I just cant get it!!!!
 

I have watched a gazillion FMQ videos and tutorials, wont even post my "trial sandwiches", will I ever ever get the hang of it..............arrrrgh!!!!

do not give up and have Faith it will come to you. I have praticed a little ont he juki I just bought and going to do a whole project on it soon.

Keep practicing.. I thought I wasn't getting it, but then all of a sudden I noticed it happening.. I used different colored thread to go over the practice pieces, just to get used to the motions.. I take new sandwiches to evaluate the quality.
Barri

I have gained a lot of confidence stitching feathers and more from Patsy Thompson videos. Her website is http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/ She is very good-if I can do it, anyone can. You can see portions of her teaching on youtube.
Have fun!

It does take time. I have the basics down an am now practicing feathers. My brain is having a hard time with feathers because my brain wants to make them "logically" (stem up, then form top of feather and loop down - instead of forming bottom of feather then looping up). So I'm practicing at work while on the phone doodling so I get the "muscle memory" at least of the sequence. I don't know why feathers are kicking my butt, but they are, and I'm determined to kick it's butt!

My daughter and I have learned a lot from Leah Day. We bought her kit with the Supreme Slider, gloves and bobbin washers. We also have switched to using Isacord embroidery thread to FMQ with, she recommends it.

Neenee

Grammy, I'm right there with you. I've been trying and practicing for 2 yrs (think FMQ was my first question on this board) and it still hasn't "clicked". The only way I can machine quilt is to draw the quilting lines with chalk and templates and then straight sew on the lines. I've always assumed it was a Senior Blonde thing with me--I'm so glad I'm not the only one who can't get it!

hey, don't knock yourself out.....even those of us who longarm had trouble FM at first and somedays still do!!!!!!!I am sure we use chalk and templates occasionally too - at least I admit to doing that. Do what you want to the way that works for you...........enjoy the process.......make it your own.....

Grammy1231, I totally understand what you are saying!!!! In every practice piece I have made, there are a gazillion mistakes and it always looks awful to me. I recently tried Free Motion Machine Embroidery, also known as thread painting. I fell in love and has boosted my confidence ratio sky high. I recommend trying it. It is similiar, yet different from FMQ yet you are learning how to control all aspects of your thread, material...plus your hand coordination, your machine speed. Check out Patsy Thompson, Terry White and Nancy Prince. Plus there are a lot of other videos on You tube on FMmachine Embroidery. I hope this helps.

Don't try to rush it and it will come to you. I tried and tried and tried and tried, then it clicked and I have been doing it ever since. I like to use good FM gloves, and I cut the fingertips out.

I know you've heard it said before: Practice, Practice, Practice.

Perhaps you can find a local class on FMQ-ing. After all, we all have different learning styles. In a class the instructor can see what you are doing and help you where you need it. Videos and YouTube are great but sometimes the 'hands on' environment is best.

Please check your LQS"s for such a class. Or if need be ... take a road trip to where such a class is offered.

happy Quilting,
ali

I'm guessing from your name that you have accomplished a few years of sewing, either quilting or apparel. I think my biggest problem with FMQ was coming from years of sewing. I wanted to do everything forward. Give yourself permission to sew sideways and backwards. Once I did that my FMQ was possible. Practice your desired out come, curls or whatever, on any surface with the index finger of your dominant hand - there's a correlation bewteen that finger and the brain. A slightly textured surface might be better. Don't go to the machine until the motion feels smooth on your practice board.

I found this book: One Line at a Time: 24 Geometric Machine-Quilting Designs Made Easy by Charlotte Warr Andersen.

It is in Kindle format for under $10 at Amazon. You don't need a Kindle you can read it on your computer.




It has changed my machine quilting. I'ts perfect stitches everytime. I noticed she has a new book with more patterns out now.

Thanks Bellaboo, I've put it on my wishlist.

Annie

Thanks for the link. I need to practice too. This morning I was doodling feathers, hmmm, still need practice.

Yes I believe you will get it one day it will just click well that's the way it was with me. I am still not real good at it but good enough to do my quilts. Every quilt is a learning experience.

Not if you keep telling yourself that. Do I have to go over the little engine that could again?

Just don't give up trying. One day, you will realize that it is coming together, you are getting the results you wanted, bit by bit.

Don't give up, watch Patsy Thompson videos, Leah Day etc.... If your machine has a speed setting, set it low. Practice on small pieces first. Good Luck !

I've never tried it. But, it is probably just like everythig else. Practice makes perfect!

Don't give up! The first time I tried FMQ was my first two quilts and they were queen-king. They were for my DD and DDIL and wanted them done by a Christmas, maybe a year after I pieced them. A little afraid but, I did it and both recipients were pleased and so was I. It may take a while, give it a try!

Oh don't give up. FMQ takes a whole lot of practice to master. As of now, all I can do are swirls and meandering. The first time I tried, it was a total disaster. I didn't even try again for months. Then one day I decided that I was going to learn this no matter what and I did. Just keep on practicing and you will get it. Good luck.

