I free motion quilt on my sewing machine. I do my quilts in sections, makes it a lot easier.

If you want to practice FMQ, look for prequilted fabric in the remnant bins at your fabric store. Then you already have the "sandwich" (fabric w/batting in the middle), use a contrasting thread so you can see your stitching, and practice away!!

I havent read all this post but I use my fancy stitches on my machine and I use varigated thread to give me a lift in my quilting.

Me too! Sometimes the SID is the only way to go on a quilt and the decorative stitches make it more interesting.

The 400/500 series Singers don't do FMQ very well - the bobbin configuration causes a LOT of skipped stitches - sometimes it skips more than it hits!

I first tried to learn FMQ on my 401 and I did manage to get some done, but that was an experience in frustration. I even brought out the "quilting words" when I was trying to quilt with that machine! ;) But, I found a beautiful 15-91 on craigslist and life suddenly got a lot better! :D

Some machines just aren't as capable in certain areas as others - your 403 is one of the best all-around household sewing machines you could have, but this is one thing it isn't good at.

A vertical bobbin machine would open a whole new world to you - many of the Kenmores from the 50's to the present, the Singer 15's, the post-war "clones" of the 15 and many more will have this bobbin configuration and most of the vintage machines will have a much bigger open area under the arm than modern machines. You can find them really cheap on craigslist - just watch for them. :)

Thanks! Good to know that it may be more the machine than me LOL. Sounds like I have a reason to buy another machine to add to the collection? :D Too bad my Featherweight has such a small arm area - it has the vertical bobbin.

I signed up for the Beginning Machine Quilting class at my LQS. It isn't until March 10th, but I can't wait.

Charisma does a great job and she is reasonable

Yes - I love what I have seen here of her work. I'm just not at the point yet of having LAQ done on a quilt that I am making as a special gift to a family member. I am planning to have some done on a couple of things I have planned for me.

Great thread,would love to learn FMQ,I did make a basket quilt for my DD with strawberries in the baskets wanted to quilt the word "strawberry" on it,so I wrote the word on paper,pinned it to the quilt and stitched away,turned out okay,but getting the little bits of paper out of the stitches was a little different :wink: :lol:

Interesting thread! I want to get back into making quilts again, but I was thinking the same thing... I don't have time to hand quilt and can't afford to send it out right now... at least not until my husband finds a job! FMQ scares me! I would be afraid of ruining the quilt. I was wondering how people that make charity quilts get them quilted. I have so much fabric and was thinking about making lap quilts to donate... but again there is that cost of quilting problem! I guess people that make charity quilts are either long arm quilters... or have mastered FMQ!