BellaBoo

Use a long stitch length, loosen the pressure on the foot, if you have that setting. I have drawn lines with a ruler 1/4' from the seam and sewed on the line. This keeps the bulk of the seam out of the stitching and my stitch line is straight. For fast machine quilting, I draw a diagonal lines from corner to corner and middle and just sew on the line all the way across starting in the middle. I can fill in or just draw more lines in each section.

quiltingbee59

My quilt was 70x79. I wanted to give my mom a nice size lap quilt and it just grew and grew.

quiltingbee59

I have one more quilt to finish before Christmas. It's an oversized twin flannel quilt. I don't think I'm brave enough to try any more machine quilting since I have so little time left. I'll probably have to tack/knot the quilt and try practicing next year. If I increase my stitch length and have a better table set up, do you think I can do it??

suern3

Is the bed of your sewing machine flush with the table you are sewing on? I also found it very difficult to do any kind of machine quilting, sithd or fm, until I got a sewing table/cabinet that had the recessed area for my machine. I don't think I'm using the right words to describe this, but hopefully you get the picture. Don't give up completely. It takes many attempts and lots of practice to find the set up that will work for you. When you have time, browse You-tube for ideas. There are some very creative people who have come up with some inexpensive ways to set up their machines. Good luck and hang in there!

Prism99

Use a lowered ironing board or other surface to the left of the machine to help support the quilt.

Do you have a flat surface around the needle? Or are you using a free arm?

Aside from supporting the quilt, you need to "puddle" an area around the needle and/or raise up the part of the quilt that lies between you and your sewing machine. In other words, you need to be able to feed the quilt to the needle without any weight dragging the quilt down.

Also check and make sure your needle size is correct for your thread size.

Is your walking foot generic or made for the machine? Some generic feet are cheaply made and will work, say, to join two pieces of plaid fabric together but are simply not heavy-duty enough to handle all the layers of a quilt.

luana

Set up tables, the ironing board is good, anything to support the quilt. Gather a small area up loosely around the presser foot. Check to see if it is free to move forward as you sew. I used to get my quilts hung up on the front of my table all the time. As soon as you feel tension in the quilt, stop with the needle down, and reposition the next section. I used to roll my quilts and I found that they were stiff and hard to manage. Now I keep them as loose and free as possible, but I only concentrate on the section that is going to move through the machine. Good luck to you. :-)

mucky

Put card tables ironing boards or other tables on sides and top of quilt to help support the fabric when stitching. I have heard it suggested to put the quilt over your shoulder to help support it.

hobbykat1955

I had this problem in the beginning till I learned...The machine sunk into a table makes a big diff...Yes adjust the pressure on your foot...could have too much pressure which restricts movement...And yes take the weight and drag off by have a table on the side of you and in front...Your length should be longer like the above stated 3-4...

Dina

I use my ironing board for support, set my stitch on 4. or 4.5, and I have a SID foot that helps a lot. With a bit of practice, you will get good at it. You might do some real practice on something that is smaller? Hang in there. You can do this. If I can, anyone can.

Dina

JudyTheSewer

Please don't give up. Practice and the proper setup will help your SID. Mine is still not perfect even with my machine recessed in a table, support to the quilt all around, and a special SID foot for my walking foot!. However, once the quilt is washed it shrinks up just a bit and the stitching is much less noticeable (I used cotton battings). I am pretty much a perfectionist but I get a lot of satisfaction by creating the entire quilts from front to end. I would not like to wait for my quilt to come back from the quilter. Please don't stress yourself out during this busy time of the year. Get a good setup next year and try again. I think you can do it!