We don't need no stinkin' gauges

As some of you may know I have an old VW bus in various stages of restoration sitting in my garage( here is the video that inspired me to restore my VW). I dropped the engine out about a month ago and was getting ready to tackle rebuilding it when I decided I better make sure I had all the necessary tools first.  I did an inventory and had everything I needed except one very important tool...a torque wrench.  I was "trained"( using the word loosely) as a mechanic by the army so I knew the importance of a torque wrench but I was thinking I could get without one and do it by "feel".

I realize that this is suppose to be a quilting blog but bear with me.  A torque wrench is more like a gauge for how tight your bolts are.  It measures how hard you are pulling on the wrench to move the bolt and this allows you to set a bolt to a certain tightness.  This can be critical especially when putting an engine back together, but many mechanics don't use them because they have been doing it for years and think they can tell by "feel".  

A torque a simple but vital tool.

Funny enough some body decided to study this and find out if experienced mechanics actually could torque to spec by "feel".  They can't.  The number was like less than 5% of mechanics could torque to spec consistently by "feel".  What was even more alarming is that in many cases what the mechanic thought was "to spec" was not even in with a 25% margin of the actual spec.  Moral of the study, get a torque wrench.

What does this have to do with quilting?  Bobbin tension.  Most long and mid arm quilters do the bobbin "drop test" to calibrate their bobbins.  While many quilters will swear by it efficacy I am starting to think it is similar to those mechanics that torque be feel.  If you go to Superior Threads website you can find this nifty Tension Guide for Mid/Long Arm Machines.  Notice how those numbers change depending on your top thread and I am not sure how much a change of 20 mili-newtons would effect the drop test.

I use to be a drop tester, but I had a run of "tension issues" on my machine and I realized that my bobbin tension was inconsistent.  This can be caused by your bobbin winder or often just wear on the bobbins.  They usually drop tested fine, but my bobbins would vary in tension by as much as 100 mN.  Not a huge difference to be sure, but enough to cause slight eye lashing in the points and a less than perfect stitch.

A gauge every longarmer should own

Everytime I change my bobbin I now check it in my TOWA gauge and 8 out of 10 times no changes are needed (there was issues with the winder that have since been fixed), so I know catch the tension issues before they become a problem.  I find that my machine likes his bobbins set at about 250 mN and then I can run most any top thread with minimal adjustment to top tension, but don't take that as gospel everybody's machine is different.

By using a TOWA gauge to check and set the bobbin tension I remove on more variable from the equation making it easier for a consistent stitch.  Sure I could get by without a gauge, but I am smart enough to know I am not that good.  A TOWA gauge is a $100 well spent for anybody with a quilting machine even if you are one of the 5%.

VWs and Long Arms

Years ago I worked as a driver.  I fancied myself as Jason Stathem in the Transporter, but it was more like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy.  Depending on the day I might drive a shuttle bus or take a Towne Car to the airport and pick up some VIP but the best jobs were when I had to go pick up a Range Rover or a Cadillac and drive it back to the garage.  With  nobody to worry about in the back I could roll down the windows and hit Glenstone Ave and act like I owned the vehicle for a few minutes.
Back at the garage I would  go from Mr. Hammons pimped out Cadillac to my VW.   My VW was one of those that was missing 3 of the 4 door handles and required a me to bribe the mechanic with a 12 pack to ensure it would pass inspection.  Driving home from work was sad.

Last week I had a long arm machine come in on trade.  It was a brand I had heard about and that is quite popular so I thought I would set it up and play with it a bit before I found it a new home.  It was like driving home in the Volkswagen.  I would get a quilt set up and running on my machine, then I would go and try and do the same on the "other" machine and I realized how lucky I was to have a pimped out Cadillac for my daily driver.

