Tension is Key

I spent several days in Houston at the International Quilt Festival. I had a wonderful time chatting with old friends, new friends, Handi Quilter owners, and those thinking about joining the Handi Quilter family of owners. During my flight home I thought about all the wonderful conversations I had during the week and something stood out to me. Of those Handi Quilter owners who visited, many had specific questions about tension. We all know good tension is key to good quilting results.

There are so many resources to help you with learning how to tension all the yummy threads we have to work with.

Your HQ Retailer

I would first send you to your local retailer who supports you and your machine. They are a wealth of knowledge and will be happy to help you. Another excuse to go to the quilt shop? You’re welcome! 🙂

YouTube

Sometimes, (at 2 am and you are trying to finish a quilt), a little on-line help is preferred over in-person help.

Go to the Handi Quilter YouTube channel and search for tension. There are lots of videos to choose from. A favorite is TNT: Threads Needles and Tension.

HQ’s Website

Whenever you have a question about your Handi Quilter machine you can access the information available on the website. Click the SUPPORT tab to find topics of interest. This page is all about setting tension.

Under the EDUCATION tab on the main handiquilter.com page click on the free downloads page. There you will find printable PDF resources. Go to the website to download the PDFs below. I’m showing them here as an example.

Your Handi Quilter Group on Facebook

If you haven’t joined the Handi Quilter Facebook group, do it TODAY. It is a wonderful community of quilters who share questions and help and quilts and accomplishments and struggles. If you post a question, you are likely to get many helpful answers from experienced quilters.

To join, sign in to your Facebook account and go to this page. Answer the 3 membership questions to be admitted. We try to keep this group a safe and positive place to discuss all things longarm quilting. Be sure to read the rules for participation and be kind.

Tension is Key

Once you master tension you will wonder what the struggle was all about. It’s a new skill, so give yourself grace and put in the practice time. I know you’ll get it. And you’ll understand why tension is key.

by Mary Beth Krapil