? About quilting stitches
 

I am wanting to machine quilt (free motion). In practicing for the first time...I cannot figure out how to control the stitch witdth. Do I need to learn how to control this? My machine settings...I have tried all of them...result in one stitch width.

On another note, I have finished my first quilt and as soon as I figure out how I will post a picture, if ya'all promise not to enlarge it to the point that you can see all the goofs. But it was fun and I am hooked.

To all who read this have a great day whatever day you read this.

Width? Or do you mean length? If you're free motion quilting you control the stitch length.

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransso...-quilting.html
this may help a bit. the Internet is full of tutorials on this. and this forum too.

Yes, as our fellow quilters advise. Do try You tube and google Leah Day because she will help you too. It takes a lot of practice to get uniform stitches. Really a lot of practice.

Practice, practice, practice. Start small and work up. I've done zillions of pot holders and do them pretty well, but quilts still give me trouble.

Thanks everyone this all helps me. After two days of trying everything I could think of to get the machine to do what I shold have beeen doing. AHH the joys of being a beginner.

I can't give you any advice on FMQ. But, just hang in there and don't give up. You will get the hang of it. One day, it will just click!

I haven't tried FMQ yet but I want to. Just got some insul-bright for pot holders last week. Never thought about using them to try FMQ. Thanks for the tip! :thumbup:

I think you mean stitch length, and you can only control this by your quilting motion, going quicker seems to make stitching easier, make certain your feed dogs are down, so you don't break any needles, and practice is your best tip on getting your stitches more uniform in length. I do a couple of sandwichs of fabric, batt and backing, and if making those into potholders, put in a layer of insulbright and put binding around the eges.

Never tried it, but can't wait to see pic of your quilt! Good luck!

You will get the hang of it...takes practice but you will catch on quickly. Start with a few easy potholder, table runner...then a baby quilt, in no time you will be doing lap quilts and more...Good Luck! I love the supreme slider and keep my dogfeeds up. If you have troubles with thread breaking...try a different brand. I use Gutterman 100 percent cotton, because I want the thread to shrink ait when washing it. When you wash your quilt all the tiny mistakes you make are hidden. Have fun! Oh...and gloves, its amazing how much easier it is when using gloves to FMQ.

What is a supreme slider? Haven't heard that term before. DH says it sounds like a good sandwich. hehehe

I've been doing FMQ for many years but nothing fancy very plain and simple. I like making squiggly lines or some loop de loops......I said simple.....also if you can control the speed of your sewing. My machine has 3 levels of speed and for quilting any style a medium speed works best......

Your stitch length is determined by how fast or slow you move the quilt under the needle on the machine. It's the most difficult part of free motion on a home machine...and actually if you run a longarm machine in manual mode...you also have to learn how fast/slow to move the machine to get consistantly sized stitches.

It takes some practice, so allow yourself the time to get better, in the mean time...enjoy what you do produce...6 months from now, you can compare the newest quilting with the first...and see the improvement.

I really love FMQ but find it my most challenging thing to learn yet. I may do great one day but my rhythm might be off the next. A big problem seems to be staying constant with my speed & trying to avoid sudden changes in directions ending up with points.

Then there is the matter of tension. No matter how much I adjust it I end up with a color showing up when I have to use one color on top & another in the bobbin. I've learned so much from this QB though that I am determined to get better.

Like the information here, I have tried, but not very good yet. There is hope. thanks for the help. and good luck.

Completely all even stitches indicate a professional quilting. For the handmade look you do not want all your stitches even. There is talk in the works by professional quilters about the use of Computerized even stitch machines and those that are done by hands on sewers and hand stitching. A Professional Computerized Machine is a production machine like the factories use in Japan or China to send quilts here. The hands-on-quiltis is most desired by those that buy quilts. The quilt show catagories are going to reflect this and so are the awards.

Have fun learning to machine quilt. Please post a photo of your quilt when it is finished.

Norma

I'm taking a course called Beyond Basic Machine Quilting at craftsy.com. It is an amazing course--so well planned and it steps you through all the information and practice. I would very highly recommend it.

Pat, I have the same problem with the tension. I just finished a quilt that was dark browns on top and a muslin color on the back and no way could I get that right.

I have heard that even expert FMQ-ers with fancy machines sometimes have this issue. I gave up trying to get it all balanced perfectly and now use the same color top and bottom unless the rare times I use invisible in the top. Also, unless it is a wall hanging, I try and make the backing have some kind of pattern because it is much more forgiving than a solid. Plus, that dreaded "practice, practice, practice"!!!