Quilting Gadget Review: Free-Motion SLIDER
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How many times have you tried your hand machine-quilting, only to become frustrated and lay it aside to try another day? Or how many times have you been in the midst of machine-quilting and thought that there had to be something that would make it easier? |
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If you have been in either of the above situations, then read on! This gadget is one that I purchased several years ago, but thought worthy enough to review. This gadget, the "Free-Motion SLIDER™", was developed by a national, award-winning quilter, Pat LaPierre to make the process of machine-quilting more fun and much easier. Pat did just that. The "Free-Motion SLIDER" is made from a pure Teflon® sheet and helps make the dreaded drag on your sewing machine disappear. The SLIDER allows your quilt to glide over the surface of your machine with zero friction, making it easier to negotiate the machine-quilting process. Using this cool tool is a snap! The SLIDER is easily attached to the bed of your sewing machine, as shown in the photograph above, using ordinary tape. Merely tape down the four (4) corners of the SLIDER (aligning the pre-punched hole in the SLIDER with the needle opening on the machine), attach the darning or free-motion foot, pull the bobbin thread up through the hole, and you are ready to go! The SLIDER can be used with or without lowering the feed dogs. I found it more helpful to lower them. When I first purchased this gadget, I was skeptical as to its true effectiveness in aiding with the drag factor. At the time, I was not an experienced machine-quilter and I needed all the help I could get! I tried it and found that machine-quilting was easier than I had thought it would be, so I decided to save a few minutes and not use the SLIDER the next time I sat down at my machine. BIG mistake. I would never have guessed that such a little, inexpensive gadget could improve the quality of my machine-quilting! The SLIDER can also be customized to fit your sewing machine’s bed, by cutting it to fit with an ordinary pair of scissors. The SLIDER is also reusable, time and time again. It does need to have the tape removed after each use and stored flat, however. The SLIDER retails for $19.95 and is definitely worth the investment, in my opinion. Especially if you are wanting to try machine-quilting for the first time, new to machine-quilting (with very little experience), or whether you are an old hand at machine-quilting and simply need something to make it faster and easier. A newer version of the SLIDER is also now available, the "Supreme Glider®". The main difference to this version is that it has a new self-sticking surface on the bottom side, eliminating the need for tape. It retails for $27.95. If this article has sparked an interest in you, then this tool would be a good investment. Bring Pat’s SLIDER into your home and make machine-quilting more fun and easy! Pat offers secure online shopping and accepts major credit cards. Please feel free to leave your comments, especially if you have used this tool or if you plan on purchasing it! |
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Quilting By Design Site Map.Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.
quilting, quilts, free-motion slider, slider, free-motion quilting, free motion quilting, machine-quilting, machine quilting, Pat LaPierre
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April 30th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Thanks for the great review, Terry. I have a longarm quilting machine that is great for medium- to large-scale projects, but this would be great for small-scale projects. At the moment, I don’t even attempt free-motion quilting on my table-top machine… I have tried and failed miserably. I just might have to get one of these for myself and give it another try. Thanks!
May 1st, 2007 at 1:14 am
Great review! I tried it and just found it a bit annoying…but then I tend to find gadgets a little annoying LOL I am just learning freemotion and am feeling okay without it…but I did try it! It is a great idea and your review is great!
May 1st, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Thanks for the review, Terry. I second your opinion on this project. My free motion quilting with my regular machine got so much better after buying this product. It made the difference between dreading the quilting part of my quilt and looking forward to that part.
Keep up the good work.
Judy
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:08 am
Very interesting! I have not tried free motion quilting. First, I don’t have a machine that drops the feed dogs and thought this type of quilting would be impossible for me. Your review has definitely peaked my interest in trying this product out. Thanks.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:13 am
I have been wondering if this product was really any help in machine quilting. I am just learning and had a very hard time with my first bigger than a placemat size quilt.
I think I will be giving this product a try. Thanks for the review!
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I discovered this product because I was new at machine-quilting and it was not up to what I considered “acceptable” (anyone know what I mean by that?). I figured that if this little gadget could improve my quilting, it was worth it. I wasn’t disappointed!