I have a few petals on the Dream Big Quilt panel left to quilt with feathers. So I decided to load this quilt on my Q-Zone Hoop Frame and try quilting feathers with the Feather Ruler with my home machine. See how this works and how I have to creatively load the quilt in the frame in this video:
Quick links to the quilting equipment shown in this quilting video:
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Loading the Hoop Frame... Creatively!
I had only a few spaces left to quilt on my second Dream Big Panel with feathers. These spaces all tended to be long and narrow, sometimes with a subtle curve around the outside of the petal shape.
Even though these spaces would be no big deal to quilt on a home machine in a table, they take some consideration when quilting on a frame, especially with a home machine.
So I loaded the quilt... weird. Or we could say creatively!
I did not load the quilt with the sides straight to the frame. Instead I loaded it focusing on the space I was quilting and this mean the quilt ran at a crazy angle and that's just fine!
A hoop frame can be loaded weird because that's the way it's designed. Just like a traditional lap hoop, you can load the frame with the quilt running in any direction you like. So long as the quilt is clamped firmly in place, you can quilt just fine.
Quilting in a Limited Space
With the Janome 1600, I have 5 3/4 inches of vertical quilting space. This is the distance I can quilt forward to back. Side to side I have around 36 inches of quilting space.
This means my quilting space on the Hoop Frame is a long, skinny rectangle. I need to fit whatever I'm quilting into this narrow space.
So to load the petals of the Dream Big quilt panel, I aligned the space I wanted to quilt parallel with the front and back rails on the frame. This way I could quilt the entire space with feathers without stopping.
Quilting Feathers with a Ruler on a Frame
Quilting with the Feather Ruler was really fun on the frame. Please check out my other videos on quilting feathers on a smaller home machine and quilting feathers on the Janome 1600.
I think quilting feathers on the frame was faster and it was easier to place my ruler and get it in exactly the right spot.
Of course, I was using the Sure Stitch Regulator which ensured my stitches were consistent no matter how fast I moved the machine.
If you don't have a regulator, you can always use your foot pedal and just focus on keeping the machine running relatively fast while your hand moves the carriage slowly and smoothly.
With these feathers stitched, my second Dream Big quilt panel is complete and it's finally time to finish my quilted jacket! If you'd like to learn more about making a quilted garment using the Dream Big quilt panel, check out the Dream Big Guidebook available here.
Accessories to Make Quilting on a Frame Easier
If balancing the speed and movement of your machine is too challenging, you can try the following accessories to improve your stitches:
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You know the best thing about the Janome 1600? It is compatible with all three! I will be sharing new videos soon on how the Speed Controller, Sure Stitch Regulator, and Quilt Motion QCT 5 work on a home machine.
Don't forget to check out the awesome quilting equipment used in this tutorial:
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1 comment
Would you recommend the Blue Surestitch regulator or the Surestitch Elite? I am looking to buy one.