Originally Posted by
jeanharville
Stunning quilts and well deserved awards. Tell us what kind of DSM you use and how long it took you to get this skilled/talented. What secrets or tips do you have for the rest of us. I'm in awe of your accomplishment.
Thank you everyone for your congrats! I picked my quilts up today and even with the ribbons in my hand it just doesn't feel real.
Jean, I have a Janome Horizon and really, really love it. It's an all in one machine for my needs and those are hard to find. I started quilting in January of 2010 and at that time had recently purchased a little Walmart Brother that I first learned to FMQ on (so when folks say you can FMQ on any machine, that's the truth!). That's basically when I started any kind of sewing. My step mom had tried to teach me some sewing when I was little but I was scared of the machine and more interested in playing outside.
I've taught myself as I've gone along using the internet and books for help and direction. More than anything I've learned through my mistakes and experience.
I've always been a very artsy person though. I drew a lot as a child and have always had fine motor skill things come fairly easily to me. I guess that's my strong area because physical coordination and athletics were never anything I could master. Me dancing is a VERY sad sight.
I really don't think there's any secret or specific tips to FMQ'ing. You just have to jump in and practice, practice, practice. It's not what I like to hear, trust me, but I really don't know how else to get better at it. Do things outside your comfort zone because I've found my greatest skills when doing just that. I have immense amounts of improvement to do, and I admire the quilting of so many that have years and years of experience and I hope that with time and practice I will achieve their level someday.