A  hobby long arm machine is just that a hobby machine, sure it will get the job done and yes some professionals will use them.   My favoritist cab ride ever was in a VW Rabbit, not the most comfortable cab ride but by far the funnest (imagine the driver that thinks a VW rabbit is an acceptable car for hire.) There is nothing wrong with a VW, but don't get indignant when you are told it is not a Towne Car.  Feel free to comment below I know some of you will want to set me straight on this.
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Quilting Royalty

A couple of years ago we got into selling Innova Quilting Systems  a.k.a long arm machines.  I convinced the bank to lend us an inordinate amount of money so we could buy some "inventory" and stock or "show room"( the show room would not exist for another six months).  A trailer truck pulls up 3 weeks later and drops four pallets in our parking lot.  I spend the next week looking at diagrams and playing with wrenches because I am to impatient for the factory tech to get here and teach me everything I need to know.  I had one of the machine put together but I waited for Keith to show up before I flipped the switch, I figured if he was on site I could blame him if it melted down and I fried ten thousand dollars worth of equipment.  We have since bought insurance for that.

Keith showed up and helped me get the rest of my armada built and a couple days later Innova sends out a pair of gals to train us on how to use the new pile of awesomeness that displaced our classroom and my beloved Statler.  

One of the gals, Renae, starts training my on the Auto Pilot which  is  the big computerized work horse that I do 97.836%  of all my quilting on.  While we are waiting for it to stitch out a pattern I start talking to her.

"You do a lot of quilting?" A dumb question, but it was a conversation starter.

"Oh yes, at my shop we run two Auto Pilots pretty much non stop."  was her kind response.

"You ever run anything other than an Innova?"

"I used a Gammil for a while then I switched to  an A1 before settling on an Innova."

At this point I am thinking to myself that Renae is a serious quilter.  How serious I was about to find out.

"Why did you switch?"

"Let me show you..."  

Renae then proceeds to pull a huge book looking thing out of her bag, it wasn't really a book it was "draft" copy of an upcoming book.  Now I am thinking she must be important because she gets to edit quilt books.  

She opens up the manuscript and points to a picture.

"This was done with a Gamill."

She flips a few pages.

"This was done with an A-1"

Flips back a page.

"Here is where I started using the Innova"

As I was looking at the pictures I could see exactly what she was talking about, the difference in stitch quality was noticeably once it was pointed out.

"You wrote a quilt book, do you do show quilts?"  I should be the next Anderson Cooper with my deep probing questions.

"Karen Buckley and I won best in show in Paducah last year." I recognized Karen's name because we sell her scissors in the store, and I recognized Paducah because that is like "The quilt show of quilt shows".

"So you are like quilting royalty?" I did ask a question that stupid.

"Something like that."

That's what happened when the competition proven Master Quilter Renae Haddadin spent a day in our shop.  I had know idea who she was.  I have to say she is super nice and down to earth and not the least bit pretentious.

Let's talk about thread.

According to Becky, who just got back from quilt market, an up and coming trend is 100wt thread.  I promptly ordered 150 spools to add to our ever growing thread collection this in turn added more confusion for the uninitiated when it comes to buying thread.  Below is what we stock and why we have it.  For comprehensive thread info and everything you would need to know to impress your friends with knowledge of thread check out Superior Thread's website.

12wt Cotton-  This stuff is about as thick as you can get in a sewing machine before it no longer fits.  It is great for embellishments, decorative stitching or any application where you realy want the thread to stand out and still want to stitch by machine.  Our store does not carry anything thicker because of my allergy to hand sewing.

40wt Cotton, Polyester, or Embroidery Thread-  I group all these together because I use them interchangeably depending on my project.  40wt thread for the most part is your standard top stitching weight.  Most anything that is marked "Embroidery Thread" and has no weight marked on it is 94.3% of the time 40wt.  Cotton will not have the sheen and shininess of the polyester and sometimes that's what you want, but typically I go with polyester I can run it a little fast in my machine and it runs cleaner, (Barry Manilow never had lint problems with his polyester jump suits).  This thread can be used for piecing quilts, but it was made to be seen so top stitching and machine embroidery is what most people use it for.

50wt cotton- Aurifil is hands down the greatest piecing thread ever.  It runs clean and stitches up nice.  Everybody I have converted to Aurifil 50wt never goes back to anything else.  50wt is a nice catch all size, it pieces well and will function reasonably for top stitching, and it makes decent bobbins

50wt Sew Fine - This is what I primarily use on my long arm.  I have been doing more with 40wt Master Quilter (again 40wt is ideal for top stitching) but 50wt Sew Fine is my "go to"
thread, and because I like you I will tell you why...  Bobbins.  I often match my bobbin thread with my top thread to eliminate any "pokies" and it gives me more room for error with tension.  40wt is a thicker thread so not as much of it gets on a bobbin which means if I use a 50wt in my bobbin I can change my bobbin 6 to 10 fewer times in the course of a day.

