Getting comfortable with FMQ
 

Then, try to find a class.

The best thing I can recommend is to go to Patsy Thompson's website and watch her free videos about FMQ and then order one and practice, practice, practice. She is very very clear about what is needed. Another young lady that is awesome is Leah Day and she goes by Daystyle Designs. She has tons of videos as she did a design a day last year in fmq.

Best of luck,
Carly in SC

Instead of taking a class at a quilt show this year, I spent my money on a couple of Patsy Thompson CD's on FMQ. I have watched them repeatedly and before I ever touch the machine I practice with pencil and paper and go over it in my brain again and again. It's helping and I am slowly getting better at more than meandering. Leah Day also has FMQ tutes on her site and You Tube. There's lots of information out there to help you and much of it is free.

what design are you going to use on you Lone Star? I just finished pieceing one and backing and batting. I have started to quilt in the ditch, but need something for the corners. what do you suggest? Thanks

I do it, although not well. Just finished an Irish Chain quilt, where I FMQed a Celtic knot in the centers...wow, what a challenge, since I had to retrace some of the places (in order to achieve the over and under look). To make it worse, the fabric was dark and busy, so I could barely see my chalk lines. I used straight lines (using a walking foot) for a big part of the quilt, and then an easier Celtic design in the border. Marked the border using chalk also...and it was blowing off as I went along. Whew! Glad when it was done.

I felt so-so about the effort until I washed it ... and discovered that most of the poor workmanship is lost in the crinkles :-)

Still, I keep trying. Still tricky getting the tension right. For some reason my machine (Janome 6600, with the blue bobbin case) seems to prefer polyester thread. I suspect if I get the machine serviced (timing issues) it might be more forgiving of other threads.

SOOOOOO hard keeping the stitches even!

I found the book, Free-Motion Quilting Made Easy: 186 Designs from 8 Simple Shapes by Eva Larkin, to best fit the way my brain and hands work. The idea is to break your quilting down to 4 1/2" square sections and use various combinations of 8 basic shapes (oval, loop, lopsided figure 8, tulip, heart, triangle, diamond, flower) to create your motifs. She starts off with the bare basics for beginners and includes lots of exercises. She gives diagrams for how to quilt each of the 186 designs and includes a chart of combinations with the page numbers of the designs. She then gives ideas of how to use the designs for all-over quilting, and includes a gallery of quilts as examples.

Have any of you tried the preprinted backing fabric when learning how to FMQ?

needed is a list of quilt shops that teach and rent time on long-arm.......i have muscles on my musles on upper-arms from FWQ on DSM :) would rather have the full motion exercise of a Long Arm ;)

I FMQ on my Janome. I made a lot of placemats, pot holders and doggie blankets for a year before I set my needle down into a quilt! I am happy with that first little quilt and I am now working on a King size quilt with a drop on each side for my daughter. When I FMQ, I get lost in the rhythem of the quilting and sometimes I am surprised when it is done and I have to stop! I love it and will never let anyone but me finish what I start! I do use garden gloves, with fingers cut out and I have a PET (Portable Extension Table) that gives me a large quilting area to focus on.

Free Motion quilting with standard machine
 

I know FMQ is all the trend and can be very attractive, however, that being said, I really enjoy putting my quilts in a standing frame and spending lazy afternoons hand quilting and watching TV at the same time. Qinters can be long in Colorado so summers are for gardening and machine piecing, winters are for hand quilting!

I think that would be a good SECOND step, but a frustrating first step.
For me, tracing an exact spot is very difficult. Practicing with meandering, and free hand drawing was an easier way to get down stitch length and speed of hand/foot balance (I do not go pedal to the medal).

Many people using preprinted backing would be concentrating more on tracing the lines well, and getting the needle to go exactly where you want it is a whole other thing to worry about. But once you have a basic idea of how to get nice stitches, then tracing those lines might be useful.

Wow. thank you. Newby quilter here. Your info is awesome. the referenced site is spectacular! I love this Board!!!! You guys ROCK!

http://Daystyledesigns.com is a great sight for fmq. I learned a lot from this sight, but the main thing you learn is that practice is very important. I made over 100 potholders using her different space filling designs. The basic things to remember is: try to relax, it's only a quilt. Lessen your drag on the quilt by puddling and not rolling, it adds to much weight. And, keep your speed lower until you get use to it. I've gotten to where I actually anticipate the time I spend quilting my works of art. Remember to have fun.

Yes free motion quilting on bed quilts. I just stick to wall hangings, table runners,etc.

I took a class a few years ago with my mom and I felt like a drunk driver hehehe

what an interesting thread. thank you for starting it. i do FMQ, and have a lot. i usually do opposing loops, SID, or grid work. i forgot how to stiple, after learning, and sooooo want to relearn. maybe this will get me going. have 3 or so that need to be done. right now, i'm trying to get thru a paid lesson on the net. from craftsy. haven't gotton past, what i know already, but did catch the kind of gloves she prefers, are different than mine. and lighter.

I just finished quilting a QUEEN size quilt on my Bernina Activa. I ordered a DVD done by Paula Reid on her "fluff and stuff" method. It's available from her website battsintheattic.com. It was well worth the money and shows how to handle the excess quilt that's not under the needle. Two other tips are to quilt with a denim or jean needle because they're sharper and instead of gloves I wear the fingertips normally used to turn pages that you can buy at any office supply store. Cost is less than $4. Remember, you're probably the only one that's going to know your quilting wasn't exactly where you wanted it. Enjoy. It's well worth the practice and the learning curve.

