[quote=GGinMcKinney]I reuse my practice sandwiches by adding new fabric top & bottom. It gets thicker but I can add clean fabric 2 or 3 times if I begin with thin batting. I use different color thread top & bottom so I can determine what I need to do differently to improve.
Different threads might be good idea in class....
Wish we could get class handout, webinar or something. Sounds like this will be a wonderful class.



Try working with cheap Walmart felt as your batting for practice quilting. I bought a bolt of it just for that purpose.

A friend of mine also picks up thin blankets or matress pads at Goodwill to use as batting. Maybe that would work for practice.

Deby

buy a large flannel sheet next time you go to GW.

This is so true! It's the biggest obstacle to FMQ. Quilts don't handle the same as practice pieces, and what you have learned doesn't always apply to a real quilt. That's the most frustrating part and why I put off doing the quilting.

Walking & chewing gum, :) By that I mean the importance of the speed of the machine and the movement of fabric as a combination. Also think of FMQ as drawing with a needle----
most of all relax and have fun--

I will bunch up the bigger quilts and practice moving the block/part I want to FMQ. I make sure I can easily get it all under the whichever presser foot I'm using. When I'm sure there is no drag to interfere and only then, I start quilting.

I took a class and the instructor spent a lot of time on threads, needles and other things. She could have covered the basics and then given a handout. When it came time to actually FMQ I found that my machine, that had all the right elements to FMQ, just couldn't do it well. She kept telling me that I must have my machine (which I've owned for over 30 years) threaded incorrectly! She also spent time with people who dropped into the class to say hello or show her their latest project. It was a waste of time.
I took another class at a different shop and the instructor had a few machines for students whose machines just couldn't FMQ. She had us spend the bulk of class time practicing various techniques and I learned that, given enough practice, I can FMQ. She had us do many of the things mentioned here such as write your name. We filled a 4 inch square area with little circles, which I think helped the most in getting control. We also copied patterns that she just showed us (no tracing) and then we used two patterns to get the feel of that. She was with us the whole time and made sure that she got to everyone. Very worthwhile class

Great info - thanks!

I found that marking your leaders so you know exactly where to center your backing, etc. AND basting. The rest comes with practice but it is so important to know how to load.

Lots of good suggestions here. Something I would have found helpful in the beginning would have been, not only to pull bobbin thread to the top before starting, but also suggestions on different methods of starting and ending. For example, starting with small stitches or tying and burying threads at start; what to do when you run out of bobbin thread, etc. When I first started, I found a lot of information on the internet on how to start and stop, but I found little info on what to do when you run out of bobbin thread.

I now prefer to leave enough thread at the beginning and ending to tie and bury using a spiral eye needle. When I run out of bobbin, I unsew far enough back to have enough thread to tie and bury.