I have been practicing my FMQ for a couple of weeks now and have been improving. When I first started I thought there was no way I would ever get the hang of it but practice is making all the difference. Anyway, I had noticed in some posts that people were talking about not dropping the feed dogs. So, I gave it a try, and WOW! I can't believe how much easier it is for me. I seem to have much more control and feel like I am ready to stipple a real quilt!

So I have to wonder if I have really improved that much or if dropping the feed dogs made all the difference. Either way I am thrilled to be FMQing for real!!! :-D

I have never tried that...maybe my next project.

I like it better,too! It seems to move smoother and with more control. Be sure to set your stitch length at 0.

I could never get the tension on my Brother right with the feed dogs dropped, but if I left them up it worked perfectly. It's definately worth a try and I'm glad it worked for you :)

Do whatever way is best for you. My quilting goes better when my feed dogs are down but for some reason on my Sapphire 850 they have a tendency to creep back up. I can always tell as the quilt gets hard to move. Good luck FMQ is sooooooo much fun!

Well congrats! I too like the resistance of the feed dogs. Have fun, cant wait to see your quilt!

So glad FMQ is working well for you. I have done some but need soooo much more practice. Too many other things seem to take precedence!

:)

I used to have such a hard time with FMQ. Then one time I tried it and everything looked almost perfect. No broken needles, no tangled threads, no puckers, even stitches. Then it came time to refill the bobbin (drop-in type) and I noticed I had forgot to drop the feed dogs!! It worked so well, I just kept going with it.

I think it depends on the machine. I have a Sapphire 830 and the presser foot pressure controls are automatic. I don't mess with the settings much, so at the normal settings, I have better luck with the feed dogs down for FMQ. It seems to drag a bit if they are up.