Hi there. I'm Nicole Gilbert and you've joined the stop scrolling start sewing podcast. Are you new to sewing and want to start quilting but have no idea where to begin?
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as I share the ins and outs of that quote, like, if you don't have a sewing machine, have no idea how much fabric you need. Or you're just trying to figure out where the heck to stick that bobbin This is the podcast for you. Hey, folks,
welcome to Episode 55 of the stop scrolling start sewing podcast. On this episode of the podcast, I am going to be chatting all about quilt guild meetings and sew ins. But first, I want to start with a new segment. I frequently get questions from listeners about just about everything from sewing machines to quote level labels and everything in between. So I decided that I'll start a listener question sections on the podcast. So this week's listener question comes from Catherine L. Catherine emailed asking, I think I've outgrown my sewing machine, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for in a new one. Should I get a quilting focused machine? What is so different about an embroidery machine? And what are some must have features on a sewing machine for quilting? Okay, so I think I'm actually gonna start with a second question what is so different about an embroidery machine. So there's two types of embroidery machines. There's like straight up embroidery machines. And then there are combination sewing embroidery machines. I'm going to assume for this question that you're discussing the sewing slash embroidery machine and not the straight up embroidery machines. The straight up embroidery machines are awesome beasts. But I mean visually, they don't even really look like a normal sewing machine. So I'm going to assume that that's not what you were referring to. But I did want to make that distinction. Because just in case, those of you didn't know that there's actually just embroidery machines out there. They're pretty cool. They're really impressive. Like, you can spool depending on the size of it, you can spool up like 10 different threads all at the same time. Put in an image and then have it go to work. It's they're really impressive. But a sewing slash embroidery machine is like a traditional sewing machine, it just has an embroidery component to it. Typically, there is a section on the bed of the machine that you can slide out and change into an embroidery model module that has a like a large arm that slides back and forth that you would hook a hoop onto, and then it will move that hoop for you beneath the needle. And lots of sewing machines have this I used to have a faff creative vision 5.5 and it had a large embroidery mode on it. I never used it like ever, because I'm not an embroidery person. Now if you're somebody who likes to dabble in embroidery, or you have some interest, so many of the sewing machines out there today have you can get as combination with an embroidery
module on it. So
I would definitely suggest doing so. I don't like pigeon holing too much into one specific machine, especially if you're not in the market to have multiple good machines. You know, I know it's first of all problems. I have multiple machines that have different functions really I have. I have many machines but the two that I use on a regular basis I have a travel machine that I take to guilds and whatnot and then I have my big machine that I use on a daily basis. I am not an embroidery so neither of broidered so neither of machines have an embroidery function to it. But that's just me. I will say if you I would rather you if you're going to go shopping for a new machine. Get the best machine that you can afford. That includes all of the features that you think you may or may not want to try. There will come a point where you don't no longer outgrow your machine. I'm at a point where I can't Really outgrown my machine like,
I have an awesome machine. However, for many of you, given the amount of sewing that you're planning on doing,
you'll probably stop outgrowing your machine. Pretty soon, honestly, it also depends on the type of investment you're looking to make. I think that unless you are a really, really infrequent sower, or a super casual sower, and when I say casual, I mean, you're doing it every once in a while, you're probably gonna want a few more bells and whistles, then you could find for less than $1,000 on the market. But once you get over that $1,000 point, you're not really gonna have to spend too much more, I would say, the best machine out there in that just around $1,000 point, it's probably the genome at 6600 or 6700. Those are fantastic machines, and they do everything that you need them to do, really. But anyway, that's neither here are there. Let's go back to the questions because as you know, me, I tend to ramble.
