A little patience and planning before jumping into the quilting will prevent mistakes further down the line.
Preparing the Layers for Quilting
Once the top, backing and batting are loaded and before you begin quilting, make sure the layers are properly adjusted so they lay flat. This means that they should be taut between the rollers and clamped at the sides. Once adjusted, the rollers and clamps hold the layers flat and even for proper stitch quality and even quilting.
Adjusting the Rollers
When adjusting the rollers, do not stretch the fabric too tightly. A lightly taut fabric allows a small amount of shift in the fabric as the needle moves in and out of the layers. This slight shifting helps avoid needle deflection which reduces broken needles and torn fabric. Loading 90 degree angle. Straight up and down. Stretching the fabric between the rollers can lead to poor stitch quality and/or skipped stitches as well as distortion of the completed quilt. Set the pivotal access to the quilting position at 45 degrees.
Clamping the Sides
Included with your Gammill quilting system are two sets of side clamps with Velcro™ straps. These clamps are used to hold the sides of the layers as you quilt them together.
After the rollers are adjusted to the correct tautness, place two clamps on each side of the quilt layers clamping the batting and backing fabric only. It is recommended that the top fabric not be clamped. This allows you to stitch completely to the end or off the quilt top without having the clamps in the way. Secure the Velcro straps to the sides of the table frame without stretching the fabric.
Tip: Cut your batting and backing fabric 8” larger than your top. This allows plenty of excess material and keeps your fabric clamps away from your machine.
Note: The sides should be clamped before stitching begins.
Pick Up Roller Height
Prior to quilting, use your hand to check the height of the pick up roller is at the right height. You can check this by putting your hand between the roller and the bed of the machine and if your fingers fit, this is a good sign that you have enough room. If not, use the pick up roller lifter to adjust the height.
As the quilt is completed and rolled onto the pick-up roller, it fills the area inside the throat. As the quilt becomes thicker around the pick-up roller it begins to create drag on the sewing head. This makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to move the machine. Adjust the height as needed.
Stabilizing the Quilt
If you are doing a large amount of custom quilting, including stitch in the ditch, outline quilting, patterns in blocks, and borders, or if you plan to heavily quilt the entire piece, the quilt should be stabilized first. Stabilizing the quilt keeps it flat and square during quilting, which means the finished quilt will also be flat and square. Stabilizing should be the first stitching you do and includes stitch in the ditch around blocks, borders and sashes. In larger areas that you do not plan to stitch in the ditch, you can stabilize by adding basting stitches that are removed later.
Each time the quilt is advanced, stabilize the working surface from the center out. Baste the sides, advance the quilt and continue until you reach the end. Baste the bottom edge. Once the entire quilt is stabilized, the top fabric can be unpinned from the top roller. Now the stabilized quilt is attached to the pick-up and backing rollers only and can be rolled forward and backward to complete all the detailed stitching.
Once the quilt is completely stabilized you can move on to decorative stitching, custom quilting, etc. By stabilizing first, you know each block or other area is free of puckers and pleats, and that heavy quilting in some areas won’t distort the blocks around it.
Here are some guidelines for stabilizing the quilt:
- Prevent puckers on the back by making sure the backing fabric is smooth before stitching each area. After you advance the quilt to the next area to be quilted, smooth out the backing with your hand and clamp it so it is taut but not stretched.
- Go to the back of the machine and run your hand under the backing fabric to feel for places in the backing that are bunched up. It is not uncommon for bunching to occur at a seam line or on a backing that is not squared up properly. Be especially careful when the backing seam runs perpendicular to the rollers. Visually check the backing from one end of the table by bending over and looking under the layers each time the quilt is advanced and re-clamped. Tip: Place a mirror on the table or on the floor to quickly view the backing. Inexpensive, full-length wall mirrors can be purchased at discount stores and are thin enough that they do not obstruct operation of the machine.
- Baste along the edges of the quilt as you go. Each time you roll the quilt, stabilize the interior sections first and then baste the borders. The edge basting may need to be removed before you can stitch the border designs, but for now, it will keep the edges neat and square.
- When numerous thread changes are required, stitch all the areas of the quilt that use the same thread, advancing or reversing the quilt as needed. When stabilizing the quilt, use the thread color or type that is most important or that is used the most throughout the quilt. Then, change threads and repeat the process. Some quilting techniques, such as stitching in the ditch or grid work, are completed faster if you can stitch them continuously over the entire, quilt, so plan to change each thread color or type just once.
Thread changes are time-consuming but working this way saves you time especially if you are using many different threads on a single quilt.