A great way to practice machine quilting is to use your scraps and make some lap quilts for nursing homes or small quilts for children in hospitals or foster care. Then you've got a great "canvas" for practicing the quilting and I guarantee no one will refuse your gift because they don't like the quilting!

Jan

You've been given some very great advice which I will take for myself also. I'm a domestic machine quilter (and sometimes hand quilter). I just stick to stitch in the ditch and crosshatching. That little quilt would probably look nice with stitching in the ditch (with white thread, or perhaps the LIGHT blue). And you now what?---- If you don't care to rip and start over, I'd just tie and clip all the loose thread ends, put a binding on there and use the little quilt. There are surely more to come. Each one will improve. Good luck. Never give up.

I just recently got a long arm quilting machine and my first tries were so horrible!! I was trying to do more than my skill and it showed. I see all these videos where they just GO FOR IT and so FAST that I thought that I had to do that too. Heck no... at least not yet. I thought it would be "cheating" to mark my pattern. I also found that I was starting quilting without having a very clear idea of what I was going to do.

My advice is to start simply, plan it out, and mark your pattern.

I, personally haven't tried it yet! Kind of afraid to do it. But when I do... going to take your advise Kathy & think of a jig saw puzzle. Thanks for the tip!

Thank you shibori!!! I too have been trying to quilt with my long arm. I have been cutting out with a seem rapper. I have found a scalpel on line for 5 dollars. I am using an old quilt top that was badly put together. I am not very skillful with the long arm but I am improving. This tool may make it a little easier it is worth a try. you guys are the best. :thumbup:

I want to applaud you for your courage in showing your attempt at quilting! If it were me I'd have been too cowardly. As a matter of fact, I'm too cowardly to even attempt my own machine quilting. If it's a large quilt, I take it to a quilter. If it's not too large, I hand quilt. So, you're doing much better than I am. And this is after at least ten years of quilt making.
Keep on practicing! That's the answer. Nothing as wonderful as lovely quilting comes without a lot of prep and practice. 8-) ;-)

I think all of us have had moments like that. I agree with almost everyone, save the quilt and take the stitching out carefully. It won't really take that long. My suggestion: handquilt it. You will be surprised how easy it is and relaxing. I am big on handquilting.
Good luck - Karin

I feel your pain. I've been trying to FMQ over the past 4-5 quilts. I think I have gotten better over time, however I just finished one that I am really not very happy with the quilting. The quilting I used this time was only meandering. I haven't really done a lot of meandering, but am fairly comfortable doing FMQ (once I get the speeds coordinated). To me the top looks like it was just scribbled on in places. The culprit is definitely the thread color. I matched the thread to one of the color and to the main color on the back, but where the quilting goes through lighter colors is where it looks bad. I am not going to change it though....live and learn. :)

I have had to take all the quilting out of a quilt because it was all wrong. I left it for quite a while before I tackled it. Its quite satisfing doing it because you can start with a blank canvas so to speak and look it over and decide from there. Practice on some scraps with a bit of wadding first thats really helpful

I am so glad that I am not the only one! I was told once to practise "drawing" the quilting meander on paper with a pencil so that the "shape" gets fixed in your brain before you go to the machine to quilt. I find that this works for me (plus a gin and tonic - LARGE!) Really though just get in the zone and practise. Good luck.