walmart Again????????????
 

Learning to fmq has been a real struggle for me, but haven't given up. today I went to local walmart to see if I co uldfind a teflon oven liner,They had one,so I'm going to use double sided sticky tape to hold it in place. I checked on-line for one it would have been close to $20 with postage and taxes, this one came to a little over $11 sure hope it works, one thing tho it is black, not the prettiest color but I can live with that.I practiced some this morning and it seems to be getting easier, guess every sewing machine has its quirks and I may have a few of my own. LOL

Hey let me know how it works. I finally bought a free motion foot but have yet to try FMQ. I'm a little nervous.

I am also interested to see how it works - please post pictures - lots of pics -good luck

thanks for the great suggestion.

Im confused..... What does an oven liner and fmq have in common? Im new to the whole quilting thing so when you all are done laughing at my innocence( LOL) I really want to know. Thanks

Patiese1, the oven liner makes it slicker so it slides under the foot and on top of the machine bed easier so you get the free motion better, hope that helps a bit.

I recently took a machine quilting class. The teacher said you could use Tacky Finger (which is glicerin). You could also use gloves (like garden gloves), just cut the finger tips off. The main thing is whatever feels best for you, use it. Their are also rubber finger tips that can be purchased at an office supply store. Hope this helps

MarthaAtha
Lawrenceville, Georgia

I tried the thing with gloves and my hands were wringing wet after about 15 min, so i got some rubber gloves and used just the fingers, that didnt work for me eather, I think this just a process where each of us has to work through this stuff to get where we are comfortable.

I have tried all the gloves, gardening, rubber tips, rubber gloves, rubber glove finger tips (cut from the gloves) Fons & Porter gloves, but I like Machingers the best. I used the supreme slider for a while and then forgot to put it on the machine and didn't notice a difference with the fmq. I think the best advice I've gotten is to practice, practice, practice, and then practice more. I'm still making progress.

Thanks for the info. I was a little confused as well, as I'm also trying to do fmq...

Google Super Slider. I LOVE mine. It's white and not hard on the eyes. Not worth it to me to mess with kitchen tools to save a couple of dollars.

Thanks for all the information. Keep us posted on your progress

I just use the extension table that came with my babylock Jane. I use any kind of gloves with rubber nubs, they all work for me. I make quilts all year long and gloves don't get too hot. I have a fan blowing on me in the summer.

I do have to say that the machine makes a big difference as well. I oringinally did FMQ on my Bernina 1280 and I was never very happy with the results - thought it was my machine but I tried my mom's Berninas as well and same level of quality.
I got a mid arm Baby Lok Quilter's Pro 2 years ago and the difference is just amazing - much easier to do FMQ and with by far better results. Maybe because the Bernina is basically for fashion sewing and my Baby Lok is a true quilter's machine? Is a mystery.....

Thank you for that information. I'm going to try the Machingers.

I have about 1/2 doz gloves but the machingers also worked for me. You also eneed to get up and stretch when doing FMQ you can cause damage to shoulders.

Christmas Tree Store also sells oven liners......cheap

It has been my experience that speed also helps, and the gloves works, do like the Machingers the best....have also used, with some success, a Magic Eraser - cut in half.....what you need with free motion quilter is traction control, which is why you drop the feed dogs. You need to move the quilt under the needle. I have been using just car wax on the working surface of my machine and surround and that has worked very well, but the major secret is traction on the quilt to keep it moving.....there is also a large C shaped device to move your quilt, have one, have used it, but found the ring was always in the wrong place.....

I use SortQwik or Tacky Finger. It is not expensive and available in any office supply store. This is Not the same as the oven liner or supreme slider. Rub SortQwik or Tacky Finger into your fingertips (I do the palm of my hands also) and you will have a better grip on your fabric - and it makes your hands feel great.

Place the oven liner or supreme slider on the bed of your machine and the table around the needle area and the quilt will slide easier over those surfaces. I bought the oven liner and decided it was too slick.

By all means, try everything available until you find what works best for you.

For those wondering if the teflon oven liner from Wal-Mart works (Mainstay brand) - Yes!! I picked up a sheet of it yesterday. Put some of the rubberized shelf liner on the underside (so it doesn't slide around on my table), cut out a small space for the needle. Got the idea from this board yesterday (believe the original poster had purchased her liner from Bed, Bath and Beyond - it was $19.99 there, the sheet I got from Wal-Mart was $10).

I was not going to be able to FMQ on this new sewing table because I couldn't move my quilt around with ease (I do use machingers). Difference after laying down the teflon liner was night and day. Made me a very happy camper. :p

I found I had better luck using a piece of heavy vinyl rather than the oven liner. It seems to stay in place better-maybe because of the weight?
I will try a piece of shelf liner under it to see if that will hold it in place better than the tape I was using. Thanks for the idea.

The original poster of this idea (at least in the thread I discovered this in) - indicated she used double-sided tape to tape the shelf liner underneath the teflon liner. That is what I did. However, I am not sure the tape will stick long term. As the teflon liner is non-stick - I would imagine this is why. If the tape doesn't work, I will end up using little dabs of hot glue or some other type of glue (not sure what yet). But my quilt just glided over the surface, it was wonderful!

Thanks so much of the tip, I will have to try it.

I have the Slider and it works for me. I like how it sticks to my machine extension bed without tape. I do use a piece of painter tape on one end just in case the quilt does move it into the needle. I can rinse it off if it gets threads and lint attached to the underside, and it does. It revives the stick.