My first quilting was on a baby quilt and my stitch in the ditch didn't stay even close to in the ditch, so I picked it out and changed to the 3 step zig zag stitch. That works for me but someday I will try sid again.

I'm with you girl. If at all possible take a day, travel to a class, and then practice, practice and practice some more on a sandwiched 9 patch of 8" sq. It helped me tremndously and gave me the courage to start with a twin size. Haven't done a qn. yet. Good luck.....you'll do great. :D

Hi my name is Penny and I am new to quilting to, but at christmas we needed something under the tree to protect the hard wood floors, so i sandwhiched 2 fabs and did free moition
and it wasnt perfect but i had fun. havent done a quilt yet, but am cutting fab now. good luck and have fun. from Cornelius,OR

I am also afraid. I have 2 guilts (12 squares each) that I have not even put together. By the way you are in my home town, Orlando..

The actual quilting is my least favorite part of quilting, but I find using quilt spray to hold the layers helps a whole lot. My favorite stitch is the "joining" stitch, designed to hold 2 pieces of fabric together. Since it sews on each side of the seam line, it hides any of my unintented meandering. Jump in and try--the first one is always hardest. Good luck

Here is a picture of the stitch I like to use. In the picture it looks like a zigzag stitch and it is a variation of that but it is more spread out than zigzag. Maybe something you'd like to try.

My favorite stitches for quilting in the ditch are what I call the EKG stitch ( zigs to one side, then takes a straight stitch, then zags to the other side ), and the serpentine stitch ( which is just a wavy line). I vary the width and stitch length depending on what fabric and batting I am using (do a test sample). They are probably in with your utility stitches--not the fancy decorative stitches--if your machine has separate menus. Even my most basic machine has the EKG stitch in the mending stitches. I seldom use a straight stitch because every slight wobble is so obvious. The two I mentioned are decorative and hide the wobbles nicely.

Practice by making a table runner and free motion quilt it. It will help you gain confidence. The go for it. Remember, when you get the whole thng finished, you'll love it, or give it to someone who will. And you'll get better every time! Good luck!

Hi Doda, I am a hand quilter. I know it takes longer but I love the look and they are so beautiful when they are done. I have machine quilted too, but my preference is by hand. Machine quilting is just as nice and much quicker it just takes practice. Make sure you practice on scraps first it takes a bit to get used to it. Good luck with your decision and have fun piecing away.

You can do it! Be Brave and just jump in. You will be surprised once you start, how easy it is.