"Floating Tops"
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Clearlake Oaks, CA
Posts: 119
How many of you ladies with long arm machines, 'float' the tops (and/or batting) on your machines? I took lessons on an HQ16 and we only attached the backing to the leaders. Who else does this and can it be done on other brands of machines. Thanks so much for your input.
Deb
Deb
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 2,189
I have always floated my tops and batt on both of my frames. I had a domestic machine on a table top Handi Quilter and now have a Quilting Solutions Stretch machine. I hate quilting in the 'ditch' or 'valley' or what ever it is called.
#4
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Washington State
Posts: 1,312
When I bought my Gammill Optimum they taught me to float my top and batting. It works great for me. I had a Pfaff Grand Quilter before and I always had all 3 layers secured and it was awful, wish I had known about floating then, it might have been a different story. Good luck.
Sherryl
Candlequilter
Sherryl
Candlequilter
#5
Originally Posted by candlequilter
When I bought my Gammill Optimum they taught me to float my top and batting. It works great for me. I had a Pfaff Grand Quilter before and I always had all 3 layers secured and it was awful, wish I had known about floating then, it might have been a different story. Good luck.
Sherryl
Candlequilter
Sherryl
Candlequilter
#6
I floated a top the first time I longarmed. But I no longer do. I quilt so intensely that it would draw the quilt top up in the center of the bottom edge.
I also have an easier time getting blocks to line up on unruly quilt tops that have extra somewhere in the quilt top. I do a lot of charity quilt tops that others have made.
We had a professional judge at our local quilt show last fall. The comment that showed on my slip time and time again was how square my quilts were and how straight the lines were. I know the width of the top of the quilt is the same as the bottom edge because I have measured it and pinned the quilt to the leader so they are the same measurement.
Also if you SID on a horizontal line you can tighten that quilt better to stretch the top a little so you can see that ditch.
I have floated one quilt top in the three years I have had my machine. I was being lazy that day. It was a small charity quilt
I also have an easier time getting blocks to line up on unruly quilt tops that have extra somewhere in the quilt top. I do a lot of charity quilt tops that others have made.
We had a professional judge at our local quilt show last fall. The comment that showed on my slip time and time again was how square my quilts were and how straight the lines were. I know the width of the top of the quilt is the same as the bottom edge because I have measured it and pinned the quilt to the leader so they are the same measurement.
Also if you SID on a horizontal line you can tighten that quilt better to stretch the top a little so you can see that ditch.
I have floated one quilt top in the three years I have had my machine. I was being lazy that day. It was a small charity quilt
#7
Originally Posted by MamaBear61
Originally Posted by candlequilter
When I bought my Gammill Optimum they taught me to float my top and batting. It works great for me. I had a Pfaff Grand Quilter before and I always had all 3 layers secured and it was awful, wish I had known about floating then, it might have been a different story. Good luck.
Sherryl
Candlequilter
Sherryl
Candlequilter
#10
I secured both ends of everything on the first few quilts on our GrandQuilter, but after I mounted a pin-basted quilt and asked about it here I reconsidered how to do it. I started floating them (but didn't know that's what it was called) and loved the result. I asked our quilt teacher about it and she agreed that floating was preferable and gave me a couple of pointers to help me out. Now that's the only way I do them.