So her other question was,
should I get a quilting focused machine, I think I've kind of answered that already. I personally do have a quilting focus to machine, I have the giannone m seven continental. It's a massive machine, it's got 13.5 inches of creative space, to the right of the needle, which is fabulous for domestic holding. You know, it's got aquafeed systems and kind of everything that I would need for quilting is built right into this machine. It does do some very basic embroidery stitches, but like they're pretty, they're pretty limited. And I would not say that I have the functionality on this machine by any means to do embroidery. But I just I never use embroidery. So I knew that if I wanted to put the money into something, this would be the better machine for me. It also does not have a free arm. Now a free arm is, you know, you take the little for most of your machines that you guys are using. They've got this little like compartment where you can put your bobbins and stuff and you could slide that out. And then your bed is kind of just just larger than your needle plate. And you can kind of put like a cuff of a sleeve all the way around. That's what a free arm is for garment sowers
need free arms
kind of all the time because they're selling garments. And so they're dealing with loops, they're dealing with arm holes and pant legs and waists and whatnot. And it makes it easier to have that free arm there. I don't again, because I'm a quilter through and through. So that wasn't a deterrent for me on my machine. But keep that in mind. If you do any of that kind of sewing, you'll want to make sure that you have a free arm. I think you really need to just look at yourself and be like what kind of sewing Am I really doing? Do I mend pants and such? Yeah, I do. You know, I've got three kids, I've got a husband who is rough on his clothes and also refuses to buy a new pair of jeans because it's his favorite pair. So I mean, I do I do it. However, it's not enough for me to have invested the kind of money that I would need to invest to get as quality a quilting machine as I can, while also including those additional modules. So not really a thing for me. So you really have to just look at yourself personally. Now let's talk about must have features on a sewing machine for quilting. So must have features. First and foremost is going to be the size of your creative space. If you plan on quilting, your quilt tops on your domestic machine, some of you are always going to send your quilt tops out to a long armor. So it's not really a huge ideal, because you're like I'm just piecing on this thing for good. But for those of you who are actually quilting, you want to look at the amount of inches of space you have between your needle and the arm of your machine. Mine is the largest one you can buy on the market today. It's 13 and a half inches. It's amazing. It's also a gargantuan machine. Now, many of the machines out there, especially the machines that you'll get at box stores, they typically have about between like five and six inches of space between the needle on the arm. I'm gonna say you're going to need more than that. I would say I would look for something that's got seven or eight inches at least, that would be kind of the minimum, if you're going to be quilting on your domestic machine, and you're still going to have, it's still going to be a little tight for you. Once you start getting to machines that are more focused on quoting is when you're going to find the larger space, that's where you're going to get your 910 11 inches to the right of your needle. And then obviously, some some machines have that 12 to 13 and a half range. I want to say the only ones that are that big though, are, like I said, my job no mi m seven continental. And I want to say the Bernina 770 q e, which is the Coulter's edition, those two machines have have the biggest space. They also have some hefty price tags Not gonna lie. But I mean that 6600 or 6700. This is off the top of my head, but I want to say they've got like eight inches, so they're not bad. And those are, you know, I think the 6600, you can get for like 1200 bucks. And the 6700 runs about 15 or 16. So not not too too much of an investment comparatively speaking. Now, so now that was our space between the needle and the free arm will also want the needle up and he rolled down positioning. Because if you are planning on free motion quilting, you'll want to be able to keep your needle down when you are in between, you know goes on your pedal. So once you you lift off every pedal, you want your needle to stop down, so it holds your piece in place. You'll also want to be able to drop your feed dogs, that really shouldn't be a huge issue, especially if you are looking to kind of upgrade your machine be very basic entry level machines are not going to allow you to drop your feed dogs.
But
most machines over $150 are going to allow you to drop your feed dogs, so that shouldn't be too much of a worry. But you will need those feed dogs to be able to drop in order to free motion quotes. And then a fantastic world, you have some sort of Accu feed or IDT, I'm thinking of junonia and fall off here, just because those are the two brands that I'm the most familiar with. But those are kind of like built in walking foot systems that just make your straight line quilting so much easier.
Also,
when you're getting a quilting machine, and this is should be pretty universal, but just kind of keep an eye out. If you're like down to the, you know, your last two models and one comes with and one comes without keep it in mind. What feet does the machine come with, if you're a quilter, and you're getting a quilting edition of a machine, it should come with a quarter inch foot and a walking foot. Now that might not be a big thing. And depending on the price tags, it still might not be a big thing. But some walking feet are gonna cost you know 100 $200 some presser feet are going to cost you 5060 $70 depending on the brand of the machine that you're getting. So you'll want to keep that in mind as well. Because while a machine might be like, well, they're exactly the same. And this one's $300 cheaper, it might not actually be cheaper once you get the presser feet that you need. So keep that in mind as well. I'm trying to think what else is like a must have item. I mean, I really like having a lock stitch. And I also like having automatic thread snips. But those are both more of a convenience than a necessity. I do think also, especially for a free motion culture having a visible bobbin case. So which 99.9% of the time means a top load bobbin is huge. Because one it's easier to get it in now it's just quicker. But to you're able to easily glance and see when your bobbin is getting low because there's nothing worse than going into a long straight of quilting of quilt stitches and then running out of a bobbin because it's just gonna it's not going to be quite the same. And even though nobody else will notice it, it will drive you nuts later on in the process. So that was a really long answer was like half the length of a normal episode for me. Sorry guys. But I hope that you really enjoy this and if you want to get a super thorough answer Like I just gave her Catherine L. Please go ahead and shoot me an email at Nicole at Nicole Gilbert quilts.com. And I cannot wait to answer those for you guys in the future. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Alright guys, let's talk about quote guilds. So we've chatted about quote girls before I did an earlier episode all about, quote community and one of my topics there was the quote guilds.
