Pulling my hair out - FMQ (trying to learn) on Janome 6600 - GRRRR
01-08-2015, 07:17 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: East Kootenays, BC
Posts: 947
01-08-2015, 09:13 AM
#42
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 63
I've been fmq for several years on my Viking Designer 1 and have never had a problem. Last week I quilted a toddler sized quilt for my grandson. Finish the entire thing and take it off the machine...the tension is all off and I have to rip it all out! Grrrr..because I've never had a problem and I've never had to mess with the tension on my machine I never looked to make sure it was going ok. The thread is pulling to the bottom so I never saw it. Lesson learned. But I still can't figure out what's going on...need to play with it some more.
01-08-2015, 11:21 AM
#43
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 307
I have a Janome 7700. I put the stitch length to zero and leave the feed dogs up. I use a supreme slider. I never touch the tension button. I use Aurifil 50 wt and a 14 Schmetz needle and, knock of wood, have never had a problem. Good luck. From another Pat
01-08-2015, 12:18 PM
#44
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: home again, after 27 yrs!
Posts: 19,388
I just watched Nancy's Notions with Molly Hanson on doing free motion for beginners.
http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/sewi...for-beginners/
http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/sewi...for-beginners/
01-08-2015, 02:03 PM
#45
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2,222
I want to thank every last one of your for your responses and help. I think I am on the right track. I have followed everyone's suggestions - a lot of them were things I was already doing/trying but there is such a combination of different things that I'm not sure what I changed that did the trick - like someone said "trial and error". First of all I think that the only thing I was doing differently to start with (compared to when I was quilting halfway decent) was a different bobbin - and I think I have a few bobbins I need to get rid of - including the one that was in my machine. Changing it did make quite a difference.
Then by one suggestion, I remembered I do have a "blue dot" bobbin case and bobbin washers that I haven't used before. Also the Slider (I knew I had one but couldn't find it - which happens often when you go back and forth North and South twice a year). I took the time to really do a thorough search and did find it.
I took some of the suggestions to try leaving the feed dogs up and stitch length to zero, slowed the machine down a bit. I do use Start/Stop button all the time.
Whatever, I seem to have gotten a rhythm that seems to be working and wrote a note on every setting I am using so that I can go back to it in the future. Now I need to - like EVERYONE says - practice, practice, practice. I took one of the many orphan blocks I had and sandwiched it and played with it. I'm enclosing a picture of the stippling/meandering (forget the difference between the two - I think it is acceptable.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504349[/ATTACH]
Then by one suggestion, I remembered I do have a "blue dot" bobbin case and bobbin washers that I haven't used before. Also the Slider (I knew I had one but couldn't find it - which happens often when you go back and forth North and South twice a year). I took the time to really do a thorough search and did find it.
I took some of the suggestions to try leaving the feed dogs up and stitch length to zero, slowed the machine down a bit. I do use Start/Stop button all the time.
Whatever, I seem to have gotten a rhythm that seems to be working and wrote a note on every setting I am using so that I can go back to it in the future. Now I need to - like EVERYONE says - practice, practice, practice. I took one of the many orphan blocks I had and sandwiched it and played with it. I'm enclosing a picture of the stippling/meandering (forget the difference between the two - I think it is acceptable.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504349[/ATTACH]
01-16-2015, 02:55 PM
#46
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: 25 yrs in TN; now back home in MI
Posts: 1,871
Yesterday was my first attempt on a longarm. I rented some time at a local shop. At the end of the day when I was trying to finish up, the thread kept breaking. I see now I must have been going too fast. Afterwards, I realized there was a speed adjuster...that would have helped me as I was trying to not to go too fast.
01-17-2015, 03:46 PM
#47
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 30
It took me a year of practice until I got something worth the time. I have found that using an embroidery needle works well. My thread for a while was shredding and frustrating but my husband looked the machine over and found a tiny barb on the shaft from sewing over pins. He managed to sand it down and it is now fine!
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