60wt Bottom Line- this is specifically for bobbins but not a popular thread because we have finer threads that work just as good.

80wt DecoBob - Use to be the preferred bobbin thread for our sewing machines, but my conversion to 100wt is making it hard to justify stocking DecoBob.

100wt InvisaFil - This stuff is awesome and things are trending this way for a reason.  It makes great bobbin thread because you can get miles of it on a bobbin.  It makes great piecing thread if you are into minis as it will give real fine seam.  It is an amazing long arm thread.  100wt thread all but disappears when used for top stitching so your piece work remains the focus, and the quilting pattern is nothing but a subtle impression on your quilt top.

There are tons of threads out there, I could open a store selling just thread but I think we have decent enough selection to get most any job done and still leave
plenty of floor space for the fabric.  Feel free to post your favorite thread and why you like it in the comments section.

Why isn't it more like my old one?

As some of you may know I had to go to MQX East last week and hawk Innova quilting systems.  One of the first people to come through the booth started right up with me: "I am a dealer for brand 'X', but I bought an Innova last year and I want to know why...."  Then she went on to list a few things that did not match her beloved brand. 

 Instead of ranting and risk offending somebody I am going to post something educational about thread tension assemblies and why you might want to pay attention to this when you are buying a quilting system or if contemplating the superiority of your current system. 

Thread is tensioned in one of two ways on most any sewing machine:  Rotary tension or plate tension. 

Plate type tension: thread is pressed between plates H

Plate Tension:  This is the most common way of tension thread on a domestic sewing machine.  Tension is controlled by pressing thread between two metal plates.  This is a  simple tension device, it does not require a pre-tensioner to work, though a pre-tensioner will improve it a bit, and it is really easy to do intermittent tension with it, and it is easy to thread.

A word about intermittent tension...All domestic machines have this.  Try it out, when your presser foot is up the tension is loose, when the foot goes down the the tension tightens up.  That is intermittent tension.

Plain ole' plate tension assembly

Back to plate tension...  plate tensions work as a function of  thread thickness.  If you have thicker thread you need to back the spring off and open the plates, if you have thinner thread you need to close the gap in the plates.  Because of this low quality thread with  inconsistent diameter will result in slight variation in tension, also debris or "fuzz" from thread that gets caught in the plates will cause tension issues.  One of the most common problems I see with sewing machines is a piece of broken thread caught between the tension plates which leads to poor tension control.

A long arm will suffer from these same problems, plus one more, jumping the plates.  If a long arm is not pre-tensioned properly what can happen is that the thread comes out from between the plates and all tension is lost, but you don't know this until you roll your quilt, then you swear under you breath and go looking for a seam ripper so you can de-quilt your mess...ask me how I know.

A word about pre-tension...this will almost always be a plate type tensioner before the main tension assembly, its purpose is not to tension your stitch, but to ensure enough tension on the thread so the main tension assembly functions consistently.  Pre-tension is usually really light and often makes you wonder why it is there at all.  Jump your plates once and you will appreciate pre-tensions subtle awesomeness.

Rotary Tension:  This is rarely seen on domestic sewing machines, but they are common in industrial machines, and some long arm machines. Tension is controlled by applying pressure to a disc the thread is spinning on.  Proper pre-tension is important in a rotary tension

Rotary tension assembly: The slots in the disc help  grip the thread

Unlike plate tension, rotary tension is not effected by thread diameter.  As long as the thread is spinning the disc the same tension is applied regardless if  it is 80wt silk, or 40wt poly.  This also means less stress on the thread because instead of crushing thread between to plates we are applying pressure to the rotating disc.  Kinda like the reason we have disc brakes instead of applying brake calipers to tires.

Why is rotary tension all but absent in domestic sewing machines?  It is not as easy to thread as a plate tensioner, and plate tension has worked fine for a 100 years so why change now.  Most long arm machines are based on domestic machine design and this is the reason that you will find plate tensions on long arms.

