I just can't believe this board!!!!! No matter what I need help on it seems it pops up at just the right time. This morning I posted the following:

Dag nabbit....one of these days I am going to get the hang of this...LOL. I ALWAYS use my "start/stop" button on my Janome 6600. This might be a dumb question but can I/do any of you use the S/S button when you do Free Motion Quilting?

I need all all the help I can get. Thank you! Pat

Then when I came on to look for answers someone referred me to this active post. Thank you all so much for the input. I agree with those of you that like using the Start/Stop button. I have never used my foot pedal since I got my machine in '09. I have made several attempts to FMQ - always with the S/S button but thought maybe I should be using the pedal - UGH! I do lots of Stitch In The Ditch with no trouble but haven't gotten good enough with the FMQ to feel comfortable doing it on a quilt. I guess it is like they say - practice - practice - practice.

I am off to do that right now (with my S/S button...LOL. I just love this board - everyone is so helpful and so willing to help everyone else.

I use what is probably equal to the stop/start button but on my Bernina I can choose whether I want to stop and go with my hands (go as my hands start moving & stop as they stop) or have the machine stay running. It's probably the same idea but I can keep my hands on the fabric where I need them. And I do always choose the stop/go option because I feel like I have more control.

I also on occasion do something no one else here has mentioned. I apply and draw on Glad Press-n-Seal for positioning motifs between meanders or loops to get them right and exactly where I want them. I'm somewhat new to FMQ so I need all the help I can get. The plastic comes right off after quilting over it so it works good for me.

It IS true though, it's a matter of practice, practice, practice. Keep at it!

This tutorial may help too:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...g-t177072.html

Just as everything in life we do, practice makes perfect. You might want to try FMQ on a piece of paper (NO thread) and find out if some lines in a box will help. It does take a lot of practice just like in riding a bike or driving a car. Just remember: you NEVER want to stop to reposition your hands on a curve. It will show up every time you do.

I picked up a stippling stencil at a yard sale because I just couldn't get the hang of it. I marked it on the quilt using the stencil and after using the stencil a couple of times, it enabled me to finish the rest of the quilt freehand because I recognized the rhythm.

I also agree that loops are easiest for beginners. I will sometimes use a stencil for a certain object, such as a butterfly, adding loops between. It works.

Sewingsue..I can draw..and free motion is not the same ..the machine does not move like a pencil no matter how good u are..it is just practice..practice..practice..and getting into the flow of the machine and design..or what is in your head..

I never use the start/stop button on my Janome 6600. I don't want to take my hands off the quilt until the machine has come to a stop. I love to use continuous line stencils like leaves or flowers (not meandering stipples). I trace the stencil pattern over and over again with my finger, the way that I will quilt it, to "memorize" the pattern. If I am marking the pattern on the quilt with a chalk pencil, then I make sure to follow it again the same way I will quilt it. And if I quilt off the lines a little bit, who cares! It is what makes a quilt special!

I'm in the same boat you are. Someone posted this link recently and it helped me tremendously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYF...em-subs_digest

From experience, I have found that it takes about 8 hours at least over a period of time for your muscles and your brain to "connect". Don't try to do this all at once; spread the practice over time.

I find meandering and stippling quite difficult because of the "no crossing lines" rule. Sometimes I sew myself into a corner and can't get out. One thing I think about a lot is that ANYTHING worth doing (and doing well) deserves and requires a lot of practice. There are only a few born artistic geniuses who don't need to practice. The rest of us need to drudge through and do the best we can. Eventually we get better, and at one point, the process becomes second nature. So have fun practicing. Just remember, nobody is going to sit and evaluate your work in great detail. Just enjoy the process. The rest will come.