Discouraged Long Arm Newbie... It's Harder Than I Thought!
 

Hello all.. I've recently purchased my first long arm machine and frame. I have been quilting and sewing for just about 10 years now and I'll say that it has humbled me along the way. I started quilting mostly baby quilts on a tiny 32 inch round kitchen table using a sewing machine I bought on sale at WalMart for about $80. I've moved up to better machines, bigger tables and now have a big quilting room and just when I felt comfortable quilting on my home machine my frame arrived and whalla.. I feel like that beginner quilter again...

I've wanted a longarm and frame for a while but couldn't really afford it. Then I found a combo deal and purchased a Hinterberg Stretch frame with the Viking Voyager 17 inch long arm machine for just under $4,000. The machine feels a bit clunky to me as I estimate it is at least 10 years old (refurbished) but it works. It came with a SLR and I've put together one twin sized quilt with it so far. I've got a queen sized and another twin sized quilt top waiting in the wings to be quilted.

But here's the thing... I feel like someone has taken my training wheels off my bike and I'm 4 years old again. The first project I simply did a meandering stitch to get used to the controls. If feels so different operating the machine from the handle rather than having a foot pedal.. the instruction booklet is right, these machines are like nothing I've used before. So tonight, in between quilt tops I attached some fat quarter sized practice "sandwiches" to the frame and thought I'd try to do some free hand patterns, practice tracing a line and see if I can do a simple feather. OH BOY.. I stink at this!! It is so difficult and I am embarrassed at how terrible I am at moving this machine around.. I couldn't create a pleasing design to save myself.

I know that a lot of the fantastic intricate quilting that we see is done with a computer aided machine, but did any of you who do this free hand have this hard of a time getting used to creating presentable free hand quilting designs?

I'm discouraged and hope I didn't just buy a $4000.00 meander machine : \ I could use some encouragement right about now..

Practice, practice, practice. You will be fine. There is a learning curve, but you will get there.

Keep on practicing when i first started using mine. i put together some old sheets
with batting and i practice every day for a while. it took me two times before i felt
i could do a quilt. i made a quilt out of them and binded them and they are nice
and warm my husband likes them in the winter. dont give up.

You are right--it is alot harder than it looks, but as everyone else has said, it just takes practice, practice, practice. Stick with it, you'll soon love it and have no regrets. I was like you--I thought since I had a stitch regulator there would be no learning curve. How wrong I was! The stitch regulator just shortens the learning curve, as it turns out. You'll know you're on your way when your circles no longer look like squares with rounded corners, lol! Try to enjoy it!

dont give up, just keep practicing, hold your handles loosely, (not with a death grip), breathe, relax and have fun with it. you will get better, it just takes time.

I think we all felt that way at first.lots of practice is a must.I used ugly fabric and when you quilt it-throw another layer on top and do it again.It takes many hrs to get comfortable and many dog beds for the shelter,lol.It is an art form whether we stipple,panto or feather-give yourself time to get in your groove.Relax and play on the ugly stuff for a while.

I know exactly how you feel! I have a "basting machine" taking up half of my bedroom!! Right now, I don't have the time to invest in learning how to do it, because, thanks to my cats, who seem to think they own everything... I have to take a quilt off after each session! However, my machine is not as nice as yours! I'm not 100% sold on quilting on a frame yet. I don't *enjoy* it the way I enjoy quilting on the table. However, I do see the draw of it, so I'm determined to use it correctly, even if it's not as much fun!! I'm sure once we get the hang of it, we'll love them!

As mentioned, get some old sheets or muslin and just go for it. You can do a practice piece, then put another piece of fabric on top and quilt it again. After I got the feel of how the machine moved, I got some large print fabric and practiced following the motifs. Cheater fabric would work well.
After I felt comfortable, I started quilting charity quilts for a local quilt group for more practice.
They always tell you to practice your quilting designs by drawing them first. I got a white board and put it on top of my frame, then practiced my design using my whole arm holding the pen, sort of mimic-ing the motion of using the machine. this helped too. Hang in there, and remember you are your own worst critic!!!!

