Quilting Passion Gadget Review

13 May 2007 03:13 PM

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?

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.

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