Many thanks for all the suggestions that came in while I was out shop hopping. I was able to find the bobbin washers, but no luck with the titanium needles. But a wonderful board member has offered to send me one to test drive.

I do have the same thread top and bottom, but I am thinking I need to slow down on the curves (just like driving a car). I will also try adjusting the tensions. Tonight while I watch the Phillies baseball game I'm going to rip out all the bad areas so I can try again tomorrow. If tomorrow you hear maniacal screaming during the mid day think of me.

I think I saw that video when i was on a quilting bus trip. It was very informative. I am going to check it out to see if its the same one. Thanks.

Yes, shoulders down...sometimes they work their way towards the ears, slow waltz type music helps to keep the hands slow too. I used to hum "Casey would waltz with a strawberry blond"... or "Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do"... my mother would play these songs on the organ at the lake and my grandparents loved them. I also visualize graceful skaters on the ice.

piney

my friend has a glass of wine and puts her i-pod on!

oh, and breathe!

Oh, that glass of wine would be my complete undoing. LOL

Metallic needles are not the same as titanium needles. If I'm wrong on this, I hope that someone will correct me, but metallic needles are a style like topstitch or quilting or
jeans and are available in all the usual places. Titanium needles are actually made of titanium, are harder to find (and I'm guessing more expensive) and last much longer. I was having the same issues with FMQ just a couple of days ago (I'm also pretty new at it) and tried some of the same suggestions plus used a 90/14 metallic needle. Seemed that the thing that made the most improvement was really increasing my top tension. Since I have a Pfaff, the number I used wouldn't be the same, but I just turned it up a few settings, tried again and kept doing that until the loops disappeared. So I feel your frustration, but it will get better--you'll get there with practice just like I will.

Some machines are just going to be better at FMQ than others. I have heard (and it makes sense...) that machines with vertical hook assemblies work better because the thread comes straight up off the bobbin, whereas horizontal hooks make the thread bend at a right angle off the bobbin. It makes no difference for regular sewing, but for FMQ it does...

I FMQ's last night and today--feed dogs down--on my Bernina (no BSR). I like using a 90 Microtex Sharp (Schmetz), Mettler's metrosene Plus in the top and metrolene in the bobbin. I used 2 other threads (Coats and Clark's MQ thread)in the top as I wanted different colors--and the FMQ was not as nice.
And I think I sew too fast on the curves--thanks for that tip!

I have had this problem in the past. I was told by the machine guy:

1. new needle Obviously, you already did this. when I had a very good quality batik backing, I went through about 5 needles on the twin sized quilt.
2. major cleaning a a bit of oil. This includes inside the thread tensioner and inside the bobbin case, any place those lint monsters can hide. The store owner talked my DH thru a major cleaning, AFTER I did one. He found lots more stuff.
3. even speed, and kinda slow at that. The shop owner adiagreed on this one.

If these don't take care of it, maybe it is time to have a tune up.

Hiya Sunnie, just wondering how you are doing, I have read the entire post and see there is a lot of helpful advice.

I used to have the same problem when I first started FMQ but after practising and doing a lot of it the problems went away. The first thing I would say is RELAX and yes a glass of wine really does help. I rarely drop my feed dogs although I do set my tension to 0 I used to make sure my thread was the same top and bottom but now I like the Bottom Thread from Superior threads but that is my personal choice, although I will say my older Singer is fussy about the thread I use for FMQ and have to use the old Sylko on her. I don't use any special type of needle, I normally use Smeltz or Organ standards size 12,

I do find that the most important thing to get right is SPEED you really do have to put your foot down and go for it, moving your fabric in a steady motion. BTW a top tip that I have found that really helps is that I polish my machine concentrating on the whole of the harp area, yep with an ordinary colourless polish it really helps.

I do this at the beginning of each quilt I start along with a throrough clean of the bobbin area and of course a brand new needle, they are cheap enough when you look at the problems an old one can give you.

Let us know how you get on, and remember when you get it right there will be no turning back every quilt you make will be FMQ, honest :thumbup: