Weezy Rider

I've been watching a lot of the how to vids, and all say to pull up bobbin and top thread at start and finish of a FMQ run.

I've got the Brother 1500S, and I can pull up the beginning bobbin thread, but can't get the end one up through the fabric.

I've lifted the foot, pulled on the top thread with the takeup lever on the top, and the bobbin thread won't pull up. What else can you do? Do you have to lift the foot and pull the fabric out from under the needle?

Also, how do you mark multi colored fabric? I have the quilt paper and punching it with a 110/18 needle and using the pounce does well on plain and most colored fabrics - but I have a Stonehenge tortiseshell type fabric - sort of teal, brown, gold, white. Blue doesn't show, white has a hard time, purple doesn't show. How do you mark this? What color do you use?

I found some old fabric that I would like to make a raggy out of. I might have to put the pattern on the back of the fabric and quilt in reverse. The bobbin stitches look decent enough.

That's also why I'd have to do something about stitches at the beginning and end of a pattern.

LyndaOH

I always lift up the foot and pull the fabric out several inches if I'm doing FMQ for a show quilt and will be burying threads. If it's a quilt for friends and family I take several tiny stitches to secure the stitching and don't worry about burying threads, so I don't need those long threads.

dray965

Below is my procedure, it should work with any machine:

When you begin to machine quilt,

1) Lower your darning foot and take 1 stitch, stopping with your needle in the air
2) raise your darning foot, then take hold of the top thread and pull. This should bring a loop of the bottom thread to the top of the quilt.
3) take hold of the bottom thread and top threads. Pull them out to a length of about 4-6 inches or so.
4) grab both the top and bottom threads and hold onto them.
5) now go back into the SAME stitch and begin by taking 2-3 stitches in the same spot OR take 2-4 very tiny stitches forward. (All of this step is while you are still holding onto those threads from step 4.
6) cut the threads and sew, sew, sew

OK now onto the stopping.

1) after taking your last stitch, raise your darning foot and pull your quilt out from under the foot about 6-7 or more inches.
2) grab hold of the top thread and hold.
3) move the quilt back under the darning foot and take ONE stitch in the same spot or very close to it...just one stitch, stopping with the needle up.
4) pull on the top thread and you'll see the bottom thread pop up.
5) pull it further up to a length that you desire.
6) now you have a decision: either cut them both off close to the quilt top (this is what I do) OR thread a needle and bury the threads into the quilt.

I'm hoping this is what you meant. If it isn't, I'm sorry for the lengthy directions...but I am an ex-educator and a sequential- learner myself and step-by-step is easier for me to understand.

Good luck with your quilting!

Dray

Weezy Rider

I'll try both. The 1500 is needle down. If I have to mark on the bottom fabric, I don't want the extra thread on the top.

Now how do you mark multi colored fabric? I mean the kind you could slop coffee on and not notice?

Step by step doesn't bother me. I've tutored some software and I always started with make sure the computer is PLUGGED IN.

dray965

LOL...love the 'computer plugged in' comment. You are so right. <grin>

I love using the press 'n seal method:

1) I sandwich my quilt and secure it with stitch-in-the ditch down the quilt and again across the quilt. How many time is up to you. I did one that I did that stitch on every block down & across. This secures my quilt from shifting and I can take out any pins...etc..(I actually use basting spray instead of pins)

2) Using a fine-point sharpee, I trace my paper pattern onto one of those plastic holders that are designed to hold report papers in. (They are very cheep and about 50-100 of them in a package.) This creates a re-usable pattern.
a. if the pattern is within the dimensions of 8 1/2x11, I just slip the paper pattern into the sleeve. That way I don't have to trace...just stick the press n seal and begin tracing directly onto it.
b. if the pattern is bigger than the plastic...I cut off the sides and slice open the bottom. This makes a very long piece. If it needs to be wider or longer, I cut another one to size and tape it to the 1st one making a bigger plastic piece.

3) Then I place a piece of Press n seal over the plastic and retrace onto it as many times as I need to.
4) I trace a few...stick them in place on my quilt..then quilt it following the lines. Then I go back and trace a few more and stick n sew again.

I never cut off the holes that would hold the plastic in a binder..because when I'm through with it, I just fold it back up...put a little piece of tape to keep it shut and place it in a 3 ring binder that I've labeled "stencils". That way I don't have to keep re-inventing the wheel. LOL

This press n seal doesn't hurt my quilts and works for me. Neither does the spray basting. My needle will collect a little gunk sometimes as I sew, but I just take it off or ignore it, depends on what mood I'm in.

I know that many mark the quilt first...but with this method, I don't have to. AND I can tell right away whether I like the quilt pattern....because I press it in place and it resembles the quilting...so I know whether I'll like it. I've changed my stencil a few times because I decided my stencil of choice didn't look good.

Hope this helps.

dray965

I've used this method on multi-colored quilts as well as solid color ones...works well with both.

Weezy Rider

What's Press and Seal? Never heard of it. Just looked it up, Glad wrap? and it sticks to fabric without shifting? I've never been able to get any cling wrap to stick to anything but itself. How is it to pull out? I've had embroidery stabilizer that is impossible to remove although it says tear away.

I mostly QAYG so except for borders and binding, I don't have much. Usually a good spray with 505 on batting, top and bottom keeps everything from shifting.

I have embroidery software with quilting patterns. I can print them out at any size by splitting them- right now I have 6X6. and the block is 9 1/2". I'm making a raggy out of some Otter fabric that I can see no other use for, except maybe fussycutting and I'm not exactly into that. I bought the fabric for daughter years ago as she is crazy for otters and ferrets.

Using those cheap protector sheets might be a good idea. I have plenty of spare notebooks. Do you really need them if you are printing on standard size paper? Can you just 3 hole punch the paper? Or won't the Press and seal stick to paper?

Peckish

Press & Seal is not your typical cling wrap. It is sticky. However, some quilters dislike quilting over it because pulling it out of quilting stitches is tedious.

dray965

You can't use Press & Seal on paper...it will stick to your paper pattern and ruin it (been there, done that). It is sticky and is great in your kitchen...no need for all those lids anymore. It will seal, release and re-seal.

It will do the same with fabric. As stated above, you do have to take it out of the stitches. however, I've found it to only be a problem if my quilting pattern has close stitches. Otherwise, it doesn't take long...for me at least. I use a hat pin to loosen an edge and then grab and pull...none of my stitches were ruined nor came loose in the process...but that's just my experience..I can't speak for others.

Again...some kind of plastic overlay in order to trace is necessary because it will ruin a paper pattern.

Also...if you can draw, you can lay the Press & Seal right down on the place to be quilted and just draw your pattern directly on it. This stuff is a great way to preview a quilt pattern, even if you don't use it for anything else.

And it's cheep...always a plus.

Dray