Practice is what charity quilts are for. After you start feeling comfortable with your work you can progress to something that you want to keep. I am just starting long arm quilting and will be making drag around quilts for the grandchildren and charity quilts. I have no plans to do it for others so it doesn't matter to me how much time it takes to get better. Ann in TN

Such a great way to look at the charity subject...I've treated even those projects like they have to be "perfect".......my phobia also infiltrates my learning a new machine......I have a 5-year-NEW Elegante, basically unused, because my senior brain goes into spasms every time I sit down at it and try to figure out how to use it...I throw up my hands in panic and drag out my OLD OLD OLD standby, my 38-year-old ElnaSuper.......thx for the push.... :roll:

I think it is easier to FMQ freehand than follow a line, especially when the line makes a curve away from you and behind the FMQ foot! Ugh

Starting out with small projects is the best way to go. Table toppers, placemats, baby quilts. Also, use stencils at first. Mark your quilts and follow the lines. That's how I started. My first FMQ quilts are not that great- but the only way to get better and more confident is to DO IT!

Haven't gotten past straight line quilting..it looked so boring. Have sent out my quilts that are for gifts to a LAQ but you're correct in that's expensive. Signed up for the FMQ class on craftsy and hope to force myself to try FMQ and practice, practice.

I totally agree with you! I am scared to death of anything except SID, and I'm not very good at that. I tied my first 10 quilts! And I don't think I have the patience to practice FMQ...but that's going to be my first step. Maybe next summer!

I am right there with you, scares me to death to even think about it, so I hand quilt all my quilts. My sister has mastered the machine quilting though, she cant hand quilt due to hand problems but can do the machine quilting.

I'm new to this site and feeling ignorant...I figured out LAQ but am stumped over FMQ and SID.....

My machine doesn't do the job I want at least when I am driving it. Yes, it is scary.

I signed up for the FMQ class on Craftsy also and I am anxious to get started on it. I hope it helps me because I love the freedom of FMQing. I got a HQ SweetSixteen sit -down recently and I have been doing lots of practicing on small projects. Haven't tackled a big quilt yet but getting ready to try.