QuiltinNana

I'm trying to teach myself how to free motion quilt on my new Janome 6600. I need to know how long my stitches should be. This is harder than it looks and I know that it takes a LOT of practice. Thank you for any help you can give me.

QuiltE

FMQ in essence means you create the stitch length as you move the sandwich/fabric around on the machine top. Try to get them even length ... and about the same as you would if you were doing SITD or line stitch quilting,

snipforfun

Unless you are doing SID, you will have the feed dogs down therefore the stitch length is controlled by you, not the machine. Lots of practice involved! The secret is in how fast or slow you go. Its a matter of coordinating your hands with the foot pedal. I liken it to when I learned to drive a stick shift car.

ghostrider

Try to get the stitches a consistent length first, then work on making them longer or shorter to suit your taste.

Tartan

Can you set the speed on our machine? I found that helpful before I got my Bernina with the stitch regulator. I found that a set speed allowed me to concentrate on just moving my quilt to do the pattern. Do you have Machinger gloves? Gloves with grips will help you move the quilt better.

LadyElisabeth

Some days I still need to practice. Getting my foot to tread gently can be a problem as I tend to go too fast.

DogHouseMom

deleted ... I goofed.

Ditto what everyone else said

AliKat

I just set my stitch length to zero although on my machine it isn't necessary when the feed dogs are down. It is the speed of your machine in conjunction with the speed you move the fabric that determines how long your fmq stitches. Some fms'ers use music with a regular rhythm to help them learn.

ali

QM

How you should set things varies somewhat by machine. Check with your dealer.
Music definitely helps me, but as you said, practice is important.