Suggestions for machine quilting
 

I’ve quilted many pieces over the years, by both hand and machine. I’m quilting a whole cloth simple baby quilt..now I’ve usually used more straight line quilting, which I’m not terrible at...this time I’m using a simple loop design, with a template and disappearing ink..I’m having the hardest time keeping my loops round...I keep getting points or corners in my loops...rip it out and start again...any ideas or advice? Thanks

Maybe you could make up some test pieces and do some practice work. You mention that you usually do straight-line quilting, so could it be that free motion quilting is relatively new for you? If that's the case, the solution could be a bit of practice. Keep us posted.

I agree - do some practice. There is definitely a learning curve to get the smooth movements. And you don't really have to go around the drawn lines exactly if it makes it easier. Once the marks are out it will all look good. Try that on your practice piece and you'll see!

My advice is don't rip it out. No one else will notice the lack of roundness and know that you consider it an error. You learn more by continuing to quilt than by ripping.

Doodle what you want to free motion. It helps with muscle memory. If you doodle lots with pencil and paper before you stitch, it will be much easier when you’re at your machine.

Relax! Breathe. Maybe put on some "loopy" music. Then, think in circles, pebbles, rings.... :)
don't forget to drop your shoulders & have fun.

All good advice. If I read this correctly, you have traced around your template and are now trying to stitch out the design. Try looking ahead of your needle and don't try to stay exactly on the traced line. The more you do the better it will look.

Muscle memory seems to be missing for me. I have quilted hundreds of quilts and don't make loops. I just do FMQ and if there is points I just go on. Some stitches do get a little long so I try retracing the lines to make smaller stitches. If just a tad long I just let them be. I wash all my quilts when totally done and the krinkle hides most things. Making donation quilts for kids and for people that don't quilt helps with that.

practice with a sketch pad while watching tv--but do so at about the same speed you quilt at. Also most of us don't have perfectly circular loops--you are just trying to avoid a flat side.

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!