FMQ question
 

I have watched videos on YouTube and tried my hand on sandwich squares by fmq.. But I noticed the bigger the sandwich the more awkward it was for me to figure out where to go (direction wise) and how to maneuver the quilt sandwich itself. I an scared to try an actual quilt because I don't want to ruin it. Does anyone have a link that shows someone meandering fmq and using something bigger than a table mat so that I know what it looks like and how to move my quilt?

Hi there, I think a good way to practice is doodling with pencil and paper. It is the hand/eye coordination that needs to be developed, at least it was for me.

JulieM

You might want to check Leah Day' s, free motion quilting project. She has a quilt along on th e site also, where she shows how to pin baste and deal with a larger quilt.
We don' t start out doing the great job she does, it takes lots of practice.

In reality, when you FMQ on anything, from a placemat to a king, you are actually only going to be working on a 'table mat' section at a time. The whole quilt is there, but you can only work on a small section. Position the quilt in your machine and so that the weight is supported by tables. Pick out an 8 or 9 inch square area you want to work on. Now puddle (nest? scrunch?) up some of the quilt around this area so you can move the square freely. Quilt this square and stop at the edge of the area. Stop, readjust the quilt so the adjacent area can move freely and do this section. don't know if this helps.

Exactly! I think it was in a Leah Day video where I first heard to focus on one small area at a time so you don't get lost. It works for me!

What do they call quilting that uses the old stencil patterns then? Don't you FMQ those? Who works with those?

I don't care for the all-over bit. Right now I have some strips that I might like to do a couple of ovals on, then straight stitch some others. I'd like a site that shows that method. I've got some books - Leah Day does have some decent practice techniques, but I don't like the finished style. I'm playing with that quilt sampler, and I simply don't see the fills she is using. My vision for the blocks is totally different.

I guess I want a tutorial about mock hand quilting, FMQ style. I want to highlight the fabric and color, not machine skills in particular. I think the mock, using patterns would require finer control.

This was the way I learned control and still will doodle if I want to try something different.

For a start, it may help if u grab some quilt stencils and trace the designs onto them before doing FMQ. Or u could print out some simple designs on paper and quilt on it, just for practice. Meandering or stippling is a good design to start with. I'm a beginner to FMQ too and still struggling with it! But the more I practice, the more I feel at ease with FMQ. I think the first hurdle is to overcome the fear and just do it! Good luck! :)

I'm in the same boat but I belong to the DQ swap and I practice on all of those..Everyone is understanding in that swap if it doesn't turn out so well.

I used her tutorials to learn how to FMQ; once you know how you can use any motif you want. I've found using stencils and marked lines to be MUCH easier than free form quilting. But maybe that's just me.

Look for tutorials on marking quilt tops. You'll learn what you need there.

I would get some fabric with a bold print. make some sandwiches up and practice FMQing on the lines of the print. When you can follow the lines pretty well, then you can use stencils to mark your fabric and quilt on the lines.
The reason why machine quilters like the patterns they do instead of the traditional quilting motifs is you have to constantly stop and tie off your threads. Many traditional patterns are stand alone motifs where the more modern FMQ patterns let you do all your quilting without stopping, tying off, and restarting all the time.

I would suggest that you go to Leah Days site start from lesson one, for some one so young she has some very sound advice, she certainly helped me gain confidence in my own quilting capabilities.

Very nicely explained.

That hesitation and "figuring out where to go next" are difficult to overcome.

Get a Dry Erase board or even large sketch tablet and pencil. Doodle one design until you don't even have to think about where you're going next. I do this with every new design I try. I draw it until I can almost do it with my eyes closed. When I sit down to the machine, the mechanics are different, but I don't have that hesitation about where to go next. :)

I agree about Leah Day. Every time I'm ready to start FMQ I review her videos and where I am in the process.

Thank you!!!

I am told that many questions get a stencil and mark it until they get the rhythm. It aparantly works.

Craftsy has a class: Quilting Big Projects on a Small Machine by Ann Petersen. She teaches how to break the quilt down into smaller chunks so that you know where to go next.

Since I do QAYG - a large quilt wouldn't exist. I just like the looks of the motifs, and also like Sashiko. I've been tracing patterns I have on cheap muslin and playing with staying on the lines. It ain't easy. I've got a quilt going now - just figured out how to do the blocks - mostly straight, but one strip is crying out for connected ovals. I can do them with a regular machine, but turning and twisting the fabric is a pain. I did a wall hanging with a cabin - the roof was crying out for fish scales and I just didn't feel like trying it with a regular stitch. If I can get it into the computer, I can manipulate anything.

I also don't mind using backstitching. That used to be done. Or small stitches in place. You have knots and tie-offs if you machine embroider those stencils in the hoop.

Thanks

Doodling on paper is good. I also, suggest you get a large piece of felt to practice on. If you have a start button on yr machine, that helps a lot with speed. Be sure to check the back often to make sure there is no eyelashes. You will know when you are ready & comfortable to FM a quilt after some practice. It takes. Time and patience.

