Will I Ever Love Quilting?
03-25-2015, 07:42 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Quilting somewhere......
Posts: 2,591
I have been sewing for over 35 years but just started quilting about 7 years ago. I loved all parts of making a a quilt but the quilting I dreaded. I have a Janome DC2008 ( older version of DC2014). It sews great but FMQ was another story. I only did stitch in the ditch or straight line quilting. I did have a few quilts done by a long armer, but just couldn't afford it anymore.
I wanted to learn to do FMQ and so I bought another machine. I bought a Brother PQ1500S about a year and a half ago. It is a straight stitch machine only with a nice sized throat area. I just recently started doing FMQ on it and I LOVE IT!!! I have done several small quilts and one good sized quilt. They are not perfect and even have a few wrinkles on the back. But I am learning and enjoying it at the same time. The bigger machine made a world of difference for me.
I wanted to learn to do FMQ and so I bought another machine. I bought a Brother PQ1500S about a year and a half ago. It is a straight stitch machine only with a nice sized throat area. I just recently started doing FMQ on it and I LOVE IT!!! I have done several small quilts and one good sized quilt. They are not perfect and even have a few wrinkles on the back. But I am learning and enjoying it at the same time. The bigger machine made a world of difference for me.
03-25-2015, 08:19 AM
#32
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,395
Have you tried QAYG? I am almost done with my first one of that sort and found it much less daunting than quilting a whole quilt all at once. Still a bit of wrestling with on the borders but very much easier overall. Also since you are doing it in stages it seems like you're making progress more rapidly. At least that's what I felt.
Last edited by mom-6; 03-25-2015 at 08:26 AM. Reason: Spelling
03-25-2015, 09:31 AM
#33
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 4
I'm new to quilting and just kind of jumped in without knowing much. I bought a cheap small machine to be sure I really liked it. I pieced a couple of jelly roll quilts and then signed up for Free Motion Quilting a Sampler with Leah Day on Craftsy because what I really wanted to learn was free motion. Of course I didn't realize she was using the 2012 BOM from Crafsty so I "had" to make that first (but was really glad I did because I learned alot.) Anyway the class is great and very helpful as far as free motion quilting. I still haven't done the main quilt, I keep getting sidetracked with other projects, but I have done some free motion on some smaller projects.
The first one I did was a Minnie Mouse panel for a friend's little girl. I think it was a good first project because it was relatively inexpensive and I wasn't worried about ruining something I spent a lot of time piecing. If I made a horrible mistake I was just out some time and a few dollars. I just outlined the picture and then went back and added some filler. I didn't have to think about what to do and it was good practice doing different motions and I realized I really did enjoy it. Next I did a Hello Kitty panel as a charity quilt and got a little more adventurous with different designs on it. I think one of the most important things is just to relax. I don't remember where I heard it but someone recommended having a glass of wine before you started. The other important thing is practice I bought some clearance fabric that had designs I could trace to get used to the movements and then just tried out some of Leah Day's designs on muslin. I did have a difficult time fitting everything in the throat of my machine, and I knew there was no way I could do a full size quilt on that machine so I did upgrade machines and that made things much easier. Don't be afraid to give a try, but also don't feel bad if you do and don't like it.
The first one I did was a Minnie Mouse panel for a friend's little girl. I think it was a good first project because it was relatively inexpensive and I wasn't worried about ruining something I spent a lot of time piecing. If I made a horrible mistake I was just out some time and a few dollars. I just outlined the picture and then went back and added some filler. I didn't have to think about what to do and it was good practice doing different motions and I realized I really did enjoy it. Next I did a Hello Kitty panel as a charity quilt and got a little more adventurous with different designs on it. I think one of the most important things is just to relax. I don't remember where I heard it but someone recommended having a glass of wine before you started. The other important thing is practice I bought some clearance fabric that had designs I could trace to get used to the movements and then just tried out some of Leah Day's designs on muslin. I did have a difficult time fitting everything in the throat of my machine, and I knew there was no way I could do a full size quilt on that machine so I did upgrade machines and that made things much easier. Don't be afraid to give a try, but also don't feel bad if you do and don't like it.
Last edited by aggie98; 03-25-2015 at 09:34 AM.
03-25-2015, 01:00 PM
#34
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 9,300
Thank you al so much for taking time to encourage me with your thoughts, advice, empathy, and laughs. I did start the year with the word Embrace" as my theme, so I am going to embrace all your suggestions this year.
