babyfireo4

Title said it all lol :) I can't seem to find one but, thought I'd ask and see if anyone else knows more. I have an elna and really enjoy FMQ but my stiched are way to close together (I think) and thinking this might help.

irishrose

Is it a newer Elna? Can you drop the feed dogs? Just a thought, but could you find a vintage machine like a 301 that likes to FMQ for less than a stitch regulator?

babyfireo4

I can FMQ on my machine. I just make it go as fast as it can and move the material slow. It works but still can't get the stitches to look right they are very close toghether (ripping isn't an option they are so close lol) so I'm hoping to find a stitch regulator to help with that part of it.

irishrose

I asked because I can't drop the feed dogs on my vintage Elna. They are self adjusting, so that does not make her a good FMQ machine.

pocoellie

If your elna is a newer machine, your too small stitching probably means that you're moving the quilt too slow.

babyfireo4

ah I understand now. Mine isn't vintage I just got it from a dealer this year (March or April I think)It is an Elna 5200. ( I had to run downstairs and check lol)

RST

My understanding is that Bernina is the only domestic sewing machine with a stitch regulator available.

That's not to say that you can't free motion quilt with many, many other machines. You might try some tricks like using a teflon sheet to make the sewing bed easy to move over, gloves to give you a bit more grip, play around with the machine speed, etc.

RST

babyfireo4

Thanks :) If I set the speed to anything except "if a cop comes by I'm getting a ticket* then my stitches look uneven.

pocoellie

The way I've read how to FM on a home machine is to have top speed of the machine but move the quilt slow, if stitches are too small, you're moving the quilt too slow, if stitches are too big, then you're moving the quilt too fast.

Rose Marie

Only certain straight stitch machines can be set up with a stitch regulator and only with a table.
Bernina is the only machine that has a stitch regulator.
Brother 1500s, Janome 1600, Juki and one Elna that you can hook up a regulator to but you still need the table. I am getting the Baby Lock Jane and a table. The regulators are $499 for all of them.