Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

[Pandabear]

I've been sort of, perhaps, maybe thinking of getting an embroidery machine to quilt my tops. My questions are

1- do you quilt with your machine often?

2- what size hoops do you generally use?

3- how long does it take to quilt a twin size quilt using a simple pattern?

4- how easy is the process?

I'm sure I have more questions. These are the few that come to mind right now.

[Cathy F]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I have had my machine 3 years and absolutely love it. Mine came with two hoops a small one and one for 5x7 "designs. I have not tried quilting with it so I can't offer any opinions on that but I do quite a dew embroidered projects with my machine. If you go to my albums you can see a few.

[Patrice]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I don't think you should buy one for that only reason. I have used mine a number of times to quilt some of mine. It can be time consuming. I have been happy with the way mine have turned out. I have some in my albums that are done on the embroidery machine. Most of the time I will use it for borders or inside blocks. To get the all over non stop look ( like a longarm) is very hard to do for me anyway. I did one for my sister that looked pretty good but they were some small gaps here and there. I think it is Rebecca that has a beige and white quilt in her album that she did and from the pictures it looks great. She also has a tutorial in her pictures how she does it on her embroidery machine. I think if you get one you will catch the bug of embroidery. It is a lot of fun

[Alpha O]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I use mine for raggies. I have a 5x5 hoop that will do a nice 8" square, and plenty of quilting patterns, plus Quiltworks by Designers Gallery.
You can also use sashiko patterns. Since raggies are usually one square of fabric, using a pattern keeps the layers together, and doesn't interfere with the pattern of the cloth. The last batch used up a 10 year old sea otter fabric, and just FMQ patterns didn't hide the otters.

You can quilt in the hoop. Check out Queen of Stitching.

[slg0522]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I find it takes alot more planning to use the embroidery machine to quilt. I like to use the redwork designs to quilt each block in a rag quilt then sew together. I also like to make my label with the embroidery machine.

[bhaggerty]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

Agree with everyone above. I have the Bernina 730 and a small (3x5), medium(5x7), large (8x10) and the mega hoop (even larger).
While it looks good, it is a pain to quilt with it and you use a lot of stabilizer which can get expensive. Great for small projects or making individual quilt blocks though!

[Ahamblin]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I have the Pfaff Creative Sensation and absolutely love it. I wasn't sure about embroidery but am now hooked on it. Pfaff makes an 8x8 quilters hoop for doing blocks and an endless hoop that you can use for borders. When you quilt the blocks they are then sewn together to make the quilt. My dealer did not recommend trying to quilt the whole thing as it would interfere with the movement of the machine. The hoop needs to be able to move from side to side and front to back which would be difficult with the quilt pooling in the throat area. I hope this makes sense. I do love the machine though and have quilted small blocks for different uses and have made a quilt from all machine appliqued blocks.

[Kateskloset]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I agree with the majority....don't invest in an embroidery machine with the hopes of using it to quilt with. It is a fantastic addition to the creativity that is endless when making your blocks. There are stippling designs, but they are only limited to the size of your hoops. By all means, get one to add to your options.....but for quilting...too much sugar for a dime...as they say!

[Pandabear]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

Thanks all. This has given me a good perspective. I can hold off on a new machine for a bit then. And try to practice more FMQ in the hopes of getting at least a bit better.

[snippet]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

I use mine for raggies. I have a 5x5 hoop that will do a nice 8" square, and plenty of quilting patterns, plus Quiltworks by Designers Gallery.
You can also use sashiko patterns. Since raggies are usually one square of fabric, using a pattern keeps the layers together, and doesn't interfere with the pattern of the cloth. The last batch used up a 10 year old sea otter fabric, and just FMQ patterns didn't hide the otters.

You can quilt in the hoop. Check out Queen of Stitching.

What is a raggie?

[Pandabear]

Re: Question for those who use embroidery machines to quilt

What is a raggie?

I took it to be a rag quilt.