Thinking about getting a longarm quilting machine? Congratulations!
Do you wonder what the longarm table extension is used for and why you might need it?
If you use a regular sewing machine for machine quilting it already has a bed to support the item you are working on.
With a longarm quilting machine there is only a small area where all the action takes place. The needle only goes up and down (never sideways), and since the design is created by moving the machine instead of the quilt, there are no feed dogs.
You can see in the photo below that the needle plate on a longarm has only that one small round hole for the needle to pass through and no feed dogs. (By the way, this is my Innova 22" longarm, which I dearly love!)
This is all the work area you have to pay attention to when doing freehand work like meandering scrolls, loops, pantographs or using a computer program to guide the machine.
This small sample quilt shows just how much area is supported when stitching. (These photos are just to demonstration the amount of support in the area around the hopping foot - a full quilt would be mounted in the frame and not sag that much on the sides.)
When you use rulers and templates, there is not enough flat area to support them properly and you can run into all sorts of problems. This is where the extended base table becomes an essential part of your machine.
Pop on your extended base table and look at all that support area now for your work!
And there you are! All ready to stitch-in-the-ditch, sew piano keys, crosshatch areas, and do all sorts of other designs with rulers and templates.
Have fun!
The template shown in the photos above is our new rotating Dahlia template. Videos of the Dahlia and all our other templates and pricing information for them can be found on our website www.TopAnchorQuilting.com.
Happy Stitching!
Betty
