs the question. How do you mark your quilt for machine quilting when you are looking at pictures in a book of motifs? Do you trace and score and use the chalk thingy or do you sew thruogh the paper? I've only machine stippled one wall hanging and done a little stitch in the ditch on small items. | |
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FiberBabble Moderator

Number of posts : 2736 Age : 62 Location : SW WA Registration date : 2008-09-04
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:42 pm | |
| - Calico_Chris wrote:
- This all begs the question. How do you mark your quilt for machine quilting when you are looking at pictures in a book of motifs? Do you trace and score and use the chalk thingy or do you sew thruogh the paper? I've only machine stippled one wall hanging and done a little stitch in the ditch on small items.
Well, sometimes all of the above. :) For me, it depends on the motif, the thread, the color/busyness of the fabric, a lot of things. If you have a fairly simple design, you can print it (or trace it) onto a piece of regular paper and draw over it - over and over and over - to get the stitching order and build some muscle memory. Then you can take a piece of regular kid's chalk and draw it freehand onto your quilt (chalk doesn't last a long time, but I do this for smaller areas that I'm going to quilt right away). In another thread we discussed marking pens/pencils. I will sometimes make a plastic or (cereal box) cardboard stencil if it's a simple motif that I'm going to need, then trace around it with one of my marking tools. You can do the hera marker thing, I'm told, but that's a bit too subtle for me ;) You can trace onto very thin paper like tracing paper and sew through it and tear the paper off. I buy a roll of the paper that manicurists use on their tables from the beauty supply shop (it's similar to dr's examining room paper). It works quite well, and if I mess up the tracing I don't feel bad about tossing the paper and starting again - Golden threads is $7.50 for 20 yards; manicurist paper is about $6 for 225 feet. When I'm doing seriously complicated stuff, I use Glad Press 'N Seal. It takes a bit longer to prep and then to remove, but I can put my design where I want it and leave it there until I'm ready to use it, plus I can place many more of the motifs without having to stop and re-mark (or pin on the paper). **For both the paper and Press 'N Seal, you have to be careful of designes that have a lot of backtracking, like some feathers. Multiple passes in the same place make it harder to remove the marking material. Ask me how I know  Fortunately I have the patience of a cat, so when I just have to do it, I can. Whatever you choose to use for your marking pencil/pen/chalk, be dead-on sure that it won't set up if it's hit with an iron. Very sad, after all the work, to ruin it that way. Oh, here's something - I don't mark my quilts until after they're basted. That's just a personal weirdness of mine; so tracing a motif onto a quilt top pre-basting? I got nothin'... _________________ Perfection is the enemy of progress
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foxxigrani

Number of posts : 73 Registration date : 2008-09-02
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:43 pm | |
| Thank you ever so much everyone. You have been a big help to me. I will print out some of those that were sent and practice them. I think I just need to practice and get the feel of using that darning foot and no presser feet. It doesn't feel the same and at first I couldn't get used to it. I did better after doing it for a while but is still different.
Again thank you so much. | |
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FiberBabble Moderator

Number of posts : 2736 Age : 62 Location : SW WA Registration date : 2008-09-04
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:55 pm | |
| - foxxigrani wrote:
- ...I think I just need to practice and get the feel of using that darning foot and no presser feet.
Yep, that's what it's all about - no shortcuts, no getting around it. But once you're there? It's a whole new world. Of course, if we go by MY experience, you won't actually finish more of your UFO's. You'll just know that you could if you wanted to!  _________________ Perfection is the enemy of progress
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Guest Guest
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:26 pm | |
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QBee - Mary Ann

Number of posts : 4205 Location : Granite Falls Minnesota Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:32 am | |
| There are a few free print out patterns here: www.patsythompsondesigns.com (click on free downloads). Also, I double-ditto the suggestions from Fiberbabble and Finisher. Glad press n'seal is nice because it stays in place well on your fabric and you can see through it. Cheap muslin or ugly fabric from your stash and practice pieces are a great way to go. When I took Harriet Hargrave's machine quilting class she had us use the blue washable marker on muslin to do practice pieces. One other often suggested tip is to draw your design on scratch paper or one of those wipe off boards - doodling the design over and over again is supposed to set it in your mind's eye so you can picture it as you're doing free motion. (This didn't seem that helpful to me - but so many of the "pros" suggest it that I'm convinced it must be a good idea and something's wrong with me! :) ) | |
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golo Moderator

