I just finished pinning a quilt that I am making for my daughter's birthday....no problem. But now I have to QUILT it! OMG....I am so nervous to even try FMQ! I have practiced and practiced. I look at my practice pieces and think it's not good enough, but if I don't get started on it, I'll never get it done in time for her b-day. All the other quilts I've made, with the exception of a QFK quilt, I sent out to be quilted, but I'm trying to save a buck and do it myself. I suppose I could do SITD, but the pieces are too large for that. (It's a Turning Twenty lap quilt...so it's actually a Turning 12.) I'm getting myself all worked up, I can just feel it. Perhaps you have some easier ideas for quilting patterns. Help!!!!!! :shock:

You can do it! If you have done all the practicing, just go for it! You can do a nice meandering stitch and it will look great.

Breathe!! Wiggle your shoulders and relax. Get a good night's sleep and start tomorrow. You'll do great!

If the pieces are not really really tiny, you could outline quilt it... about 1/4 " from the seams. that is a very nice way to quilt, and it really shows off your quilt in a nice way.. complements the pattern nicely.

I have an idea - instead of doing stitch in the ditch, draw a diagonal line and do a wavy design on one side and the other side of the line. You won't have to drop your feed dogs, you can use a regular stitch. I've done it and it comes out great!

Can I see a picture? It sounds like a good idea.

I had thought about that, too. Actually just doing diagonals criss-crossing was another thought. Thanks for your idea! I knew I could count on the wonderful people on this QB for encouragement.

Go for it!!! And actually I find SITD to be harder than FMQ. At least with FMQ if you slip a little and get a wonky line, it blends in with the rest of the quilting, if you get a wonky line in the wrong direction with SITD, it can be very obvious. Your daughter will love it no matter what, so don't be afraid!!

Cheers!
Rachel

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

Almost...why not mark it with a motif in the big squares and quilt the design? Might make it go faster..maybe a heart shape? then do the FMQ on the rest of it...
looking forward to seeing the finished quilt..crafty_linda_b