Originally Posted by
JulieR
Sounds like you're taking to FMQ like a duck to water! The more you stitch the better you'll be, and the more you'll be able to spot areas you'd like to improve (which is true of everything in life). Meanwhile, enjoy the process, and your success!
I put it off for so long, then when I started trying it and didn't have the problems I read about, I thought "I must be doing this wrong"... Thanks for the encouragement everyone!
Originally Posted by
hopetoquilt
Some of the problems are exaggerated to sell products and some are greater on certain machines. Polyester thread is supposed to be easier to quilt with but I found it harder. I bought the bobbin genies and use them but don't see much of a difference. I am not a great FMQ expert but aim to improve drastically when I am off from work this summer. Use whatever works for you.
I had wondered about the "selling products" angle. Strangely, I did do a lap quilt and used a cotton thread, and I didn't see/feel a difference while doing the FMQ. I used a 15-90 for that one, and if I compare to the work I was doing on the 301 last night, and for that matter, the work I did on the Pfaff 6122 right at the beginning, other than consistency, I can't see a difference in the stitching. Where would I notice problems with either the poly or the cotton? Tension? Snapping? I know that poly is more elastic than cotton...
Originally Posted by
DogHouseMom
it sounds like you're not doing anything wrong .. FMQ is just one of your natural talents!!
Thanks DHM! I've never found straight lines to be easy (can't draw or cut one with a ruler, but I'm getting better), so the cutting/piecing part of quilting bordered on stressful. I guess I just figured it would all challenge me equally.
Originally Posted by
BellaBoo
Most everyone that has fmq on vintage mechanical machines have a good experience. The 301 is the best I've ever used for it. It's just so limited in space. I am happy with my Brother 1500, all mechanical machine with wide throat space. I can do a great quilted feather but have trouble with round circles.
I had wondered if it had anything to do with the vintage machines. Does that have anything to do with the "auto" tensioning that a lot of the newer machines have, do you think? I was playing with the 301 last night, and realised an hour in that I'd forgotten to set the stitch length to 0 and lower the dogs. What a forgiving machine. I do agree with the throat space. I made a lot of weird angles by crashing into the pillar, and I had a much harder time using the "grips" than gloves because of the limited throat space.