I took a class in FMQ with Frieda Anderson whose best piece of advice was to sit on a pillow or two to ease your back and to be able to see what you are doing. It really works.

Quilting in sections works best for me if I want to FMQ. I have tried pre-printed backing for crib-sized quilts, and I also like the quilting on a roll for borders. Practice helps, as does a big glass of wine before starting!

I saw a Fons and Porter program this morning on Long Arm Quilting. They suggested using a dry erasable board to practice drawing free motion designs (loops, hearts, and size of stippling). They suggested that the repetition on the erasable board makes for confidence building. Since I don't have a free arm and have to move the fabric quilt instead, wonder if I can someway mount an erasable marker and move the board to practice like I would move the fabric.

You might try putting door stops under the back of your machine if you do not have a built in. The tilted position of the machine takes the stress out of your shoulders.
I am currently setting up my quilting room in the back side of my garage. 11oo square feet of house, 3 boys, and one DH, sent me to the garage. I hope to make a quilting area that is large enough to support the entire quilt while I am quilting.
You might want to read through this web site. http://www.daystyledesigns.com/confirm.htm
There are great tips for quilting. I have spent hours on this site, but of course not quite as much time as I spend right here!
Happy Quilting!

Hand, straight line mostly. I have one quilt where I will need to do a pattern on a large block but my DD and I are talking about embroidery on those blocks.

I do some free-motion, but the majority of what I do is SID to stabilize, and then echo quilting. I really like the way echo quilting looks, and I've found you can do gentle curves with a walking foot, no problem.

I have hand quilted for years. Never really cared for the look of machine quilting, but thought I would learn anyway. I tried it on my machine and it was such an ordeal that it made me really appreciate my hand quilting. I don't quilt for any reason except to quilt, therefore, time is of no essence. I enjoy the relaxation of hand quilting and will continue this method. I turn on either my Christian music or Bible CD's and just quilt away. Hand quilting also allows me to sit in the living room with my husband when he is home. My quilts always look nice and have the old-time quilting look.

You did not say how you were setting up to do the free motion. I struggled for years until I figured this out. First I lower the presser foot pressure to zero. I have invested in a free motion slider, [cost is about $15) which is a Teflon sheet that goes down on the sewing bed, it makes the quilt slide over the sewing bed so reduces drag. I got some latex palm gardening gloves from the box store. It helps me keep a grip on the fabric. I make sure my sandwich is well basted, I use safety pins. But most of all, practice, practice, practice. I started on small things, bags, pot holders etc. I also do the stitch in the ditch and if you use a gently curved pattern like a cable you can do it with a straight stitch. Also no matter what free motion or stitch in the ditch start in the middle and work to the edge, reverse the quilt and again start in the middle and go to the other edge. That way you never have more than half the quilt under the harp. Also if you have a machine that sits on a table and you have a quilt dropping off the sides of the machine bed the drag will make things harder. If you don't have a set up to make a flat surface then work on some way you can. You would not think that would make a difference but it really does....gravity is a b***h

I use a walking foot when I SID and never have a problem with "puckering".

Here is a site that really helped me with FMQ and so much fun to watch the videos and practice, practice, practice! Good luck.
http://www.daystyledesigns.com

If I didn't' know better, I'd say that you wrote exactly "ME". I always thought I needed the squiggly lines. But I'm finding, that I can straight stitch and have it look really nice. I find myself looking at everything everywhere to see what I can come up with. I did a lot of stich-in-the-ditch, but that just doesn't make it on some quilts. So I've challenged myself to find more shapes I can quilt that are just straight lines.

Kat13....I love this site, but it frustrated me since my feeddogs don't drop. But I've tried some of her straight lines. Someday I hope I can do more.

I have always straight line quilted my quilts- sometimes diagonally one way, and then across the other for diamonds, or squares, or just SITD, which I actually only started doing in the last year. I've been quilting for 24 years, can you tell I don't change quickly?

