The pattern is from the Fons & Porter book 'quilters complete guide' that I got from the library. Here is a link to a similar one, mine uses only 4" squares through wile this uses different sizes otherwise the effect is the same

one of the best bits of advice I got was to have a glass of wine first and just go for it.

Since I don't drink alcohol, I had some chocolate and just went with it. It is harder than it seems, but the more practice it gets better.

Also you need gloves could not do it with my machingers gloves! They help you move the fabric around.

Someone mentioned eyelashing in another post. Can some explain this to me? I have never heard of it before.

being relaxed is so important...try having your favorite music on..the beat/rythym helps me. Hang in there!

You're absolutely correct... I forgot to mention that and mine are machingers also....love those gloves.

I agree with the above poster that the gloves may really help you out. Stippling is still a pain in the rear for me and I free motion just about every quilt I make! LOL* It's actually really tough to get nice even stitching and keep from crossing over your lines! I think the loopy meander would be a great way to go to get practice. Once you've done a whole quilt of meandering you'll probably be ready to do something that requires a little more control.

Why on earth do they suggest stippling for starting out? LOL* I agree with the poster that said, "stippling is much harder than it looks!"

Also, I don't know what kind of machine your using but I'm using a very basic one. Mine has speeds and I generally set it on medium to keep me from running way from myself. Some of these ladies who do amazing work not only have a lot of practice under their belt, but they often have stitch regulating machines which can make a HUGE difference. I wish I had it!!! ;) Don't give up! :)

Ahhh ... that's why everyone said "relax" (honestly - it wasn't just a cliche!). Not only will you be sore, but it won't do the quilting a bit of good either.

So, relax the shoulders, put a practice piece down, and just sew. Don't try to sew pretty, don't try to sew "anything" - just practice moving fabric around, forward, backward, side to side, with your shoulders RELAXED. Get that part down pat first. Complete perhaps 3-5 10" sandwiches full of nonsense quilting all completed with relaxed shoulders. THEN try to practice something planned.

Some people use a harness for their shoulders/neck and it has adjustable weights that hang from the harness on your back - supposed to help relax your shoulders. Obviously if there's a device to prevent this, your not the only one with the problem. Try to work through it on your own.

Oh ... and breath. Honestly. I'll bet you hold your breath without knowing it. Well, I did, and apparently it's a common reaction.

repeat with breathing - shoulders - inhale - shoulders - exhale - shoulders - inhale ....

music helps too.

what is a fmo?

quiltsru

Free Motion Quilting

I think some of the best advice is to practice off the machine using paper and pencil or a dry erase board and markers. You can also get clear acrylic and doodle your design on it while it's setting on top of your quilt top to figure out what you want to put in each area.

[quote=thepolyparrot]I'll bet you didn't ride a bicycle perfectly the first time you tried that, either. :) quote]

So so true.

Trust me when I say this....feathers are a hundred times easier than stippling! Especially if you use a stencil to mark your design. There are some great open feathers that don't require you to back-track on your stitching lines. Try it and see!

it takes practice. if you didn't break any needles, tear any holes or have stitches 2" long you have done better than alot of us on your first try...don't be so hard on yourself...it will come together slowly and surly as you practice more and more. :thumbup:

On the backside of the quilt, the stitching resembles eyelashes if not done correctly. Kind of like a drawing of a face and how we draw the eyes with a curved line and short lines resembling the lashes.

Ohhh. Interesting! That is exactly my problem! How do you fix that?

Just takes lots of practice. I think it's to do with coordinating the speed of the machine with the speed of how you move the quilt.

I just ordered some gloves today because all the videos seem to show people wearing gloves. Hopefully that will help altho I have to admit I am just starting to get the hang of it a little bit;. AT least I can recognize what causes the messes.

Have a glass of wine. If still having issues have a second glass of wine.

I took a class on using my BSR, and noticed that all my classmates were zooming away on their machines. It is much easier to concentrate on what you are doing if you slow it down; REALLY slow it down. Develop a controlled, easy pace and you will have a much better feel for what you want to happen and also be able to plan ahead.

the first time I tried stippling, I got a stencil and traced it, then I felt like i knew better which way to go, etc.

I find it much easier with gloves than without. I tried some cheap garden gloves, but found them too big and too hot to wear. I love the Machinger's gloves. I use them all the time!

Practice, practice, practice! I am FMQ-ing a baby quilt right now, and I had to tear out some (but not all) of the "eyelashes." It also helps to set your machine to a slow speed. I never knew my machine even had a slow speed until I was halfway into quilting my current quilt. Wow, does a slow speed help me get around curves without eyelashes!! I also use gloves and couldn't do the FMQ without them.

It does take lots of practice. sometimes I feel like i haven't gotten any better over the years, but i know that i have. Except after the other day- I was doing the serpentine stitch on the seams and they I switched to FMQ. i couldn't figure out why my curves were all spastic. Then i realized i didn't change the stitch to stright stitch! I had to rip out two sides! good thing it was a small quilt!

