Trains and Quilt Frames

For every gallon of fuel, a train can move one ton of freight 460 miles. Why? Because of the small amount of friction that steel wheels have against steel rails. The Queen Quilter uses the same technology of steel wheels on steel rails for the same reason, it moves fluidly with little effort.

Good quality quilting makes a pieced top more spectacular. When you have completed your artistic interpretation by piecing a quilt top the art does not end there. You can dramatically change the look of a quilt top with the quilting. To make your quilt more spectacular you can accent the top by outlining and highlighting the important features. This can be done by close quilting the background to make them retreat from your view and outlining to enhance the foreground. This can be done with both patterns colors and textures. This is easiest to do on a Longarm quilting machine.


An incredible quilt from the show that demonstrates how quilting makes a quilt.

What makes a long arm-quilting machine different form a regular household machine?

• Large industrial needle

• Hopping Foot

• No Feed Dogs

• Long Throat space

• Needs a frame

Quilting at high speed the needle takes some abuse, as it will still be in the quilt as the machine is moving. This can cause the needle to flex, which can cause skipped stitches, make loops or even break needles hence the need for an industrial needle.

The hopping foot holds down the quilt as the needle comes out of the fabric then hops up slightly to let the machine glide easily across the quilt.

No feed dogs allow you to move any direction across the quilt so a sensor is very useful to stop the machine when movement stops to prevent knots that can jam the machine and break needles.

The long distance from the back of the machine to the needle is the throat space. For example this varies from 5 ¼ inches on a Singer feather weight to 9 7/8 inches on the Viking Sapphires. Longarm (long arm) machines are from 16 to 26 inches. The size of the pattern you wish to complete determines how long a throat you need. For free hand quilting the 18-inch throat allows you to quilt a 12-inch block with an entire king size quilt rolled up inside the throat.

Critical to the function of a long arm-quilting machine is a quality frame. The frame needs to be stiff enough to allow good control of the needle in all directions at any speed. Both the frame and the deck must move easily in all directions to quilt easy circles and sew diagonal lines.

For more information about the new long arm quilting machines visit our web site at www.electrichospital.com . Or visit the Electric Hospital at 988 S. Broadway Coos Bay Or 97420
541-267-2241


Picture of our booth at the Portland Quilt show.