FMQ tips needed
 

Just got a feed dog cover and a FMQ presser foot and am going to start experimenting with FMQ and am looking for some tips, links, tutorials etc that have helped you. I assume presser foot pressure is important, and thread tension. I am using an older singer 457 Stylist. Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Check out Angela Walters’ quilt along videos on YouTube. Also Christina Cameli. And of course practice, practice, practice. I thought I’d never get it but then it just kind of clicked and I’ve been really pleased with my quilting. I feel like I’ve taken suggestions from a lot of quilters and kind of developed my own style. Most important, I try not to be too critical about my work or compare it with the experts.

I’m a beginner too. I find wearing quilter’s gloves help me control the fabric.
Bought the cheapest pair I could find on EBay and they’re still going strong. I often wear one on my left hand when I’m machine sewing the binding - it seems to give me a bit more ‘hold’.

Before you do any sewing practice, draw the design over and over on paper or use a small whiteboard that can be erased. This will give you muscle and 'eye' memory. My friends laugh at me when we are out, I'm always doodling on the paper napkins!!

Use your practice pieces for small projects; zippy pouches, notebook covers, prem quilts,table mats etc. you'll find that you practice more when you feel the fabric is actually being 'used'.

That's a good idea I was going to just use some throw away sandwiches but maybe I'll make potholders or something.

Thanks for all the tips everybody!

I usually use Coats and Clark cotton thread for all my quilts, do you think this will be fine for FMQ?

I suggest Leah Day first. She is slow and methodical. I learned a lot from her. Now that I am further along, I love Angela Walters but she goes a little fast on the FMQ.

You can give the Coats and Clark a try and see if you like the way it works. I use all kinds of threads on my machine- even serger cones. It is a Brother PQ1500, straight stitch. Leah Day uses Isacord polyester for all her FMQ. I don't think there is one right way for everyone. Just start doing it on a practice piece and see how it goes. it does take a fair amount of practice. None of my machines has ever had a tension issue.

I am one that doodling or muscle memory has not worked. I can do a FMQ motif after a lot of sewing practice better than if I drew it out a thousand times. One is moving the pen and one is moving the fabric. You may like this practice but if you don't, you aren't alone.

I've tried all kinds of gloves, rings, pads, etc and it always comes back to Machingers for me. There are some knock off brands on eBay that work well too at a fraction of the price.

I have given up on sliders. I don't think they add much for me. My machine is set into a small table with an ironing board behind it, level, and a table on the left, level, to support the quilt.

Try your machine with and without the feed dog cover. When I used a machine that didn't drop feed dogs, and I had no cover, I just set the stitch length to zero and had good success. Sometimes I forget to drop the feed dogs on my machine now, and don't see a difference. I like a top stitch needle. You may have to play around with different needles.

Just remember to relax, try different threads, gloves, etc. There is not just one right way. The best way is the one that works for you. And practice, practice, practice. And then practice more!!! Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks! Do you need to worry about a set stitch at the beginning or end? I guess just tie it off with a hand stitch?

you bring your bobbin thread up and then can do a few set stitches or make a knot and bury those threads. Leah day dot com shows you how to do this.

the best advice I got when I first started is this: "Just Do It".
Make a practice sandwich and go at it. You can only learn your individual best speed by doing it. No one on earth can tell you what you feel between the fabric and the needle. Have fun and good luck!

I use coats and clark thread for piecing and their quilting thread. It works great for me. I do FMQ most of the time.

Since it really was intimidating at first, I set a goal of FMQing for 15 minutes a day on sample pieces. I tried different patterns on each sample, and in the end I combined all the samples using a quilt as you go technique to make a really cute baby quilt. It was the 15 minute limit that really made it work--even if I felt like doing more, I stopped after 15 minutes, so that I wanted to come back the next day. http://theinboxjaunt.com/ has great designs to try in a sampler. I did it with a friend who was also a novice, and we challenged each other. But, even on my own, I find doing many unpleasant tasks can be made much easier by breaking them into 15 minutes/day, and somehow they get done easily that way.

I finally got FMQ figured out when I got a new sewing machine. I was struggling with my husqvarna and my new brother is a dream to do FMQ.

the key thing tho is to go slow and practice and practice and practice ... you've had lots of tips on here, and they are all great. Just remember you are learning a new technique and that your first attempts are going to be horrible. Practice on scraps and toss them (or keep one or two so you can compare).

I didn't keep any of my first one, I just tossed them. I knew I was getting better when my patterns actually looked like they were supposed to!

The other thing I did was buy some stencils and practiced my FMQ using those ... I also used contrasting threads (i.e. red on black) so I could see where my problem areas were.

Good luck!

I feel like I would have a hard time following drawn lines, but I may try it just to see. Here's a bit I've tried it is very rough but better than the first piece (which was just a bunch of circles and loops) trying to get a feel for it.

Hi Joe, you're doing fine!
I was a hand quilter for years and find that FMQ has a learning curve. I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet but my tips are to use gloves with the rubber dots and a slider type thing to put on the machine bed. They both help to move the fabric better for me.
Everyone has a different way though. I'm just sharing what has helped me and I'm still very much a beginner at FMQ :)
Good luck!

By slider thing I assume you mean like a Teflon sheet or something similar? I have not done that but everything seems to be moving smoothly this far. Here's my new set up just for quilting I have a Brother for piecing.