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Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Where does the time go??!
My new machine got here a couple of days ago. I had the Janome 1600P-DB on layaway for a couple of months and finally paid it off. I, being the wonderfully experienced quilter that I am, decided to heck with fixing the tension!! Put a quilt on the frame and get er' done. Ah yes, I can see you other much more experienced long-armers shaking your head and saying "Dawn, Dawn, Dawn." heh. I knew the Janome had tension issues but that once you figured it out it quilts like a dream. Mine is still at the nightmare stage. I had a Christmas gift that was all hand appliqued and oh so very pretty that I put on the frame thinking I had the tension issues all worked out. Looked great on top so I figured the bottom would look just as great. heh. heh again. The back of my quilt?? Totally ruined. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth I called the SewVac guys to tell them my machine was defective and could they maybe hop in their tech truck and drive from Texas to Dayton and fix it?? Yeah/no. The guy walked me through a few things and sent out some BD needles sized 16. I in my infinate wisdom went to JoAnns and bought some universal needles sized 16. I took the machine off of the frame....by golly those things are heavy!!!....and started working on the tension. The back of the quilt looks great now...the top not so much. I have thread everywhere. I am now waiting for the correct needles to come in and then I am going to try again. The bobbin has been loosened, everything is at a 0. I don't know what to try next to get my stitches to flow together...anyone got any ideas??? Underside of quilt looks great. Top is a mess.
sigh.

9 comments:

QuiltingFitzy said...

There isn't anything worse than a humbling experience when you're "in" a jam, nor anything less a valuable lesson once it's over.

Baby steps girlfriend, you know you CAN do it, learning "when" is tough.

Start all over again, just like you would do with a regular domestic machine. Unthread, un-needle, reset to factory settings and move off that point ever so slowly.

I believe.

Other than that, pull up your big girl panties and go have a latte.

8^)

Lauren The Artist said...

Oh goodness- I'm sorry I have no tips for you, but surely someone on the internets will help! This will work out!!! Hang in there.

Leigh said...

I don't have any tips, but I think that it is really cool that you have your machine!

dianne said...

here is the lesson that i have learned with the Viking Mega-Quilter - do NOT start learning and adjusting with a REAL project - put some fabric and batting that you don't care about on the frame and practice on the not-so-good stuff - you can turn the end results into a mat for the dog or cat - and you don't have to undo the mistakes because it just doesn't matter

mascanlon said...

So I have a new machine too with the Bernina stitch regulator and have been working on some small pieces that don't have to be perfect to get the hang...that being said...congratulations on getting your machine ;_) I know you'll conquer it quicker than you're thinking right now.

Mary Johnson said...

I wish I could help but every machine seems to be different. I do agree that when I'm having issues that I start over and rethread everything.

Once you finally find that sweet spot you will be good -- I usually only have to make minor tweaks to my tension with thread changes.

quiltmamajb said...

Dawn - so sorry for the troubles you are having. Boy, you wait a long time for something and then when you finally have it, it's not working out so well. That's so disappointing! I have zero knowledge/experience with a long arm so I don't have any suggestions for you - but it looks like you've gotten some good pointers from other folks. Hang in there and you'll be a whiz in no time. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger, right? And I'd also lay in a good supply of chocolate - the supermarkets have tons of Halloween candy already! And you survived the summer 2009 skunk attack - you can do anything!!!! Piece...

Michelle said...

Did you drop your feed dogs? Is your machine threaded correctly? Is the bobbin placed in the bobbin holder in the right direction? Are you adjusting the tension with the foot UP (you should be). When you first start out, you need to bring the bobbin thread to the TOP of the quilt. Then put your needle down and start quilting. Are you cleaning the thread lint out of the bobbin area with every bobbin change? If you break thread and start over again, make sure you clip the threads on the back, or bring them to the top and cut them, then put the needle back down, and start again. Before you make too many stitches, ALWAYS stop and check to see what the thread on the back looks like. Is your quilt rolled too tight, or not tight enough?

As you can see, there are lots of things to check. Ask me how I know. Just start out slow, practice, record your learnings so you can look back, but most of all, relax, and have fun.
be blessed,
Michelle

Granny said...

When you make adjustments, make them in small increments (don't turn the tension dial three complete turns at once!), and do ONE thing at a time. That way you can see what makes things better and what makes things worse. If you do several things at once, one might cause an improvement, while another causes a setback. You can do this so please be patient and no drinking while driving the sewing machine, ok? :)