I haven't tried yet, either. I need to get a darning foot for my machine. My plan for practice is that I'm going to make myself a large quilt and kind of quilt as you go...breaking it up into 4 or 6 manageable portions (depending on how big it ends up! lol) and FMQ each portion then attach them together. I'm not doing it a block at a time because I just don't wanna. lol

Check out the book "Foolproof Machine Quilting" by Mary Mashuta. I believe that is the title. It is often assumed that machine quilting is only in the ditch and free motion. This book show how the walking foot can be used in more decorative machine quilting.

Placemats - manageable size for sure - I'm making a few small tabletoppers & may try fmq (just figured out what those letters mean LOL on them. Thanks for encouragement.

I'll see if I can find it - thanks for suggestion.

Lead Day has an outstanding blog where she gives you designs to quilt on a DSM...and she posts videos of her doing the designs on quilt squares. I use her designs on my longarm - they are awesome! Her blog is: http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/

Wish I could remember (a sign of old age) the exact sites I've been into about FMQ but one I did enjoy watching was:
http://www.sharonschambernetwork.com/default.asprx. Good luck to you - FMQ always scares me half to death but it is true, after they are washed you don't notice.

When I learned to free motion I started with "Quilting Made Easy" It's done with paper and they are all over patterns. The long edges have an adhesive that sticks to the quilt but leaves no residue. You have lines to follow but if you go off the lines it doesn't matter.The one thing that you have to do is baste your quilt. You can't pin them because you can't see the pins. The do have a website www.QuiltingMadeEasy.com. I no longer have to use the paper. It's a good teacher.

My DIL and also have read this - use a pencil and paper and draw your meandering over and over until it just flows without much thought. Then go to your machine and do a practice piece and then you are good to go! Hope this helps.

I hear you! Somehow I seem to get worse the more I think about it.....

This may sound really odd but sometimes (if I am quilting in the evening!) I have a beer first to stop me tensing up and over-thinking everything. I haven't got it yet but the trick with this sort of activity is that your brain has to learn it physically so that it "just happens"- like riding a bike. In order for your brain to reach that stage it has to experience it. Lots of times.

Sadly this means you have to look at the iffy results while your brain is laying down those neural pathways, but you can always save some off cuts of batting and cheap pieces and just agree in advance that they are going straight in the bin if you think they will be too scary to look at!

Urg. I have created an image of riding a bike while drinking a beer, havent I? Not good.

I can't seem to do it either. I'm real bored with SID. I'm doing it right now and hate it. I have tried small sandwiches but get discouraged real quick and stop. I think I may end up being one of the people who just make the tops and quit. What a waste!