I felt the exact same way. I've only had my machine for over a year. Alot happens in a year if you practice. A dry erase board helps. I practiced my feathers daily for an hour or longer on the board. The older frames and some of the cheaper frames aremade with all the bells and whistle. One of the bells would be the track system. They simply don't steer as well. Feels like you have no control. Sharon Schambers has some videos on youtube that could help. She teaches you how to use rice bags to give you more control. Even shows you how to make them. As we all know Sharon wins the big Quilt shows, so I think she might have some idea of whats right and wrong. The set up for my machine said to have my quilt about a quarter inch from the bed of the machine. Sharon says to have it laying on the bed. It adds stability and control. Another tip I learned was to start with small patterns, like little feathers instead of big ones. The longer the line your stitching the harder it is to control the smoothness of it. Longarm rulers and ruler foot also give you a little more accuracy. The GadgetGirls sell a ruler for everything, they are pricey but well worth the money. Quiltersrule is another site for rulers at a more reasonable price. I know a couple of gals that take online quilting classes at LongarmUniversity, they say the classes have really help them with learning to make great designs with simple longarm rulers. The biggest tip I've learned over the last year is Buying an expensive machine doesn't make you an artist. Even a $30,000 machine takes practice. When you see that fabric for $1 a yard buy it, load it, quilt it, give it to charity, and repeat. Watch all the free videos you can on youtube and other sites to see how others tackle a quilt. You can also mark your designs on the quilt using a water soluble marker, follow the lines. Good luck and don't give up. We've all been in your shoes. I'm not an award winning quilter but someday....I'll give Sharon a run for her money....LOL....a girl can dream!

Yes, when you first get your machine, everything is pretty much bad. It does take lots of practice. Remember, now you are moving the machine, not the fabric.

What helped me the most was "writing" the alphabet in cursive. I drew a line on the quilt and just started "writing" with my machine. Just remember , just like driving a car, slow down on the curves.

DITTO, this is same as I done and they make great throw around kids quilts.
Sew just keep up the pratice.

I'm doing the same thing with the set up I recently bought. I did a panel practice quilt and now I am using a solid blue with white thread so I can see the stitches. I have been quilting my real name which is full of curves and they ae looking good!

It takes practice and more practice. I did lots of loops and swirls til it felt a little more comfortable. Took pieces of small print fabrics and put borders on them, loaded them on my machine (HQ) with back and batting and wrote nursery rhymes. The small print hid the mistakes but really helped build my confidence, then started with other little things like stars, hearts, etc. After they were quilted, I bound them and used them for donations. Everyone is being used and loved. Now I do everthing from small to very large quilts and don't do a lot of fancy stuff, just fun stuff and love being able to finish my quilts. It will take a little bit of time to learn but after a bit, you will be so glad you stuck with it.

Don't give up, you'll get the hang of it. Is there a LQS that you can rent time on a long arm? Try you tube, I'm sure there are videos on there, everything else is. Just don't give up.

Keep practising. As others have said, put on a throw-away sandwich, and practice on that. I have only had my machine for a week and a half, so I'm definitely still a newbie. I did a practice sandwich (1 yard of fabric, full width) each of the first 2 days, and I made some comparison points. For example, I wrote my name at the start of day 1 (and it's not a nice smooth curvy name) and then again at the end of day 2. I still don't think it is great - but I can look at the 2 attempts and see worlds of improvement from the first to the second. That gives me confidence to keep going.

Another comparison point - I took one of my practice sets and divided it into squares with a marker. Then I quilted a different sampler pattern in each square (try 365 days of free motion quilting http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.c...ilt-along.html, if you are looking for inspriation). I plan to repeat the exact same sampler in a few weeks, so that I can see my progress. I find that if you look at each day in isolation, they are never perfect. But if you can see your improvement day to day, week to week, that provides confidence and the incentive to keep going.

I agree with all the above. Practice!! It is the bust way to learn! I also use a dry erace board for practice. I have a small lap size for just doodling a design but have a large one I set flat on my dinning room table. I stand as if I were at my Lizzie and draw using full arm motion. it really helps me set up a pattern to be used later. once your muscles learn the movement and pattern it is so much easyer. Don't give up! The time will come when it clicks and your brain and muscles start working together! Thats when the fun really begins!

It gets easier. Just give yourself time for plenty of practice. I recommend using garage sale sheets sandwiched with inexpensive batting for practice. You could try drawing designs onto the sheets to stitch over. I'm a relative newbie myself when it comes to longarm skills, but I do find it gets easier with each quilt.

Practice makes perfect! Try drawing a design on your fabric and then go over it and over it without thread. Then thread your machine and try it with thread - in a contrasting color so you can really see the stitches. I like to practice "drawing" things like stars, hearts, waves, flowers, etc. On my first quilt on my frame I drew all sorts of things in the quilting and even wrote my son's name. Maybe one day he'll actually find his name in it!

The last quilt I did - a baby quilt last month - I printed out a design and laid it in front of my needle and using my arms to guide the machine, I kept my eyes on the pattern so I could try to follow it. It came out pretty good.

Good luck and just don't give up!

Don't give up. When my neice bought her LA she said the same thing. She felt so guilty spending the money. she was ready to send it back. everyone incouraged her, and she hung in there, 2 years later she is quilting for ladies all over the U.S. and has even quilted for Meg Hawkey, the designer of Crabapple Hill Designs. I just entered a quilt she quilted for me in a Quilt show and won Best in Catagory, I got 100 points out of a possible 100. Most of what she does is free hand. Keep practising and don't be so hard on yourself. Some of us ladies on here will be sending you our quilts before you know it!!

