Fmq
 

I compare FMQ in quilting to being able to do jumps while ice skating.

One can still enjoy making a quilt without being able to FMQ - and I think people can enjoy ice skating if they are unable to do jumps.

Absolutely! But it's fun to try both.

But I've never heard of someone breaking a bone while practicing FMQ.

Which I would definitely do while ice skating! My skating is limited to watching on TV.

I used to ice skate when I was younger, but couldn't do more than a hop on the ice. I did enjoy doing twirls though! My FMQ is much better than my skating was and I've got a long way to go to be as good as I want to be!! I quilt my own quilts on a DSM and am always trying new things. No one's ever been disappointed with my quilts, so I guess I must do ok! Certainly no where near as good as the long-armers!

I think there are some relatively simple FMQ patterns that do not require jumps. Loops for example. I was so horrid at FMQ for a long time, I told everyone that I didn't even suck at it. Getting to the "I suck at this" stage was a real improvement. Lately I finished my very first FMQ project and I am pleased with the results. (See "Living the American Dream" thread in the pictures section.) It isn't great but it is happy. The more I practice, the better I get. Now putting me in ice-skates would land me in hospital and that is without jumps. lol

Thank goodness my trusty Babylock has some decorative stitches to get me by for now . Practice does NOT make perfect in my case. Is it easier if you use a template as I have too many sharp turns.:mad:

It is easier to mark your quilt lines on your quilt (I like Crayola Ultra Clean markers or crayons) and start with a larger design. Leah Day recommends a 2" design for beginners. Probably 1" would be fine, too. The important thing is to pick a very simple design to start with and work from there. Too many of us pick fancy FMQ designs & then are frustrated when we can't do them as our first design. Reality sets in pretty quickly with FMQ.

That said, yes, there are plenty of beautiful quilts with only straight line quilting.

Easier to glide over fabric than ice. Jump!- no way in both dangerous.

Yes, I'm with you. I'm hoping to master at least the basics.

I think I get the hang of it messing around on scraps....then I stick a quilt under the needle and all kinds of disaster happens...reading Martina's post is giving me another glimmer of hope.....I can't even iceskate, yet alone think of jumping whilst on skates.

Yes, but with one of them you could break your leg! :)

I look at FMQ like driving a car. Some people such as me when I was learning to quilt found that following a line doing FMQ was a lot easier than stippling where you didn't have a road to follow.

I did a LOT of ice skating and roller skating in my younger days. (The last time on roller skates was at age 69) We did the waltz and the polka and lots of tricks, but one skate was always firmly planted on the ice / floor.

I love doing FMQ. I like to make circles and swirls and write words. Last quilt, I wrote around squares. I found out that if I can write a word on top of the square, I can write one upside down at the bottom of the square without turning the quilt around. So why can't I write a word up one side and down the other. I can! What fun!

Well said, bearisgray.

Check out this youtube site. She has a lot of good information. http://www.freemotionquiltingadventu...blog-page.html

Remember the male figure skatter from 1990's with the comedy routines, and back flips? Scott Hamilton. I so desire to be the Scott Hamilton of FMQ!

I just have to be sure not to twist my shoulder!