Which Long Arm Machine is the Best for You?

For those who are wondering which machine is the best to buy I offer this information. Decide which features, options, gizmos and gadgets you like, need or might use. Then go to one of the national shows, check out each brand, talk to the people selling the machines and go on your intuition, your instinct, your impressions.

It is a good idea to spend a little money on videos showing quilting techniques on a quilting machine or one of the classes offered to teach you these. You don't need a machine to do this. These will give yo a good idea of what these machines can do and how you might like to use them.

Call all the manufactures and ask for their literature including supplies and price list. Study them beforehand. Try to ask specific questionson the longarm such as "Have you had any luck with...What kind of service have you gotten from...Is the _______worth the money?"

Make a spread sheet with all the options listed in one column. Make one column for each brand. Or make a sheet for each brand so you can record your notes. Whatever is easier for you to keep track of. You will have a lot of information to work with and use to make your decision. These machines and all the accessories, patterns, attachments, batting, thread, etc are a big investment. Take your time and think it through.

With that said, here are the features I think are important, and you should check them out for yourself.

Machine Location - where will the machine be located? The garage, basement, bedroom? Is your space large enough? Is the floor level?

Steel or Wooden Frame - I heard that wood frames rot, but if you take care of your stuff and it is in a climate controlled environment this should not be an issue. The wood frames are not height adjustable, so if this is important to you you might consider a steel frame.

How is the quilt loaded? Are the rollers adjustable? Removable? Repositionable? How and why would you use these features? Ask the salesperson to demonstrate and explain.

How easy is it to advance the quilt on the take up roller? How fine can you make the adjustments on the tension of the rollers? Is this important to you?

Throat Size - You want to make sure that once a quilt is rolled all the way on the take up roller, the bulk would fit in the throat. No problem with the 18" throat. However, what I failed to learn was that you also have a bigger working surface. What this means is that if you have a 16" block that you want to stitch in the ditch you want to be able to start at the top of the block and complete the stitch in one motion. Or, if you are quilting a large design in the entire block, you don't want to do half the design then advance the quilt and then do the other half.

Wheel Locking Device - This is a feature that allows you to draw a perfectly straight horizontal line from one end of the table to the other. Think about when you would use this feature. Some say you can do channel quilting such as straight lines in the borders or sashes. Your machine will stitch a perfectly straight line but most quiltmakers will not stitch a perfectly straight border or sash. You will want for your line to follow the seams.

One stitch Switch - this feature allows you to take one stitch at a time.

Needle up/down - This feature allows you to stop the needle in the up or down position. This feature is very useful when outlining patches. You stitch in one direction and you want to stop with the needle in the down position, move your ruler then stitch in the other direction.

Bobbin Winder - with a separate winder you can have one spool of thread on the machine quilting and another spool winding bobbins.

Laser Pointer - This is a moot point now since all machines have lasers now. Some have attachments where the laser can be mounted on the top of the machine and used for patterns placed on top of the working surface between tho pieces of Plexiglas.

Circle Maker - Some brands have circle makers. These are great if you want to make a perfect circle or Baptist Fan Designs. Try them out. See how easy it is to make different size circles from the same center point and try them out making a row of circles from one side to the other. Decide if this is a feature you would use.

Diagonal LInes - Cross hatching looks great on a quilt if the lines are marked correctly and the stitching follows the lines. Make sure your diagonal line tool can follow a marked line on the quilt.

Test Driving the Machines - If you plan to go to a trade show the machine will be loaded with a large piece of fabric. This is fine for playing with the machine, for getting the hang of moving the machine. But it does not give you a clue ot really doing fine heirloom quality quilting on patchwork.

Here is a suggesiton. First tell the person what it is that you would like to do. They will know that you are serious and should spend the extra time with you. If you do not feel comfortable with the sales person, ask for another one. If you cannot get the other one, then go to the next booth and come back later.

Have ready a block design with squares and triangles, Or use a pen or other marking devise to draw a 16" "block" complete with squares and tiangles.

Now do the following quilting:
1. Quilt "in the ditch" around the entire "block" Is the throat size adequate to get rom the top to the bottom? What devices are available to you to help you quilt along the drawn line?
2. Quilt hte outlines you marked. How easy is it to stop where you want to? To pivot? To reposition your quilting ruler or other tool? What tools are available to you?

Now mark a second square but leave this one blank. Do the following quilting:
1. Quilt a large circle in the square. How easy is it to position and use the circle maker?
2. Quilt loops or stippling just inside the circle and just outside the circle.
3. Quilt two or three diagonal lines from the top of the square to the left side and again from the top of the square to the right side. Stop when you reach the center stitching and start again on the other side. Again, which tools are availabe to you? How are they used? How difficult is it to accomplish this task?

