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Quote:

Originally Posted by Rymer

thanks ladies!! I got my quilting foot tonight and I made an attempt....do you have any idea why this is happening? here is a picture of the front and back. any clue? I have a Brother XR52, so I don't lower the feed dogs, I have a plate that covers them.

You have to lower the foot. The loops are caused because there is no tension on the top thread.

Edit...OK, so I see you already figured that out!! :lol: :thumbup:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jljack

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rymer

You have to lower the foot. The loops are caused because there is no tension on the top thread.

LOL yeah I figured that out after a while! thanks so much!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jingleberry

.... You must have gloves with little rubber nubs on them, makes it easier to move the fabric, relax and work on your moving with the speed of the machine. You have to work together.

DEFINITELY get the gloves. My first quilt I didnt have them, wow was that hard. I bought them for my second quilt and realized how much harder I worked on the first one. they really are worth the money. I think mine were $8 may 6

You need to practice that's it. Just practice all you can.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rymer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stitchnripper

Hi Rymer - I have a brother XR-52 also. I do lots of FMQ on it. I'm not an expert but have had the issue you show on the back. I would rewind a new bobbin, change the needle, rethread, make sure the bobbin case is clean (I recently cleaned mine out using the manual as a guide and it was not hard). I also set the stitch length at 0 and don't use that little plate. I found it caused some drag on the quilt. I use one of those silicone slider things with a hole for the needle that covers the feed dogs but you could use a thick piece of vinyl too. Another thing I learned is to try and find the "sweet spot" where your hands and machine are going at just the right rhythm. I don't always get it, but I know it when I do. I have found this machine not to be fussy on what kind of thread I use. Good luck! Will look forward to more pictures.

oh what is this silicone slider thing you speak of? where can I get it? I don't like the plate we have to use. I"m so excited to see someone else do this w/ my machine!! with the help of the ladies in chat I figured out that I didn't put my lever down (doh!! rookie mistake) so it got a lot better, but the thread on the back was still kind of loose. so I need to rethread and try again. I just had my machine cleaned by a shop so it should be pristine! LOL! thank you so much for responding!

Supreme Slider. Here's a link http://www.freemotionslider.com/ I have one and think it's worth the money.

The advice everyone gave is good. It takes a lot of practice. I took a class and that was helpful. I practice as often as I can. I keep track of what threads my machine likes (some machines are picky).

Until you feel comfortable doing it, I suggest matching your thread to the fabric. Using cotton batting helps too. Once it's washed, you don't notice the mistakes! That inspires confidence to keep working at it! :)

I just started FMQ last spring. I have great fun with it. I just concentrate on one block at a time and have fun with it. If your machine has a setting so that it always stops with the needle down in the fabric, use that. Then if you stop, the fabric won't move on you. That causes the little "jogs" in the stitching. You also have to discover what speed works for you. I was trying to go too slowly at first and got BIG stitches. It seems the faster the machine goes, the smaller and more consistent the stitch length is. Most of all, just do it....and enjoy!

I still hand quilt but have bought the foot and various gadgets to use with my machine for FMQ. I also found a "stippling" stencil at the quilt store. As a beginner you could make the first rows using the stencil marks and then take off from there. I am working on a baby quilt now and am planning on giving this a whirl. I will keep you posted.

Go to http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/

Lots of tutorials and pictures -- and the superslider and bobbin things that help... great beginner and harder ideas. Put together a charity quilt and practice....

The best piece of advice I got when I started FMQ was to focus on just one area at a time and not get overwhelmed by the entire project. The quilting gloves also help me maintain control of the fabric.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rymer

I have seen this! Not sure the cause, I have taken the machine to the repair shop and there it works so I figure it's operator error. At least the messy thread comes out easily! The machine sounds strange when it starts the mess so I can catch it before I have the quilt complete! I learned this after re quilting a baby quilt. This took a while to learn!
Be sure that you hold both bobbin and needle thread before you start the machine. Usually when I re thread the needle and bobbin it then works ok. Good luck