I don't have a stitch regulator. I FMQ just fine without it. I think it would be nice to have, but it is by no means essential. I found I just needed to practice. I think your teacher gave you some wrong information.

It's just like when you steady your foot on the gas peddle for a constant speed without cruise control...same for FMQ without regulator..

I have a fairly new Bernina without stitch regulator and I can do nice FMQ.....but I can also do nice FMQ on a 1904 treadle by 0 out the stitch length, a 1950 clone Singer Model 15, and maybe my Featherweight (haven't tried her). You can see there are many options available without spending big dollars.

A little tip, some newer machines that have the bigger needle hole for zigzag stitch are sometimes not as cooperative with FMQ but again, you usually can buy a plate with the straight st. stitch hole.

Hope this is helpful

the earlier gammill longarms did not have stitch regulators. A friend who quilts professionally has this one and does a wonderful job.

You can quilt beautifully on your DSM. Take the time to practice moving the fabric towards you and away from you. I found that I moved at different speeds depending on the direction. After working to even out the quilt moving in any direction my stitching is getting more even.

One of the most helpful tips I got at a class was to know where you are going with the stitching. When you need to, just needle down, look at the space and decide how you are going to move around the space. Not knowing where you are going will cause uneven stitches....


Make sure that the quilt is supported and not dragging or catching on anything. Start with smaller samples and projects.

Good luck, have fun

I DON"T use my stitch regulator on my Bernina. I prefer to FMQ on a very inexpensive Brother machine I bought at Wal-Mart! It's how I learned and I feel more comfortable doing it that way.

The only advice I can give you is to practice, practice, practice...
I also found that working on lapsized pieces helped alot. I made placemats for most of my family members for the holiday season--after that, it was pretty easy to move to bigger items. Best of luck!

Just today I finished a baby quilt doing FMQ without a stitch regulator and it turned out just fine - I've done many by droping the feed dogs and away I go - first I start with a small quilt sandwich to practice the design on, and loosen up, then just dive in - I look at each quilt I do as more practice, and just keep telling myself I'm still learning. You Tube has lots of great instructional info and patterns to try! Just have fun!

I have found that I need to stipple stitch on smaller quilts to get used to the foot control at just the right position for the best work.

I bought a Bernina 440 just for the stitch regulator. Don't get me wrong it is still a good machine for many other reasons, but as I got more experience in FMQ I found the stitch regulator was more trouble than it was worth. Just pratice on small quilt sandwiches, moving up to bigger pieces. Have patience and keep at it