Keep in mind that this test will NOT go smoothly. Especially the first time you try it. You are really testing technique and use of the machine. Don't worry about the quaility of the work for now, that comes with practice. Make notes each time you try out something.

Bobbin Size - Find out why some machines have double size bobbins. What does this do to the stitch regulation? How easy is it to find pre-wond bobbins in this size? Will this make a difference to you?

Misc - Ask about warranties, service agreements and what you can fix yourself. Can you use "off the shelf" parts or must you order from the manufacturer?

If you have another quilting machine, ask about trade ins.

Ask about trading up from a smaller machine to a larger machine.

NEGOTIATE! - At the shows you can usually get free delivery and set up or some sort of "show discount". After you have talked to all the salespersons, sit down and narrow your choices to two or three. You will see that this will be the easy part. Compare the features, costs, etc. Have your negotiation strategy ready. Return to each of the three finalists and ask them what else they can do for you.

If #1 offers you something you like but you like #2 deal better, ask #2 if they will "throw it in". You get the idea.

Ask how long the offer lasts. Usually the "show specials" last for about 30 days after the show.

Remember, do your homework and trust your gut. Don't rush into it. Some of the machines are almost as expensive as a car. I am sure that you test drive a car before buying, test drive those machines. It is going to be your machine and you have to be happy and comfortable with it.

Long Arm Ruler Placement

Accurate Stitching in the Ditch Depends on Ruler Placement

Domestic machine quilters have an advantage over longarm quilters when it comes to stitching in the ditch. When using a domestic machine, one can use both hands to gently pull the seam apart. This allows the needle to place stitches on the "low side" of the seam, which become hidden when the fabric is released and the top fabric gently folds over the stitching.

However, longarm quilters must use guiding rulers to help them stay on target stitching next to seams and fabric folds. One hand must drive the machine while the other must hold the guiding ruler in position. To increase your success rate with a longarm machine, think about where you place your ruler before you begin to stitch.

If you place the guiding ruler on top of the seam allowance (the high side of the seam), then your hand's pressure causes the top fabric layer to fold over slightly and hide the space where you want your stitches to fall. You may think you're doing an excellent job of "staying in the ditch" until you remove your hand and ruler. Once the top fabric layer relaxes back into position, your stitches will appear to be too far away from the seam, even when they looked perfect just moments before!

Whenever possible, position your ruler on the low side of any seam (the side without the seam allowances underneath). Use invisible thread to also boost your confidence for those occasional misses we all suffer!

Quilt Backing

The seam direction of your backing depends on the quilt's use.

If you are lucky enough to have a well-stocked quilt shop near you, you may be able to purchase wide quilt backing fabric and avoid having seams altogether. However, not all wide backings maintain the same quality. Check carefully before investing in this fabric. Pay special attention to "white on white" backing fabric where part of the design appears to be painted on to the fabric. Longarm needles will perforate and crumble the paint, causing tension issues, more thread breakage, and needle holes that may not recover.

When you are forced to piece fabric strips to create backing large enough for your quilt top, choose the seam direction based on the quilt's use in addition to ease of loading on your frame. Generally, horizontal backing seams are much easier to handle than vertical seams, since the seam will lay parallel to the roller instead of creating bulk as it wraps around the roller.

However, if the quilt will hang on a wall, then situating the backing fabric so that the lengthwise grain runs "top to bottom" will reduce stress on the quilt and prevent sagging and stretching. In this instance vertical seams may be more appropriate.

When you sew backing pieces together, be sure to remove the selvage edges along the seam line. You can decrease the bulk in the seam even further by pressing the seam open instead of to one side. Select a stitch length of 11-12 stitches per inch to secure the open seam better.

Quilting

You can determine whether fabric will be a good choice for quilt backing by evaluating its selvedge edges in addition to its color and pattern. Study the fabric at the store to avoid disappointment later. Look at the selvedge edges of the fabric, specifically where the mounting pins held the yardage in place for dyeing (you'll see small holes along the selvedge edge.)

Check the right side of the fabric along this strip. If you see small white or light areas surrounding those pin holes, it means that the fabric dye did not completely penetrate each warp or weft yarn. When the pins holding the fabric for processing penetrated the selvedge, they exposed the lighter side of each fiber, making the fabric's "wrong side" visible through the pin holes.

Why is this important to a longarm quilter? Since your needle is very large and will also penetrate the backing fabric from "wrong side" to "right side" your needle could also expose the lighter side of the backing fabric around every needle hole. This phenomenon is often confused with batting bearding or a dull needle. In fact, the fabric itself is the culprit!