machine quilting. blergh.
 

do not like.

tips and tricks? i've read so many of them i feel like a ticker tape of how to.

but i don't like it. i like how fast it is, but the process?

no.

aileen

are you refering to machine quilting with your domestic sewing machine?
it takes practice, practice & more practice.
best to start with small projects & work your way up to larger & larger pieces-
it is important to support the weight of the quilt as you manuver it.
there are lots of videos/tutorials on machine quilting & some quilt shops offer classes

I agree that it takes a lot of practice, one article I read said 20 minutes every day for 4 to 6 weeks. I am very sure that there are folks who were successful on their first attempt, but for the rest of us, I think the estimate is valid. I think part of it for me was figuring out the best way (for me) to work with a large quilt. I didn't like it rolled, I liked it puddled.

I bought a quilting machine - Quilter's Star, I think a White, not sure- small throat in 2002. It was a joke but, it did Sew a beautiful stitch, I quilted double bed size quilts, many of them. I bought a Juki TL98QE, no extension table. I loved it quilted many quilts until after a year, the motor burned out. I immediately bought another same machine. It has been in use for 5 years quilting many, many quilts.
I was determined to machine quilt, I love it and have made so many quilts and quilted so many with it. I just practiced as I went, nothing fancy, just a large stipple. I love machine quilting.

If you don't like it, then you don't like it. Don't torture yourself just because you think you're "supposed" to do or feel something. Maybe you could tie your quilts instead, or send them out to be quilted. I have a good friend who does not like to piece. She LOVES to quilt, however. So she trades services with some of her close friends - they piece a top for her, and she'll quilt a quilt for them.

what don't you like about it

My quilting world changed when I discovered Long Arm professionals... I have always loved the piecing part .. but the quilting of a large quilt on my regular machine... just a painful experience. I even looked for the batting with the largest recommended distance... just so I would not have do do as much... but never was happy with the results... they always looked like I really did take a short cut.

I enjoy FMQ but I agree if you don't like it why do it.

it just occurred to me - i need to take a class or a workshop.

one day would probably be good. mission on!

thanks!

aileen

Craftsy has some fantastic, reasonably priced online courses. Right now I'm enjoying "How to quilt a large quilt on your home machine" with Ann Peterson. She gives lots of ways to attempt it and I'm really enjoying it. There are many others based on your set up also. Good luck, Aileen!

I found that if you want to play with something, start small. Don't play with a big quilt right off the bat. Make small practice sheets and when you feel slightly proficient, start with a small quilt as you go wall hanging or placemat.

If I want to, I can quilt 5x5 centers in embroidery machine and straight stitch the rest. It's lazy, not traditional, but it's convenient. Especially with QAYG.

I bought a slider sheet for my Pfaff and was having fun, but have to quit practicing as Christmas gifts are in the way.

BTW - if you don't like it, don't force yourself or let others make you feel guilty. Do what's right for you.

That is to bad. I still hand quilt "just for fun" in the evenings but I've made huge (120 x 120) quilts on domestic sewing machine. Gives a whole wide dimension for quilting designs. Yes, it takes practice but best way is to "jump in and do it." People receiving your quilts won't mind the differences that occurred in stitch lengths. On the contrary, they will be pleased to be included in your "learning curve." Don't give up! Best resource I've found is Leah Day.

Success does not come to you over night. Just like any other skill. it takes practice befor you can get good results. I like both methods.

I enjoy it but I did start out small. I've also learned lots here on the board.
1) I leave my feed dogs up-it does make a big difference. I use my Janome 9000 for FMQ- have tried my other numerous machines but its ready & willing but I have tricks to fool it into doing what I want.
2) You can quilt of a Feather Weight- works great! but takes practice.
3) I doing a super size quilt- either do QAYG or send it to LAQ

FMQ is not my favorite part of quilting, but I can do a decent stipple/meander. But following a predrawn pattern is excruciating for me....just can't seem to follow the lines and keep my stitch length the same. I would rather do a freehand feather or crosshatching. Sometimes those options aren't suitable for every quilt and I have to suck it up and try to make it look nice....all the time having the music up loud enough that DH doesn't hear the swear words!

I am a beginner too. I want to do this determined but struggling. I took a class last week. Didn't really learn anymore than I have learn on here and various websites. I get puckers horribly but she did not show me anything to do to help. Just told me whatI already knew and said to practice. You might get a better instructor, actually mine was good but I knew pretty mush everything she was saying from this board mainly. I want to know more about what to do to fix what I am doing wrong. She said it took her a year to become good at it. So I am going to make some small sandwiches and practice as much as possible. Good Luck, I bet we will get there!

