dunster

Here's one picture of a vertical bobbin. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...obbin_case.jpg

notmorecraft

My cheap back up toyota has this kind of bobbin holder as opposed to my janome mc which is top loading and my cheap toyota does fmq like a dream, I struggled on my janome.

bigsister63

I have the verticle bobbin on my Brothers1500 and a horizontal bobbin on my singer and have seen no difference on FMQ. Maybe there is something on you needle or table service that is catching the quilt top ad causinig the eyelashing. Also eyelashing it caused by moving the top too fast around corners and also tension issues. I like my top loading bobbin better since it is easier to change bobbin thread. Also I was taught that small eyelashing is OK since it will usually correct itself when the quiilt is washed.

As for FMQ without foot. I have done it both ways when doing outline quilting and have found that using a FM foot is easier since you can move the top in ANY direction rather than having to stop and then turning actuall turn the quilt top.

Annaquilts

Yes vertical bobbins are the best. I do free motion quilting on my Janome 6500 and have for about 10 yrs. It has a horizontal drop in bobbin. I did have my sewing machine bring up the bobbin case as there was too much play. This took care of the lashing. I also have a long arma and when I have lashing it means I need a bobbin genie in the bobbin case. this is usually with slik shiny thread. Maybe you can try this, the bobbin genie. I know many others use it in their sewing machine. there is no reason you can not free motion quilt on a machine that has a drop in bobbin or horizontal bobbin. It might need some adjusting or tweeking. I love the look of the free motion quilting I achieve on my Janome 6500. what I also learned is NOT to drop the feed dogs, just put the setting to quilt and put on a darning foot and off you go. My Janome is a bit of a thread snob and I run aurafil both top and bottom.

Prism99

I think by vertical bobbin is simply meant a front-loading bobbin (instead of a drop-in bobbin). Terminology issue.

Historically, I believe front-loading bobbins have always typically had a better reputation for good stitch quality and consistent stitch quality. As technology has developed, drop-in bobbins have become better. Not sure how one would compare the technologies these days, as a good quality machine with a drop-in bobbin may perform better than a low quality machine with a front-loading bobbin.

grammysharon

I think you mean the thread spindle on the top, not the bobbin and yes it work much better that way for me!!!

Skittl1321

Try the magic genie washers if you use a horizontal bobbin. I do prefer vertical though.

nativetexan

Thanks for the pic. I kept thinking it would be on top of the machine somewhere.

cricket_iscute

Yes, in my experience it is absolutely true that fmq on a vertical bobbin machine works better and is easier. Although I have tried fmq on dozens of machines, I prefer my Singer 301 with the feed dogs down. The Singer 15 machines are pretty good also (dogs down).

The only horizontal bobbin machine I really like fmq on is a Janome, pretty much all of the Janomes. They say their bobbins are jam proof and I haven't had one jam yet. In my experience, some of the Horizons (Janome 7700) are good for fmq and some are not. I was about to buy one when I discovered this and so bought a different Janome. The dealer could not make it work. I've had no problems with other Janomes.

I have done thread painting both with and without feet. I use the Octi-hoop with no foot. Singer says the 301 was designed to be used without a foot, but either way works on it. I also love my Janome for thread painting.

BTW, almost any machine can machine quilt with the addition of a vintage Stoppax darning foot which you can usually find on ebay for about $60.

Cricket

bisbetica

After taking a class with Leah Day on Craftsy, I learned that dropping feed dogs is not necessary and that leaving them up can help the tension issues. I have a drop in bobbin and I gave it a try - it worked! I don't have eyelashing and tension issues anymore. She also takes off the bar that goes on top of the presser foot of her darning foot. This way the foot does not hop and glides over the fabric smoothly. I suggest taking her class or looking at her website.