i read on the board somewhere about turning machine to "face" you but didn't understand it. any help will be appreciated dar

Instead of the way you usually sit in front of your machine, you take the left side and put it closest to you with the right side of the machine towards the back. This way you have inlimited movement on either side of the needle to free motion quilt.

err...unlimited that is

thank you so much! much clearer now.
has anyone on the board tried this,& if so do you like it ? is it hard to learn?thanx again !

Oh geez...I never would have thought of that!!! You guys are so clever.

I will have to try that-sounds like a great idea!!!

I too will have to try this, that is clever LOL

are there any tutes on this ?

I really want to try this. Seems like it would really help for FMQ.

John Flynn does it

Okay I read this somewhere on this site before I started FMQing. I tried FMQing with traditional machine placement, but I was always running out of room for my right hand and could only do small (close togther) designs, since I was limited on the movement of my right hand. So I thought I would try turning the left side to face me.

I LOVE IT! It gave me totally free areas to move the quilt when I needed. I mean it made a difference to where I wouldn't FMQ anymore if I couldn't do it this way. I will tell you that on my machine I had to put a book under the front and raise the machine so that I could see what I was doing, but really it works like a dream.

If you need help with this just shoot me a pm.

and if you haven't already tried it, give it a whirl!

Sheila

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-46536-1.htm
try this link.

This is the one I bookmarked. It's a great idea which I definitely will try as soon as I get the courage to do FMQ !

This is how I did free motion on a brother xl2600i. I liked it and it gave me more room becuase I wasn't having to bunch up the sides of the quilt as I went from side to side. I would only have to roll the quilt as I did a row!

This is fascinating. Another advantage is that this is the way you are quilting if you get a quilting frame or a LAQ machine - the difference being you move the machine instead of the quilt.

The other bookmarked thread with the foam "table" is also really interesting and I can probably use my cutting table for that setup.

(so glad I signed up for this board!)

At the Paducah show all the reps (all young guys) in the Martelli booth sewed with the machine turned toward them. One was trying to explain why all piecing should be done this way to a lot of skeptical quilters.

I'm doing my first FMQ on a quilt right now, saw the post as linked above yesterday and went to the hardware store for some foam board. I got it all set up last night and am just here looking for motivation (and courage) before starting on it this morning. I'll post pics when I'm done and let you know how it went.

I have tried that and it works great.

This is a good idea. I have yet to try it. Theresse

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Motivation coming your way :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

i have a janome2010[new] & a brother pc6000.the brother will sew horizontally in either direction. will that help when i turn the machine to face me ,or will it make any difference?

don't mean to be a pest,but am hoping tofind a tuteon adding a table of foam board before i go to menards on monday HELP!!!!

I have an HQ 16 sitdown machine. It is facing this way. It is wonderful the space I have for my arms while doing free motion quilting.

I can see FMQ with it turned but Piecing? I cannot get my head wrapped around that at all.

Did you see this post? Is it what you are looking for?
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-46536-1.htm

I will have to try this. Only hope my pee brain can wrap itself around this and change directions. :roll:

Hmmm....why have I never thought about doing this???? I'll have to try it, looks very interesting!

Doh! What a great idea. I will try it with my FW as the other machine is nested in a table and I don't want to disturb it. What a great concept!

I never thought of that. Makes sense, will have to try it next time.

"I will have to try this. Only hope my pee brain can wrap itself around this and change directions."

I can't get the piecing part either. They must have used a hopping/darning foot when they pieced that way. (I'm just guessing.) :roll:

That is very interesting will have to check out all the sites and try this method. Thanks for the info

I'm pretty sure you would turn the machine to it's normal direction to do piecing and then turn it long ways for FMQ. :D :D

Glad I saw this. I'll have to try it. Thanks for all the info.
:thumbup:

Guess I'll have to try this.

Thanks for posting your experience with it. I would have never thought about it this way. Now when you do this, how do you quilt the middle? Can you fit a rolled quilt, let's see looking at the machine horizontally to do the FMQ, can you fit the rolls above the quilting like against the throat of the machine? Have you done any big quilts like that?

I'm definitely going to try this!

Now mind you, I haven't tried this trick of turning my machine (yet) but I don't think it would be any harder to have your rolled side at the *top* of the machine as to the *side*. Seems like you would just FMQ side to side vs up and down.

Hi,
Any ideas how to do this with a machine mounted in an old style cabinet with the drop down leaf? I don't want to remove leaf and cant use machine as a portable due to neck and shoulder issues is machine sits too high.

Last year on some tv program I saw a gentleman quilter doing this but he had also designed a contraption (?) which was made out of conduant pipe (that light weight plumbing stuff I think) and the pipe rolled back and forth support the quilt top. Seemed pretty easy to me but doubt that I could have mastered the constant rolling. I have tried this with my little machine and dropping feet and using darning foot but have not given it a try with my free motion on the Bernina820. It fits down into a table but imagine it would work like a charm on automatic. I would have to reach around to stop it however and that might be a concern as fast and hard as this machine goes. LOL

thank you for that bit of information. I have never thought of that before, but will definitely do it that way when i get ready to quilt then next quilt. thank you.

I'm pretty sure that guy you saw with all the pipes would be John Flynn. He has an odd pipe system, but a lot of people really love it.