1. I have played around with FMQ and really like it but am needing a lot more practice. i will make some placemats for home use that will be my practice projects.
2. I will use my current charity doll quilt, which will have appliqué butterflies on it, to experiment with hand quilting in the negative space. I have a hoop which might be 12"? There's a lot of blue sky in the background .
3. Like a few of you, I want to feel connected and in control of the whole quilt as much as possible. So I won't. Be sending anything to a LA until I am out of my comfort zone completely with the size.
4. I have no desire at all to buy a machine larger than a 11" throat. I'd rather feel a tad disconnected in the quilting phase than to buy a mid arm or larger.
5. Never tried QAYG but the thought of feeling farther along sooner rather is appealing. I'll try it.
6. I'm not sure I'd want a machine that only does straight Line stitching. I do like how
sorry if I forgot any other recommendations.
My mechanical Brother runs when piecing, though....
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP. THANK YOU!
1. I have played around with FMQ and really like it but am needing a lot more practice. i will make some placemats for home use that will be my practice projects.
2. I will use my current charity doll quilt, which will have appliqué butterflies on it, to experiment with hand quilting in the negative space. I have a hoop which might be 12"? There's a lot of blue sky in the background .
3. Like a few of you, I want to feel connected and in control of the whole quilt as much as possible. So I won't. Be sending anything to a LA until I am out of my comfort zone completely with the size.
4. I have no desire at all to buy a machine larger than a 11" throat. I'd rather feel a tad disconnected in the quilting phase than to buy a mid arm or larger.
5. Never tried QAYG but the thought of feeling farther along sooner rather is appealing. I'll try it.
6. I'm not sure I'd want a machine that only does straight Line stitching. I do like how
sorry if I forgot any other recommendations.
My mechanical Brother runs when piecing, though....
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP. THANK YOU!
03-25-2015, 02:58 PM
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Alturas, CA
Posts: 9,393
I do think that the size of your throat space has a great deal to do with liking quilting, although I'm not real good at it and I do have a decent size throat space, most of my quilts are fairly large, but one of these days, I'll have the space and money for a Bailey, and while I may never be any good at the actual quilting, at least I won't have to wrestle with the quilt to get it done.
03-25-2015, 03:01 PM
#37
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 3,252
Originally Posted by pumpkinpatchquilter
I don't think anyone can answer this question but you. I can tell you what I suspect though. I suspect that if you don't enjoy quilting on your domestic, you're not going to enjoy it any more on a long arm. A lot of folks have this notion that a long arm just magically makes your quilting easy and flawless. That couldn't be farther from the truth. It takes time, effort, and hours upon hours of practice and some determination to overcome the obstacles of frame quilting. The frame itself has it's own quirks, just like any sewing machine, and you have to learn those and learn how to work with them. It doesn't happen overnight. Then, tension is another thing that many folks struggle with. If you don't have the passion or interest to kind of work through those challenges, it could be very easy to walk away from it.
On the other hand you love to piece. You had the passion and motivation to work through the problems that can arise to become a good piecer. So it's kind of the same concept.
But if you're essentially asking if buying a larger bowl of spinach is going to make you love the small bowl of spinach you're not so crazy about...I would say probably not. LOL
You could always try and find a friend who has a long or mid arm and ask if they might walk you through the process...or even quilt something of your own on it. Or look online at YouTube videos. Look at not only the quilting that looks so easy peasy on video, but the loading and trouble shooting too. That might give you a more accurate idea of what you're contemplating getting yourself into.
I can tell you for me, after about eight years I began losing interest in piecing and became more of a quilter on my domestic. I was quilting intricate heirloom pieces on my little Simplicity Quilter's Classic and knew I wanted more. I finally purchased a long arm and I rarely piece now...the things I do piece are generally simple piecing with lots of negative space for intricate quilting. I feel like I discovered my true passion in the quilting process and it began on the domestic...
On the other hand you love to piece. You had the passion and motivation to work through the problems that can arise to become a good piecer. So it's kind of the same concept.
But if you're essentially asking if buying a larger bowl of spinach is going to make you love the small bowl of spinach you're not so crazy about...I would say probably not. LOL
You could always try and find a friend who has a long or mid arm and ask if they might walk you through the process...or even quilt something of your own on it. Or look online at YouTube videos. Look at not only the quilting that looks so easy peasy on video, but the loading and trouble shooting too. That might give you a more accurate idea of what you're contemplating getting yourself into.
