stillclock

i know there are probably 42 tricks to accomplish this so i'm asking yez!

what can i do to help my quilt sandwich glide more smoothly under my needle?

i tried that spray basting 505 method and now i just need to get this quilt quilted. really not sure i'll be doing that again...everything feels tacky. but it might be all in my head.

thank you!

aileen

Tartan

I puddle the section of the quilt I am working on by the needle. I have never had any trouble moving a quilt on my machine bed with my acrylic surround. Some people like the Supreme Slider for their machines. I would definately recommend Machingers gloves or similar to help move the quilt sandwich.

nativetexan

for one thing, use a Walking foot. They do help keep your fabric from shifting as you sew.
when spraying fusible on your quilt, don't over spray. It can certainly be sticky.
after you finish quilting your quilt, soak and spin it a couple of times to get rid of excess over spray. Then enjoy!!

Prism99

Depending on your setup, you may be able to wax the bed underneath the quilt. Waxing helps the quilt slide better.

Do you have enough support for your quilt? Suspending the quilt from above while "puddling" around the needle seems to make a world of difference for quilters who try it.

There is no reason why basting spray would make your quilt feel tacky unless you got some of it on the outside of the quilt.

QuiltE

Are you saying you sprayed your table top with the 505?
Yes ... it would be very tacky and totally counter-productive to FMQing movement. So, get that washed right off.

Agree with Prism ... wax your table top, if that's do-able.
Another option, there is a spray silicone that you can use to put some slippery-ness to the top. Careful you do not get any of that on a hard floor or else, you will go flying, all too easily. I use the silicone, and find that I clean my tabletop well with it before I start, and depending on the size of the project, will re-do it periodically.

Ditto again ... make sure you have a large table top or pull extra tables up to the back and/or side to help hold the quilt up, and the create puddles. Also, watch how much it rolls over the front of the table between you and the machine ... that can really create drag, fast!

In essence what you need to be aware of, and resolve is the drag created by the quilt's bulk and weight.

stillclock

what kind of wax? just a pledge type furniture wax?

aileen

Jeanne S

Are you straight-line quilting or free motion quilting? If straight line, do use a walking foot to help the quilt sandwich feed evenly through. If you are FMQ, are you using the method where you leave your feed dogs up and setting the stitch length to zero? If so, it might be the fabric is slightly catching on the feed dogs. An easy fix for this is to punch a hole in the middle of a paper business card (or square of card stock or one of those pesky magazine renewal cards that are always falling out of every magazine) and tape it down on the bed of your machine with the hole over the needle hole. This will cover up your feed dogs and might make the glide smoother.. A Supreme Slider is great but expensive.

Doggramma

There's something you can get at the quilt shop. I believe it's called Supreme Slider - it's like a piece of shiny plastic material (?) and it's to take care of the problem you describe. When I took a machine quilting class the teacher said it makes your sandwich glide, but I've not used it.

Prism99

Actually, I don't think Pledge is wax. I was thinking more of turtle wax -- the kind you buff up a car with. However, you have to be careful. This is not recommended for some types of plastic, so I don't know if it would be safe to use on your setup. Same with silicone spray. It will make the surface slippery, but I'm not certain it is safe for use on all surfaces.

Another option is clear vinyl from a place such as Walmart -- very inexpensive and safe. However, you need to tape it around all the edges or else let it drape to the floor. This is what is used for the cheap quilting table on Youtube, and it is quite slippery:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14govA4pIM

ragamuffin

Try taping down some wax paper. Or the shiny side of freezer paper. Make sure you cut out a portion of it under the sewing foot on the machine. Even a cheap plastic shower curtain could be used and taped down good, even using the tape under the table you are working on. Best of luck. Let us know what you use so we can all benefit.