This topic has come up before...and we have watched some...90% of the time to no avail when it comes to longarming, our experience. So it has come up again on one of the Yahoo Groups we follow so here is our response that we posted on Yahoo. We thought it needed to be shared on the blog also. Will more than likely link on Facebook too. In our case just an opinion we want to share. I'm sure there are training videos on sword swallowing...not going to make me a sword swallowing guru. I'll bet it would take doing it to get efficient.
Our Response:
We are going to be the devil's advocates here. More me, Les, than Elaine, because where she has quilted a dozen, I've quilted a 100. And being the male of the species, "I don't need no stinking instructions."
I have tried to watch
several training videos. And though I find the quality of the ABM videos to be
good many others were found to be poorly done and incomplete. Seems like one or
two things are always out of whack; poor lighting or poor sound for the lesson
I was trying to learn. In my case, not being a quilter and having never sewed a
stitch, they all miss the simple things. There was one on tension that was
pretty good, but only provided general knowledge and not knowledge specific to
Innova. I want to learn 'feathers/free motion.' I've watched a couple of videos
and the 'instructor' says stuff like, "Just get the feel for the motion
and go with it." If I had the feel for the motion I wouldn't need to be
watching your video. I bought a book and will be lining up the practice
quilts.
Rene does some pretty
good stuff...but if you can't figure out how to use Red Snappers you’re going
to have a lot of trouble. Probably one of the greatest and simplest inventions
ever associated with longarming. But hey that's just me. I'm sure for some
zippers work good...I don't sew. i.longarm and you have to sew on zippers.
I'm afraid, even as
frustrated as I have gotten, I find it best to learn via doing. Trial and
error. Jack the Seam Ripper at hand. Practice Sandwiches at the ready. Adjust
this, adjust that, use this, remove that, tilt this, lean that. It has been the
mistakes that I have made that provided the lessons learned.
I've had crooked
patterns on the screen. I've had crooked patterns on the quilt. Patterns that
load and patterns that don't. I've had the machine just stop. I've had neither
the white button nor the green button operate in mid quilt. I've had PantoV
freeze up in mid quilt. Do you know about "X" and "Y" Axis
and the little black wheels? I certainly do as they have been a real pain in
the butt since initial install. They are almost dependable now...not quit yet
but almost. Have you ever adjusted yours...I have, several times. Have you ever
calibrated your grid...don't ask...too complicated.
My point...this is not
what is covered in Training Videos...everything in Training Videos works
perfectly...as well as the one being videoed. That's not reality. You want to
learn about the PantoVision connected to your machine...load a practice
sandwich and quilt and quilt and quilt. Feeling a little more confident...do
some 'charity' quilts.
You want some
training...find a way to get to a hands on class. We drove for four hours and
stayed overnight for our two day class. Hopefully with other users that have
had problems and can share what they did do correct them. Start an Innova
Bee...meet at your or another Innova owners house/studio and do hands on,
sharing and learning.
So I'm not a fan of
training videos...with that said I am well aware we are all different. There
may be some that can learn this way...neither of us can. We need to do to
learn. I couldn't thread the machine when we started, or the bobbin winder. And
the needle, well that's a whole other story. I threaded both at least a dozen
times before I loaded a practice quilt or a bobbin. I couldn't follow a
straight line on Panto to save my butt...I think my first 4 or 5 quilts were
"Meander." I can't tell you how many times I heard 'Just follow the
line." Well I'm here to tell you I never follow the line. I follow the
pattern, the little red "+" may be in the vicinity of the line...but
the moment I try to follow the line...well it appears I'm still
meandering.
Good luck with whatever
learning process you choose. I just know this...I learned to drive by driving,
shoot, by shooting, cook, by cooking and well...longarming by longarming. I
finished what many would call a 'complex' pattern yesterday, on a 60" X
80" quilt. It took almost three hours, the seam ripper never came out, my
transitions when changing bobbins were smooth and without a whole heck of a lot
of effort; undetectable, there were no 'birds nests' and the piecer was
extremely satisfied with the longarming and said something that makes my heart
smile. "You complimented my quilt."
There is an event coming
to our area in February. Birds of a Feather (virginialongarm.com) I have been
ask to preside over the class and provide some instruction on PantoVision. I
was honored to say the least...more than that...it is a hands on class with other
Innova users. For all of those involved, including lucky me...another
opportunity to learn about something we all do...longarm quilts using
PantoVision...I'm excited to say the least for another opportunity to learn
while doing.
ABM has researched,
developed and manufactured what we feel is the absolute best machine available
to a longarm quilter...the best. They have provided some good quality videos to
cover the basics and when you pick up the phone, 24/7 you get a human response,
something disappearing in customer service worldwide. We feel they have put the
ball in our court and it is time for us to make the effort to move forward. In
this case forward involves longarming and if we are watching another training
video we aren't longarming. But hey that's just us.
Les and Elaine Page
Virginia Beach, VA
www.wequilttogether.blogspot.com
We Quilt on Facebook
Quilt of Valor State and
Guild Coordinators
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