I forgot that you have to reduce your stitch length to zero! And drop the feed dogs as well. Maybe that's the explanation for the birds' nests on the back!

Dana

FMQ is hard to master. I have messed up quilts and cried! I have a quilt that I have lost my interest in finishing because of all the un-quilting I have done!
It does get easier with practice. I got a couple of pattern books that you use the Golden Threads tissue paper with. That really helped me a lot.

You must use a darning foot and lower the feed dogs. If you use quilting gloves it will help a lot, they keep your hands from slipping. Mine are very light weight and have rubber tips, I wouldn't be without them!

Try doing meandering and stay with it until you feel very comfortable with it. This is the easiest one to learn. I took a class and the first thing she taught us was to write our name. She said to practice until we could read it.LOL

Hang in and don't give up. When you get this down pat(and you will) always remember to to a test on the material you are going to use.

One more thing! Also forgot, as pointed out earlier, that you must drop your presser foot pressure to zero, if you have this adjustment on your machine for FMQ. This allows the darning/quilting foot to bounce freely as you move the fabric. (So much stuff to remember! No wonder it's hard when you first learn!)

Farmgirl gave the link in this thread.

Almost everything I've read about FMQ says to lower the feed dogs. I found (by accident) that I do a much better job with the feed dogs left up. It does take a lot of practice.

Take it from someone who thought that was just a hopeless cause for me. I've practiced and practiced, told myself how impossible this is, put it up. Practiced and practiced, impossible and put it up. I do believe I'm finally showing some improvement. A must for me is gloves. The machingers worked for me so that's all I've tried. Everyone has a different technique-what works for one doesn't work for all. A large flat surface is a sure must. I didn't have a sewing table with a drop down ( I do have a killer sewing room--no fancy table) so my husband took a table (foldup like you get at Lowes or Wal Mart) and cut a hole in it with a shelf under it. Works great. A free motion foot (darning foot) is a must. Practice practice at your speed-not wide open but not turtle slow) to get an even stitch. I make dozen(s) of practice pads about 12x12 and go at it. If you start getting upset-stop and go back later. If I can do it-you surely can.

Really excellent advice from Wendy: Practice, Practice, Practice. Even though I teach machine quilting, before I start on a 'real' quilt, I always do practice pieces to determine my quilting design and regain my rhythm before hand. Those practice pieces find their way into other projects, so nothing goes to waste.

Free-motion quilting is so different when you are quilting a big quilt rather than a practice sandwich. Mastering the relative speed of your hands and foot control is much harder when you have the weight of a larger quilt dragging and pulling on the needle. It can be very fatiguing, too. Be sure to give yourself breaks where you get up and walk around and try to relax your neck muscles. Try to think of just the area you are working on, not the whole thing. I usually start in the middle, which is the most difficult area, since it has the most loose fabric all around. If the quilt is big enough, try throwing some of it over your shoulder to support it. And don't do it when you are tired. You'll feel frustrated and discouraged. Just keep at it and it will become better. Good luck!