It's all practice... It takes awhile. Some take to it quicker than others but that's the same with everything. I saw this gadget online. http://www.laliladesign.com/Quik-Tra...estic-QT-D.htm I told my husband that I wanted to make one to take to my quilting guild to teach some to free motion quilt. There are a lot of members that are just scared to try it so they just stitch in the ditch or do straight lines with their walking feet...

One thing, before practicing, helped me greatly to learn FMQ over 15 years and 60+ fm quilts ago. That was watching my quilting teacher do it, having her explain it, and trying "e" and "l" loops under her watchful eye. Then I practiced, and later took more classes. One by Harriet Hargrave was especially good. What I find most necessary is the right ergonomic setup. You must be comfortable, and you must have proper support for the quilt. This means the bed of your machine must be the same height as the surrounding support table, and it is good to have plenty of room to the left (3 feet is good), 3 feet to the front, and a 2 or 3 foot support to the left side and at a right angle behind you. The gloves are also important and Machingers are great. I can take or leave the Supreme Slider.

Your job is to steer and feed the quilt. One of the most valuable things I ever learned, from Caryl Bryant Fallert, was to only be concerned with the six inches around the needle when fmq. That makes a huge difference!

Beyond that, you need a consistent foot pedal depression to hand moving speed. I prefer to run the machine faster and the fabric slower.

I suggest you practice on small things that don't matter (charity quilts?) and have a glass of wine before you start. Put on some music with a good fmq beat.

I whole-heatedly agree. While FMQ is not exactly my long suit, it has been experience that practice seems to be the answer to most if not all skills.

You can also take the free motion pattern and trace it over and over on paper. You can doodle on any scrap. This will fix in your mind the way the stitching goes, the size of the pattern - like making all loops the same size and the same space. I used up the back sides of computer print outs this AM while printing a calendar.
It will be easier to visualize on the machine.

I tend to size things smaller and smaller, so learning to size things consistently helps.

I'm also a fan of Leah Day. So much useful information. I first liked to practice on baby/child panels found on sale and then were donated to shelters,etc.

katier825: LOL at this paragraph. I could have written it. That is exactly my journey into FMQ-land. Before taking my class, I was convinced my old cheap Kenmore sewing machine was the problem. The first night of the class, the teacher sat down at MY machine with MY thread and created beautiful smooth curves and perfect stitches. So much for blaming the machine!

I find that short straight line designs -- like motifs with square corners or triangles -- are easier for me. Although I'm getting better at curved things. One thing, though, is that I don't do well when trying to follow traced pattern. I usually just mark dots at key points, and then "aim" for them.

Have fun with it ... and remember, the quilting always looks better later -- that is, when you're not looking at it under a magnifying glass, and after the quilt is laundered.

Thanks for sharing this. I just signed up for it, as well. I hope my broken wrist is healed well enough by then to participate. Otherwise, I'll have some serious catching up to do. I can't wait to dig into my stash and see what we will have at the end of the year!

This is excellent advice!

I've FMQ'd on a queen sized quilt--mostly stippling--meandering. One thing I will do next time is split the quilt into quadrants and only work on one section at a time. I am a newby also to FMQ. When I was in a class I did fine listening to the other machines and comparing samples but at home I'm not as relaxed. I know that it takes practice and lots of it. Something I need to start doing again.

I was told to expect 28 hours of practice time,before being able to do the basics. My machine has a speed regulator,which means I only have to have the hand- eye coordination . After several quilts, my daughter?( a teacher) finally gave me a B+. It just takes time.