We Shall Overcome! That is the song running through my head. Trying out my shortarm today for the first time, wanna compare? Pretty! Pretty Ugly, that is!

Love the design of your quilt! Ultimately be happy you go forward and fix so that you're happy with it. I have been quilting for about 6 years, on/off and still consider myself a definite beginner. I love reading magazines and books as they help me learn of new ways to do things. And then discovering this board was wonderful. My first few quilts essentially fell apart :roll: ... wrong batting and tried to tie! :shock: BIG ball of batting at bottom of quilt after washing... it was actually kind of humorous after it sunk in.. After that I stuck to quilting in the ditch and chose appropriate batting for how close/far I'd be quilting. The first few quilts I "meander/stipple" quilted were fine but not great. Certainly didnt have the very geometric roundish shape I see so many do (lots of "oops"... and sharp turns :))... I dont think I'll ever have a long arm and dont think I'll do too much more than I already do (unless there's an easy way for my ADHD brain to do it- lol!).... Was happy with last quilt which I just had fun playing with border.... kind of went to town messing around. Used the darning foot with feed dogs lowered and have been pleased with result. It's FAR from perfect.... since I still havent achieved conquering the sewing of a straight line, it's a bit too poochy in places and should have trimmed the red seem (where meets white border) more so there wasnt such a definite ledge, BUT overall.... I really learned from it, had a great time... think it will stand the test of time and has been keeping us warm. So all good. It's fun for me to try new things with new quilts but often am quilting baby quilts for friends and get scared to do something outside my comfort level. We've been in need of some quilts around our place so have been sewing several for "us" (which is a true first) and just playing... lots of fun. Great book I found..... includes WAY more info than I'll ever use but some really nice ideas: Dancing with Thread by Ann Fahl ... your guide to free-motion quilting. Gives some good ideas on variations on the standard meander/stipple, like trying circles etc. Attaching a pic of this last quilt and did some wavy loops in the red border using King Tuts varigated thread (love that stuff)... Good luck... it's a beautiful quilt!

Leigh

The quilt looks great, but the dark top quilting is throwing it off. I would take out all the top quilting, yes a seam ripper is needed. I'd stick with 1 pattern style instead of a different one on each block and if you can use monofilament thread, then that would be better, by doing that your fabrics and piecing would show up better. Hope that helps! I've ripped many a stitching out myself!
Kind Regards,
MaryAnna

You could do a corner to corner straight stitch. It's easy, goes fast and looks great. Don't forget to pin a lot and then pin some more. I've found that pinning is the secret to smooth quilting. And don't forget your walking foot. The guides help you keep your lines straight. I also do the cross hatch often. It gives it a great look.

I have found that charity quilts are a great place to practice FMQ. The humane society is always glad to receive your gifts...the dogs and kitties are not at all critical, and you are getting some real time experience. Also, to practice on a small item like placemats or tablerunners helps...not so much bulk to deal with! And practice, practice, practice! You'll get better with each project, and try to do some FM every day, even if it is just a few minutes of practice...that is where you will get your rhythm! If you will sandwich up your batting leftovers and stack them up, you will always have a ready supply of practice pieces....and even those little squares are a comfort for a little kitten to keep them off of the grate of their cages! And keep up the good work...you have gotten a lot of good suggestions here....aren't these gals wonderful?!

I applaud your attempt!

and i agree. take it out,and do in the ditch or even a cross hatch.
Practice FMQ on a muslin sandwich..you can draw easy designs,with soft curves on it with a marker, and then try to follow the lines..with a contrasting thread..

this is the kind of project(removing the stitches) that should be done out in the yard..calmly.
if you lived closer, i would help you! Make sure the seam ripper has the smaller head on it..those stitches look tiny!

I guess I am the dissenter here in this group. I agree with everyone else about taking out and all the "tips", they are great...but....you know what??? I think that if you added some more "wonky, childlike quilting" in the rest of the quilt that it would be an adorable quilt!! A child would absolutely love it! Just do the additional quilting in a light gray or white or even invisable thread. This will continue to let you practice, but you will end up with something really cute in the end. Who ever said that all your quilts have to look "adult and perfect"???? There are lots of "styles" out there, lets use them ALL :D

Well, thats my opinion and I'm stickin' to it... :lol: :lol:

Practice, practice, oractice

Guess I'm weird but I kinda like the child-like meandering in the blocks. It has a kind of charm. Unless yuou plan to give it to someone as a gift, I'd keep it just as it is. The only thing I would do is take out stitches in the white area and either stitch in the ditch or echo stitch. You can say you planned it that way. And everytime you look at it you can smile when you compare it to your future attempts. Just my 2-cents.

That's a wonderful option! And sure beats ripping out seams! It all depends on what you were planning to use this quilt for... if it's just for you, or a child, then this is an excellent idea and you'll get more practice time. If you change the color of the thread and add a couple of other colors, it would look like 'abstract art'. There are many solutions!
Kind Regards,
MaryAnna