I'm not proficient yet, but enjoying learning. My biggest obstacle is all over quilting. I simply don't like it. My grandmother used minimal quilting. Her quilts lasted, and that is good enough for me.

I found ruler work which makes more sense. I haven't used the machine, but I am buying the templates and tracing them on the blocks. It's easier to deal with than Golden Paper. I used an arc and FMQ an orange peel on the last quilt. Quite happy with the look, although FMQ still needs a lot of work. Looking at the back, the secondary pattern is interesting.

Most of the instructors on Craftsy deal with a LOT of quilting. Every inch needs to be filled. I watch the beginnings of the videos for FMQ technique and skip the rest. I also do QAYG so rolling a quilt is moot. I usually have to add scrap to the sides to hold onto the fabric for FMQ.

If I want to quilt on sashing - the Pfaff 2170 will do that. It's easier right now on smaller pieces.

I got started as I wanted a 10 inch block for a rag quilt. My embroidery machine will do 5 inches unless I split the design and turn the hoop. That wasn't worth the effort. Someone here mentioned the paper, so I used that. hard to get it all out of stitches, but it worked. I had much more of the fabric showing than quilting and that was the purpose. The fabric was the highlight. I was using monofilament which wasn't easy to see. It worked.

I just finished a quilt that I used invisible thread on top and in the bobbin I used thread that matched the backing. It worked so much better on the busy patchwork top (could hardly see the quilting) and any mistakes didn't show much. Certainly from a little distance you can't see any mistakes. I'm still learning FMQ, but I think I will enjoy it when I feel more confident about it.

Just remember that FMQ takes time to build "muscle memory." Don't go too fast; move your fabric at an even speed, and don't look at the needle; it's not going anywhere. Enjoy.

I hand quilt because I never got the FMQ bug. I have done some straight line quilting on quilts I know will get washed a lot but prefer the look of hand quilting.

You know, it's perfectly OK to hate FMQ. We're all different and have different styles. Why fight and struggle with something that you don't like? You're not broken, so don't fix it. Quilt in the style that makes you happy, otherwise what's the point?

As with any new technique it takes lots and lots of practice. If you are having trouble, maybe take a class and see if the instructor can watch you closely and give you some pointers as to how to improve what you are doing. When I don't like something I have been trying to do for quite a while, I always ask a fellow quilter to watch what I am doing and give me advice on how to improve.

I love FMQ and love doing it. Being relaxed and not hurrying helps a lot. I mostly quilt doing it. I just make large stipple type quilting, no patterns, leaves or anything I just move however I feel.

I could never get the knack for FMQ on my domestic and I found after any session I had horrible neck and shoulder pain from being so tensed up. And I found it incredibly frustrating with larger quilts. I would do straight line quilting on wall hangings but anything larger than 60" square I hand quilted and any shape that really mattered I also hand quilted. Many of my early quilts had a mix of machine and hand quilting. Then I discovered longarm quilting on a rack and a whole new world opened up for me. I love long arm free motion quilting because to me it is more like the natural way of drawing by moving the machine over the surface as opposed to having to move the sandwich under a stationary needle. I am always in awe of the people who can do such beautiful FMQ on a domestic or sitdown extended arm machine.

I don't know how many replies you have gotten, but I would like to suggest the classes on Craftsy for FMQ. I am confident that if you follow any of Leah Day's projects to the end that you will be a more confident machine quilter. All of the Craftsy FMQ classes are great, but I would stick with the ones that actually have at least a small quilt for the main project. I made Craftsy's first BOM with Amy Gibson and then Leah Day Followed with the FMQ. It's one of my husband's favorites. He loves all the quilting and he hasn't found the mistakes. Oh, don't get discouraged. It does take a lot of practice but you will get it with one of these projects.

I have found that doing small projects using free motion is very successful for me. And surprisingly, I'm really good at writing. I made friends mug rugs for Christmas and my coffee words got so good I went for cappuccino :-).