I agree with Paper Princess, but really, you should just grab it and go. It is the only way to become successful. I sat on the sidelines for a long time as I was worried that I would ruin my "lovely" work. A friend asked me to help her quilt some charity quilts (knowing this would force me into action) and so after practicing on those quilts, I just grab a quilt and start meandering...all the best with it. You will gain confidence with practice.

here is a site that talks about how to section off your quilt for fmq. I tried this approach once and it did help.
http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/...-larger-quilt/

So far- no eyelashes, but lots of different sized stitches. Does craft felt work or isn't it heavy enough? You can get that really cheap. Cut it and leave a stack of it where it's easy to get at. No pins.

How about starting with a sampler? You can stitch in the ditch along the sashing and then do every block separately.

Cindy Needham has a class on Craftsy.com called "Design It, Quilt It" where she covers using stencils for fmq. She also has lots of tips for dividing up a space into sections and then fmq within those spaces. She also has a lesson on placing border designs and how to get them planned out without a lot of math. This is a worthwhile class, I think.

after practicing your doodle, get some glad wrap and doodle, lay it upon a practice square and sew, I use glad wrap when I want a special design on my table runners and when practicing.

Don't remember where I read this tip for stippling : Divide your quilt into quarters. Start on the right bottom quarter. Go back and forth on that quarter starting from the inside corner close to the quilt center. It will look like rows at first, but not once it is done. When finished with first quarter, rotate quilt counter clockwise and repeat with the next quarter. This keep the bulk of your fabric to left of needle. I am practicing using this method on LARGE pieces of muslin now. Plain muslin lets me see better where I am doing well and where I have screwed up. I am "wasting" some batting, but don't regret it when I see improvement. What everyone says about practice, practice really is true.

Thanks - I will look into that. Sounds like what I want. I'll just have to remember to use the computer rather than the tablet - a lot gets left out in the mobile version.

One of my quilting free motion teachers said that she always has 'cheater' quilts put together(they are for babies, or for a donation for a worthy cause. I would first try one of those. The other suggestion is to start the quilting session on a throw away, same idea, but it lets you start practicing first on an unimportant piece so you hopefully find your mistakes before you make them on the quilt you love. I also found that you should plan ahead the type of quilting you want on what part of the quilt. You may want to do a grid for one part, a meander around another, little e's or l's on a border, you get my drift. Anyway, you don't feel so panicked when you reach another area.

John Flynn takes his practice pieces and sews them together. He then uses a weed wacker on the seams to make a raggedy quilt. He shows himself doing it on his website.

Finally, when you start making mistakes, and you will, stop. Take a break. Walk around do something and come back to it. You will find you will work much better with the simple last suggestion.

I couldn't agree more. About 25 years ago I took a step and actually machine stitched around the borders with a wavy stitch. I thought it sacrilegious. I still prefer handquilting, but for times sake, I do now machine quilt squares, in the ditch, etc.; however, I think that some of quilting today has become a contest to see who can quilt the densest quilt possible.

Personally, I don't think what passes for quilting now isn't quilting--it is fiber art. The sewing of fabric together and then the embellishments that is put down on the final quilt top has become too much. The hand of the quilt is stiff. Then if there is beading, yo-yos, etc., on any quilt there are lumps and bumps. There are only so many walls in my house. And I do like to have pictures hung also...

A quilt should be soft. It was and is, IMnsHO, a bed covering. I don't want stiffness. I want to be able to snuggle, wrap it around me, comfort me if that is what is needed. I don't need a ton of embellishments on a quilt top either. I guess I will go back to making Amish-style quilts. I can blissfully sit and hand quilt. There will be no need for patterns, or fancy fabric. I will fish out the old quilting frame and set it up in the dining room. I think the quilters of Gees Bend, Mississippi have the right approach. Use what you have. Quilt it if you want to. Tie it if you need it to keep someone warm tonight. Those are quilts.

Please no flames. This is my opinion only. I have seen way too many lovely quilts here that I have been in awe of. I am, myself, working on a Judy Niemeyer quilt. That will be fiber art. But for the most part, I prefer soft squares with a soft cotton batting in between. Soft... that is the key word.

Peace to all of you...

I have only been FMQ for a year but I love it. What I find works for me when I am trying out FMQ designs on my quilt projects is to lay a large peice of clear vinyl table cloth material over my quilt. I then practice designs on the vinyl using a dry esrase pen. This way I can doodle out designs over a large area of the quilt using the actual size of, for example leaves, that I want to try FMQ on the quilt. It allow me to see how the design looks on my quilt. I buy the vinyl table cloth stuff at my local fabric store for less than $2.00 per yard and it is 60" wide. Just erase when you are done and you can use it over and over again.

I have done many queen and king quilts on my home machine. I agree that the trick is to do one small section at a time.

To control things, I often divide the quilt first with stitch in the ditch using my walking foot.