Dolphyngyrl

Lots of craftsy, A quilt show class with patsy thompson, she is awesome by the way, and lots of practice, slowing the machine down, and proper tools

Bree123

YouTube

Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project & Heather Thomas' 4-part series for beginning FMQ. And then just lots of patient practice!

kindleaddict63

Agree with Bree.....Leah Day and youtube

katydidkg

I taught myself to FMQ on practice squares of muslin ( layered with batting). Also, I FMQ on table runners and candle mats. It takes practice but learned quickly. I love my Bernina with Bernina Stitch Regulator for fmq .

auntnana

As a lady in my church used to say of the choir, "You practice and I'll pray". My only advice is to do it the best way for you. Don't get caught up in what some say you MUST do and CANNOT do. There are some absolutely fabulous tutorials but don't get discouraged if it isn't working for you right away. Try a different approach. Doodling the pattern and dropping the feed dogs never worked for me but others have absolute success with them. As others have said practicing on muslin sandwiches is a great trainer!! Just stick with it and keep trying until you find the right 'rhythm' for you.

sprice

I tend to think of FMQ as being like driving and turning the steering wheel. Moving the fabric faster on tight curves. I also use my elbow to turn the outer portion of the quilt as I go. If the quilt gets stuck on the table edge, you can't keep up a smooth motion so you do have to keep repositioning the bulk. I never used a pattern for stippling. Just make it up as I go along. Have used a simple drawing on tissue paper to make a figure or write a name.

ManiacQuilter2

Yes, it is a lot of practicing. But what you want to be able to do is move the fabric at the same rate of speed the machine does and be able to know when you are at that speed. That way you get even consistent stitches. I can hear when my Bernina is at a certain speed and since I am familiar with the rate of movement the machine moves the fabric, I am able to FMQ. You may find it easier to follow a line without having to think which way you are going to have to move the fabric. Just one less thing to think about until your skills improve. Good Luck. Find a local shelter and make some quilts for dogs to sleep on. They won't be too critical of your stitch length.

Onebyone

I took two classes for fmq from two of the best some years ago. Sharon Schamber and Diane Gaudynski. After learning the basics and how tos, it was practice, practice and more practice. I fmq all my quilts on a Brother 1500 or use a walking foot for geometric shapes. I'm happy with my machine quilting and that was my goal.

kathiet

Thank you...your system is encouraging.

mike'sgirl

I will reiterate looking into Leah Day. She does beautiful work and she will teach you lots of things concerning all aspects of quilting.