9 Needs of New Long Arm Quilters

Panels: Before you can quilt anything, you need something to quilt. Fabric panels to the rescue! Choose the ones that look like a pieced quilt top, as they allow you to think about seams and how they influence your stitching.

Snips & Screwdrivers: I like small, squeezy, curved-blade snips I can grab with one hand. You’ll also need small screwdrivers for changing needles, adjusting the bobbin, swapping feet, and during maintenance chores.

Loading System: Get your quilt loaded faster with a loading system. Snapping systems like Leader Grips or Red Snappers use rods and plastic clamps. Or you may prefer to use strong magnets like Sew Tite Magnums, which hold the fabric securely onto your canvas leaders.

Bar Clamps: I like to load my quilt top as a “full float.” Basically, that means the quilt top waterfalls over the belly bar as it is not attached to anything. However, I still need to stabilize that quilt top, so it doesn’t shift positions as I stitch. Long plastic clamps securely hold the quilt top in place and easily pop off when I need to advance the quilt. They are also useful when I just need to load some test fabric quickly. If you have steel bars on your frame, you could alternatively use long magnet bars from the hardware store to hold a floating quilt top into position for stitching.

Thread: You’ll want thread—lots of it. Before you commit to buying a bunch of thread, get a variety of small cones of white from different brands. You’ll need to know if you and your machine like it before buying all the colors of the rainbow.

Batting Scissors: The long blades and offset handle make cutting batting infinitely easier. The best feature of these specialty scissors is the blunt tip, so you don’t accidentally poke a hole in the batting.

Marking Tools: You will need a variety. I like purple air-erasable and water-erasable ones along with a water eraser-pen. I also love pounce pads with stencils that divide a block into equal segments to keep things even when free-motion quilting.

Courage and Forgiveness: More than anything, though, you need courage, practice time, and a willingness to allow yourself time to learn. Initially, you will feel like you are walking on someone else’s legs. Give yourself permission to take it one step at a time, even if you don’t love your current skill level. Baby steps! Be patient with YOU!

Dinner: And the last thing you need? A good slow- or pressure-cooker! Because who wants to be in the kitchen when you’re having so much fun with your longarm?