cminor

Oh my gosh - I am right there with you. I did SID on my first, but I almost like to call them blankets since I feel like I did not really "quilt". Not to mention, no boarder, and no binding! And oh my, don't even try to find a straight line on the back of it!!!

Maride

I say, take to pieces of fabric, make a small sandwich with real batting, and practice. If you use a solid color fabric and contrasting thread you will be able to see your stitches and see if you are doing anything wrong. The quilting comes with practice. When I took my first and only machine quilting class I didn't even finish it. I walked out crying and din't go back. I didn't give up, and just kept practicing on my own and now the quilting is my favorite part. Keep practicing, you will get it soon. Make sure your machine is in good working order too.

cande

I'm a lot like that too, if I could just make the tops then hand them off to someone else to finish, I'd be a happy camper. But I guess you just have to jump in with both feet; remember, if you don't like the wy it's ending up, you can always rip the stitches out and start over.

Pat and pups

Put together some placemats with batting and backing and anything you like for the top. Practice your quilting on them, and if they don't turn out so good, you can still use them (maybe not for company, though). Placemats are a good size to learn on, and you won't have wasted a bunch of fabric.

Baywatch quilter

Just go for it! I like to use spray baste to nail it down to reduce puckers on the bottom side. There is a foot that most machines have (but you have to buy it separately)... and it is a "stitch in the ditch" foot. It has a flange that is right in the middle of it andthat flange runs right along the seam line. It has saved me lots of hours of frustration. If a new quilt foot is not an option, another idea is to use a very small zigzag stitch along the seam lines... this reduces the whole issue of missing the ditch. Some quilts look great quilted in straight lines using some of your machines decorative stitches. Mostly... just warm up on scrap for 5 minutes and then go for it. Post it when you are done so we can all ooh and ahh. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Quilt Mom

Agreed. It will give you practice and raise your confidencd level for those quilt tops that are waiting.

We all have gone through what you are experiencing. Just jump in and start. I'll bet you find it easier than you think! :thumbup:

Oklahoma Suzie

I started on pillows, did tons of them. What you need to do is jump in there and practice.

Chele

Practice, practice, practice. Some people are real naturals at the quilting part. You might be one of those lucky ones. Just dive in on some scrap sandwiches and have some fun. I love watching this quilter's videos: http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/ She's one of those naturals!

vjengels

You have a DVD on FMQ, start with that, make a small whole cloth quilt, maybe a doll quilt, or does your little dog, or cat need a blankey? sure some of it will look not so good, but they love us, and come on they lick they're butts..... practice on that, then when you feel ready, go at it. .... Maybe the real problem is you are stuck where most of us get stuck.. ' Quilt as desired' I don't know of another phrase that paralyzes a quilter more than that. pick something that relates to the quilt itself. Don't worry, you can't make a mistake... They're your quilts! Good luck

Barb_MO

Just go for it, you will be glad you did. I have recently done four door quilts that are 40 x 80 pieced with the square in a square. I used a decorative stitch along the straight line and free motions meandering in the borders. That was the first time I had tried free motion. Since then I have quilted three quilts for kids and started on a twin size for my g-granddaughter.
My ggd's quilt is a log cabin and I did a no-no. I started on the outside of the quilt and worked in to the middle. I only had enough basting spay to basted the top to the batting, so had to pin to the backing. Once I started quilting I pined heavily on the block I was quilting on and when finished moved those pin to the next block. By starting on the outside once I got the borders done I trimmed off excess batting and backing and that reduced a lot of bulk that I would have to get in the throat of the machine.
I'm not recommending this process, but it worked for me and the quilt doesn't have any wrinkles on the back.