Go Back  Quiltingboard Forums > Main
really? >

really?

really?

Old 02-15-2014, 09:51 AM
  #31  
Senior Member
 
SlightlyOffQuilter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Somewhere Out There
Posts: 376
Default

I agree that starting out with a very basic pattern, meadering or wandering is the best way to get comfortable. Personally, I had alot of trouble " freehanding " alot of the designs. For the life of me my head could see the shape , but my hands refused to make it ! What I CAN do, is follow lines ! I print out a design I like onto the paper side of freezer paper, iron it to my top and follow the line ! Once I take the paper off, you would never know ! I love to use pantograph designs, since they are made to be done without breaking thread !

[ATTACH=CONFIG]462503[/ATTACH]
Attached Thumbnails dscn2535-650x487.jpg  
SlightlyOffQuilter is offline  
Old 02-15-2014, 10:12 AM
  #32  
Senior Member
 
FURBALLS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: southeast Idaho
Posts: 403
Default

Originally Posted by MrsDerf View Post
With practice I will be able to quilt my own work? I've spent six weeks and a lot of money practicing and still not even close to being ready to do the real thing. I have made so many sandwiches I've filled a dumpster. Is it possible that I just don't own that skill? At what point do I cry Uncle?
DON'T give up. Watch videos on youtube, take a class, and practice, practice, practice. One day it will click for you. It did for me as I wanted so much to learn feathers. Finally bam!! It happened.
FURBALLS is offline  
Old 02-15-2014, 10:39 AM
  #33  
Super Member
 
franie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SW Iowa
Posts: 6,550
Default

Someone told me once to have a glass of wine. Never tried that but I know when I first started and even sometimes I freeze up and get anxiety. Then I discovered a long arm is easier--you don't push the quilt which is harder in my book. And sometimes I still have issues. I don't have a computerized long arm so when I do motifs, I often use the tissue paper that comes on a roll. It is messy tearing off but oh my, makes a beautiful motif. My advice is keep trying. Make lots of potholders and doggy beds. I still practice once in a while before I begin a quilt especially if I have issues with tension on the machine.
franie is offline  
Old 02-15-2014, 03:17 PM
  #34  
Power Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Southern California
Posts: 19,131
Default

Originally Posted by MrsDerf View Post
With practice I will be able to quilt my own work? I've spent six weeks and a lot of money practicing and still not even close to being ready to do the real thing. I have made so many sandwiches I've filled a dumpster. Is it possible that I just don't own that skill? At what point do I cry Uncle?
Are you talking about doing free motion quilting or straight stitching in the ditch? I will tell you what helped me. I took a class that was being taught by Harriet Hargrave. Google her name if you don't know who she is. What she taught me was that you have to find a slow but constant speed on your machine. Watch the movement of the fabric that the sewing machine is feeding by the feed dogs. You have to be able to find that speed every time you quilt. Then you know at what pace to move the fabric. Have you tried drawing lines and following them? If you are at the end of you patience, check any LQS and sign up for a beginning quilting class. With someone there watching you, they can probably help you with getting over the hurdles.
ManiacQuilter2 is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 04:53 AM
  #35  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Heart of Colorado's majestic mountains!
Posts: 6,026
Default

I notice in your post that you do not qualify what you are doing to practice-only that you have made lots of sandwiches (to fill a dumpster). Are you trying to just draw or doodle with your needle? Do you draw a design and try to follow it? Learning to machine quilt is a progressive activity in your practice. Consider a book such as Harriet Hargrave's book on machine quilting or a craftsy class. Leah Day receives great reviews for her free motion class. How about a class at a local LQS? Please don't give up but structure your practice to move forward in your pursuit of quilting.
quilterpurpledog is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 05:00 AM
  #36  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,892
Default

If your goal is to do a quilt entirely by yourself, then you've gotten some great advice here. A class, a friend, a book, all can give tips for success. But if you really don't enjoy it, there's no problem quilting by check. I do mine myself but will switch over to check soon. I'm just tired of wrestling with quilts on my domestic machine. Some longarm work is so beautiful. I could never achieve it with my small harp.
toverly is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 06:06 AM
  #37  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 1,215
Default

Originally Posted by grandmary View Post
I have found that practicing on paper really does help a lot. I could not do feathers for the longest time, but after watching lots and lots of YouTube videos, a couple of Craftsy classes, and drawing on paper until I could get into the "flow", my feathers are now presentable. They certainly are not comparable to Cindy Needhams, or Angela Walters (those are the classes I took on Craftsy), but I felt confident enough to give quilted Christmas presents this year. But I have been practicing on & off for about 3 years (!) before I felt my feathers were good enough to put on an actual quilt. Some people have a natural talent and catch on quickly, and then people like me have to keep at it for a long time before it starts to feel like I've got it. So if you really want to quilt your own work, don't give up! You may be on of those people like me where it just takes more time. Take a break from practicing with your machine, and just use scrap paper. It really does help.
This is what really helped me a lot! Then I found Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project. It was free at the time. I know she has signed on to Craftsy but you can still access the FMQP blog. She had a 365 stitches she developed. I picked out ones I liked that were easy and just practiced those. For some reason I still fall back on stippling though.
EllieGirl is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 06:25 AM
  #38  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,148
Default

Are you doing FMQ on a DM? What kind of FMQ are you doing? IMHO- FMQ on a DM machine is HARD especially on a larger quilt. I do SID and stippling/meandering for FMQ. My attempts at other fancier quilting have not turned out really good. I know a quilter who has been quilting for 20+ years and usually only does SID. If she wants fancier quilting tem she sends it out to a LAQ. I personally like to keep my quilting to a mimium so the fabric and the pattern show better. Do not be so hard on yourself! you are probably better than you think!!1
bigsister63 is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 07:03 AM
  #39  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Mechanicsville, IA
Posts: 1,497
Default

Are we talking long arm or domestic? If you are talking longarm try paper pantos to start with. We comuterized ours after only a year and I love it, love it, love it. Intelliquilter It saves so much hard use of muscles and joints. And I love computers and don't have the patience to practice, practice, practice. Unless I am trying something new in the way of custom with the Intelliquilter then I love to practice.
Silver Needle is offline  
Old 02-16-2014, 07:23 AM
  #40  
Super Member
 
carolaug's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Behind my sewing machine
Posts: 7,202
Default

Wow...great idea...I never thought of doing this!! (putting another piece on top of the old FMQ sample and redoing it) Also I find after I wash my quilt it looks so much better...I almost cried after I FMG'd a beautiful quilt top...but once I washed it I was happy with it.
carolaug is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
karensue
For Vintage & Antique Machine Enthusiasts
4
04-01-2012 02:42 AM
Linda-in-iowa
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
28
09-01-2011 05:19 AM
nanababy
Pictures
58
04-05-2011 03:50 PM
JanTx
Pictures
7
03-08-2011 06:17 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


FREE Quilting Newsletter