Pretend you are circling around a coin when making the loops, and it will come out fine. I learned this trick from a longarm quilting teacher. Once I learned this trick and did a few practice loops, I overcame my fear of making feathers. If you need to make loops bigger than a coin, think of something that is bigger...like a round lemon, coaster or any circular object. There is no need for tracing.

Even when I use the long arm for quilting loops I have to mentally keep saying "round"...somehow it helps.

Yes, it’s all about practice. The more you do, the better you will get. Make some big practice sandwiches and fill them up with loops and curves. Later they can be donated to an animal shelter for pet beds.

I’ve had only limited experience with free-motion quilting, but I have learned that it requires specific adjustments in your machine’s settings. That can include stitch length, foot adjustments so that you are able to glide the fabric, and, sometimes, dropping the feed dogs. It also requires the “muscle memory” that comes with practice of going over a pattern quite a few times. You could practice loops with or without thread in the needle, I’d guess.

Thanks, everyone, for all the great suggestions..I appreciate it...was getting frustrated!

Remember when you do loops you have to plan ahead because you can't stop anywhere. So, get ready at your starting point, take a breath and I think "out, around, back" to my start which is where I can stop again.

I really didn't get comfortable with loops until I discovered Paisleys. 3 loops inside each other with a pointy end. I used it for a filler and by the time I was done, boy, could I do loops!

Also, when doing free motion, my most important tip is to set your speed control if you have one to a comfortable speed so that you can put your foot right down on the pedal as you go. That way you don't have to try to control two things...the speed of the machine and the speed of your hands.

Watson

I agree with Dunster!