In the same boat as you are...I haven't had mine long and no time to "play". Gosh do I think it looks awful!

Someday soon though, I will do a charity one :)

Let's hang in there and show it we ain't scared.

Oh my gosh, I could tell you stories about my first attempts. Then I learned that it takes practice and not to expect perfection at the beginning. I am on quilt 5 and each one has been better and I learn something every one I do, or lots of things.lol Instead of "mistakes" I call them learning experiences and keep right on going. Don't give up, you will love it.

go purchase a bolt of muslin- a bunch of batts on sale & put together practice quilts---it takes time and lots of practice. some people practice for years before they are confident enough to quilt a real quilt- others take to it faster & after a couple dozen may load up a real quilt- they still practice for quite a while before chancing quilting for their friends. the practice quilts can be bound & donated here & there- or cut into smaller ones- edges zigzagged & donated to the local animal shelter- i have a few my granddaughters love- they claimed them and using fabric markers & paints- further decorated them- they use them for picnics, forts- what ever- play-
practice, practice, practice---with time you will forget how (hard) it was in the beginning. i am always telling people to go to shops that let you try out machines, or rent time on their long-arms and get a (feel) for it before commiting to spending that kind of money- i know so many people who decide fairly soon they really do not enjoy the process at all- their shoulders, back, knees, legs ache- they don't want to do this- it really sucks when they've gone ahead & spent thousands of $$ to find this out-

My quilting buddy and I bought a used Handiquilter 16 with a frame. Yes it is very different from quilting with a home machine. Why don't you try doing pantographs. There are free ones on the web or you can make one yourself. Take an easy stencil and apply it to paper, then copy it 4-5 times on additional sheets. Tape the sheets together and place on the table of the frame. (Hopefully you have a pointer or a laser light to follow the lines) Before you put thread in the machine, trace the design several times. Now try it with thread. The only way you'll get better is with practice. Good luck...please don't give up..you're just having growing pains.

Keep on practicing. My mom has a long arm and I have been learning to use it. It takes longer than you think to learn. Stick with it, you will get there.

I use a Friends, try a panograph. My friend and i Talk about this all THe Time were Crafty Not artsy.

That is exactly the set up that I have. Here is what I did.... Practice, practice, practice .... and here is how I did that.

Someone told me to purchase some great busy fabric (I use fabric that I could use for random bag projects, Linus quilts. etc). Load that as the backing fabric. Then lay down your batting(I always float mine) and then lay down a plain fabric (this will be your lining for a bag or backing for a quilt).

Then pick one all over pattern - meander, leaves, flowers .... - and use it to quilt. The plain fabric makes it easier to see the pattern you have already quilted and when you are finished and you roll the fabric over the busyness really covers any missed spaces and the fabric can be used for another project.

I did many of these - and even now after three years, when I use a new pattern, I do this as practice. Good luck - do not give up. It just takes a small bit of practice to give you some confidence.

So normal to feel the way you do. I got my LA (30 inch Gammill) in Dec and still feel less than. I too did what someone else mentioned and bought muslin and batting and practiced. I do a lot of pantographs - I feel like I can do that with out much problem now, but still struggle with free hand. Everyone has their own definition of what free hand is - but I have learned that using a pen to mark your design and following it or using rulers or templates are all "free hand". Don't feel pressure - just relax and have fun. Will make it easier. There is a learning curve - Good luck - I am sure you will get the hang of it and love it. One more thing - drawing or doodling will help also.

I know just how you feel, but I'm trying to learn FMQ on my small machine and I'm terrible at it so far!

But, I will NOT be beaten!!! I know other people can do it just fine on machines identical to mine so that means I can do it too, I just have to keep at it!

I would add one thing. Look where you are going with your stitching, not where the needle is. This is an important thing with free motion and with pantographs. In other words, move your eyes ahead.

I also have a Voyager/Hinterberg set-up with a stitch regulator. I've had it for about 6 years and had trouble finding time to practice because I was working. I'm retired now and using it much more and have gotten much better. I do a lot of pantographs using a laser. I'm finally branching out into freehand, but still need a lot of practice. I started out using 2 yds of cheap walmart fabric and bought a bolt of muslin to use as backing. I bought some poly batting to put between it and practiced pantos and different freehand designs, then put a binding on and I had a lap quilt. I still use some of the lap quilts. With the stitch regulator, you don't have to be a speed-demon when you start out. You can take your time, but you will eventually develop a rhythm and begin to move faster and with more confidence. If you run into any problems with your Voyager, I'll be more than happy to try to help.

