Learning Curve

A quilting machine is not like a sewing machine.  That was the first thing I learned.  I have read the manual multiple times, and watched YouTube videos, and can now thread the machine and wind bobbins, and even make the machine sew.  The biggest difference is that when you step on the Q20's foot pedal, it doesn't start sewing!  It merely activates the free motion quilting sensors.  You must move the fabric to sew.  There are no feed dogs.  No levers to raise the needle or the pressure foot. There are buttons to use to do those things.  Or you can back-tap the foot pedal.  I kept looking for the lever to raise the pressure foot.  There is no automatic thread cutter, this is a feature I use a lot on my sewing machine.  For the Q-20, You have to manually cut top and bottom threads. So many differences!  Also, this Q-20 needs more routine maintenance.  It needs to be oiled after every 4 hours of sewing, and fuzz and dust in the bobbin case are not acceptable!.  The machine doesn't like it at all, and dust, fuzz, and stray threads mess with the tension.  (Tension!  This is going to be the subject of a whole new blog page!!)

I have been practicing a lot.  I have some old padded place mats and have been using these to practice on.  I tried out the cording foot, this was very much fun!  I will be using this special pressure foot in the future!  Even for just plain sewing, the practice place mats were so helpful in learning how this machine works.  "Practice makes perfect," as the old saying goes, and I'm a long long way from perfect.  But I AM getting the hang of it, and can understand how things work now.  I think I have the basics down.  Now to try what I've learned on a real quilt.