The In’s and Out’s of a Longarm Quilting Machine

I bet you are wondering how a longarm quilting machine works. If you are going to send all your hard work to a longarm quilter, you probably want to be familiar with the equipment they are using. So here is a little about my machine.

What Brand is it and Why Does That Matter?

My longarm is an Innova M24. Innova is the brand and M24 is the model. Innova longarms are built to quilt ANYTHING! The goal of the engineers who designed the equipment was to be able to sew through thick seams and make it look beautiful. The software I use for my computerized quilting is AutoPilot Mach 3. This software allows me to preview what the final quilt will look like before I start quilting. That means YOU will have a pretty good idea how your final quilt will look! That takes so much stress out of the entire process.

Vocabulary/Components

After writing that first introduction paragraph, I realized we need to define some longarm terms! Here are the terms you will hear most often (and a picture to help describe them).

Innova M24 longarm, frame, AutoPilot Mach 3, and Red Snapper

• Sew Head: this is the sewing machine part! It actually makes the stitches.

• Throat Space: The area between the back of the sew head and the needle. Basically, the length of your top I can quilt before moving the three layers.

• Leaders: Canvas fabric that I attach the backing and quilt top too. This is how I load the quilt onto the frame.

• Take Up Bar: Where the quilt top, batting, and backing roll onto as they are quilted.

• Rear Bypass Bar: This bar ensures the quilt top, batting, and backing remain level during the quilting process.

• Quilt Top Bar: Bar that the quilt top canvas is attached to. This is used to load the top onto the frame.

• Quilt Back Bar: Bar that the quilt backing canvas is attached to. This is used to load the backing onto the frame.

• Red Snappers: What I use to attach the quilt top and backing to the leaders (instead of pins).

• Stitch Regulator: This is a computer that ensures my stitch length is the same, no matter how fast or slow the machine is running. My machine has a Lightning Stitch regulator.

• AutoPilot: Software used to create computerized quilting designs.

• Pantograph: What we call the quilting designs we use. They can be digital or paper.

How Does it Create the Designs?

My Innova M24 is connected to a software system called AutoPilot Mach 3. This software controls a system of belts that control the movements of the sew head. Innova uses a servo motor which means the motor is more accurate and reliable. For us quilters, that means that the sew head goes exactly where the computer tells it too smoothly, and reliably.

How Do You know the Design Will Be Quilted on Straight?

One of the most critical steps of getting a nice looking quilt is loading the quilt. The quilt must be loaded square or else, the quilt design will be wonky. The Innova leaders are made of canvas so they don’t stretch much. This means they stay square! I ask you to make sure your top and backing are as square as possible. This makes the loading process a little easier for me. The more square you start, the more square you end.

I take several measurements of your top and backing to ensure that I keep it square when I load it on my frame. I also measure throughout the quilting process to make sure it stays square as it is rolled onto the take up bar.

How do You Control The Stitch Quality?

Another awesome benefit of longarm quilting is that the stitch quality is AMAZING! One reason for this is that the weight of the quilt sandwich is evenly distributed on the frame. When you are using your domestic machine, this is a very manual process. You have to use your forearms, wrists, shoulders, and/or a table to hold the weight of your quilt sandwich. When it is on a longarm frame, everything is securely wound on the frame bars via the leaders. This means it is not being stretched in any direction.

Most longarms on the market have a stitch regulator. These are computers in the sewhead that control the stitch length so it is the same size no matter how fast or slow the machine is moving. My Innova has what is called Lightning Stitch. This regulator has been tested with the machine moving as fast as 4,000 stitches/minute. That is FAST!!! This means you will get perfect stitches and I will get your quilt back to you quickly.

Another aspect of stitch quality is tension. To get perfect stitch tension, you have to ensure that the top thread tension is equal to the bobbin tension. I measure my bottom tension with a TOWA bobbin gauge and have a high performance tension assembly for my top thread. This means I can make super fine tension adjustments in order to get the perfect stitch!

The coolest thing about my machine is a feature called HD stitch. It allows me to tell the computer that it can shorten or lengthen stitches to ensure you get perfect points! This is a feature on the new M Series Innovas and I love it. My perfectionist tendencies love to see the stitches line up perfectly at points!

Will it Harm My Quilt?

I think this is the scariest part of sending your quilt top to a longarm quilter. You have no control over its safety! And that is a possibility. I am not going to lie to you. Just like on a domestic machine, needles can break and they can catch on seams causing a small tear.

Again, I am being upfront and honest with you; there is potential that your quilt top may be damaged. However, I will do everything I can to make sure this does not happen!

The needles I use in my machine are coated with titanium nitride which means they are stronger than the typical chromium needles. I also use a new needle for every single quilt. This means, it is highly unlikely my needle is going to break.

On top of a high quality needles, I have a hopping foot that moves up and down as it passes over seams. This means it can navigate over bulky seams without getting caught and snagging the fabric. I also ask that you press your seams on your quilt top. This will reduce the bulkiness and decrease the likelihood of snags.

The last concern I have heard is that people are scared that the longarm machine will get oil on their quilt. That would suck! Luckily, my machine is only oiled in one location, and that is in the bobbin area. I run the needle up and down several times to ensure the oil will not leak out before quilting, so I am very confident there will be no oil spilled on your quilt top.

Are There Benefits to Longarming?

YES!!! This could be a whole blog post on its own. In a nutshell: you don’t have to find time to quilt, there are so many fun quilting designs to choose from, and the final quilting will look absolutely stunning! I hope I have answered some of your questions and have eased your mind a bit. If you want to chat more, please reach out! My email is tera@thequiltingsmith.com or send me a message from the “About Me” page.

Talk to you later gators!