The Princess has arrived!!
 

My new Tiara is here!! Now to learn to free motion quilt. I have practice packets made and I am practicing. So far I'm awful!! But I am confident I will get better!! Any tips for a new learner??

Google Leah Day and watch her first tutorial. It shows first movements. I've been watching her a lot. I have a longarm, but only used boards with the design carved into them. I've not tried freehand.

Keep practicing and do more practicing! It will come, don't be too hard on yourself. We all started at the beginning!!

Ooooh ... I test drove the Tiara and her cousin the Sweet 16 last week at the quilt show. LOVED them!!! WANT one!! I love the idea of quilting like it's a domestic machine but having all that SPACE.

I see that you got the stitch regulator with it. I tried it, but didn't like it. Just me. I had more confidence by adjusting the speed control on the machine ... I even brought it down to 25% and started micro-stippling :) SO much fun!!

I can only suggest to keep practicing. Free motion doesn't come over night. Start with patterns where you *know* where you are going ... for example writing your name (because you already have that muscle memory - and a lot of FMQ is about muscle memory). Practice that in several sizes, and other words as well. Then use the empty space between all the words to fill in other patterns - stippling, shells, zig-zag, loop-de-loops - etc. Suggest getting used to free-form patterns first (stippling, loop-de-loops) where the direction doesn't make a difference, then move on to the patterns that are more directional (shells, wavy lines etc).

I've been FMQ'ing for about 5 years - I still consider myself *new* and I STILL practice. I practice before every single quilt using the same thread to get the muscle memory for the pattern and to make sure the tension is correct (and the thread color choice looks good).

Don't touch the quilt until you feel comfortable.

Lastly ... two very simple suggestions ... relax and BREATH. I still catch myself forgetting to breath every now and then (seriously! and from what I understand it's common!)

Wow!! Thanks so much!! Just what I'm looking for!! I practice all the time using skitch on my iPad. Stippling is getting easier --now to transfer to practice piece .. Haven't quite figured out the stitch regulator. But then I've only had it about an hour!! Lol. I'll try my name tomorrow!! There's so much I want to try! Overwhelmed for sure!!

Keep us posted as you progress. Love the set up you have. That is on my wish list:)

How exciting for you!!
I was just looking at the Sweet 16 online yesterday and see this is very similar.
DogHouseMom referred to them as being cousins, yet, I can't find it on the Sweet16 site.
So is it a HQ? or something else?

Suggestions? I really don't have much for you, other than .... practice, practice, practice.
Since I got my Janome 6600 I have come to enjoy FMQ, and am seeing my progress with that praftice!!! Something I never thought I would want to do, and now I want more throat space to make it enjoyable and not feel like I am fighting to shove the fabric thru.

I wish you well for taking the step that I would hope to do, sometime!

Tiara is made by Baby Lock. It looks like a fabulous machine. I am going to have to search that one and see what the pricing is like!

Thanks Quilterella ... It sure looks like a clone for the HQ Sweet 16 ... wonder if they are exactly the same and just relabelled? And whom really makes it?

My LQS is doing demos on this machine now, i am trying not to even look as i just bought a Baby Lock Ellisimo Gold machine last month but it is nice to dream