Things Beginning Frame Quilters Should Know When Starting...

You know, I've been posting a lot about my journey in long arm quilting, but I think while I've been presenting it as a beginning for me, it's actually a bit further on my journey than most people might be familiar with.  This really came to light when JayTee asked in a comment the other day about me posting about things beginners should know or have when they first start out.  So I decided to dedicate this post to things a beginner should know when they first start out, and maybe later in the week I'll post up about things you should have to get off to a successful start.

I didn't just jump into frame quilting right away.  At first, I was just quilting on a regular old Kenmore, but my first forays into free motion quilting showed me that my machine was not up to the task.  Oh sure, people can talk about how you can make any machine bend to your will, but honestly I don't have the time or patience to fight with a machine to do something it was not built to do.  And I can tell you from experience, that you don't know what true free motion is like until you get hold of a machine that actually enjoys that task.  :)

And I'm not talking about Mr. Darcy; I'm talking about the Viking Sapphire I purchased to replace the Kenmore.  Some people don't like the Sapphire, but at the time I bought it, it was truly like night and day, and I realized that I really, truly loved to quilt.

So before you jump into frame quilting... do you know whether you truly, truly love free motion quilting?  If you do, there's probably lots that your home machine can do without a frame (just ask Leah Day).  But if you're like me, you've probably decided that moving the fabric around while trying to coax your foot to go faster, faster and your hands to go slower, slower is just not natural.

After I upgraded to the Sapphire, I decided that my issue was that I didn't have enough throat space, and I purchased the Viking Mega Quilter (without the frame.)  This rather hasty purchase was made because I actually had committed to making a twin sized quilt for someone 3 weeks before Christmas, with a ton of applique & custom stitching & no earthly idea how I was going to accomplish the task.  This machine turned out to be a wonderful purchase at the time, and I was amazed at how much better my free motion was on this machine!  It seemed the machine was built for free motion, and I was hooked. But still, it seemed limiting to me, and moving the quilt still seemed unnatural.

The natural progression from this was to add the frame.  I had no room for it in my present condo, but I was moving soon, and actually got a pretty good deal from the Viking dealer who wanted to get rid of their older Inspira frame and put in the newer Next Generation.  Since I hadn't done any research whatsoever, it sounded like a pretty good deal to me.  I won't say that I regret the purchase per se, but this particular combination of frame and machine was not for me. Do your research.

Still... I LOVED free motion quilting, and after doing more research, I decided that if I could only find the right machine to meet my needs, then I could really turn my creative quilting thoughts into reality, with a machine that I wouldn't soon outgrow.  I think I've found the very perfect machine for me in Mr. Darcy, I wouldn't dream of giving him up or changing him out for the world, and probably the only thing I regret about the decision I made was not having done it sooner. Though you'll see me write about his issues whenever he has them, partly that has to do with me wanting to be completely open & up front about the challenges as well as the joys.  I don't think it would be fair for me to just say "look at this wonderful piece I quilted" without also disclosing the thread breaks, tension mishaps, oiling oopsies, cord displacement, or any other random nonsense I encounter on a daily basis.  It's not all roses and cookies, but the rewards far, far outweigh the blips & tizzies & tantrums.  Geez, it sounds like I'm raising a kid!  :)

So once you have those two components in place - you know you love free motion quilting, you've done your research - and you're ready to take the plunge, here are few things you should know when you get started:

