Hi,
I am new to the blog and just look with envy at the georgeous quilts that you all make. I have made some but I really don"t know how to machine quilt good enough,I am afriaid I will ruin what took days to complete. I just have a basic Janome that has a few embroidery stitches on it and cannot afford a quilting machine. How do you do it....I am amazed

Welcome from KY! I also use a Janome (DC 2010), and it works great! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!

Practice, practice, practice, and enjoy!!!

I am relatively new to quilting too, but have sewn for over 60 years. My suggestion is to start with the simple, fast, easy to put together blocks, and maybe table runners or baby quilts. I am still not too secure to use triangles. Just keep trying; the more you do the easier it gets. And as far as the quilting part, just do stitch in the ditch or straight line stitching to begin with.

It took me weeks of practice on sandwiched scraps to become an OK FMQ. It was frustrating and I nearly gave up several times. It was worth it! When you are told to practice, you may have to practice for one hour or more a day for a couple of weeks. For me it took longer than most. Don't give up the results are well worth it.

Hi! Welcome from northeast Minnesota! :)

Welcome!

Welcome from Wisconsin. Yes practice, on small things to start with. Don't get discouraged, and remember you are your own worse critic. You will be fine.

Hi from Ohio!

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!

I was afraid to machine quilt too but one day it just all clicks. It does take practice. I started with baby quilts. Bought the panels and put borders on. Gave them to our local school to be given to foster children. You get the practice and children benefit from it.

Hello and welcome from Ontario.

Hello and Welcome to the board :D:D:D

You can use your decorative stitches and quilt with them. All you need is a walking foot and the rest is a breeze :D:D:D

Being a newbie myself I agree with simple and fast to start. My first quilt was a baby quilt so it said. But I use it as a lap quilt while watching TV. The patten was A Kwik Trip and it was 3 1/2 inch blocks strip pieced. It went together in a matter of hours. The boarders and quilting which I did stitch in the ditch took a little longer since I work full time, but it was completely finished within 2 weeks. All of it was done on my regular sewing machine.

Welcome from Oklahoma! :lol:

Welcome from Ireland

Ann Clare, Was it you that told me that you sewed strips together in the irish chain? I was also wondering if once I get the quilt together, can I just sew the outsides, by sewing machine, and then just hand stitch and tie, a string of yarn or embroidery thread sporadically, you know like they did in the old days? I think that it would be a lot easier than trying to sew on the sewing machine. That is how my mother used to make quilts. Kathy