amandasgramma

I just had some more thought. There are books out there on feathers is one thought. When I took the class they had us draw a straight line -- from left to right and then feather using that line as a stem. Then left to right, then north to south, etc. The curvy's are HARD to do. Also -- looking at the feather above....the feather fronds need to come BACK to the beginning of the frond -- not just to the stem.

I buy sheets at thrift shops ---- or plain fabric...whatever I can find cheap. Walmart sells cheap twin sheets for $5.00 each if you can't find any. Draw with your ruler straight lines.....try to think "quilt" -- do the sashing, a block, border, etc. Having those constraints makes it easier to learn to control your machine.

Hope this helps.

majormom

Well.....I don't have a LA, nor do I ever hope to have one, but I found all the advice and commiseration here very very interesting. I am in awe of the beautiful artful quilting work I see here on QB, and I just wanted to say so!!!!!

Tashana

I do not have long arm and I am not an expert quilter so I made a quilt called trial and error. It is a simple 1600 quilt which gives me lots of long 2" spaces to practice Fmq. I am ok with meandering but not the shapes. Maybe you can do the same. I am sure you will find where to use the practice quilt. Mine is going in the car for impromptu picknicks and beach stops. Good luck and congrats!

PaperPrincess

My first LA item was a piece of muslin batting and ugly backing. It did get me used to the motion of the machine, but I really think that if you can practice on something that resembles a quilt, it helps. I had some ugly fabric, and just cut a bunch of 6.5" hst and made a pinwheel quilt. Practicing on actual quilt squares helped me a lot. You can also get cheater fabric or draw quilt blocks on muslin. Drawing also helps. I got a large whiteboard and put it right on the frame so when I practice a motif by drawing it, I can hold the marker and move my whole arm. The motion is very similar to using the long arm. Finally, see if there are any charity quilt groups in your area. They are always looking for folks to quilt tops. You get to practice and do something nice too!

allie1448

Buy cheap fabric, cheap batting and just have fun!! Dont call it practise call it playing!! It is amazing how fast you can improve when you are just playing around!

ctilburg

Take a class. In our area the Northeast, Machine Quilters Exposition has a show with classes for beginners and experts. Find someone nearby that teaches. If you have spent that much money on a machine, you need to spend some more and learn how to use it. Also, practice makes you a much better quilter. Make some charity quilts and practice on those. Also, volunteer to quilt charity quilts for your guild, club, church, whatever.

Cindy60545

I agree with everything everyone else said. Just take an ugly piece of material out of your stash & some cheap material for the backing & leftover batting will do just fine. First thing is to get used to the machine. Remember, it only goes where you direct it. Start with some meandering & then go to loops, swirls, curls & whatever you can think of. The more you move the machine in the same shape, the more muscle memory you build up. I'm not far ahead of you. I've had my machine since the end of March, but had frame issues for the first 4 months. I've actually only been quilting with it since the first of August. You can see my progression here on QB. The latest is "fit to be tied" in pictures. Yes, it's a lot of feathers. There are some online classes you can take to learn them. PM me for further information or help.

grann of 6

I have had my long arm for about a year and a half. I have not set up pantographs on it, and don't have the computer. I started on jelly roll strippy quilts. I have gotten quite good at meander and leafy things. I don't particularly like feathers, feel they are done to death. So I will probably never try feathers. Most of my quilts are charity quilts anyway, so I don't bother with the fancy stuff. But there certainly is a learning curve with long arming. I find it very relaxing to load a quilt and then just mindlessly do a simple meander, and in an hour or so I am done and ready to bind. I love that feeling. I can also do hearts fairly well, but, my suggestion is to go at the speed you are comfortable with. I have tensions down perfect now, and that is a BIG accomplishment.

hperttula123

I started out with easier designs on plain white fabric. It was like fabric doodling. I did clouds, stars, and wrote words on it. I put baby and my sons name on it. After I was done, I cut it out and made a throw quilt for my son(he spent many hours on it). I used it as his tummy-time quilt. It wasn't perfect and was going to get dirty.

When we got our machine, they told us you should get about 100 hours of practice in to know your machine and what you can do. Don't be afraid to practice. I am a visual learner, so I watched a few videos on youtube and then I would try it. It's going to be baby steps. Watch a few and try it. Don't watch so many you are completely over whelmed. Have fun with it and if you are stressed at all....just walk away from it for a while.

There is the Pajama Quilter. I don't know if she has any free videos, but my mom bought her dvd. She is very helpful on showing you ways to quilt. Good luck and I can't wait to see some of your quilting.

promenades

I am LMAO! ;D I purchased my Crown Jewel 3 months ago. I have done two large quilts and two table toppers on it. I named it CJ. I was just chatting on here and CJ came to be her name. I practice feathers by doing them on paper to train my muscles. I am learning! Just do it! Find some material that you do not like and play, play play! I am new to longarming, so I am sure there are many on here who can help better then I can. I am going to a longarm retreat this month. Quilt on!