FMQ question
 

I really want to learn to FMQ.
I've watched videos but have not seen how
one is supposed to place hands on either side of
quilting area while working on the edges of
the quilt.
The thing that has me frightened is the bulk of the quilt being difficult to wrangle. :/

well the bulk of the quilt is very difficult to wrangle :) I just put one hand to the left of the needle and one hand to the right of the needle. It takes practice but it can be fun

My best advice is to have your machine on a large table that can help hold the weight. If you can then move your machine to the left/right depending on which border/edge you are working on. If you can't move (set in table machine), I sometimes position extra chairs on the side I need to hold the weight.

Then I use my hand to help hold that side (I try to position the edge so most of the quilt is to the left of my domestic). That said, I now have a sitdown HQSweet 16 that has the same amount of table space on both sides and sometimes I still use a chair for Q and K sized quilts, but generally still try to keep the bulk to my left ( I am right handed).

Your goal is to have something else support the bulk and use your hands to move the fabric near you without too much tension from the bulk.

Good luck and realize that the more you practice the better you will get! Don't sweat the small stuff!

Practice and see what works for you ...I tend to work vertical whereas someone else likes horizontal.

That said, I suggest starting small (pillow, baby quilt, etc) to see what works.

Someone else mentioned they like the gloves. I bought a pair and can't stand to use them....Just remember to not get your fingers too close to the needle/foot! It hurts to have a needle go through your fingernail!

It truly is about personal preference and how it works best for you!

I too was very intimidated about FMQ. It is normal. As I have progressed, I have learned what works for me. I did take the Craftsy class called FMQ a large quilt on a domestic machine (or something like that). It helped me enormously. I still fumble a bit with large quilts and feel like I am wrestling a slippery whale but determination moves me forward and I am improving every time I do a new quilt. Also, (and this is huge for me) I wash and dry my quilts when I am finished with them. The puckering hides ALL my mistakes. Woohoo! Another trick I try to use because I do not like the time-consuming job of tying and burying my threads is, I try to do a pattern from edge to edge so that my threads will be buried in my binding. Saves a huge amount of time. If I cannot do that, I try to tie and bury as I finish a motif. Much better for me. Good luck and don't give up.

If you leave a wide enough piece of batting and backing, you can grab that to maneuver the sandwich. Ann Peterson from Craftsy does that.

Like Tartan stated "I work horizontally" also. Remember, in FMQ your needle can go in any direction, so if you are sewing an edge or border, you can sew it sideways with the edge to the front and the quilt to the left, right and back. Your feed dogs are not engaged, so the machine is not grabbing the fabric and pushing it towards the back. That was one thing that I had to tell myself when I first started FMQ. You CAN go in ANY direction. Once I got that through my head, it was easier to plan my path.

I learned by following Leah Day, leahday.com. She has a wealth of free information, very detailed for a beginner. Lots of youtube videos. She has over time started selling some CDs, etc. but still plenty of free info. She also has classes on Craftsy.

I took a class at MQX with Leah Day two years ago...she had us prepare a half dozen quilt sandwiches 15x15 inche so we could practice different FMQ patterns. Since then, I continue to use leftover batting and scraps to make even larger test sandwiches and it helps you learn to maneuver larger projects like baby quilts and such under your needle. Practice is key, especially in the beginning.