Rotary tension is a superior technology for long arm applications and you will find that any long arm that has a reputation for consistent tension and the ability to run any thread will have a rotary tension, even if everybody else is drinking the plate kool-aid.  

Okay that was a long but hopefully informative post  feel free to comment or question below.

The Lazy Quilter

Quilting is suppose to be fun, so here are a few things I do that keep it fun for me.  This list is primarily of things that grandmothers and old quilt books may tell you to do differently, but I am a lazy quilter and things change.

Pre-washing:  I don't do it.  I have a hard enough time getting my underwear into the washing machine why am I going to waste my time pre-washing fabric?  If you are using first quality quilting goods the color is not going to bleed and the shrinkage will be minimal.  Plus if you wait until after our project is quilted to wash it that little bit of shrinkage tightens everything up and gives it that classic quilt look.  If you do pre-wash you have to press everything and tag it with some light starch or sizing to put some body back into your fabric to get crisp clean cuts and nice straight lines.  So being lazy and slightly allergic to the ironing board I opt out of pre-washing.

Polyester thread:  It won't kill you.   I have talked to some veteran quilters and they act like polyester thread is of the devil.  In a therapy session with one of these vets I delved a little deeper into their polyester trauma and learned that their mother's uncle's sister's third cousin's best friend once had the thread cut their fabric while sewing.  If any thread cuts your fabric while sewing you have a machine problem, not a thread problem.  There was also some rumor of the limited life span of polyester.  Polyester is a form of plastic, if plastic decayed faster than cotton would we have overflowing land fills?  Yes some polyesters do not do well with prolonged exposure to UV rays, but there again your quilt will be faded and useless by the time the thread becomes a problem.   Polyester fabric is a whole different story.

Machine on bindings:  It is an option.   Admittedly hand finished bindings gives the best finish. I often machine my bindings on because at least that way they get done.  I make my quilts with the idea that they will be used by myself or someone else to snuggle under or take the chill off a winter night, Are you really looking at the binding?  If a quilt does get heavy use a machined binding will hold up better over time.

Mixing batik and cottons:  When and why was this ever illegal?

Singer is King:  Not anymore.

Ugly Quilts:  I have made a few.  Everyone does, but it's like an ugly baby, you love it anyway and it will grow on you.

My list could go on, but it is 9:30 and the shop opens at 10  so I should get back to work.  Keep in mind there is no ultimate authority on quilting, the only rule is if you are not smiling you are doing it wrong.

To Die Cut or Not?

Accucut Go!   

When It comes to die cutters and quilting at first glance it seems like the best idea ever.  A machine that you put fabric in on one end and it spits out perfectly cut shapes on the other a quilters dream, no more worry about accurate cutting.   It sounds good in theory, but lets dig a little deeper.

Dies - Every shape you want to cut will require a die, depending on the brand and design I have seen them cost anywhere from $15 to $115.  And then you have to hope they make one in the right size.  One of the few times I actually had a practical use for our Go! Cutter was for a Dresden plate that every one was working on, but at the time there was only one die available for a Dresden plate, and it was not close enough in size to even consider using it.  A Die Cutter is like a cheap printer, sure it only cost you a $100, but it costs a $150 for the ink to run it.

Fabric Grain - Die Cutters got their start in the scrap book world cutting paper.  What happens if you cut paper on a bias?  Nothing.  The same can not be said about fabric. A perfect 2 inch strip that is cut on a bias will not stay perfect for very long.  Much of the efficiency you thought you were going to gain using a die cutter is lost in the time it takes to precisely align the fabric with the die.

Why get one? - Applique, if you like applique and you can find some dies that you love they work great for applique shapes.  A die cut machine, to me, is impractical for basic quilting shapes as a rotary cutter and ruler are faster and more efficient.

Brother Scan N' Cut

Scan N' Cut - This magic little device is what we wanted die cutters to be.  No dies are needed so you can always get the shape and size you want.  I think it is still impractical for basic quilt shapes, but we use ours all the time for lettering and applique.  Instead of trying to find a corresponding die for our applique patterns we simply scan the pattern in and it cuts what the pattern calls for.

I know there are happy die cut machine owners out there and I would love to hear from you.  What aside from applique do you use your machine for on a regular basis?