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Thanks. I'll give it a shot. Can't afford long armer now that I've retired.
Originally Posted by purplefiend
Originally Posted by Lilyized
Thanks. If I FMQ without one, is it hard to keep the stitches the same lengh? I bought a quilting foot, so I guess I just need to give it a try. Any tips you can offer to keep stitches uniform?
Originally Posted by garysgal
The stitch regulator keeps your stitches from being uneven. some short, some long, that type of thing. I'm hoping I can find one for my Juki but not sure they make them for it.
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many fabulous award winning quilters use a regular sewing machine to quilt their quilts...it only takes practice. start with making maybe 12" square sandwiches and start practicing...as you get the feel of it and a good (flow) then make something bigger and keep practicing, and enlarging.
before you know it you will be quilting big quilts. |
Originally Posted by Lilyized
Thanks. If I FMQ without one, is it hard to keep the stitches the same lengh? I bought a quilting foot, so I guess I just need to give it a try. Any tips you can offer to keep stitches uniform?
Originally Posted by garysgal
The stitch regulator keeps your stitches from being uneven. some short, some long, that type of thing. I'm hoping I can find one for my Juki but not sure they make them for it.
Practice, Practice, Practice and remember to go slow until you get the hang of your machine. My Juki does 500 stitches a minute and sometimes I feel like I am flying an airplane. I made a very small practice quilt that I can load and practice on until I get the stitch right and can quilt the real thing with confidence. |
Thanks. I noticed you are in Montana. I was at Glacier this summer. Love the area. Imagine it gets pretty cold. Great QS in White Fish, and Kalispel.
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Right now we are 41 degrees with tons of snow. It is a beautiful place to live but the cost of living is getting up there. We don't have sales tax, so that helps. Our quilt shops are great, but we have lost several. Glacier is beautiful. come back and visit again!!
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I would truly love to have a stitch regulator and quilting frame, however being retired won't allow such expense unless I can find one used. Please keep me in mind if you hear of either.:D
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I just signed up for that site. I really need inspiration and help with fmq.
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Originally Posted by ktbb
the key is finding out if your feed dogs will drop...some of the old ones have that feature. Check your manual on this. Even if they don't drop, you can try setting your stitch length to zero, and putting masking tape over the feed dogs...this allow you to have control over the movement of the fabric. These options address the bottom of the quilting sandwich.
In either case, you will also need to have a machine quilting foot that puts less/no tension on the fabric from the top. These feet are called either quilting feet or darning feet...Sears should have them, and there are some generic feet out there that will work as well....one brand is called "Big Foot", but don't know names of others. |
Originally Posted by klgreene
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/ |
I do with no problem. I have two domestic machines that I have used successfully. One of them doesn't drop the feed dogs but if you set the stitch length at 0 you can do it. Truth is I had more success with the feed dogs up!
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Yes you can, You need to make some adjustments to your machine and sometimes it is hard depending what size quilt you are making but it you take your time and not rush it it is a rewarding experence and less expensive than sending it out or quilting by hand.
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Even if the feed dogs won't drop...you can improvise a cover for them. a small piece of cardboard (a playing card, or back of a tablet) taped over the feed dogs will work, so will a piece of plastic from a lid. It will make noise, but will let you quilt. You may or may not have a darning foot...you should have one, but can do without, but must remember to put the foot lever down even without a foot. Without a foot you really have to watch the needle...don't want to sew your fingers...that hurts & yes, I have done that!
Most Kenmores came with a darning foot...you can buy them...just buy for the shank you need (high, low, slanted). Patsy Thompson has some good videos on this. Some are on youtube. |
Originally Posted by janb
Originally Posted by ktbb
the key is finding out if your feed dogs will drop...some of the old ones have that feature. Check your manual on this. Even if they don't drop, you can try setting your stitch length to zero, and putting masking tape over the feed dogs...this allow you to have control over the movement of the fabric. These options address the bottom of the quilting sandwich.
In either case, you will also need to have a machine quilting foot that puts less/no tension on the fabric from the top. These feet are called either quilting feet or darning feet...Sears should have them, and there are some generic feet out there that will work as well....one brand is called "Big Foot", but don't know names of others. |
yep...some older machines are like that...that's where the cardboard or plastic over the feed dogs comes in.
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I free motion quilt with my Kenmore. Tape a thin sheet of plastic, like template plastic over the feed dogs if they don't drop, then loosen the pressure on the presser foot--the knob at the top turns to tighten or loosen pressure. Lower the presser foot and it should allow the fabric to move without tugging hard, but still provide a little tension. Run the machine a bit on the fast side as you move the quilt around. (Try this with a sample piece of sandwiched fabric and batting to practice. You may have to adjust the tension a little bit.)
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