But in this episode, I really want to chat about what you can expect at a quote guild meeting,
or a so in. So for those of you that are unfamiliar, a quilt guild is a group of quilters that meet on a regular or semi regular basis to discuss quilting, to learn from one another to share the projects that you're doing. Basically, it's just like, it's like a good time. Really, I kind of think of it as like an old school like coffee klatch, but everyone's talking about quilting, or quilting, while you're there, or you know, all of the things. And it's a,
it's a good time, I
love it. Um, and it's really, it's a really good way to learn more about your local community. As far as quilting goes and fiber arts goes, it's a really great way to get some additional resources. And it's a really great way to learn. Because there's no better way to learn than from your peers in a casual environment,
truly. But I also know that it is hard to be the new kid, I am a military spouse, as many of you all know, and we move fairly frequently. And because of that, I'm super used to being the new kid, I have been a member of many guilds. And it's not because I hop around, and I'm like trying to find the right place. It's like, I moved again. And so now I have to join a new quilt Guild. So there's that. But it's so worth it really, really is. Let's talk about the structure of a guild meeting. So a typical guild meeting is probably,
I would say an hour is probably what it was initially designed to be, but it probably will run closer to two. And add a guild meeting, you'll discuss, you know, upcoming projects that your guild is going to be working on. So many quilt guilds have ongoing projects, like quilts of valor, or making pillowcases and toiletry kits for local shelters, or making, you know, kid friendly quilts to send to a children's hospital, some sort of act of service or charity, which is, I mean, it's always great. So they're discussing of that discussing of any upcoming retreats and whatnot, that that are going to be on the books, then there's usually some sort of program, somebody will come in either a fabric designer or a quilt design pattern designer, or somebody who has a new technique or new products. And they'll come and just share. They'll usually there's some sort of instruction that goes along with it, but it's pretty great. It really is. And you can learn so much. And you'd be amazed at the people that come to these guild meetings. People like high up in really big companies. I mean, I've sat at guild meetings just at my local Joe Schmo guild meeting, which is fat fabulous and had designers for moda fabrics and engineers from handiquilter. And, you know, world renowned, quote, pattern designers and, you know, authors of multiple books come and discuss quilting. And it's amazing to just sit and chat with them because usually, the presenters of the program will participate in the rest of your guild meeting. And so they'll be there chatting with you sharing stories, you know, if it's a meeting where you're actually bringing some of your sewing with the with you, they'll come and they'll, you know, assist you or I've even had where I've taught some of them and it's just it's great. It really is
great.
So you'll have some sort of program.
And then usually there are also a few add ons that are no matter what you're doing at your guild meeting going to occur there's usually an exchange table, people come anything that they're not going to be using anymore that they've cleaned out their their quote studio and are bringing all the extras will go on a table. And then it's kind of like a free for all. At my most recent guild meeting that I went to where we had one of those tables, I scored a few free patterns, a few books, and quite a few fat quarters and yardage of fabric. Because the thing is, I also left a bunch of stuff there. Because as your staff gets bigger and bigger, and as you hone in on your own personal
style,
there's gonna be stuff that's left over. And like just because I'm not going to use, it doesn't mean somebody else isn't going to use it. As a matter of fact, I know for a fact that all of the yardage and fabric quarters that I put on that table got taken, and there was actually so much left over, because there was just so much stuff. And that happens, every meeting, it's pretty great. Another thing is just games, which are so fun. We usually we play some version of left, right center, which is always a good time, everyone brings like, three fat quarters with them. And you have to pass to the left to the right, or into the center. And the last person standing with fat quarters gets to win all of the fat quarters, which is a pretty awesome boon. And it's just fun, it's just a good giggle. But all of that to just say there's so much that happens at a guild meeting. Now uh so in honestly, typically at a so in everything that happens at a guild meeting happens at a so in but so in usually is like an all day event. And you bring your sewing machine you bring a project with you typically bring something that's kind of that you're working on, but isn't going to be super space prohibitive, meaning like I wouldn't quilt a full size quilt at a sewing. But I would probably piece a quilt top, you know, and I wouldn't bring the whole everything I needed, I'd probably bring enough to make like five or six blocks. Because I mean, you are only there for you know, six hours. And you're going to eat and you're going to play games and you're going to chat. So kind of keep that kind of stuff in mind. Now, I was in a really interesting situation, because I recently joined a new quote guild and really, I joined this quote Guild,
or at least
