I bought a speed control for my Juki. Cost was around $60.00. That helps with the speed problem. Now if I can get my stitches right without a stitch regulator. Those cost around $500. and can't afford one.

Congrats!!! Don't forget to breath while quilting. Relax and have fun. One thing I find new quilters might not think of is to kept the quilt sandwich as "level" as possible. This means to load the sandwich so the quilting area is straight across between the rollers and/or adjust the rollers to keep the sandwich fairly level. Such helps with the tension.

I go left and right, up and down and she behaves very well...

Me too and I've not had any problems doing so.

Good, glad to hear that. The lady at the quilt shop told me not to go backwards. Can't figure out why not, but maybe because it is her machine????????

I know I go backwards a LOT when I free-motion quilt with my Juki and it works great. Besides, how would the machine know whether you are going backwards or not; the needle just goes up and down in the same spot anyway.:thumbup:

I know, lol.

my understanding from "kathyquilts: machine quilting with Kathy" is that the Juki is more like a DSM, and if you go right to left you experience thread breakage and needle breakage. As it is designed like a domestic machine, if you go right to left you would be pulling against the way the machine works.

Now don't laugh but I kept cutting the threads with the cutting button on the handi handles...the 'girls' kept gettin into the action...SOOOOO I disconnected the little cable. LOL and as a friend of mine said...only you!

I didn't even hook up the cable for the tread cutter yet! LOL! I have enough trouble keeping my foot off the tread cutter when I'm sewing with it...I can imagine how much trouble it would be when I'm trying to sort out which little black button to push (or NOT to push)! Maybe after I've had some practice, but for now, I can always use the button on the front of the machine.