What kind of quilter are you?
09-18-2010, 01:57 PM
#61
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Greer, SC
Posts: 215
I'm with the "can't fm to save my life" group. I can get the fabric to move ok, but I just can't seem to make that meander stitch look right - it's a mess and then I would have ruined what took so long to piece. I wish I COULD do some of the quilting by machine, maybe I could get something done then!! How do you figure out how to "fit" a meander stitch into one spot then move to another?
09-18-2010, 02:40 PM
#62
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newberg, OR
Posts: 1,911
Originally Posted by pinebeltquilter
What is straight line quilting? I have a medium arm quilt machine and I would like to know. Have never made a full size quilt on the machine.
Also, I saw someone who had done irregular lines like you might do on an etch-a-sketch. Depending on the quilt, it doesn't look bad.
09-18-2010, 03:59 PM
#63
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
Originally Posted by freezeframe03
I've always wanted to make a quilt. I did take a free motion class and working on a scrap was great. Big quilt...not so great, at least fun-wise. I can't seem to do free motion quilting unless I hold me breath and keep a death grip on the fabric. It just makes me so tense that I cannot keep at it very long and quilting is then not fun. I cannot afford to send tops out to a long arm quilter. Besides that, I want to be able to say I made it completely myself. So I always stuck with small wall hanging, pillows, potholder projects. Then I came across this quilting board and although all the free motion quilting designs look awesome, the straight line quilting is what has caught my attention and spoken to me telling me that straight line quilting is fine and looks as good as swirls and other free motion designs. Why didn't I figure this out 25 years ago?! Why did I think quilting had to be a fancy design? As always, better to learn late than never at all. I'm working on my second real quilt and happily I'm straight line quilting and trying to dream up my next quilt design. I have always thought quilts were more about the design and the fabric than the stitching design on top. I am a straight line quilter. What kind of quilter are you?
09-18-2010, 04:18 PM
#64
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Griffin, Georgia
Posts: 87
Don't know if this will help but I found a site called www.daystyledesign.com she has lots of videos on fmq and how to set up your regular sewing machine I have found a lot of information on her site that has answered a lot of questions about speed control, hand and quilt control plus why I get buildup thread on the back of my fmqs.
retiac
retiac
09-18-2010, 05:11 PM
#65
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dennison Ohio
Posts: 401
Originally Posted by freezeframe03
Originally Posted by sueisallaboutquilts
Have you done any hand quilting??? That is my quilting of choice but I'm learning how to machine quilt so I can get more quilts done :)
09-18-2010, 05:42 PM
#66
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,811
Freeze - who not make up a sandwich of some extra fabric - either leftover from something else or some "what was I thinking when I bought this?" fabric and some batting. Pin-baste it and use it as a practice piece to learn free-motion quilting. Like everything else, it takes doing something over & over to master a skill. I am not nearly as good as I would like to be, but I don't let it bother me - I just keep on "practicing." I took several machine quilting classes. I learned something (lots of somethings) each time. In 2 of the workshops, we needed to make this sandwich using 1 yard of 2 fabrics & batting. We were to divide this sandwich up into 4 rows of 4 squares each. We were to use SILK thread - love that silk! - In each square we were shown a different filler pattern and were to fill the square with that one. It's amazing how much better I was after just that 1 class. Try it a few times - you just might start to get the hang of it. Who knows.
Kathy
Kathy
09-18-2010, 11:02 PM
#68
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: North Fork Ca
Posts: 8,234
take a piece about 1 yard square, and sandwich it and just play with it. Make vines, and squiggles, and stipple, and meander and just have fun. You can then add a binding to it for a table runner, a dresser scarf, or a candle matt. You will be suprised how happy you are with it when you get the whole thing covered with "PLAY" stitching. It will really help build your confidence. Beleve me, If I can do it, anybody can
09-19-2010, 01:12 AM
#69
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 975
Originally Posted by bigsister63
I do both SID and FMQ. I use SID to anchor my top down and then do FMQ in larger squares and borders. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! and then press the pedal to the metal go for it. TRy FMQ on small projects and then graduate to larger. I find that FMQ is really quicker and easier after you get the hang of it especially if you meander. Just remenber to keep the quilting distance recommended by the batting manufacturer. This is also true if you SID . Good luck and Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy quilting every one! :thumbup:
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
craftybear
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
37
06-30-2010 12:19 PM
