Product Review: Pat LaPierre's Supreme Free Motion Slider

I love to free motion.  Sure, I'm not the best free motion-er that has ever stepped up to a machine, but I do all right and it's fun.  One of the issues I have is space (no room for a long arm!) so I use my domestic machine.  I generally hire a professional long-armer for my bigger quilts, but every now and then I find I have to do one myself.  I don't have a huge amount of space in the throat of my machine though it's pretty decent, so in between battling a small table not supporting a large quilt very well and a smallish machine throat, I am always down to try whatever tricks and products that allegedly make to process easier. 

So awhile back a customer of ours told me about Pat LaPierre's Supreme Free Motion Slider, which is supposed to make free motion quilting soooo much easier.  So I bought one and tried it. 

Specs

• 8.5" x 11" (ish)
• Silicone sheet with hole in the center and a repositionable, self-adhesive backing
• "Regular," Queen, and King sizes
• Cost: I think I got mine for $30ish, but prices vary between $23 and $30 depending on the vendor.  

Pros

• The slick surface truly does make a difference...the quilt moves SO nicely and with less resistance
• The sheet covers your feed dogs, but not your needle hole so there is also less snagging if there is bare batting on the edges beyond the backing
• The backing keeps its stick after cleaning
• If you keep the packaging, it is a great place to store it when not in use to keep it clean
• Adhesive leaves no residue.  

Cons

• The back does get linty and requires cleaning after a couple uses.
• Even with the stick, it isn't fail safe - if you aren't attentive, it can and does shift especially with larger quilts which may accidentally snag a corner and lift it while you're heaving it around into the different positions you need it in.  
• If you don't get it stuck down properly - either there are air bubbles preventing a complete seal, or if it is too linty - it will move on you (which isn't always noticeable) and get stitched onto your backing. QUICK, ASK ME HOW I KNOW.  
• If you stitch through it, and try to remove it, it is VERY easily torn and ruined.  AGAIN, ASK ME HOW I KNOW.  

Conclusion

★★★✩✩

That it loses its stick so quickly and requires cleaning just about every time you use it is a turn off due to the consequences of losing that stick.  I have ruined two of these because I didn't feel it slip out of place on large quilts, and I do try to be very attentive of what the quilt is doing and check the sheet frequently for seal.  This seems to be less an issue with smaller quilts and wall hangings, but it is enough have made me stop using it on large quilts...which is where the benefit really is.  If something happens to my current one, I probably will not bother to replace it.