You really will get the hang of it. Just keep at it. My first practice piece started out a disaster, but ended up kinda okay. I could definitely tell where I started and where I finished...LOL!! Next couple of pieces went great. Now, I'm trying to FMQ (just stipple) a queen sized quilt, and I have been thru 4 pkgs of needles -- I keep breaking them, and I can figure out why. Have rethreaded, changed needles, checked/adjusted tension, quilt not caught on anything, etc (I even tried another machine!!!). The needle keeps hitting the throat plate and breaking. So, I put it away for now, and will try again another day.

try using a stencil and a pounce pad with the ultimate pounce chalk( the iron off type) I use em all the time to get the proper technique of FMQing then I will go on to free hand FMQing. When I first tried to free hand stippling I was really lousy at it now after lots of pratice I know I could to it. I made 75 dog coats with a stencil quilting pattern for pratice patterns.

The one tip I can give you is SLOW down at first!! get used to doing it before you try to speed up!! like a saying goes one needs to learn how to crawl before you can walk or run.

Set your speed to the lowest setting on your machine pratice getting your stitch length the same IMHO that is the hardest thing to do!!

keep practicing , try putting on some music that you can just flow along with while FMQ, do you have the gloves ,and remember to keep your speed at what you can handle to keep up with the speed you move your material

practice practice !

It doesn't happen over night - practice,practice,practice.

My favorite advice is the glass of wine or bottle of beer and music! I think it reminds me that this is supposed to be FUN. Practice, and practice more. I agree that gloves are important - with the gloves you won't need to use so much pressure with your hands, that will keep your neck and shoulders a little more relaxed. If you start feeling tense, it is time to get up and walk around a bit! I have tried several types of gloves and have machingers - but actually what I really like to use are nitrile or surgical gloves. They are 'tacky' and I can really feel what is under my fingertips. I also have a small white board and will draw the pattern that I want to use, and trace it over and over until I have muscle and brain memory. I have also used my large square ruler with white board markers - lay the ruler on top of the pattern you want to use or on the quilt and trace what pattern fits and trace over and over, until it feels comfortable. Wipe off the marker right away, I have never harmed my ruler(test markers on a small part of yours first), but quilttiludrop's idea for a piece of plexiglass is great! I may have to check my garage for a left over piece of one of those for practice!

"Oh and go slower when doing a curve or you end up with eyelashes underneath (ask me how I know that!!"

I always wondered what those things were called.

That happens to me sometimes. Less now than it used to. I was told I was probably moving the quilt around too fast. Try slowing the hand movement down a bit. Hope it helps!

I agree with everyone about practice...practice...practice....but there is one thing I would add. Not only put on music, but sing along. When you are singing, you automatically breathe. You are probably holding your breath which is also causing you to tense up your shoulders and neck.
Since I can't carry a tune, I use my iPod and warn my DH that he may want to leave the area!!!. :-D

I just did my FMQ and its not easy, but stick to it. Practice is the key. Also, take a break so you don't get frustrated. Mine is not perfect, but am happy I actually started on it.

I like the glass of wine tip - just be careful how much you drink -

Try drawing a pattern of stippling or your design of choice on tissue paper and pin it to your practice piece and try to follow the lines. At first it is practically impossible but soon you'll get the hang of it. If you get frustrated quit for the day and try again later.

Relax, play some music and take your time. Keep practicing. I spray-baste my quilts so I don't have to stop to remove pins or smooth out wrinkles and I wear lightweight rubber-coated gardening gloves while I'm guiding my quilt under the needle. Have fun with it and you'll see improvement each time you try again :)

Oh, I can so identify with your dilemma. I am still stitching in the ditch or outline stitching, but did try some hearts on a rag quilt and it worked very well since I was only working on one block at a time. Let's both keep trying. Am going to join the quilting guild in my town and get someone to let me watch them for a while. Maybe that will help.

I will share what I was told. "Stop trying to make it something. Make it quilted first, when that is comfortable, make it a design." I am still trying.

Keep practicing. Get some old fabric and just go at it. You are a WV girl and you should have a lot of "grit in your craw"; therefore, I know you can do it. PM me if you need some personal encouragement.

The main thing is to learn to coordinate your machine speed and the movement of your hands. It seems so hard at first but then suddenly you're getting it. Don't give up.

Do you have your feed dogs down? And be sure to set your stitch length to 0 and your presser foot pressure to 0 if you have this control. Be sure to practice on quilt sandwich practice squares.

And please, please wear a pair of Machingers! Very helpful to keep control of your quilt sandwich

Dana

Maybe you are pulling(without realizing it) the quilt when the needle is still in the quilt which in turn bends the needle just enough that it hits the needle plate then breaks.. Or when you are replacing the needle that you are putting it in high enough before tightening it...