Check out what Leah Day has been doing with FMQ. This is on a domestic ... a new design every day for 365 days!!! A video for each one. And now a book too!

http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/

very nice

Free motion simply means you've dropped the feed dogs (or covered them) and are manipulating the fabric in any direction, your hands and the rate at which you move being the determining factor in stitch length and direction of the stitching.

I think some people confuse improvisational free motion (not marked, no set pattern going in) with the broader idea of free motion.

RST

I free motion on a Janome 6600, and I bought this machine particularly for doing fmq. I've done up to king size, and not in sections but working on the whole quilt. I dont mark a design, I prefer to work freehand, and I certainly dont just "make squiggly stitches all across the quilt". I practice before using a new design, I spend alot of time with pencil and paper to improve my drawing abilities.
It takes a bit more patience and effort to do freehand free motion on a domestic machine, but the results are well worth it.

I use a domestic machine, Husq Sapphire 850 ~ I found a great way to do custom designs, if I don't have time (or patience) to custom cut a template for chalk marking... I use the washaway stuff that we use for embroidery! I draw my design in a wash-away pencil or pen on my Wash-away stabilizer (wash-n-gone I think is the name)... then cut large unused parts out (to recycle later) and wash the stabilizer away :) I did that on the quilt I did with 3rd graders for the teacher... it was a "Charlotte's Web quilt that each child drew a square for, and I actually stitched "Charlottes Web" and "spider webs" into the quilt with this method... here is that quilt:

Okay, what about those of us who can't draw any better than a kindergartner? I have free motioned a couple layers of fabric just to hold them together. I'm making a cape that has a heavy plaid outer layer. The lining is fleece with a brushed cotton outer lining. (fleece is IN the sandwich). I'm going to free motion the two lining pieces-------as I said---simply to hold them together. I just drive this way then that and swing around and head another direction. Works well for sticking two layers together.

But what to do for top stitching a quilted piece? I'm not even steady enough to do a few daisy petals without globbing stuff up!~ Should I maybe use a marker and slowly, carefully, draw something simple and try to follow my marks?

first off, take some muslin or icky fabric you don't like, or cheap rems from the store, and layer it like a mini quilt (9x9 square or 12x12 square to start) ... and practice, practice, practice... I always use the slippy teflon thingy, it lets me "drive"... practice is where its at with FMQ on domestic machines... I am a 4th generation artist, so it was easy for my to pickup the idea... but if you use some scraps, with batting inbetween to get the feel for it, I think you'll be amazed at what you can do :) Try it! you can use a washaway pen to mark your design, and go slow and see ifyou can follow the lines... draw a 5-petal flower with stem and two leaves... simple... or a couple hearts. Or your name in script... I think you'll surprise yourself!

Thanks!

I did consider "writing" my name on the lining of my cape. May just have to do that!

I do need to get something to make my sewing area bigger.

I am starting to do that to fleece double-layer scarves for my kids... some kids at school have been bullying son, and stealing everything from pencils to school books, he's the "little guy"... so I made new scarves with a cool dragon print on them... Needless to say, I stitched out whole last name (11 letters long) by FMQ on the length of the scarf... Steal that, ya brats, i can prove its mine!!! They even stole a darn bookmark that his girlfriend gave him for Christmas... its absurd. My daughter has special little purse(lets) that we whiup up out of scraps... we are labelling them well with FMQ too.

One way to beat the little devils.