I have an old Kenmore and I get reslly good quilting buy reducing the tension.

You are probably already doing this, but practice or experiment with a 12" plain sandwich block. Sometimes when you do not have the weight of a large item, it can be easier or at least easier to just start again.

a walking foot is NOT for FMQ. you need a darning foot that
fits your machine. one big stickler for a lot of machines is that
the machine sits on a table,not down inside so the table surface and machine surface are the same. this puts drag on
the quilt & you have to be really careful to keep it "bunched"
up or puddled around your machine area. there are special
machine quilting needles that work great. try a 90/16 needle.
agree with others on the thread issues. sometimes machines
just do not like certain threads. wear a pair of machingers gloves. stitch length depends on how well you can match
the speed of machine with speed of your hands. don't "swirl"
the corners--long stitches.
keep trying. it can be so frustrating. and if you just can't
get it, hire your quilting. it is not worth the stress ! good luck!!

if you use the right size needle for the thread--which would be a 90/16 because these are heavier threads. try regular 50wt
thread & see how that goes. same top & bottom.

I had a similar problem with my machine. :cry: :cry: I went thru a new bobbin, new thread, new fabric, rethreading the machine, changing tensions, new needle, everything. I had put the needle in backwards. Yes, that makes a BIG difference :lol: :lol: Good luck amd hope it is soon rersolved.

I practiced on 12" sandwiches daily about 30 min to 1 hr each day. Set tension and pressure changing just a tiny bit till the eyelashes quit appearing. I use same thread in top & bobbin. When sandwich is fully stitched I add just a layer of fabric on top and bottom using the old sandwich. Oh, same type thread but different color thread so I can tell if top thread or if bobbin needs adjustment. Practicing loops got me no where. When I began by stitching my name and names of other folks I smoothed out. Once I add the rhythm I switched to quitlty designs. Hope something in this will help you. Also, I think I have Janome 6600P set on medium speed sewing and I use foot pedal, move slowly with hands. I tried gloves, but love Mr. Clean sponges instead of gloves. They grip the fabric and I can move it better. This works best on the actual quilt. A 12" is a bit small for using the sponges.

Some of the problems you mention are talked about at different thread manufacturers websites and a lot of them recommend the use of a topstitch needle for FMQ. I have had a lot of the same problems myself and haven't tried the topstitch needle yet. I have also learned that there are different needles that should be used for different threads. You might want to check on that... it might not be you or your machine but the needle and/or thread. Good Luck.

I was going to suggest the same thing,. I would also experiment with different threads, sewing machines can be quite fussy with some thread types. My Brother doesn't like Guterman for F.M.Q. but the Janome loves it. Please don't give up. :thumbup:

Some people have mentioned about a Yahoo Group for Janome. I've been to Yahoo but there are many Janome discussion groups. Can someone enlighten me on which is the specific group to join? Thanks.

I'm using Guterman Cotton 30 thread for my machine quilting. No problems using the walking foot for sewing straight lines. Using the all purpose thread for piecing and no issues too. Just the FMQ that's giving me all these problems.