meyert

I have bought alot of stencils to FMQ on my home machine. I enjoy the consistency that I get from stencils.. I am afraid to just "wing it" as I know so many people do.

I like this place.. but I hate to pay shipping
https://quiltingcreations.com/default.asp?

petpainter

If you use stencils, I find these are the best kind.
https://www.fulllinestencil.com/ They are best used with a pounce pad. If you are looking for an all over design, I feel the muscle memory of practicing on paper, then on a practice sandwich works great. Stencils are great for borders, especially feather of any kind, and specific block designs. I am very new at the freemotion part, but absolutely LOVE it! I use a lot of templates(rulers) for perfect crosshatching etc. It's now my favorite part of the whole process. I stitch in the ditch first then work my way out from the middle.

jmoore

I have picked up a couple of stencils at quilt shows and have used them mostly on borders...I use the blue pounce chalk and have had a lot of fun with them...I think any stencil product would work if you liked the pattern.

EmiliasNana

I have used all of the above: drawing my own designs using Crayola Ultra-Wash fine line markers that wash out after the first wash, drawing templates like a dinosaur and foot prints to use with an all over meander, a pounce stencil (though prefer the iron-off powder as it seems to adhere better and not rub off as easily), using the lines of a stencil with a wash away marker, using the design on the panel or fabric for a guide to follow, drawing on paper and removing it after stitching or just muscle memory to do an all over design. Try each and see what works better for you. I'm just finishing a quilt and used multiple ways to accomplish what I wanted. When I was first trying FMQing I used juvenile panels and followed the lines on it to learn control. Then I would try different fill-ins in areas. They are great learning tools with minimal monetary outlay and sooooo much more interesting than a muslin sandwich IMHO. Bind and donate.

carolynjo

Through the years, some beginning quilters did not know to quilt through the bridge on the stencil and thought they had to stop at every connecting bridge. They were reassured when guild members explained that the bridges were there to hold the stencil together and to keep on going.

Innov8R

I am only about a year into quilting, but I have made about 15 quilts. My FMQ is pretty rough, but I find it improves as I use stencils. I have a couple of stencils that I have used multiple times for borders and I am pretty sure that someday I will have the feel so down pat that I can do the design without the stencil. I think of them as training wheels and use them for these precarious first ventures into FMQ to help me learn control and produce a decent looking product at the same time. I have been disappointed a couple of times when my stencils were not designed for continuous quilting. I don't like stopping and starting again unless it is absolutely necessary. I leave enough thread to tie of my ends and bury them in the sandwich, but the fewer I have, the better I like it. My favorite stencil is a 3 inch heart border (HH19) from www.quiltingcreations.com. That one is as easy as falling off a log backwards

dottiemae

You all have been so informative. Yes, I was talking about using a regular home sewing machine. No long arms here. I will be checking into all the sites, books, and stencils you have recommended.

Down the road I would like to get a cool design or shape ( use my cri cut machine : I use it cause I can't draw and helps with scrapbooking and cards) and then lay the shape over the block and either sew right on it or trace around it and sew on the chalk mark. It is a down the road kind of thing as I just complete my first ever quilt.

I wanted to ask everyone's opinion and what works for them as being a beginner there are so many options and they all seem fantastic but didn't want to get an idea and have many people say they tried this or that and it was the biggest mistake. lol.

Hand quilting would be an ultimate goal. I would love to try it. Love to do it. But afraid I would do it wrong and wash the item and have it fall apart. I am not confident in my hand sewing skills. But some day. Oh what an ultimate goal.

Thank you all for the help. Now to go ponder and look up some books and sites and stencils.

hcarpanini

Check out Cindy Needham. She has basic stencils and lots of tutorials for using them. Highly recommend!

Snooze2978

I have a quilting machine with robotics so don't bother drawing out my own designs. Have also purchased some rulers to try my hand at ruler work a bit later so will be drawing on my quilt then. Just bought a new embroidery combo machine that uses large hoops and saw a quilt my dealer had done using quilting designs made for embroidery machines so purchased the set of designs. When I went back to pick up some items that were backordered I notice my dealer's daughter was working on a wedding ring quilt done by embroidery so picked up the set as I've always wanted to make a wedding ring quilt and this looked like a great idea to get it right. Came with various settings too. Can't wait to try them out but 1st have a couple projects I need to finish before I start on a new project. May try out some of the embroidery designs on one of the projects waiting as its a small project.

Also my dealer showed me how I could take one of the decorative designs in the machine, multiply it however many times I need, then tweak it to the exact length I need for the area. Thought that a great idea for fill-ins so will be giving that a try for a smaller project. These new fangled machines are getting better and better these days.