The promise I made
 

A few years ago I promised myself to learn FMQ before I buy a upgrade my machine.
I tried once and it was a complete disaster. Couldn't even get a straight stitch.
I think I set the tension at zero instead of stitch length at zero. LOL
Anyway, long story short. I put FMQ away for a long long time. Then my quilt tops
started accumulating. Don't want to do SID or straight line quilting on a very special
quilt. So my option was...send it to a long armer or do it myself. Huh.
I finally gave FMQ another shot. Made a few quilt sandwiches. Read a few books
on quilting and off I went. Wow. It was almost magical. Nothing like the first attempt.
Ok. I know I have long long way to go but it's really fun and I encourage all quilters
to give it a try. I would also recommend Free-Motion Quilting Made Easy by
Eva Larkin if you just want to get started. Have fun!

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Good for you! That's wonderful! I recently took a quilting class from Paula Reid from Batts in the Attic and found that I could actually follow a quilting design. I had tried it years ago and was convinced it was not for me. This time around, it was much better. I also always thought I couldn't quilt feathers and I am still not good at it, but I found that I could actually quilt something that resembled a feather! So keep on practicing! It will get better with time and more practice!

Congrats on your success with FMQ! Fun! Fun!

Happy for you! Sometimes "give it a rest" really helps! :D

Sigh...."practise makes perfect"...I really should give it another go too.

It is sometimes one of those, It isn't going to get the better of me. Baby steps.

Remember that FMQ is a lot like riding a bike with no training wheels. It takes practice. I am glad you found something that works for you. I caught on when Harriet Hargrave said not to look at where your needle is at the moment, but to where you want to go.

I did the same thing. I am actually getting quite good at FMQ. I worked at it for a long time with my old machine. It just never looked right. When I bought my new Janome 8900, I decided to give FMQ another try. It seemed so easy! I have done quite a bit of it now, and it works. So happy with my new Janome!

I have found over the years that even though my hands may not be quilting for an extended period, it seems my learning/skills/abilities continue to improve.

Not sure how that happens, but it's a truism for me that hasn't failed me yet! :confused: :thumbup:

Jan in VA

will have to look for that book -- i tried before, but what a mess that was & it wasn't FUN!

Thanks all. It will be baby steps for sure but I'm quite happy with it.
I know more about FMQ than I did two weeks ago.

I try to practice everyday...even if it's just one square. I think it really
helps.

I know exactly how you felt. Give it another try and don't hesitate to ask for help here.

I just love hearing that fellow quilters have caught the FMQ bug! I learned by watching online videos by Leah Day (Free Motion Project) & Heather Thomas (National Quilter's Circle). Both of those ladies tell students to expect to spend time practicing before producing something that will make you happy & I'm so grateful for that lesson. I started off practicing on changing pads & a few practice sandwiches & went on to baby quilts for new additions to the family. My repertoire is still very limited, but I love learning to stitch out new designs even though each one is still several more hours of practice before starting to work on the actual quilt. The only way to learn to FMQ is to actually FMQ. You can't learn to ride a bike by reading a manual & you can't learn to FMQ without actually setting up your machine & practicing.

I'd love to see some photos of your newly quilted quilts when you're ready to share! :)

I try to travel or do something new every year and this is the year I decided about FMQ. I have watched many of the Craftsy FMQ classes - Walters, Day, Needham - and all of them have been so helpful. After watching the one with Cindy Needham, I attempted a wall hanging and I'm am amazed at how much I enjoyed it and while not perfect, it's pretty...even the feathers :-). My schedule has kept me from do more, but still want to do some more this year.

Glad to hear many are trying and enjoying FMQ. I caught the "bug" a few years ago and I love the process of FMQ. I also took a couple of craftsy classes to pick up methods, hints, etc. It does help to have a larger harp area on your sewing machine (I have a Janome 6600 which has a 9" harp area). I have saved enough money by doing my own FMQ that I've paid for my Janome machine already. It's very rewarding once it "clicks" but I also know it doesn't work for everyone - we all have different things that work for us. Do what works for you and be happy with it.

I really love to FMQ-but I certainly didn't to start with. It was easier to do straight line quilting. However, it have a complementary look. I started by trying simple things, stencils and designs drawn on paper and quilted onto the quilt. Practice is the key. I have done some on site quilt store classes and some on-line classes. My skill set is growing and I keep trying. Mostly I'm happy with the effort and keep on learning. But, I really like doing it.

They also have some good classes on Craftsy for free motion quilting.

I keep practicing, but I'm way too ocd to call it fun with all the booboos in it. Fortunately, I like modern quilts and those can be quilted in straight lines a lot!!

patsy thompon and cindy needham are 2 of my favorites that have helped me improve

Good going for you. It always feels like such an accomplishment when you learn a new technique. Kudos

I had also been trying for a long time and it was a little better when I got my Pfaff 2034 but I still wasn't happy with my results. This spring I bought a Pfaff Expression 2.0 (from Ebay) and wow what a difference, it is so much easier. I have no idea why but I'll take it. I haven't even had to adjust my tension, it seems to be fine and no longer have my bobbin thread showing up on the top or vice versa. My stitches still aren't perfect but so much better.