Boy all this great advice. I've had a WOW quilting machine and it's on a 12 foot table. My DH bought it for my birthday & anniversary present quite a few years ago. I ended up having carpal tunnel surgery and then some troubles after that. So it sat! How heart broken am I. I can't remember how to load the quilt on it!! So when I get that figured out now that I have a little time on my "hands". It's a beauty of a machine I really want to "play" with it.Good luck with practicing..you'll get the hang of it!!

All great advice. When I first started, I quilted EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. I even quilted over the tops of old store bought comforters and mattress pads that didn't fit the beds anymore. All of my kids got quilts that Christmas, as well as nieces and nephews. I quilted window coverings for my daughter's drafty room, beds for the cats, baby size cheater panels I found on clearance. Just keep going and try new things. I kept a sketch diary of things I wanted to try, ideas, etc.

So glad to know that I'm not alone! Bought my LA last summer, but didn't set it up until 2 months ago. Had so much trouble figuring out how to thread it, adjust the tension, etc. Finally decided to change the needle to see if that would help. The needle wouldn't move and the motor would just hum. OMG! What did I do wrong. I was so upset, I didn't touch it again until last week. Was sure that my timing had somehow gotten messed up and told hubby that he might need to use his electrical skills to fix it for me. Over the past two months I searched tons of youtube videos and other resources. Found out that I wasn't threading my machine properly. Duh! Also discovered that I had put my new needle in backwards. Learned how to adjust my bobbin tension and upper tension. I had searched through the remnant bin at JoAnn's to find two cotton pieces that were about a yard in length to practice on. I think I finally have the tension about 95% set on my machine, and want to try and actually put a small baby quilt on it next week. Been too busy with the Olympics right now. I wish there were some good LA classes near the Dallas area where I could learn some more stuff. I'd better figure it out pretty soon because I put together a huge t-shirt quilt over the weekend and it's way too big to quilt on my regular machine!

Oh, I know this feeling! I've only had my machine since the end of March. Took me awhile to get it set up & running. I'm still having issues with the frame, as the rollers keep hitting spots on the rails where it's not quite smooth & the machine follows that line instead of where I want it to go.
I agree with all of the above. Practice, practice, practice! Doodle, doodle, doodle! If you are on the phone, doodle on a piece of paper or where ever you may have a minute. It creates muscle memory. We all learned how to write our names in cursive & now do it from muscle memory, so we have to teach our muscles to now move the machine in the way that we want it to go.
Don't give up! Like someone else said, compare yesterdays practice with todays & see the difference a day makes. We get better with each & every stitch or design we do, just relax, put some upbeat tunes on, play & enjoy!

Without a computer control, there will always be wonky spots. Places where seams butt, or corners that are thicker. I can seldom do a perfect curve, or at least the curve I had planned. You learn to avoid those spots and do patterns that aren't so precise. Meandering gets easier, but I find by the time I get to the other size of a Queen, I've often forgotten what size of meander I started with. My customers know that I can't do "perfect complex" and they're happy with the style I do. I bought some thick acrylic rulers to help me do precise straight lines but beyond that my work is pretty open.
MaryKatherine

Start off doing simple meandering designs to get to know your machine. Watch as many videos as you can. I found that drawing out the designs helps alot. There are a few dvds that were very helpful, if you love feathers, Kim Brunner has a wonderful dvds one is for her beautiful feathers and she has another beginner dvd that is wonderful. The Pajama quilter is also a great dvd too. Both of these quilters emphasize drawing.
Don't give up, we have all been there.

I thought once, I sprung for the combo setup, I would become a pro too, but that's as far from the truth as it gets. It takes tons of practice. I got mine with JoAnn's had their black Friday flannels at .90 a yard so I made twin quilts for all my nieces and newphews (about 20) and used them for my practice. Get yourself something that you won't feel bad practicing on and play, that's about the only way you can get comfortable with things. Still today, I would rather use my domestic machine for a lot of things. If I am going to use a pantograph, the long arm is great. But I don't care for using my machine from the front for free hand, and that's just a practice thing for me too. I've had my machine for about 8 years now!

If you have a quilting group in your area that makes charity quilts, frequently they are looking for someone to long arm their quilts. It's all for free, but a terrific way to get practice without building your own quilts. From my experience they are just delighted to get them quilted and are not looking for perfection.
Hang in there, things will improve for you!

I would be terrified!

Please don't give up! It's just like any new thing, it will be awhile till you feel comfortable. You have the head knowledge I am sure, you just need to get used to the feel and flow of the new machine. You go girl!!

There is a definate learning curve. Practice, Practice and more practice. It will get easier but don't be to hard on your self. Once you get the hang of it you will love it but it does take a lot of practice and patience. Good Luck