An Applique discovery

Ok Polly, I'm going to try this. Are you talking about free motion or not free motion?? And if not, what foot are you using??

Curious minds want to know, Sunny

Sounds like a great discovery - and I mean the one that following instructions can be a *good* thing >ggg< So glad you're having fun with your new machine. . In message , Polly Esther writes

Oops. Sorry, Sunny. Had a computer jiggle last night. I think maybe some of Hurricane/Storm/something Fay was out rattling chains around and about here. I was just plain ordinary straight stitching around a very curvy butterfly with the feed dogs up; not using anything special. Well, there was a special - the pressure setting I had was minimal. That means the SM was allowing me to glide around just by moving the fabric instead of having to pivot a lot. Any straight stitch foot is probably okay but I like, I mean Like the very old-fashioned foot that looks like it came on a 50 or 100 year-old Singer. That's one of those comfort-zone things. It makes me feel at home. Polly

Very funny, Pat on Your Hill. This SM's crazy. You push a button and it does one thing; you hold down the button and it gets really interesting. How I wish you were here to read the instructions while I did the button pushing. Polly

"Patti" Sounds like a great discovery - and I mean the one that following

Excellent word choice, Roberta. Mezzanine is exactly where I was - not exactly doing free motion; not exactly letting the feed dogs and foot pressure control the motion; just somewhere between. This is as good a place as any to brag that I haven't yet banged the new SM with a tire tool or even once resorted to our list of words appropriate to 'some assembly required'. Polly

"Roberta" Cool! That is the one thing I miss with the Pfaff, used to have it on

Polly, thinking on this it really sounds very similar to when I free motion quilted with the feed dogs up. You still have a bit of feed dog guidance but you can move the fabric quite freely in any direction. Did I get it right??? Either way, I think it's just grand and I'm glad you discovered this. Anything to make your projects easier and quicker... Sheesh- a quilt every 3.5 days!!! Amazing!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Oh, so do I! I actually thoroughly dislike switches that do different things with different pressures or numbers of times >g< I like on and off. That is enough for any switch - and me! .. In message , Polly Esther writes

Polly, I am a firm advocate of adjusting the pressure foot pressure to suit the project being worked on. At one time (a very long time ago) I had a machine that did not have a manual pressure foot pressure adjustment. I fought with that machine the entire time I sewed on it. And will never again have a machine where I can't adjust the foot pressure. In my opinion, most machines today are "factory set" with too hard a foot pressure. Yesterday in the class I was teaching a lady was having serious problems with "creep", just sewing two layers of cotton fabric together. Granted one of the layers had a fusible interfacing on it, but that shouldn't be a big deal. We had to fuss with it and do a lot of stuff to be able to sew the project together. (She said she often had to rip out seams because the top fabric "puckered" when she sewed, even with pinning. ) She succeeded and was very happy with the finished bag.... made me feel good about it too. Her machine did not have a foot pressure adjustment, but the tech was in the store and he said he would keep the machine and go in and try to adjust the pressure for her a bit.

For most work, the pressure foot should push down enough to evenly feed the fabric through the machine, but not so hard that there is "push" from the pressure foot slowing the top layer of fabric as the feeddogs "pull" the bottom layer of fabric. As a test, cut 2 pieces of (scrap) fabric that are the same length, about a foot long. Sew them together along the long edge and see if the top layer ends up longer than the bottom layer. Or if it shifts so that the edges aren't lined up. If you have creep, lighten the pressure foot pressure a bit. With time you will know what fabrics need about what pressures. For quilting, I just reduce the foot pressure to very little, and usually use an open toe applique foot to do my quilting. For free motion I drop the feeddogs, and may lighten the pressure a bit more. Works well. At least for me.

Have fun, and do experiment with foot pressure to get the most from your machine. Appropriate foot pressure can also reduce the need for pinning and help the sewing go faster, and be more accurate.

Pati, in Phx

Polly Esther wrote:

Good for you, Polly! I was just at a lecture by Libby Lehman last week, and she said that the Bernina engineers who said we have to lighten up the pressure when using the BSR really didn't know what they were talking about. She said we don't really have to do that (as I already knew from having forgotten to do it!) unless our quilt sandwich is so thick that it requires extra clearance.

However, if what they told us to begin with resulted in your new discovery, it's certainly a happy coincidence! :)

dymike.net- Hide quoted text -

What a good tip. I will try that the next time I do applique.

No, Jennell, no autograph album or photo album. I hope I don't give the impression that I'm bragging that I've met some of these wonderful quilters -- I just thought I'd pass along some information. :)

Heck, Sandy. Go right ahead and brag. Those of us who only get to meet a new trash truck driver now and then enjoy getting to hear about the wonderful folks you meet. The only stitching star I've met was Sandra Betzina and that was a hoot. She's mostly about adult clothing construction and fitting, something I only do for brides in a panic. If you get to learn from someone special, we want details! Polly

I actually have very few photos of the quilters I've met in class, Jennell! LOL! I guess I've been remiss in that respect. And thanks for the kind words about my quilts, :)

Polly, I've heard Sandra Betzina's name a lot (and doesn't she have a

*pretty* name? ) -- it's great when these "big names" have a great sense of humor, isn't it?

Great idea! I must try in on the dreaded appliqué I am getting ready to tackle.

Now, now, Carolyn. Do not dread an appliqué. I love to do them. All you have to do to get comfortable is to make enough practice pieces (and take notes) to get the results you want. Some of my Berninas have let me reduce the pressure; the oldest ones didn't want me to. Just diddle with the tuning until you are pleased. I begin to sound like a broken record. Testing takes time - but the failures don't matter - and brings beautiful results. Polly