Number of posts : 13572 Age : 76 Location : Grafton ND Registration date : 2008-09-02
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 1:03 am | |
| Nothing wrong with you QBee... I tried it too but it didn't seem to matter... I think it just takes a little practice and go slow and be patient... | |
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Guest Guest
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:38 pm | |
| [quote="FiberBabble"] - Calico_Chris wrote:
You can trace onto very thin paper like tracing paper and sew through it and tear the paper off. I buy a roll of the paper that manicurists use on their tables from the beauty supply shop (it's similar to dr's examining room paper). It works quite well, and if I mess up the tracing I don't feel bad about tossing the paper and starting again - Golden threads is $7.50 for 20 yards; manicurist paper is about $6 for 225 feet. .. This is good to know.....I have used the golden threads and really like it. Where do you find the manicurist paper??? |
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quiltermarynel

Number of posts : 14335 Location : Trinity Co. California Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:47 pm | |
| Several times, my guild has had long arm practice. Everyone just "plays". Even people who are sure they need a pattern to do anything generally find that they don't, after a couple of minutes. Early on, I tried cursive writing as quilting. We all have had LOTS of practice on those shapes, soit goes fairly easily. Of course, we former teachers have had way more practice with boardwork, so that makes it even easier. The local "experts" take a fat pen and an opened out grocery bag to practice a new shape befoer going to the LA. | |
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Calico_Chris

Number of posts : 4269 Location : Ann Arbor, Michigan USA Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:03 pm | |
| Boy would I love to have a long arm to play with!! Someday perhaps! I don't think anyone mentioned it in this thread so I will....the gloves with the grips on them are well worth the few dollars that they are....cheap at Joanns...I really think they add a lot in controlling your work and not stressing your wrists and palms. | |
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quiltermarynel

Number of posts : 14335 Location : Trinity Co. California Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:11 pm | |
| Gripping gardening gloves are cheaper and just as effective. | |
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Guest Guest
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:36 am | |
| Thanks for that site QBee!  Now I want to go quilt something!  |
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missmommy

Number of posts : 840 Age : 74 Location : NY state Registration date : 2008-09-02
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:43 am | |
| Machine quilting whether on a domestic machine or a mid/long arm depends heavily on the 3 P's...patience, practice and perserverance! | |
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QBee - Mary Ann

Number of posts : 4205 Location : Granite Falls Minnesota Registration date : 2008-09-03
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TxMaryQuilts Moderator

Number of posts : 15814 Age : 64 Location : Heart of Texas Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:18 pm | |
| I thought two of those stood for permanently p-o'd  _________________ TxMaryQuilts
Always in a Texas state of mind.
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QBee - Mary Ann

Number of posts : 4205 Location : Granite Falls Minnesota Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:21 pm | |
| Good one, TxMary! That sounds a lot more like me!! | |
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quiltermarynel

Number of posts : 14335 Location : Trinity Co. California Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:30 pm | |
| ..and here I thought it was just one S..stubborness. | |
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Cottonpicker

Number of posts : 206 Registration date : 2008-09-03
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:07 pm | |
| Wow QBee, I have been on that web-site off and on all day and just added it to my favorites. Thanks a bunch. | |
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Mamu

Number of posts : 4566 Location : NW Montana Registration date : 2008-09-04
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:22 am | |
| Try free motion quilting on a pre-printed panel....like the ones you see for pillows. The size is small enough to handle and you can do all sorts of great things on them for free motion quilting. then you can turn them into hot pads!! | |
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foxxigrani

Number of posts : 73 Registration date : 2008-09-02
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:48 pm | |
| Thanks everyone, I am still trying to get my brain around this. And thanks for all the sites. | |
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FiberBabble Moderator

Number of posts : 2736 Age : 62 Location : SW WA Registration date : 2008-09-04
 | Subject: Re: Can someone help me please Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:36 pm | |
| [quote="charal"] - FiberBabble wrote:
- Calico_Chris wrote:
You can trace onto very thin paper like tracing paper and sew through it and tear the paper off. I buy a roll of the paper that manicurists use on their tables from the beauty supply shop (it's similar to dr's examining room paper). It works quite well, and if I mess up the tracing I don't feel bad about tossing the paper and starting again - Golden threads is $7.50 for 20 yards; manicurist paper is about $6 for 225 feet. .. This is good to know.....I have used the golden threads and really like it. Where do you find the manicurist paper??? Wow, I don't know how I missed this question - so sorry!! I got my manicurists' table paper at Sally Beauty Supply. Cost less than $6, I think, and that was at least 4 years ago (and I'm not close to running out!). The store locator is here. _________________ Perfection is the enemy of progress
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