attempted to join this book guild over a year ago. But the because we had moved to the area. And then the Rona came up the dang Runa. And they stopped meeting in person. And so I had put out a feeler at Judas, just go go to the next meeting. And then obviously, all the meetings were canceled. And they continue to meet via zoom. And for some reason, which is hilarious, because I mean, I teach how to quote online, you and I use zoom all the time. And I teach workshops via zoom in all of the things. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable, probably for the same reason that some of you feel uncomfortable joining a guild in the first place, like meeting new people and sitting in a Zoom Room with them. I was like, I'm never gonna like know, these people. I don't know. So I never went to the zoom meetings, but I was getting all the emails. I was included in all like the distro of information, but I never really participated. And then the first thing they did back once the state kind of opened up enough that we could actually meet in person was a so in,
which was kind of
I can understand it from the meet the like existing members point of view because they're like, we haven't gotten together and so long. Instead of doing a regular meeting, let's go all out, do a whole day event. Let's do it. And I was really nervous. But I was like I want to go, I want to go I want to be with other sowers with other cultures, I want to do the things. So that was actually the first time I hadn't met them in person. Now I had spoken to several of them via Facebook or email. Because like I said, I was on the distro lists and whatnot. So I had a vibe of what was going on. But that was gonna be my first time and I was kind of like Yikes, I've never jumped in, like both feet to a meeting to a quote guild in that in that sense with a full day event. And I'm so glad I did. Because with a so in. Yes, there is a structured portion and we did all the things that we would typically do at a normal guild meeting. But instead of a program, it was just all day sewing. And when I was nervous at first, I just set up my little sewing station, and I started sewing. And the great thing about quilters is where knows And we're curious. And so I sat there. And for those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I have an obsession with to the pink and by Annie bags, and so all of my travel equipment is in these various Bayani bags. And they would people were just coming to our table being like, Oh my gosh, what is this? Did
you make this?
What fabrics did you use? What
patterns did you use? Where did you buy your hardware? How did you know? And they're just asking questions, because they're genuinely genuinely curious. But it totally got me out of my shell. because it allowed for me to discuss what I do. On top of that, once I started actually sewing the project I was working on, people were stopping by asking, you know, what is that? What are you making it for? What fabrics are you using? And so then it gives me enough courage to then kind of wander around a little ask people about their sewing machine. So that just asking all the same questions that were being asked to me. And I noticed everybody was doing that. And it was by far the best way to get to know people. Cuz you know, everybody's curious. Everybody's polite, everybody's nice. And by halfway through the day, we're all sitting together, eating lunch joking around. And it's because we were all just sharing a commonality. And let me be clear,
I am 36
years old, which by no means is a spring chicken. And yet, in the quilting world, I'm often looked at as a very young woman. The members of this particular guild probably range in age from
30 to 80. Have a heavily on the latter end of that age scale.
However, there, there were younger women, they're of similar age to me as well. But we all love the same thing. And it was just so much fun. So I really, really, really want to encourage you, if you have not joined a quilt guild yet, look into it, do it, it really could change your whole quilting trajectory.
What you're into where you shop, I've learned so many, so much about like different stores in the area. I learned about different long armors in my area, I've been sending my quilts like
literally to Canada, because I found her and I love her and I'll probably still use her. However, I now know that there's a long farmer who lives 15 minutes away. And so if I'm in a pinch, or I really want something done quickly, I can also bring it to barber down the street. Kind of cool. And there's just so much that you learn so so many cool things. But if you aren't sure how to find your quilt guild
go to
modern quilt guild.com. They are a nationwide network of local quilt guilds. They tend to skew modern however, the Cuoco that I'm currently part of is a portion of the modern quilt Guild, and I will say that they do all sorts of quilting. The one thing I will notice that when you go through modern quilt Guild, you will tend to get some younger members. Again, very still traditionally age based, so please don't think oh, well, she said it's got to be younger quilters. This is going to be like the basic tricks guide to quality like not gonna happen. But you will have some younger ones available. And really, it's just the ease of finding a quote Guild, I guarantee there is a chapter of the modern quilt guild near you or semi near you. So modern quilt guild.com check it out. Okay, guys. You have just finished another episode of the stop scrolling start selling podcast. Thanks for hanging out with me and make sure you never miss an episode
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