sewbeadit

Oh my gosh, I could tell you stories about my first attempts. Then I learned that it takes practice and not to expect perfection at the beginning. I am on quilt 5 and each one has been better and I learn something every one I do, or lots of things.lol Instead of "mistakes" I call them learning experiences and keep right on going. Don't give up, you will love it.

ckcowl

go purchase a bolt of muslin- a bunch of batts on sale & put together practice quilts---it takes time and lots of practice. some people practice for years before they are confident enough to quilt a real quilt- others take to it faster & after a couple dozen may load up a real quilt- they still practice for quite a while before chancing quilting for their friends. the practice quilts can be bound & donated here & there- or cut into smaller ones- edges zigzagged & donated to the local animal shelter- i have a few my granddaughters love- they claimed them and using fabric markers & paints- further decorated them- they use them for picnics, forts- what ever- play-
practice, practice, practice---with time you will forget how (hard) it was in the beginning. i am always telling people to go to shops that let you try out machines, or rent time on their long-arms and get a (feel) for it before commiting to spending that kind of money- i know so many people who decide fairly soon they really do not enjoy the process at all- their shoulders, back, knees, legs ache- they don't want to do this- it really sucks when they've gone ahead & spent thousands of $$ to find this out-

junebug fl

My quilting buddy and I bought a used Handiquilter 16 with a frame. Yes it is very different from quilting with a home machine. Why don't you try doing pantographs. There are free ones on the web or you can make one yourself. Take an easy stencil and apply it to paper, then copy it 4-5 times on additional sheets. Tape the sheets together and place on the table of the frame. (Hopefully you have a pointer or a laser light to follow the lines) Before you put thread in the machine, trace the design several times. Now try it with thread. The only way you'll get better is with practice. Good luck...please don't give up..you're just having growing pains.

maryb119

Keep on practicing. My mom has a long arm and I have been learning to use it. It takes longer than you think to learn. Stick with it, you will get there.

QuiltingCrazie

I use a Friends, try a panograph. My friend and i Talk about this all THe Time were Crafty Not artsy.

eparys

That is exactly the set up that I have. Here is what I did.... Practice, practice, practice .... and here is how I did that.

Someone told me to purchase some great busy fabric (I use fabric that I could use for random bag projects, Linus quilts. etc). Load that as the backing fabric. Then lay down your batting(I always float mine) and then lay down a plain fabric (this will be your lining for a bag or backing for a quilt).

Then pick one all over pattern - meander, leaves, flowers .... - and use it to quilt. The plain fabric makes it easier to see the pattern you have already quilted and when you are finished and you roll the fabric over the busyness really covers any missed spaces and the fabric can be used for another project.

I did many of these - and even now after three years, when I use a new pattern, I do this as practice. Good luck - do not give up. It just takes a small bit of practice to give you some confidence.

JLD

So normal to feel the way you do. I got my LA (30 inch Gammill) in Dec and still feel less than. I too did what someone else mentioned and bought muslin and batting and practiced. I do a lot of pantographs - I feel like I can do that with out much problem now, but still struggle with free hand. Everyone has their own definition of what free hand is - but I have learned that using a pen to mark your design and following it or using rulers or templates are all "free hand". Don't feel pressure - just relax and have fun. Will make it easier. There is a learning curve - Good luck - I am sure you will get the hang of it and love it. One more thing - drawing or doodling will help also.

Sewnoma

I know just how you feel, but I'm trying to learn FMQ on my small machine and I'm terrible at it so far!

But, I will NOT be beaten!!! I know other people can do it just fine on machines identical to mine so that means I can do it too, I just have to keep at it!

An Arm Long

I would add one thing. Look where you are going with your stitching, not where the needle is. This is an important thing with free motion and with pantographs. In other words, move your eyes ahead.

sylviak

I also have a Voyager/Hinterberg set-up with a stitch regulator. I've had it for about 6 years and had trouble finding time to practice because I was working. I'm retired now and using it much more and have gotten much better. I do a lot of pantographs using a laser. I'm finally branching out into freehand, but still need a lot of practice. I started out using 2 yds of cheap walmart fabric and bought a bolt of muslin to use as backing. I bought some poly batting to put between it and practiced pantos and different freehand designs, then put a binding on and I had a lap quilt. I still use some of the lap quilts. With the stitch regulator, you don't have to be a speed-demon when you start out. You can take your time, but you will eventually develop a rhythm and begin to move faster and with more confidence. If you run into any problems with your Voyager, I'll be more than happy to try to help.