Machine quilting help needed ....
#1
Machine quilting help needed ....
I am free motion quilting , feed dogs down ..... Seems my stitch length is at 2.5 .... and I notice if I go too slow and make bigger stitches, they are loose on the back ......
If I go faster and make TINY stitches , they seem to "set " in better in the quilt ! My past quilts I have made with larger stitches , are coming apart !! Be it toe nail snags, or just wear and tear , after 3 years of use, the quilting is breaking !! Would putting the stitch length to "0" help ?!?!
If I go faster and make TINY stitches , they seem to "set " in better in the quilt ! My past quilts I have made with larger stitches , are coming apart !! Be it toe nail snags, or just wear and tear , after 3 years of use, the quilting is breaking !! Would putting the stitch length to "0" help ?!?!
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,586
I'm teaching myself how to fmq too and what I learned is that if your machine is going slowly--then you have to move the quilt slowly to match the needle speed. If you have it going fast you have to move the quilt faster. You are controlling the length of the stitch because the feed dogs are down. Stitch length button controls the feed dogs and since they are down the stitch button is essentially disengaged. I find that the faster my needle goes the better I am at it--I just have to make sure there is enough quilt puddled around it so it doesn't pull and you can easily move the quilt--for me pulling makes smaller stitches and sore shoulders.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lived in San Diego now retired in Eagar, AZ.
Posts: 887
sewing faster keeps you from breaking needles often because of the 'drag' factor. moving the machine in concert with the speed of the machine is the key to the whole skill. count in your head at a steady pace and remarkably, the quilting will get smoother and more even. this counting is something that many machine quilters (longarm and others) do either consciously or unconsciously. get used to doing it and you will be shocked at how much it helps the appearance of your quilting.
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,586
sewing faster keeps you from breaking needles often because of the 'drag' factor. moving the machine in concert with the speed of the machine is the key to the whole skill. count in your head at a steady pace and remarkably, the quilting will get smoother and more even. this counting is something that many machine quilters (longarm and others) do either consciously or unconsciously. get used to doing it and you will be shocked at how much it helps the appearance of your quilting.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lived in San Diego now retired in Eagar, AZ.
Posts: 887
by counting, you are stabilizing the speed with which you move the fabric. it's not the needle, it's just to keep a rhythm to your movements, which makes everything smoother. i sort of use a 'waltz' count speed and as i move i try to get to the next point with the same number of 'counts'.... so the speed of my count is the same but one time i might be doing one, two, three, four to get to the corner but the next time i might need to use one, two, three, four, five six to get to the point, corner or intersection..... the speed is the same, the count is just longer because i need more time to get to the next reference point. as you move from one area to the next or one design to the next, the length will change but the speed will be the same. i use 1 to 4 as my 'goto' count, only lengthening the numbers if i'm in an area that is larger. you will have to to find your own speed on the machine...and you will have to find the right rhythm for you...consistency is the key...
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,586
by counting, you are stabilizing the speed with which you move the fabric. it's not the needle, it's just to keep a rhythm to your movements, which makes everything smoother. i sort of use a 'waltz' count speed and as i move i try to get to the next point with the same number of 'counts'.... so the speed of my count is the same but one time i might be doing one, two, three, four to get to the corner but the next time i might need to use one, two, three, four, five six to get to the point, corner or intersection..... the speed is the same, the count is just longer because i need more time to get to the next reference point. as you move from one area to the next or one design to the next, the length will change but the speed will be the same. i use 1 to 4 as my 'goto' count, only lengthening the numbers if i'm in an area that is larger. you will have to to find your own speed on the machine...and you will have to find the right rhythm for you...consistency is the key...
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10-05-2011 10:33 AM