Originally Posted by diannemc
I still have my cowboy quilt hanging on the wall waiting to be quilted.. I want to try free motion but just to scared..I have practiced and practiced but to scared to jump in and do something so big! Do you start square in the middle or in the middle on the edge?
I notice that some people are suggesting that you start in the middle of your quilt for FMQ. My advice is differently accented:
For hand quilting, I always start in the middle and work outwardly. For FMQ I start on the outside and work all the way around the outside edge before working gradually into the middle. I don't have puckers. A few anchoring lines are handy on a big quilt so that you don't have twisting or distortions. In this case, I will stitch in the ditch in a few places to keep the thing square. If it is noticeable, or doesn't enhance the design, this stitching can be easily removed if you use a longer, basting stitch. If I intend to remove it, I use a really wild colour such as lime green or orange, so that it is easily spotted. Another trick is to baste it with dissolving thread in the top spool and cheap cotton in the bobbin. When you wash it, the basting stitches will fall out.