I can tell you for me, after about eight years I began losing interest in piecing and became more of a quilter on my domestic. I was quilting intricate heirloom pieces on my little Simplicity Quilter's Classic and knew I wanted more. I finally purchased a long arm and I rarely piece now...the things I do piece are generally simple piecing with lots of negative space for intricate quilting. I feel like I discovered my true passion in the quilting process and it began on the domestic...
03-25-2015, 03:06 PM
#38
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 9,300
ThE Edit option WouldN't let mE make changes after 20 minutes. I didn't notice the screwy wording till after that time limit passed. There are two lines near the bottom that are inverted, but you may have figured that out. If you thought my typing was bad, have you seen my quilting? Lol
Originally Posted by zozee
Thank you al so much for taking time to encourage me with your thoughts, advice, empathy, and laughs. I did start the year with the word Embrace" as my theme, so I am going to embrace all your suggestions this year.
1. I have played around with FMQ and really like it but am needing a lot more practice. i will make some placemats for home use that will be my practice projects.
2. I will use my current charity doll quilt, which will have appliqué butterflies on it, to experiment with hand quilting in the negative space. I have a hoop which might be 12"? There's a lot of blue sky in the background .
3. Like a few of you, I want to feel connected and in control of the whole quilt as much as possible. So I won't. Be sending anything to a LA until I am out of my comfort zone completely with the size.
4. I have no desire at all to buy a machine larger than a 11" throat. I'd rather feel a tad disconnected in the quilting phase than to buy a mid arm or larger.
5. Never tried QAYG but the thought of feeling farther along sooner rather is appealing. I'll try it.
6. I'm not sure I'd want a machine that only does straight Line stitching. I do like how
sorry if I forgot any other recommendations.
My mechanical Brother runs when piecing, though....
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP. THANK YOU!
1. I have played around with FMQ and really like it but am needing a lot more practice. i will make some placemats for home use that will be my practice projects.
2. I will use my current charity doll quilt, which will have appliqué butterflies on it, to experiment with hand quilting in the negative space. I have a hoop which might be 12"? There's a lot of blue sky in the background .
3. Like a few of you, I want to feel connected and in control of the whole quilt as much as possible. So I won't. Be sending anything to a LA until I am out of my comfort zone completely with the size.
4. I have no desire at all to buy a machine larger than a 11" throat. I'd rather feel a tad disconnected in the quilting phase than to buy a mid arm or larger.
5. Never tried QAYG but the thought of feeling farther along sooner rather is appealing. I'll try it.
6. I'm not sure I'd want a machine that only does straight Line stitching. I do like how
sorry if I forgot any other recommendations.
My mechanical Brother runs when piecing, though....
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP. THANK YOU!
03-25-2015, 03:36 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 451
I didn't read the middle of this thread but try quilting 1/4" from the seam vs in it. Or, if your machine has a feather-stitch or a serpentine stitch or even a zig-zag, try going right over that seam...much easier. The "big stitch" or "utility stitch" as some call it can have great appeal also..it looks great on all types of quilts from vintage to modern. And a nice fluffy poly batt can be wonderful when tied! for your practice place-mats...its actually easier to do a pretty good sized piece and then cut them to size once you're done. Meandering is a large stipple and both of those are easiest to learn. The next easiest one to learn is the "e's and o's". I do agree if when you do a smallish project (baby or lap-sized) on your machine and its no fun then you probably won't like it more on a bigger machine...bc for smaller projects the limited space is not going to deter or interfere with your "fun quotient" like it might if you had a queen or king under there. In the end...do what makes you happy. The sandwiching process and binding is the part i dislike most but i do it and like you..continually looking for a "better" way to get it done!
03-25-2015, 03:48 PM
#40
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 30
I made my first quilt in 1970 and became really hooked on hand quilting . This is the part of making a quilt that I am passionate about. The only part I don't enjoy is the sandwiching of layers. Give yourself a break, you probably will like it more after a while. I have a friend who turns out about 12 big quilts a year but she always sends them to an expert long-arm quilter to finish which is expensive and impersonal. I prefer to do my own. Good luck in your future with this.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
AngieS
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
38
06-19-2011 07:40 AM
harrishs
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
37
06-13-2011 03:50 PM
Halfsquare
Links and Resources
25
03-05-2011 01:49 PM
