How to Start Quilting (Statler)

How to pull up the bobbin thread, start quilting, restart quilting, and use the keypad during stitching

Quilting Techniques Overview

There are four major techniques used with the Statler:

1. Blocks usually begin with a boundary. A pattern is then placed in the boundary and stitched.
2. Repeats begin with a reference point.  Multiple patterns are placed at that point and stitched.
3. Edge-to-Edge begins with defining the size of the entire space.  Multiple patterns are resized and stitched inside that space. Each time the quilt is rolled, the patterns shown on screen are synchronized with new position of the quilt. 
4. Borders begin with defining the size and location of the border. The border and corner patterns are resized, placed, connected and stitched.
   
   More information about each technique can be found in other articles. 

Pulling Up the Bobbin Thread

Before quilting, you should be aware of how to pull up your bobbin thread. There are two methods. 

VIDEO | Bobbin Pull Up Before Stitching

Floss Method – used before a computer pattern begins stitching when the head CAN NOT be physically moved. 

Take a single stitch. Grab the top thread with two hands and sweep it under the hopping foot (like flossing your teeth). It will pull the bobbin thread up. Pull the free end of the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt. Hold both threads as you begin to stitch.

Push/Grab/Pull – used at the END of stitching a computer pattern when the machine CAN easily move. Also used at the start or end of hand guided stitching. 

Take a single stitch at the beginning of stitching then push the machine head away, or at the end of stitching, push the machine head away from the last stitch. Grab the top thread and hold it while you bring the machine head back to where the stitching ended. Take a single stitch and move the machine head away again to pull up  the bobbin thread. Hold both threads as you begin to stitch or trim the threads at the end of stitching.

Initiating Start Quilting

VIDEO | Start Quilting

Start Quilting can be found under the Stitch Commands Menu.	It can also be selected from the tool strip.	You can use the machine keypad to Mode to Start Quilting.

There are many methods of placing patterns, but they all lead up to the final step: Start Quilting. Once you select the Start Quilting icon, pay close attention to the information on the screen. The Prompts box will describe what is happening, and what the next steps should be. The Machine Keypad window will display the possible responses. As the patterns are stitched, the colors change so you can track your progress.

To start quilting ... tap the Start Quilting icon on the screen, or press the Mode button on the keypad until the icon is highlighted, then press Select. The sewing head will move to the Start of the pattern.

Restart Quilting

When something interferes with the quilting process, the Restart Icon can be used to complete the pattern. An empty bobbin or thread break is a common cause of quilting interruption. 

• Fix the problem (for example, replace the bobbin)
• Rethread the needle
• Move the machine head to the place where the stitching should begin
• Select the Restart Quilting icon
• Use the Back and Fwd buttons if needed to find the correct spot to resume stitching
• Click Quilt
• For more information about Restart, see this article

Keypad While Stitching

While stitching patterns, you will notice that the keypad changes based on the current action being performed. Here are some of the keypad functions you will notice while stitching. 

Moving The machine will display this keypad when it is moving to the start of your pattern. Select Cancel to cancel the stitching process.
Bobbin Pullup This keypad prompts you to pull up your bobbin thread. Once you have pulled up your bobbin thread, select Continue to continue stitching. You can also take a single stitch if needed to pull up the bobbin thread.
Sewing This keypad will display when the machine is actively stitching an automated design. You can Pause the machine in order to inspect the stitching or trim the threads. You can also use Inc Speed and Dec Speed to change the stitching speed while quilting.
Paused The machine will display this keypad when stitching is paused. Select Resume to resume stitching or Cancel to stop stitching.  This will interrupt the stitchout of the design and a Restart will be required to complete stitching the pattern.