Well, I had to decide which part gave me satisfaction, and which one made me feel like a long hard trip to the dentist. I chose to focus on the piecing and color arrangement & send my tops to a longarm quilter. It worked very well at the beginning, but as prices went up, and expendable income went down, I've made several quilt tops that are just sitting there. And, no, I am not saying that la quilters charge too much - some of them are magicians. I just don't have it right now.

I can't even imagine sending my quilts "out" - then they wouldn't be "my" quilts anymore. I'm still in the learning curve of FMQ but I don't hesitate to FMQ ALL my quilts on my DSM. These finished products are "all my effort" and granted, maybe a LA quilter might do more with them, but then it isn't "my" quilt anymore. Hang in there with your DSM. I've quilted 2 or 3 120" x 120" king size quilts on my DSM and each one becomes less effort and more fun. Hang in there!!

Give hand quilting a try. Don't worry about being a perfectionist. Your quilting will improve over time. It is well worth the effort.

This is something I'm working on also. Right now I'm quilting a double size quilt on my 830. The quilting isn't fancy - just an overall meander but you have to start somewhere! The quilt is a log cabin and for a child so it doesn't require fancy quilting. I hope to practice on various quilts and work on my skill set. Like everything it takes a lot of practice!

I still consider myself a "confident beginner" when it comes to the quilting part. First of all, forget the perfectionism. Nothing is perfect in this universe unless you believe in a divinity, so just let that go and play! Here is some quilting I did last year, and it was done on my Janome 9000 - more than 10 years old. It is not perfect, but I really enjoyed the process and have it hanging over my couch. Practice on a junk sandwich or other bits, and just DO IT! Squiggles are easy.[ATTACH=CONFIG]402121[/ATTACH]

I am content with just sending my tops to the LAQ. Of course it isn't entirely my work, but I am quite happy with the results. I do my own binding. FMQ is on my list of things to learn. My DH has promised to build me a custom sewing table, then I will have no more excuses.

I dont have a long arm, don't plan to get one, I do make quilts and enjoy it. It takes a little more ingenuity to quilt on a home sewing machine, I use a blend of several methods out there for quilting as I go, not a block at a time. I find I can easily manage about 30 to 40 inches of width when freemotion quilting with no problem, so I plan my quilts to break at these places and use a little more batting and backing than if I were doing it all at oncel It seems that vertical strips work best for me so I study and if need be modify the directions for the quilt. I have made King size quilts up to 116 inches square (thick mattresses) with no problems.
Pat

If you can't afford your own longarm, DSM's work well or see if the LQS has a LA to rent (you will most likely have to take a class first). I tried a DSM and couldn't get the coordination down, but there are many professional quilters (Diane Gaudynski, Sharon Schamber, Sue Rasmussen) who use a DSM and create beautiful quilts. My old LQS (we've moved) gave classes and rented their Gammill on an hourly basis and still do. I was fortunate to have space and a budget for a LA when we moved, but like I said there are many people who use a DSM and do a wonderful job.

There are a lot of stencils and other products that can give you more variety for DSM quilting. I also admire handquilters, but my hands don't like it. I took a class and did okay, but my hands complained after a while.

There is a learning curve for any quilting, be it by hand, DSM, or LA.

I used to hate it so much and felt like I wasn't a real quilter. I didn't even quilt my first few because it just screwed them up. Even SITD. The reason for all this practice talk because at some point, you WILL (as we all do) turn a corner and get better. As that happens the process becomes less frustrating and more enjoyable, especially when you learn to embrace your mistakes and go with the flow.

I do my quilting on my old 1946 Singer 15 or 1951 15! Love them! I have been told I am a type A personality(not typical however),which I found hard to believe. Anyhow, I totally dislike the SID technique, that is the hardest of them all in my HO.
Now, here is my best advice on FM.
1.get a pair of cotton garden gloves (you can get a pair at dollar store, with nubbies on them for a dollar), cut the finger tips out, this will allows you to move the material easy and rethread and change the bobbin without taking your gloves off constantly.
2. Buy some felt, lots of it, not costly and practice on that
3. Use a needle size 16
4. Think of puzzle pieces while work, This puts the image in your head.
5. Then just practice, nice steady speed, not to fast. use your start button on machine if you have one, that will keep you speed even for you. makes it so much easier.
6. Practice some more, at some point it will just click!
7. Oh and don't forget to puddle, not roll.


FYIO- I don't have any desire for a longarm at all, I don't want someone else finishing what I started, but that is just part of my personality.