If I go too fast on my high speed machine I lose control.

So this discussion reminds me of the first quilt class I took 20 years ago. I had very little sewing experience, and I had to borrow one of the store's machines. I was stitching along on my Log Cabin blocks thinking how hard it was to keep everything straight and keep my seam allowance accurate. A sales person came over and said I was sewing too slowly; that I needed to speed up. I was so confused. How could I go faster and keep things straight? Was there some sort of speed magic I didn't know about? I just could not fathom how I could ever go faster and not end up with ruined, off-kilter blocks.

I agree with Rhonda K, it depends on the project. When I am stitching blocks, and matching up seams, quarter to half speed for me is plenty. I have been make lots of jelly roll rugs and table runners. When I am sewing the cord for them, I stitch full speed, then when they are zigzagged together, again full speed after the first few rounds. There is a rhythm to this type of project when at full speed, but for me, slower is better when piecing.

I have also heard that sewing at a "slow speed" all the time is hard on the machine motor. It can damage an expensive machine. I don't know where I read this. So I have been trying to go at least at the midpoint. The machine sounds better.

I never go faster than half-speed on my Janome 6600. I quilt at about 25% on my Tiara sit-down. When I watch some of the You-Tube videos, I'm astonished at how fast and how inaccurate some of the quilters are.

My accuracy really suffers if I go faster than half speed. I've been quilting for over 20 years, and I still have trouble sewing a straight line!

Leslie

I don't sew at top speed. I have an older machine that getting parts for takes a literal Act of Congress because there's just no spare parts to find, so I'm super, super careful with it. My machine also doesn't do the whole start slow then move up in speed, as soon as I touch the knee press, I'm off to the races, so I start and stop a lot when I first start on a new project or I haven't been at the machine in quite some time. I'd rather be slow and accurate than fast and have issues anyway, so it works to my benefit.

I usually sew slowly. Sometimes stitch by stitch.

I also have my speed control at about the middle...I am more concerned with precise piecing rather than how quickly to reach the finish line. Medium speed seems to be my best.

i only use high speed for bobbin