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I have a 1965 Kenmore and I FM with it all the time. You need to:
1. drop the feed dogs. 2. Turn the presser foot dial to "O". 3. Turn the stitch length to "o". 4. You might need to adjust the tension if you have loopy threads on top or on the bottom. I use a teflon sheet (I think it is called "Sew Slip" or "Supreme something) taped down so the quilt slides really good. There is a post somewhere here on the forum about using them. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-33038-2.htm#1828039 And some quilting gloves with the rubber fingers. You possibly have a "darning" foot or open toed foot(mine was with the applique accessories) in your accessory box. I love FM quilting, I've been doing my own for a year now. |
Wow, thank you so much for all your advice! I was bummed thinking I might not be able to do it but I'm definitely going to try!
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I got the slider, a ring, gloves all the stuff necessary to FMQ. Did what I was supposed to do....but my feed dogs don't drop and it just eats up the slider. So I pretty much have to stick to straight lines. Hope your feed dogs drop. If they do here is a great site for FMQ.
http://www.daystyledesigns.com/ |
You can taped a playing card over your feed dogs and machine quilt that way
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KLGreene.......I go to the "Daystyledesigns" site a lot. I like the "365 days of FM Quilting" section. They are fun to try on a rainy day.
Tammy.......good idea with the card trick. ;-) |
Christina, yes you can quilt on your machine, and you don't even have to do FMQ if you don't want to, it's a bit slower but this is one that I have done ......
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-58849-1.htm |
If you can drop the feed dogs make sure you practice--a lot--on scrap quilt sandwiches that are similar in composition to your real quilt before actually putting a quilt you love into the machine. The first time I tried this I ended up with a huge mess and went back to "stitch in the ditch" for years before trying it again. And remember that unlike a professional quilting machine which will pause and adjust for speed, a sewing machine just keeps going if your foot stays on the pedal, even if you stop moving the quilt--all the stitches will clump together and make a giant mess if you don't keep moving the quilt consistently.
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I have machine quilted for years and since my carpal tunnel put an end to hand quilting. Have done 3 kings, several queens plus all the rest. It takes time to learn but it is so much faster. You'll get it. Just don't give up. Good luck. Marge L.
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Originally Posted by raptureready
Can you lower the feed dogs? If so find a darning/ballerina foot that will fit it and you should be able to do any type of free motion that you want. On some old machines there was a nob on the base toward the right that could be turned to raise or lower the feed dogs. On some, you have to lift up the head and there's a thumb screw toward the front near the bobbin holder than you loosen to lower the dogs.
Free motion is easier if you have some grip gloves. You can use the kind that you get at the fabric store or a cheap pair of gardening gloves with rubber dots on them. Just make sure that if you use gardening gloves that they're small enough to fit just a little snuggly so that they don't move around too much. |
Originally Posted by thelondonzoo
I know, it's probably a very "newbie" question. :) lol
I have a regular old Kenmore sewing machine and I have done some quilting on it but only straight lines. Is there a way to do tight curves or scrolls? I see such pretty quilting in the photos section and would love to do something like that. Will I one day have to save up for a $1500 sewing machine or can I somehow use my Kenmore? Thanks! Granted, the largest was only 50 X 65, but still, I was finished in hours instead of days, it lays flat and looks really cool. |
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