1. Long arm quilting takes PRACTICE.  Practice both on and off the frame.  I take paper with me wherever I go, and whenever I have downtime I try to doodle and practice stitching.  You want to develop muscle memory.  You'd be surprised at how practicing on paper translates to the frame.
2. Quilt something EVERY DAY. You'd also be surprised at how quickly you become rusty, and the skills you've taken weeks to build can disappear in a matter of days.  Have something loaded in your frame at all times, even if it's just practice muslin.
3. If your back hurts, your neck hurts, your arm hurts or your eyes hurt, you're DOING SOMETHING WRONG. Stop. Take a break. Stretch.  Good quilting rarely comes from pain & discomfort.  Make sure your machine is at the correct height for good posture.  The backing bar should be at belly button height, and in general your arms should be at a 90 degree angle when holding the handles.  That's a really rough guide but it's something you'll quickly discover if you're following #2.
4. Decide on the type of quilter YOU WANT TO BE.  I consider myself to be extremely fortunate that I seem to have taken to frame quilting like a duck to water, but it doesn't mean I'm perfect at it or even really great.  You can look at my pictures and think I've come so far, but I recognize that I'm nowhere near good enough to quilt an award-winning quilt in a big show. But you know what?  I don't even think I want that if it means what I think it means.  I feel like my quilting reflects my personality.  If my imperfections aren't good enough for somebody, then they don't deserve me or my work.  At the same time, I keep striving to improve myself, but it's so that I can see my OWN growth and improvement, not so I can be the next Sharon Schamber.  If you want to do that, good for you! But maybe you just want to frame quilt so you can be DONE with something. There's nothing wrong with that either!
5. Tension will VEX YOU, at some point.  I actually think if you don't have tension issues in your quilting, you're not trying hard enough.  Seriously, where's your sense of adventure?  You should be willing to experiment, try different threads, different battings, work with different fabrics, and find your own favorite combination of materials that makes your machine hum.  I had a heck of a roller coaster with Darcy over tension last week, but it's made me more confident.  I don't stress over tension anymore because I know how to fix it and tweak it to make it better, and if I can't, I have a super dealer & quilter who's only a phone call away.
6. Find an ONLINE COMMUNITY for your machine & frame combo.  I've found it helpful to belong to a Yahoo Group called homequiltingsystems. This is a generic group for all types of machines & frames, but they have a ton of files & resources, including links to machine-specific groups.  There actually wasn't one for the HQ Fusion when I joined, so I started one myself.  There can be strength in numbers, if only to have a lot of different people with different experiences who may  have just the tip to solve your problem.
7. Are you quilting for YOURSELF or for OTHERS?  This helps to determine just how much practice you will need before you start quilting "real" quilts.  You need to build a lot of trust and confidence in yourself before you are turned loose onto someone else's budding heirloom, and they need to have a lot of trust in you.  Don't over-sell your skills.  Be up front & honest with people on just how much quilting you've got under your belt.  I've been continuously amazed at how many people trust me with their quilts on a weekly basis (especially the paying folks!)  :)
8. Manage your EXPECTATIONS. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you cannot judge your progress against someone else's.  I say this because a lot of people have remarked about how good I am at quilting already, and see my work and are shocked that I've only got 5 or 6 quilts on Darcy under my belt and maybe only 10 total from working in a frame.  The rumor is that you need to have at least 300-400 quilting hours under your belt. I don't think you need that much if you have #9, but you still need a lot of #1!  Still, make room in your expectations for learning.  Don't beat yourself up too much if you can't pick something up the 1st, 3rd, or 31st time you've tried it.  (Like those $&#^%$$% feathers!!!)
9. The stitch regulator is your FRIEND.  Frame quilting in manual mode is definitely a skill to be learned, but if you want to get better much faster, use your stitch regulator.  Is it a cop out or cheating?  When I first started frame quilting on my Mega Quilter, I absolutely hated the stitch regulator.  It felt herky-jerky and I never turned it on.  But I did learn that there's a place for stitch regulation and a place without it.  Ruler work is pretty darn near impossible unless you're in stitch regulated mode; but stippling & meandering feels a lot more satisfying if you don't use it. So in my estimation, stitch regulation is a tool to be used at the appropriate time.  Still, you'll get the hang of frame quilting a lot faster if you take one of the variables out of the equation and let the machine control the stitch length.
10. Buy the best machine & frame for YOU.   Sure, it's good to listen to what other people have to say on the topic, but you also have to keep in mind their particular "spin" and experience.  It's been really rare for me to talk to a frame quilter & not have them wax poetic over the virtues of their own machine and swear up & down that theirs is the best.  Other people will tell you to just buy a Gammill if you can afford it.  You know what?  I don't like Gammills.  Don't get me wrong, their machines are top of the line, great quality, and have so many bells and whistles you'll think you're at a referee camp.  Still, I don't like Gammills.  It's kind of like buying a car: I can admire a Bentley for the workmanship, the sleek design, the luxury accouterments but... I'm not in the market for a Bentley.  Even if I could afford one I couldn't see myself owning one.  It's just not the right car for my personality and sense of value. It's not a knock against the company or anyone who owns one, it's just not my bag of popcorn.  Look at what's important to you and make a decision from there that you can live with.
11. A long arm is an INVESTMENT.  It should last you decades if you take care of it.  Don't spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your machine, only to scoff and complain at the expense of needles & good thread.  Don't undo all your efforts to make a quality project by cheaping out on the very materials that will finish it beautifully.  You'll have less frustration overall if you know that you've done your best to use the right tools.
12. Have FUN and RELAX.  This is supposed to be fun, not work.  When it feels like work, go do something else for a little while.  The machine isn't going anywhere.

To endless possibilities,

Ebony