My secret was to turn my Gammill over to my son (he is on permanent disability for a former work-site injury) and he does my quilting. The only thing with that, he has his thoughts on how one should be quilted, and I have mine--but once we get past that hurdle, we have quite a quilting history behind us, the latest being a double-wedding whole cloth quilt that will be a wedding gift for my first grandson when we go to the wedding in a couple of weeks. I love the creative and piece work of the tops, and he is good on the quilting machine; machine mechanics and all--tension is always a big problem when I try to quilt. But between us, we've completed over a hundred quilts in the four years that I've had it.

quilting on your domestic machine is kind of like patting your head, while rubbing your tummy...it can be done but you need to practice....With quilts it is your machine goes as fast as you can and your hands go slower. We tend to want to them to go at the same pace. If your hands go too fast you tend to get toe catchers and jerky lines, if you go too slow you get uneven stitch length. So the solution is to practice a lot, however I don't think it would take a year. I practiced on quilt as you go scrappy quilts, the blocks are easy to maneuver, the scrappy-ness hides boo boos and if you do get a toe catcher just loop around and stitch over it, toe catcher no more. I am not great at it but I am much better and I can do full size on my machine with out too much cussing and swearing. Things I have found helpful, I have a brother with an 11"harp which makes shoving that big ol' mess though the opening, it is amazing what a difference two inches can make. And I just love the auto thread cutter. It is not a fancy machine, just a straight stitch only for only a couple of hundred bucks but worth the investment in my neck and peace of mind. I piece on my old pal a Bernina 440. I also use a supreme slider mat, and gardening gloves with latex on the palms, I do cut the finger tips off to be able to feel the fabric. These tips may not help you, but you will find your balance. Try out all the tips and keep the ones that feel good to you. Good luck and keep on keeping on.

I do all of my own quilting on my DSM & I have had to come to terms that my quilts will never look like they are long armed. Like Buckeye Rose, I can do a decent stipple or meander. Some of my FMQ isn't so bad, but to follow a stencil or outline- forget it. I have been using my walking foot more & more for not only straight line quilting but for curves too. As everyone says, start small & practice practice!

It took me about 8 hours of quilting on a practice piece until things "clicked." I quilt on a DMS.

boy, we should team up. I LA quilt and love, love, love it. But piecing and cutting is not my talent or love.

I just got back today from a "Machine Quilting" class where we did stitch in the ditch (and she explained why we get frustrated with it), using different feet to do the stitch in the ditch, echo quilting, marking a quilt top for machine quilting, water soluable thread.... I feel much better now about stitch in the ditch and like she said, it's practice, practice, practice. I needed this class as I do not like this part of quilting. I love piecing the tops but after ruining one quilt because of the machine quilting, I really needed a BASIC class. Even the most basic of class, I learn something. I will never again try a large quilt but the small projects can be done on my domestic machine. We also practiced continuous line quilting. I really enjoyed the class.

I'm a quilter, not a topper! Pass your tops to me and I'll quilt them for you. I dislike the cutting and piecing process so much!

My sewing machine has a BSR and a huge throat and is made for machine quilting and I want no part of that. I've hand quilted two very small pieces only. I tried meandering on a sandwich I made and didn't enjoy it at all, so I decided not to force myself to learn to machine quilt. I knew if I tried to force myself to do something I didn't want to do, I would end up staying out of my sewing room. There might come a day where I MIGHT want to give it another try, but I'm not going to try to machine quilt again or feel bad that my machine is made for it. I'm just going to piece my quilts...my favorite thing to do. I love to cut and piece so much, so I am going to stay in that field and enjoy myself. This is my hobby and I want to love my hobby!

I'm still learning too, but I have found two things that have really helped me improve: A plexiglass extension table and a polish for it that allows the quilt or quilt sandwich to glide across it and the bed of the sewing machine. The polish is only 10.00. Here is a link if you're interested. http://www.sewverysmooth.com/Shop.html

They also sell extension tables which was cheaper and thicker than the one Pfaff makes. I have no affilliation with the company, just a satisfied customer.

Why don't you hand quilt them, then you don't have to fight the machine.

I have been doing FMQ for a little more than a year now and love it. I have to admit that I was terrified of it at first. Now another friend and I started a small group of ladies that want to take it a little further by sharing patterns and knowledge. We meet once a month and each month we change off and a different one brings a pattern to practice on. One of the things I was taught early on was to sit and doodle with pencil and paper every night while watching TV and then try it with my machine. It has helped me get my rythem down when I try it on the machine.

Like others have said, if you don't like it then don't do it and don't beat yourself up. It is not for everyone. Maybe at another time in your quilting career you will be ready to try it again.

I agree with Peggi, but before you give it up try a couple of things. First try writing words. They will be backwards on the back, but you will be amazed at how natural the motion is because you've been doing it all your life - unless you happen to be one of those people who doesn't use cursive, but even then your writing flows smoothly and is worth trying. The other thing to try is drawing something that is very natural and free form, such as an oak leaf. Draw some quickly on paper first, just to get a feel for the shape and the way you move around it. Draw the center vein, starting at the base of the leaf and then go back around one side and the other, returning to the tip. The points can be pointy or rounded, and the sizes vary. There are no wrong shapes for oak leaves. You might find it's more enjoyable when it's something that doesn't take quite as much concentration as most any other kind of "drawing" would when you first start. Have some fun with it!

I will be attending an all day machine quilting class given by Sue Nickels this coming Saturday. She provided the program for our quilt guild this past Monday and I can't wait until Saturday. She and her sister have done beautiful work and have won many awards. Until now I have had a lot of problems trying machine quilting, but I have never attended an in-depth class like this. If I can't learn how in this class then I must be a real dunce.