I really cheat and I've never seen it mentioned in the forum. I've been using borders and blocks made easy, They have the quilting pattern on paper, adhere to the fabric then you follow the lines and tear the paper away. It's a pain to get all of the paper out of the stitches but it is much better than I can do freehand at this point. I get my patterns on ebay simply called 'Boarders or Blocks Made Easy". Is it such a lousy method that no one has mentions it here? It works for me,although my stitches are pretty uneven with practice that should get better.

I did free motion quilts on my sewing machine before I got my mega quilter and frame and they were always king size or queen size - no matter what size they start out to be they always seem to get bigger and my family likes they big....
I found it was easier for me to put my little machine on a coffee table at one end and the quilt on the other - sometimes I would try to roll it but they always seem to have a mind of their own - so, I just kept fm until they were done - I know that mine won't ever be in a show or be a show piece but the people who get them love them just the same.....I could not sew in a straight line even if I wanted too.... and have trouble with my hands and having adult ada I would never finish a hand quilting quilt...

I've had all those same thoughts. When I learned to quilt, I was told I had no choice but to send my quilts to a long-arm quilter. Either that or tie all of them. Of course, tying would spoil certain designs. Recently though, I tried fmq and was surprised at how much less difficult it was than I expected it to be. I have a wireless internet connection, and so I just sat with my laptop next to my sewing machine and did some of Leah Day's designs. I watched the tutorial, and then did what she did. Sometimes I could copy her, and sometimes I couldn't. But even if it didn't look like hers, it didn't look half bad. So I'm getting bolder now. If you can relax, and not expect perfection right off the bat, you can do it. Really. Downy quilts are a good way to practice too. I'm getting ready to practice a design on my 4th Downy quilts, and if it works out, I'll move on to a quilt that is waiting on me.

I don't think this is cheating - I do it, too. Called it "borders by the roll" or something similar in a previous post.

Also, I have heard that it is helpful to move a card table or something else behind the table you are using to increase the surface that the quilt lays on as you quilt it. I don't have the room, so I use my ironing board if necessary to relieve some of the weight.

Hey I read somewhere...probly on this site, that you can put a recipe card over the feed dogs if they don't drop down, probly would have to tape it over them. worth a try?
Kat

My feed dogs want drop either but I was able to find a plate to attach and it really helps. Go online to your machine mfg and maybe you can find something that will work.

Gail

What is straight line quilting? I have a medium arm quilt machine and I would like to know. Have never made a full size quilt on the machine.

Like some of the others I have done the SID. I recently did one that I tried some FM on different parts and like the one said it looked pathetic. I then got one of the patterns that you trace on or dust it with chalk. I lowered my feeddogs and went to town. I was really pleased with the results. I have decided that I can't do anything without some sort of pattern. It may be that I will have to draw with the wash away pens and follow my own design.

I'm with the "can't fm to save my life" group. I can get the fabric to move ok, but I just can't seem to make that meander stitch look right - it's a mess and then I would have ruined what took so long to piece. I wish I COULD do some of the quilting by machine, maybe I could get something done then!! How do you figure out how to "fit" a meander stitch into one spot then move to another?

I not positive, but I think she's talking about quilting in a grid. Corner to corner for a diagonal grid, or top to bottom, and side to side?

Also, I saw someone who had done irregular lines like you might do on an etch-a-sketch. Depending on the quilt, it doesn't look bad.

Have you ever seen the 'quilt as you go' method? Georgia Bonesteel wrote some books about it, with patterns that your library might have copies of. It breaks even monster size quilts into manageable units. You quilt sections, then put them together , and quilt along where the joins are. Huge quilts, and small quilts can be done this way. Good luck. :thumbup:

Don't know if this will help but I found a site called www.daystyledesign.com she has lots of videos on fmq and how to set up your regular sewing machine I have found a lot of information on her site that has answered a lot of questions about speed control, hand and quilt control plus why I get buildup thread on the back of my fmqs.
retiac

lol to put it mildly if it need hand sewed it will prob sit there for eternity! my hand sewing to ummm put it nicely SUCKS! I wish i would have paid a little more attention to my mother when she tried to teach me. darn where is that time machine when i need it!

