That's a great start! Just keep practicing. That's how we learn anything - practice, practice, practice.

Two things I learned from a Sue Nickels class 1)when you have to move your hands, make sure you stop, then move your hands. 2) slow down!

I've done FMQ on just three lap quilts and on the second one discovered after I was done that I'd left the feed dogs up the entire time. I didn't notice a difference at all, so that's one of the things I'm not going to worry about. Also I figure that variation in stitch length is not such a big deal unless I've got a stitch that's reeeeeely long in which case I'll just go back over it. Thanks for posting the photo of your practice square - I think you're doing just fine!

I just finished my second lap quilt doing FMQ - stippling. Feed dogs up and no slider. Tension set at about 2 on my Singer 301A. Also used Machingers gloves and set up my machine to have a large flat surface around the machine since it is not dropped down level with the table.

Actually, the biggest issue I had was staying consistent with moving the fabric around slowly enough while maintaining the same foot pedal speed. After a while my foot pedal got hot so I had to stop for a whilte to let it cool down. This quilt is a gift to my GD but I still consider it practicing...as she will not see or care about my 'mistakes.' I gave myself permission not to make 'perfect' stitches. Also, if I stitched myself into a corner...oh well....just backtracked out of it and moved on to the next area keeping my eyes only on about the five or six square inches around the needle so I could stay focused on the stitching. I didn't manage the stitches perfectly...not evenly...and some look downright bad...but after the quilt is bound and washed...you really don't notice the 'mistakes.' I loved the stippling and gave myself plenty of time and breaks in between. It took about 3 hours to stipple the whole quilt...and I was feeling more confident at the end then at the beginning. Keep making small quilts and practicing until feeling confident to do somthing more intricate. This is good for now.

Anne- I think you did fine for your first time out. Question: did you work bottom-to-top, or top-to-bottom with this practice pattern? I can't seem to figure out which way I need to be working. And forget about where to stop and pivot...I totally forget that I HAVE to, and just keep going until I get stuck in a corner. (Practice)

S124- nice job! How do you get "real stitch lengths" in there?! Every time I FMQ I seem to just have these teensy-weensy, almost non-existent spaces between stitches. Am I not moving it enough? (Practice)

I'm in between projects at the moment, so hope to get back to the practice mat this week (in between playing in the garden with this gorgeous weather that has finally arrived)

Thank you to the person that gave an estimate of practice time for us noobs; at least we can have a goal and perhaps be able to see real progress! (Practice!)

Oh, I wanted to mention...LOL...I practiced again this weekend, and have to say that there apparently are "off" days since I couldn't seem to get a smooth line no matter what I did. It was just all jagged and just no smooth swirls/movements anywhere- worse than even the first time I tried FMQ. So I tried the wine trick...nope, didn't work. Not better, not worse...just didn't do anything. So I chalked it up to an 'off' day, and put it aside for another day since wasting thread didn't seem like the thing to do when nothing was falling into place AT ALL. (Keep practicing!)

Another thing I noticed more this time than the first time was a real need for additional space to the left of the machine. My hand kept falling off the bed of the machine. Must go find that 'foam surround' tutorial here on the boards and make one. (right tools will make practice go better!)

This is my first attempt at FMQ. The instructor couldn't even tell that I had used that technique - she commented that she liked my hand stitching! Lol. But I will persevere, and keep practicing, mainly on the doll quilts exchange (sorry in advance to anyone who might receive a wonky quilt from me).

A lot of points of view, and wonderful advice. I am not sure what I would use it for except for a wall hanging that is waiting to be quilted. It is of a fish tank and I want the illusion of water in the stitching. That particular day, I was just wanting to do something different. Thanks so much for all of your input. That is makes this group so great. So many people willing to share information.

Well, as for 'real stitch lengths' they really aren't very consistent, but they get better with practice. Some of my stitch lengths are 3 times the length of others, but no matter, practice is what it takes. I did make one of those foam surround for my 301A and it does definitely help to keep the quilt moving around at an even pace. Also, the gloves help too. What else......oh....my 301 tension knob had a tendency to move down to 0 on it's own...and the tension on the back side of the quilt was very loose, so I had to keep checking that. Taking short breaks to manuever the quilt and rotating the quilt to get a new angle helps. I used an imaginary line and divided the quilt into quadrants (see Leah Day videos). That also helped. Basically practice is what it takes.

probably you're moving more slowly than the speed of the machine would suggest that you should be. It's a dance between your hand speed and your pedal speed. They should be in sync, but it's the thing we usually need to work on the most. Yes, practice. :)