crocee

Does the type of batting make a difference?
I trying to learn this technique and am really having trouble. I thought maybe it was the batting. I've no idea what kind it but its a high loft and probably an inch or more thick. Its just some scrap batting I found in some stuff I inherited from my mother. I'm using a 6" sandwich pin basted around the edges and a metal darning foot for my Necchi 4795 machine. I set the stitch width to 0 and dropped the feed dogs. I also loosened the presser foot pressure all the way up. The fabric just won't slide. I have to basically grip the sides of the sandwich to move it around. I don't have a supreme slider, the bed of the machine feels slippery if I move the sandwich across with the presser foot up but grabby when its down. This is definitely not as easy as the beginner videos make it out to be.

Tartan

The thickness of the batt and the size of your sample are the problem. 6 inches is pretty small to be able to move it well. I use Hobbs 80/20 batt which is about 1/4 inch thick and an 18 inch sandwich for practice. I also use it more than once with a different coloured thread in in the needle for each design.

Prism99

What Tartan wrote ....

crocee

Thank you. I will search around in the stash to see if I can find something thinner in the batting department and larger in the fabric. I really want to learn this and was super excited when I found that the machine came with the foot.

ManiacQuilter2

Usually a cotton batting is used when quilting a quilt on a domestic sewing machine. When a quilter uses a high loft batting, they usually plan to tie the quilt. Your sample is probably not moving thru the free motion process because it is TOO fat. If you are close to a JAF, there is a variety of cotton batting to select. I would make a sample to practice on being no smaller than 12 inches to be able to move it thru the process. Good Luck.

irishrose

IMO, you don't have to use cotton, but your high loft batting sounds too thick to maneuver easily. Did you find any craft felt in the stash? That would do to use as practice batting as long as you aren't trying to make a finished product. I've used mid loft poly and a nice soft cotton/poly a lot.

crocee

I found a piece of flannel sheet that I had used for a tied quilt and used that. It went under the foot much easier but it was still hard to move around. Somewhere I have a can of silicone spray that I'm thinking about trying on the bed of the machine. Hopefully I will get this part mastered soon.

Rodney

Try furniture wax or car wax instead. I wouldn't be comfortable with the silicone spray on my machine.
Rodney

crocee

The only furniture polish I have is Pledge, would that be OK? If not I may see if the neighbor kids have some.

Prism99

Pledge should be okay, but the silicone spray is probably fine to use also. Here is a link that may help:
http://forum.missouriquiltco.com/qui...-quilting.html