Progress on the Long Arm

I know that some of you have wanted to know about what kinds of things I’ve learned by using the long arm since I got it.

Well, there are times it feels like I don’t have any progress! But I know that have.

Let me share.

  1. I am not nervous when using it anymore. At first I was so nervous! I am still feeling tension, however, in my hands when I do pretty intensive quilting. I think I’m holding the handles a little too hard.

  2. I am faster at putting the quilt on the frame than I was.

  3. I haven’t actually dropped my bobbin case and warped it since getting 4 not original replacements. So far, the two ‘original Juki” ones that I ordered in November haven’t arrived. I suspect they are held up in customs somewhere.

  4. So far I’ve not done anything with robotics, but I’m getting psyched up to try.

  5. I’ve learned more about basting and have even done some basting across a quilt and did as one You Tuber suggested and basted the whole quilt first before starting to quilt it. But only once.

  6. I am not trying to do 5 quilts a day - even charity ones. I’m almost done with the first 10 for the year - which was the group for January. I didn’t get the February ones done. Why? I’m not sure why. I was doing other things. I did get 4 of my own done (big ones) in January. I’m trying to do 4 a month of my own tops that are already made (or that I make now).

  7. I definitely am enjoying quilting with the thinner batting - as I’ve found a local source of Hobbs 80/20 which is affordable - so I can buy it here. I did quilt a BIG one with a pretty thick poly batting. However, I did find it not as fun as the thin batting. Yes..not as fun. I didn’t find it so hard as I didn’t really like the quilt so I just did a simple loop pattern. But the thickness of the batting made it not look as good to me. It’s this one below.

  8. Now that I’ve quilted a LOT of quilts in a little bit of time (November, specifically) I am noticing that I have no noticeable effect on my left wrist like I found using the domestic did. (It left my left wrist sore when I worked all day a few days in a row.)

THICK batting - poly

I showed you this one the other day - and I did use a think batting on this one (Hobbs 80/20).

I bought this batting locally.

So far I’ve not tried to roll up my top on any sort of bar - as I just let it hang there until I roll it up. I keep having to kick it back under the machine.

I did get some anti-fatigue mats. Yes, they help. They feel very nice under my feet. I also wear my Reiker shoes with anti stress soles to also help with this. I also haven’t tried to quilt 5 or 6 quilts in one day again. It was just too much when I did it back in November. So, now when I do 2 or 3 and then set up the next one on the frame and leave it for the next day. I did that one day lately.

So there I am.

I hope to continue to feel more confident. I have so many things I still want to learn. I am grateful that I’m no longer stressed when using it. That’s a big step for me!

And there you go. I know that many of you have asked about what’s going on with it.

Feel free to browse the site.


Becky Petersen4 Comments