Thread: Very first time attempting machine quilting on regular sewing machine.

Originally Posted by Luv2quilt49

Do I need a special "quilting foot"? Don't want to ruin quilt. Afraid layers will shift. Spray basting already coming loose.

Around the edges? Safety pin the edges to keep the edges in place. If more is coming loose than just the edges, you may want to add safety pins throughout the body of the quilt. Just be careful and remove pins as you quilt. I ruined an expensive walking foot when a safety pin got caught by the foot; didn't notice until it was too late -- the spring in the foot was already pulled out of whack.

For a first-time quilter, the easiest thing to do is to use a walking foot (helps keep the layers from shifting) and quilt wavy lines. This is ***much, much, much*** easier than trying to do straight lines or stitch-in-the ditch and any "mistakes" simply aren't mistakes. With a walking foot you sew with the feed dogs up (normal) and presser foot down (normal). Start at one edge of the quilt and sew across to the other edge, using your hands to gently guide the quilt left and right to make large, soft, wavy lines. Here are some photos of what it looks like when you are done:
http://sewsweetness.com/2011/09/back...and-other.html (wavy or organic quilting)
http://handmadewhimzy.blogspot.com/2...oss-quilt.html

I spray baste and then safety pins just to make sure the spay worked...check & double check I guess. I am still in the learning process so it's SID for me
Jeri

Originally Posted by Luv2quilt49

Do I need a special "quilting foot"? Don't want to ruin quilt. Afraid layers will shift. Spray basting already coming loose.

There are a couple of fantastic classes on Craftsy by Ann Pederson about quilting on a DSM. She shows how to work on large quilts, how to set them up, STITD, doing borders, etc and also has you start on practice sandwiches. Really fantastic classes that I still go back to on occasion and always hear/see something that I missed before. And the classes are all on sale right now.

I do all my quilting now on a regular machine..so I can sit ..after many mistakes getting it right..have learned..always..baste .with all the movement it takes if it is a big quilt..things shift..also if u feel confident use a free motion foot ..such as a darning foot..if not a walking foot is best..a normal foot will push your material as u sew..which at times cause those awful pukers we all hate..

When I first started quilting I started with a walking foot to get comfortable with the quilting process and still have success. It was a good plan for me. When I started FMQ I tried it on a small baby quilt and made sure the thread blended in well to hide any flaws (and yes there were some of course). I always get warmed up on a small practice piece even now that I have done quite a few quilts with FMQ on my DSM. In the case of FMQ practice, practice, practice! Good luck!

I re beer my first FMQ. It was 45x60 and spray basted. Before that, I was a top maker because sewing or pin basting was awful. I had bought a can of basting at a quilt show which sat on a shelf for a few months. Then I went to a class for FMCG. I forget her name but her book was quilt as desired. As it turned out, my machine was not able to do FMQ. The shop owner let me use a babylock decorators choice which I loved and bought that day--it was $700.00 and had features I never knew about, needle down thread cutter and needle threaders. I was so nervous starting out but I was aiming for a meandering design which turned into angular lines and names of siblings and parents, this was for a GGS.
it tuned out well and is well loved. A week after it was finished, I fell at Walmart and broke my wrist. Quilting put on hold but I continued. If your quilt is large, I suggest starting on a smaller piece. You won't be as apprehensive. Good luck.

I use a walking foot or a darning foot when I quilt. But I do agree, it takes lots and lots of practice.

Spray basting works best on cotton batting. It does not stick well to poly batting. I have used it with no problems on full-size quilts, as long as batting was cotton. Craftsy has excellent classes on assembling quilts and using different types of assembly (spray, pins, etc.). Would highly recommend them, and they are on sale right now for about $20 a class.