Freeze - who not make up a sandwich of some extra fabric - either leftover from something else or some "what was I thinking when I bought this?" fabric and some batting. Pin-baste it and use it as a practice piece to learn free-motion quilting. Like everything else, it takes doing something over & over to master a skill. I am not nearly as good as I would like to be, but I don't let it bother me - I just keep on "practicing." I took several machine quilting classes. I learned something (lots of somethings) each time. In 2 of the workshops, we needed to make this sandwich using 1 yard of 2 fabrics & batting. We were to divide this sandwich up into 4 rows of 4 squares each. We were to use SILK thread - love that silk! - In each square we were shown a different filler pattern and were to fill the square with that one. It's amazing how much better I was after just that 1 class. Try it a few times - you just might start to get the hang of it. Who knows.

Kathy

What kind of quilter am I ?


A good one, I hope.

take a piece about 1 yard square, and sandwich it and just play with it. Make vines, and squiggles, and stipple, and meander and just have fun. You can then add a binding to it for a table runner, a dresser scarf, or a candle matt. You will be suprised how happy you are with it when you get the whole thing covered with "PLAY" stitching. It will really help build your confidence. Beleve me, If I can do it, anybody can

I agree practice practice practice. Have been following a blog by Leah Day and find it fun practicing her designs, now have the confidence to try bigger things and am just about to finish my third baby quilt and really enjoying it too. Have a look at 365 days of free motion quilting, you can just google it and it will come up. Always used to hand piece and quilt everything but running out of time now. Have made a rule for myself, handpieced quilt are handquilted, machinepieced are machine quilted. Works for me and I actually get some finished as there are so many waiting. Still enjoy handwork most but leave that for the evenings.
Happy quilting every one! :thumbup:

I want to learn it all, so I don't know what kind I am. God bless.

I'm an addicted hand quilter and I quilt all kinds of patterns: straight line, motifs, borders, Backgrounds...I love them all. And I also do "free hand motion quilting", too!

Just had a look at your gallerie. What beautiful hand quilting, you must have great eyesight. :thumbup:

Thank you for your nice comment! I'm very short-sighted and I need my glasses for nearly everything. For quilting I have special glasses, normally used for working at the computer. They work fine for me! Good light (the best is natural daylight) important also.

I am mostly a hand quilter, but have recently purchased a mid-arm and frame. I do some easy, fast quilts on that... baby quilts, wall hangings, table runners, etc. But for important projects, I stick to hand quilting.

As for machine quilting, I did have a problem with holding my breath and getting dizzy, but over time it went away. Meandering is more relaxing and helped me get over that.

I've been hand quilting since 1975 and have taught across the country. Maybe it's because I've been doing it so long that it's my favorite. I've noticed lately that there are fewer and fewer hand-quilted quilts in quilt shows, and that makes me sad!

:thumbup:

I only do quilt as you go. I don't have the room or the nerves to quilt my own. I love to piece. I ususally take my quilt tops to my LQS.

Some LQS rent out their long arm quilting machines so you can quilt your own at their stores. Ask your local store.

This is a suggestion I haven't seen mentioned here for those have trouble with puckers when SITD. If your machine has adjustable presser foot tension, you might try loosening that some so you presser foot isn't putting so much pressure on the extra layers. Just a thought.

thanks for the tip - I am sure that it is a case of finally hitting upon the correct tension number. there sure was a lot of good ideas here and I will definitely try them the next time I am brave enough to try once again. :lol:

I used to have few puckers on the cross seams after I had SIDed all of the lines in one direction and then quilted the other direction. The only thing that prevents those is if the sandwich is really taut and has no wiggle room to shift side to side.

If you pucker on the initial seams, then your idea might work.

I love your Avatar, I enjoy all sorts of quilting, Longarm, my reg. machine both SID and FM I have also done hand quilting. I am not really good at hand quilting but when people see your quilting they will love whatever you do. I think quilts sholuld be made with the person you are making it for not what prize you may get.