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Practice practice, practice. It WILL come.
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That was exactly the way I felt when I first tried FMQ. I was so intimidated that I went back to STD. Then I took a class at my LQS and it took the fear out of it. Now after a lot of practice, and I mean a LOT of practice, I just love FMQ. A book the instructor suggested (which she claimed was her quilting bible) is by Harriet Hargrave "Heirloom Machine Quilting". Worth every penny :)
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Michelangelo didn't paint the SIstine Chapel the day after he first dipped his brush in paint. Give yourself a chance and some time. You'll get it.
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It took me 3 yrs to get stippling and that is all I do for now. I don't think I will ever get to feathering. All I can say is stay determined and continue to practice. For me practice on scraps wasn't fulfilling so I practiced on small pieces and wall hangings with nylon and my mistakes weren't as noticeable. I am determined not to send my stuff to a long arm quilter. If I make a quilt I want it to be all mine. So stay with it you will get it. I wish I was as determined with sticking to my diet. Watching Leah Day was also helpful to me.
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It is hard, I was very discouraged when I first started, but a friend told me to practise an hour a day for a month, and at the end of that month It would be much easier. She was right. Practise Practise Practise Hang in there!!!
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My first time quilting on my domestic machine was in a 2-day class taught by Jill Schumacher. I went home wondering if I shouldn't bother returning for the next day's lessons. But come the morning it was AMAZING how many of the ladies in the class discovered a new-found skill!! It seems that the stumbling frazzling attempts we made the first day created 'muscle memory' and our second day's work was AWESOME!
Consider joining one of your local guilds. For 2 years I've been driving 60 miles twice a month to quilt my guild's community quilts on a longarm and I'm having a ball! My technique has improved so much, I'm discovering and creating new motifs and methodology, and I've helped to LA quilt over 500 quilts a year for my guild's projects! There are a LOT of warmer, happier kids out there now! BTW, are you using quilter's gloves like Machingers on your home machine? Do you have a large bed attachment or does your machine sit down into a table? The larger the flat area, the easier to work. Also, if you get a Sew Slip sheet designed to eliminate the friction on your bed while quilting, you'll be amazed how much easier it is to move your work around. |
Originally Posted by feffertim
My neck and shoulders got so stiff !
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When I started to do FMQ, I purchased the book and CD, "Skillbuilder Companion for Machine Quilters" by Renae Allen. I also bought her Skillbuilder Samplers. I noticed that when I finished all of the FMQ on the sampler, the last instruction was "Sew binding strips together and bind sampler edges." No way! My FMQ on the sampler was horrible! I just kept practicing and now I love FMQ although I'm still not as good as I'd like to be. Keep practicing. I'll bet you'll learn to enjoy FMQ also.
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I got a Janome 3160 for Christmas and have been getting used to it. I just got a darning foot but they were out of the walking foot. I am self taught and have been piecing and tying quilts for several years. I was so excited to start at least stippling with the darning foot but it is not easy and not even fun at this point! I know, practice. I have several quilts sandwiched and ready for quilting but I don't want to ruin them so guess I will wait until I feel comfortable with FMQ or following a pattern.
I suppose I need a good book too but I have a few questions for you experts: Is it possible to go back and quilt a quilt that has been tied and bound? What is the difference between a walking foot and a stitch in the ditch foot? Do I need both? Do you use stencils or just wing it with FMQ designs in your head? |
what is an FMQ?
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