I do all these things also.Have the same machine too.

Love Leah Day's website and Francis Moore of SewCalGal website both doing tutorials on FMQ. I use my Pfaff and it all takes practice and I have alot of practicing to do, but love it. Their sites are great and encouraging.

That would be me too!

FMQ is like any other skill...there are some that can and some that can't. I would never presume that because I couldn't do it no one can... I do FMQ on my Domestic Kenmore 6 1/2 inch throat..With the help of The nubby Gloves and supreme slidder I have done a presentable job I have pictures on this board to prove it..It takes Practise but the rythm of your hands and speed of your machine, when they finally coincide is remarkable fun,fast .. I for one can not afford to send out a quilt to get quilted.. Just saying...Bill'sBonBon

This is the best site for all free motion quilting questions. Leah has videos that are very explicit. I have used her directions for many of my free motions projects.

http://www.freemotionquilting.blogsp...tart-here.html

I am not real comforable with FMQ as I am such a perfectionist! I just saw where Missouri star quilt company with Jenny has a new video out on FMQ but I haven't watched it yet. (Just got the notice this evening).

Sorry if this has already been posted, Leah Day is now doing a "quilt with me" type thing. It's on week three, but I'll bet you could catch up.

That was a great site. Thanks sooooo much for sharing.

Could someine please post a small picture of stippling and meandering? i was told they are the same thing but I find that hard to believe when I see so many different people on here mentioning both. I'd sure appreciate someone clarifying this for me.

Thanks bunches.

I agree with everyones advice. To me the bottom line is practice, practice, practice. Our guild does quilts to give to our local women's shelter. These are my "practice" pieces. Not only am I getting better the more I do, the shelter is still receiving quilts sewn with love!

I have the BSR for my Bernina that I found new on Ebay for $400 and love it but I still don't have much confidence, so I only do small projects with it and my Project Linus quilts. On my bigger quilts that are being done for someone else, I send them out to a local long-arm quilter. It is not worth the stress to do them myself!

I DO know that the new Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial that came out today on free-motion quilting is going to be my new best feriend.

To me stippling is a meandering pattern where the lines do not cross.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWMfiQCevr...20/j%2B001.JPG

Meandering is ANY design that travels around the quilt, as if you were meandering around town. So stippling is a form of meandering, but it might be loops, or stars, or flowers.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hEBb1yIrQm...0/IMG_1714.JPG
http://prettybyhand.com/storage/FMQ%...=1304898550277


(Note, the images are not mine)

I feel pretty confident with it on my Brother. I think it is a million times easier than SID or just straight line. Not to mention that for me it is a million times more ejoyable. But I practice A LOT. I use a practice sandwich before I put any actual project under the needle.

I found turning the machine to the back, so the needle and foot are in front of me and nothing on each side of the arm is the best way to do larger projects. I have done a twin size like this, and it came out OK. I did stack books to bring each side up level, and stabilized plastic notebooks on each side to help with the weight. i have a Singer touch and sew, and the worst part of doing it this way is the wheel in the back since it doesn't have a needle down feature. I still prefer to do my own, but would jump at the chance to take LAQ lessons.

I have FMQ about 11 quilts. You can tell which two were my firsts. because of some pleating on the back. I have a Sapphire 850. I started out spinning the quilt around and when I did my last 4 kings I tried something different. I took blue masking tape across the middle-- went to the center and quilted side to side. Flipped the quilt around and did the other end. It really helps to draw out your pattern on a piece of white butcher paper and hang it where you can glance at it especially if you are doing leaves, stars or a pattern. It has been said before look ahead of your needle not at it. The nest on back I believe are thread and tension issues. I get occasional eyelashes think that is due to speed, going to fast in the curves. Keep at it you will either love it or not. Someome said the magic genie washers will help the nesting problem.

I just got a new brother and I found it picky about the thread. Mine will not fmq unless I use 100% cotton thread. Play with thread on a sample you might find the issue....hope that helps

Thanks, everyone, for your responses! I am just finishing up a quilt (lap size) that I tried 2 techniques on that I never tried before. I think you would- maybe- call them FM, I'll post soon.

I took a FMQ class and one of the best things I did was buy a practice cloth with all of the different FMQ stitches outlined in black on the muslin. My instructor sold me a piece of tempered glass and I covered the edges with painter's tape. I use a felt tip pen and put the glass on top of the pattern I want to practice. I can do the same design hundreds of times until I am comfortable with it. I just wipe off the glass and try again. It works for me.

I enjoy FMQ but save larger quilts for the longarm which my friend has. I find FMQ puts me in a relaxed zone. The more I practice the better I get. It is fun to take large prints and echo the outline, then they pop.

I have done FMQ on my Janome for several years with very good results. Practice, practice, and more practice. Try using a large flower design and quilting around the edges. Start small!!! Get a kids coloring book and tear out the pages and sew on the lines with no thread for practice. Don't forget to drop your feed dogs.

I love to FMQ I use everything from cookie cutters to stencils and drawing free hand. This is the most amazing calk it doesn't fade when you handle the quilt top as you go. And the white will show up on the darkest of fabrics.

this is the marking tools I use, it's the best I've found.

Have you triede FMQ with the feed dogs up like Leah suggested? I want to practice but I have a deadline on 2 quilts and I haven't had time to play.

I use really fine thread that way it does not show the mistakes as well. I use 100 wt. silk thread on top and the bobbin. That is what I have found that works for me. I also have used 40wt. poly and that also works good. At least until I get good at it and then I will try different threads.