Tippytoes

Hi everyone, how are we all?

oh. my. days! Free motion quilting!!! Why did I think this was a good idea? Why did I fall in love with what is probably a design beyond my skill and experience? And why in the name of all things holy, can I not get my tension right!! If I see one more loop on the back of the practise piece I swear I will lose it completely

I have tested my tension using my usual piecing foot and all is well, from what I have read, it seemed my hands and feet are basically to working in sych, which is useful to know, but yet deeply unhelpful in sorting the problem out. I suspect this is all to be expected as I've really just started to FMQ, however it does shake one's confidence to see such ridiculous sewing appear from one's efforts!

Any suggestions would be very welcome, am I missing something obvious, apart from a lot more practise? Again, sorry to be all rant and moan, hope everyone is making something amazing.

much love
Mags

Tartan

I always have to adjust my top and bobbin tension to FMQ. What works for regular sewing does not work for FMQing. Before adjusting your tensions, make a note or take a picture so you can return the tensions for regular sewing.

suern3

Daystyledesigns.com , Leah Day, I found to have the most helpful information for me. She has so much info by now that you will just need to look through her website to find what you need. She also has lots of n't neYou Tube videos. Much of her info is free. One thing she said that I keep in mind is that FMQ is similar to driving a car. You learn to slow down or speed up according to the "turns" or stops you are making. You will get a feel for it. I think many loops and eyelashes have to do with coordinating your hand and feet speed. Changing tension, etc. depends on your machine. I have a Pfaff and don't need to adjust the tension. Anyway, hang in there. It will come to you after some practice! And, try to have fun with it

Stitchnripper

Agree with previous posters and remember it takes a lot of practice. Really a lot. Good luck and keep practicing!!

lovelyl

I agree with suern3 - Leah day has very helpful videos. I took her Building Blocks Quilt Along FMQ course (videos are free) and learned so much. One of the things she suggests is to leave the feed dogs up and set your stitch length to zero. She says leaving the feed dogs up helps with the tension. This is what I do now and have never had any more tension problems. A lady at my quilt guild was practicing FMQing and the back of her piece was a mess of "eyelashes" and tangled thread. I suggested putting her feed dogs back up and setting the stitch length to zero. She looked at me like I was crazy, but it solved her problem with no tension adjustment!

DonnaC

May I make a suggestion that helped me? Slow everything down. suern3 is absolutely right. A lot of people think that in order to FMQ well, you have to go at it like a bat out of h-e-double hockey sticks! But you really don't. As long as you coordinate your hands and feet (the speed of your foot pedal), you'll do fine.

I love Leah Day's videos. I would also suggest going to Nancy Zieman's website and watching the two-part video series she did with Molly Hanson, another FMQ expert. (It's free to watch online.)

Good luck... keep practicing! At some point it will "click" and all will be well!

cjsews

I changed the speed my machine would go. Slowed it down a bit so I was not flying. This seemed to help me a lot. Like you, I still need plenty of practice but it did help with those big eye lashes on the back

ManiacQuilter2

Usually this happens to me once in a blue moon and I need to re-thread the top thread on my Bernina from the spool.

Melanie Rudy

Practice A LOT and change your sewing machine needle for every project. A sharp needle will really help the tension.

joe'smom

And don't forget, Leah says it takes about three quilts to get the hang of it. So first, quilt three quilts you care less about and give yourself permission to be less than perfect. Don't try to do that masterpiece right out of the blocks!