FMQ and dropping the feed dog
 

I am fairly new to quilting. I have done stitch in the ditch and a few simple diagonal lines on square blocks. I would like to try FMQ. I have a table runner that would be a good place to start-after LOTS of practice. I use an older Singer machine that does not allow me to drop the feed dog. How do I deal with this? Someone told me to tape a note card over the feed dog. Wouldn't that create a very rough surface pretty quickly as the card becomes full of needle holes?
I appreciate any suggestions you can provide. Thank you, in advance, for your help!

You would cut a little hole for the needle before taping it on. Or you can set the stitch length at 0 and it should work just fine. Or you can buy a cover for your machine that screws into the bed. It should be cheap enough from eBay. Good luck!

Some fmq with the feed dogs up. It works fine but it's not good for your machine over time.

I would probably tape a piece of vinyl over the feed dogs -- slipperier than a notecard. With this method of covering the feed dogs you *must* set your stitch length to 0 so the feed dogs don't move. And as misskira noted, you make a small hole in the covering for the needle.

????? How's that? I learned in a class from someone who has been doing it this way for a couple of decades.

Yes, some people find it easier to FMQ with the feed dogs up. A lot depends on the specific machine and quilter.

I read an article about sewing machine dos and don'ts. It explained why it was bad but I don't remember the details. I'll try and find the article.

Would frog tape work? It is painting tape that is easy to remove without hurting yor machine. It is silicone coated so it is slick enough for fmq. Just a thought.

Good thought, but since the underside is sticky I think the feed dogs might chew it up a bit. Maybe not though.

I heard using an old credit or Atm card works better than tape or cardboard