FMQ - Queen size quilt?
11-22-2016, 06:45 PM
#12
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 1,526
Originally Posted by quiltlady1941
DJ.. I have FMQ a few king and queen size on my Brother VQ2400 it has a 11 inch throat space, this helps a lot.. I have done large quilts on my small throat machine before I bought the Brother and it worked out ok, I just went slow and squished the quilt instead of rolling it..just take your time and go slow and if you get tired rest for a while..hope you find where you want to go with FMQ, it can be a lot of fun to do..
11-22-2016, 09:06 PM
#13
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 61
I have good harp space on my Janome Horizon and have successfully FMQ'd a number of queen sized quilts on it. That said, I have since done several in sections and really like it. I separately layered backing, batting & top sections for each quarter of the quilt (4 sections for straight set blocks), 3 for a quilt with blocks set on point. So much easier to quilt these smaller sections before joining them and works especially well on quilts without borders. It is a fun way to utilize pieced backings as well. Instructions for quilting in sections (also QAYG) can be found in many how to quilt books but I best understood it from one of Marti Michell's books about scrap quilting.
11-23-2016, 04:40 AM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Boothbay Maine
Posts: 9,518
I think the hardest part of quilting a large quilt on a DSM is the weight of the quilt...if your machine is set into a cabinet and you can add a table or other surface to help support the weight of the quilt, you might have less struggle.
11-23-2016, 06:08 AM
#15
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: United States
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Originally Posted by bjchad
How difficult it is depends on the throat space and also what batting you are using. I have done a very large king using warm and natural batting on a machine with a 9.5 inch throat. A bit hairy in the center of the quilt but fine once I was out from the center a little. Supporting the quilt and having an extended table is part of the secret. You want as large a flat surface at the base of the needle as possible. For support, I work in a corner of the room, so the quilt can't slip off the left or back of my desk/table. I use my lap to support in front if there is more than will fit on the front of the table. It does take a bit of muscle to work a large quilt through the machine, so frequent breaks are a good idea.
11-23-2016, 06:08 AM
#16
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2,222
Originally Posted by DJ
Greetings!
In another thread quiltlady1941 commented on injuring herself while free motion quilting a queen size quilt. I didn't want to hijack her thread, and hope she heals quickly. It did, however, make me curious about how to do FRQing on that large a quilt on a domestic machine. I know one way would be to use a quilt-as-you-go method. Any other ideas? I have enough trouble managing to straight-line quilt something that large, so I don't know how I would manage to move it around for free motion.
Thanks for your comments.
In another thread quiltlady1941 commented on injuring herself while free motion quilting a queen size quilt. I didn't want to hijack her thread, and hope she heals quickly. It did, however, make me curious about how to do FRQing on that large a quilt on a domestic machine. I know one way would be to use a quilt-as-you-go method. Any other ideas? I have enough trouble managing to straight-line quilt something that large, so I don't know how I would manage to move it around for free motion.
Thanks for your comments.
11-23-2016, 06:25 AM
#17
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 1,472
I started doing FMQ on a machine with a 5" harp. It wasn't all that fun constantly trying to push/pull the quilt through that little hole. The dealership when I was buying my NX-2000, said my first machine was only for piecing. Now that I have a bigger harp area, I've been having so much fun with it!!! You can do the puddling or roll the half under the harp. Sometimes that seems to work better for me; other times I just squish. I always do my own quilting on DSM. Enjoy your FMQ adventure!!
11-23-2016, 07:35 AM
#18
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
I have quilted several queen size quilts on my domestic machine, even including a king size quilt. You do need to have the quilt supported on the side and back to take some stress off the quilt. Break the quilt down into sections, working from the middle to the edge, then reversing to the other side. I have a girl friend who does fantastic FMQ on her domestic machine, so you can too.
11-24-2016, 06:40 AM
#19
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Round Rock,Texas
Posts: 6,135
When quilting with a domestic/home machine, its important not to hunch your shoulders up and just relax your body. If possible have your machine down in a table so that it sits flat, much easier on your shoulders,neck and back. Have your chair at the correct height. I only quilt for 1/2 hour at a time and go do something else that requires different muscles. Leah Day has great youtube videos on machine quilting with a regular machine.
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