Piecing and Quilting
 

I want you all to know that you and your quilts are so awesome! I have learned to piece tops together(as long as not too complicated) but what really astounds me are the newbies who are also quilting their own and so beautifully. How do you do it? And how do you get the nerve to try it! I am baffled as well as totally impressed. And to you experts, wow! I just hope that someday, when I retire and can get more practice, that one day I will be able to accomplish one iota of the talent you all show! Thank you so much for sharing!

Make yourself a few practice quilt sandwiches and start playing, Leah Day has just done some awesome tutorials on FMQ for beginners
http://www.freemotionquilting.blogsp...ilt-along.html
Give it a go, you might surprise yourself. I cannot afford to send my quilts to someone else to quilt, so it was a case of "HAVE TO" lol

I agree they are awesome. Ive only done a couple just SID and cross hatch. I tried meandering it wasn't that great!!

You'll get there, keep practicing! I am an experienced quilter and am constantly amazed by the quality of work I see here, especially by the beginners. Believe me, when I started, beginners were beginners! Four patches were the rule way back when and lots of them were NOT done well! Good luck!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Woody, for posting the blogspot! I am ordering the dvd to get started and out of the ditch!

Craftsy is an on-line class that's a good investment (mine was about $30.) On-line video class to help learning beginning free motion quilting. You can go back on-line and watch the lessons as many times as you want. I told myself that if I could get up the nerve to try quilting the whole thing right from the 1st quilt I made, it would get better with each quilt. When I post photos of my quilts, I don't post a real close up, as it does look a bit rough in the quilting. There's only one way to learn, and that's to dive in and do it! These people are very encouraging when it's not going so well. Best of luck to you!

Leah Day has a great website and free videos with awesome advice for just about everything to do FMQ on a DSM. I bought 2 of her books to use as resources for quilt designs.

Thanks Woody for the free video of FMQ. I really have to try it!

Thanks for sharing - I bookmarked this page!

I feel the same way - been quilting (hand quilting for several years) and think this is my thing. I made a few quilts but somehow when it comes to machine quilting, still feel like a newbie. Working full time and all my other responsibilities makes it tough - I would also love it if I get to be blessed and retire, I can spend more time practicing. The Quilting Board is awesome with lots of helps and assistance - I am always looking for a step-by-step highly recommended way of quilting so I can stay encouraged.

Truly are some beauties on here!

I just started my first project, a table runner. I have to say cutting the fabric is so relaxing! I just bought lots of beautiful fabric, admired it for a long time, found a pattern I loved and jumped in head first. It definitly is a learning process since no one taught me how to sew. I am addicted though! It is hard to find time especially since I have two young boys. Fortunatly I have taught my five yr old to use my hand crank he loves to help.

I started to venture into FMQ by making Christmas gifts. It was June and I bought some nice Christmas fabric at about 75% off. I made pot holders (hot pads) and FMQ'd them. It helped. And I had great stocking stuffers for my brothers and sisters (and neighbors and kids etc... LOL).

Oh and Project Linus. I made some easy quilts for that and practiced my FMQ on them. They were not perfect, but they were nice. I got to learn and practice and someone got a nice quilt to use and love!

I agree with others about Craftsy and Leah Day. I bought several Craftsy on-line classes when they would be on sale at 30.00 or less. That's little more than the price of a quilting book and the lessons are very detailed and the camera angles show you every step. Leah Day's is free on you-tube and extremely well done. All the instruction is clear and you can really learn how to do the project. Missouri Star is another one with you-tube tutorials that are free and shows the details. Good luck on getting started.

I'm neither a newbie nor an expert, but after quite a few years of quilting, I'm learning to relax and enjoy the process. What matters most is not that everything is perfect, but that you're having fun and experiencing a sense of accomplishment! Glad that you're on the board with us. :)

Thank you for the web site. In a couple of weeks I will being going to my LQS and learn how to use the LA. I like to try and learn new things so am up to it.

You can do it! I FM all my quilts 'cause I can't afford to send them out. That being said, start small. Make several quilt sandwiches that are easy to manuver under the needle. Draw on them, make some squiggly lines, copy drawings from a simple coloring book, anything that makes it easy for you to get in the groove. It took me at least 8 hours (not all at once) to learn to move the needle and the fabric at the right speeds. Good luck.

I've been trying for over a year ta teach myself FMQ. I finally took a class! I'm not great but not bad either. Here is a link ta my 2 quilts that I did FMQ on.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t187091.html
PS I'm a hand quilter but I have so many quilts that I don't have time ta hand quilt 'em all.:)