Leah Day is doing a Free Motion Quilt a long this year. Each week is a new video. She is an excellent teacher and even though I've FMq for a long time and never really got past the meander and I might never be as good as Leah, I'm starting at the beginning with the basics. Look up the videos and start at the beginning - it's not too late to catch up!

I've completed a couple FMQing projects and they are just stippling. The others have been using a template and then quilting over the lines. I can tell you to relax when you're attempting to FMQ. The more rigid and stiff you are the more problems you may have. Practice, relax and enjoy it. It doesn't matter how many years someone has been doing this they still have bad days and nothing works correctly. I got ready to FMQ my 30's reproduction fabric quilt and it didn't matter what I tried nothing worked. I ripped out so many stitches that I finally threw up my hands and got out the hand quilting hoop. Don't give up....hang in there!!! :)

I think its just practice, practice, practice! Try following marked lines a lot first and then go for the rest! I went to one class on it and am determined to keep going with machine quilting for ever!

Fmq
 

I tried doing Zentangles and found it helped me learn how to do continuous motion. If you are not familiar, just Google "zentangle" and "zendoodle", then grab a pen and paper and give it a try. It's basically the same motion and you you can do it anywhere. I carry paper and pen in my purse and while I am sitting in the doctor's waiting room, I can do quite a bit of practicing.

Oh, it will come with practice. It takes a while to get the different directions going the way you want, but soon, it will be what you want. Don't be impatient with yourself and just enjoy the process!

Shirley, I'm right there with you. I won't post my practice sandwiches either!! There are so many eyelashes on the back I could sweep the floor. The fronts, in places don't look too bad and there's pretty good stippling on one of them but it's teeny-tiny and all goes to pot when I try to enlarge it! I might get 1 out of 10 leaves that actually resembles a leaf, forget feathers totally. I am doing pretty good with - of all things - straight lines done freehand. Who knew?? I'm not giving up...WE can do this!!

I'm with you. It seems no matter what I do I just can't get it. I always have the eyelashes on the back. I think it has something to do with my movements and machine speed but I am not sure.

Just keep trying, it will come. I have decided that this is the year that I am learning fmq and have really dug into it. I have taken a class at my local quilt store and watch every video I can find about it. I bought a dry eraser board and every night while hubby watches television I sit and doodle on that board (don't want to waste a million trees by using paper). I joined the Free Motion Quilting Challenge at SewCalGal blogspot (see below) and for February we're learning feathers. I never in my life thought I could make a decent feather and my first attempts were certainly laughable. But after several weeks of working with my dry eraser board, I finally got brave enough to go to the machine and I actually made halfway decent feathers. So practicing the drawing really helps.

It seems this is the year for teaching fmq because there are several sites that are doing it. Here are some that I keep track of and have joined in:

Leah Day's (she's awesome): http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.c...tart-here.html

Free Motion Quilting Challenge (this one is fun and the teachers are awesome): http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/...challenge.html

Sew Inspired: http://www.sewinspiredblog.com/p/foc...-quilting.html

Free Motion Quilt Along: http://quokkaquilts.blogspot.com/p/fmqaygqalfmqml.html

Patsy Thompson: http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/free-video/

Wendy Sheppard (Awesome quilter) Lots of tutorials on right side about halfway down the page: http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-quilting.html

Those are all free sites. Craftsy.com has two online fmq courses (one a beginner course with Wendy Butler Burns and one a more advanced course with Ann Peterson called Beyond Basic Machine Quilting. If you sign up for their newsletter, you can get their classes at up to a 50% discount. I have no affiliation with them, but love these two courses. Once you have registered for a course, you can keep going back and watch what you need over and over and over.

Good luck and keep at it. I am far from good, but do feel after all the practicing I've been doing since the first of the year I am ready to quilt a real quilt (just meandering for a charity quilt to start with).

You will eventually get it! I've been FMQing for years and I think I may have just now find now fast my machine needs to go and how slow my hands needs to go.

Thanks for the FMQ urls.

When I started I made up about 12 quilt sandwiches of muslin and warm and natural. Each one wa about 20 x 20. I just kept trying. I found that to move the fabric and press the foot pedal to coordinate with each other was the most difficult thing.
Remember to inhale and exhale. Relax your shoulders. The machine does not need to be going at 100 mph. Try to press the pedal so the machine is running slowly and just slowly move the fabric as if you were drawing or writting your name. Eventually it gets easier. The easier it gets the more you enjoy it.

Thnak you Judy for the links! I, too am afraid of FMQ, but want desperately to be able to do it!

I am with you! People have told me how relaxing it is but all I get is a migraine! I have been told to practice, practice, practice! Also been told to practice on table runners, etc but then I feel like I have ruined them and don't want anyone to see how bad the FMQ looks like.
Thanks to all on the board for posting websites to go to. I will keep trying!!

One of my quilting friends gave me some excellent advice when I began long arm quilting, and I believe that it also holds true for FMQ on a regular machine. Purchase a large dry erase board and practice the patterns on it. It helps imprint the pattern in your mind and your develop "muscle" memory through reptition. Good luck!

this is a great idea!

eradicate "can't" and change it to something like, it sure is taking its time to come to me... LOL