Rose Marie

I have been practicing free motion. Even bought a large sewing machine table extension made of plastic but the quilt catches on the rounded corners. My problem is the quilt just will not slide easy enough so will not quilt smoothly.
Does anyone have advice on how to move a quilt smoothly? I tried gloves, no luck. Has anyone tried that slip piece that fits on top of the table and has a hole for the needle?

vicki reno

I tried to tape my teflon pressing to the machine and quilt like that. It was a disaster! I guess I had not secured it very well, and it slipped and I sewed right through the pressing sheet.

Yvonne

All I can suggest is what works for me. I move my sewing table into the dining room and push it right up against the dining table. Then I set up the card table to the left of the machine to help support the quilt. Without the support of the dining table and card table I don't think I'd be able to get any quilting done. (My machine is in a cabinet that puts it flush with table level.)

sandpat

I pull the ironing board up to my left side and adjust it to hold the weight of the quilt while the rest of the quilt goes up against the wall behind the back of my machine. This helps a ton.

I also cannot for the life of me do anything with gloves, so I usea product called "quilt sew easy discs". They are just what the say, discs that you put your finger tips on and move the quilt with them. I've also heard that the rubber fingers that you can get at office supply stores work well- haven't tried that.

I've also been told that you can wax the surface of your machine to help the fabric slide...haven't tried that either. I've found that keeping the weight of the quilt supported and finding something I like to use with my hands to move the quilt made all the difference in the world.

Good Luck!

zyxquilts

I have heard of a spray you can get called "Quilt Glide" that is supposed to help the fabric move freely over your machine/table surface. My friend Kelly said it works great. She sells it on her website (http://www.jukeboxquilts.com/store/machineQuilting/quiltGlide.html) - maybe you could find it other places too.
I use latex gloves (medical supply kind), but boy do my hands get sweaty! I might try those rubber fingers from the office supply place....

ania755

I use the white quilting gloves so my skin can breath...no sweating with them.....and they do help me a lot.....
You do need all this extra space to acomodate your quilt around so you won't need to fight with all the weight of it....
You may also try the clippers so you actually roll the long fabric ...(I use slices of pvc tubes sometimes....)
Sit comfortably.....relax....and remember to acomodate your quilt a bit from time to time....
You will get there...its just a matter of time..... :lol:
Good luck

vicki reno

Someone else, can't remember who, suggested using paste wax on the bed of the macine to make it slicker. Just make sure you buff it real well.

Shadow Dancer

I have a teflon slider sheet that lays over the bed of my machine, it's great! It's magnetic so it doesn't move when moving the quilt around. I also use quilters gloves. :)

Extreme Quilter

I have used both a clear shoe polish, which I buff and buff until my hand just glides over the surface and also the teflon sheet, which involves no labor at all. I love both methods and the one I use depends on my mood.

jamsbuying

I'm at work right now, so can't look up the brand, but at the Houston International Quilt Show I found the most wonderful gloves for free motion quilting that are very lightweight and tight-fitting so they are like your second skin. They have only three fingertips that are "rubberized" and the ring finger and little finger have no tips. You can actually feel the fabric and still grip the quilt. IF I CAN REMEMBER I'll check for more info tonight and post tomorrow.

Judith