Stitchnripper

Agree with Jingle. Also, I learned to FMQ on a dinky mechanical Brother machine from Costco. It was definitely doable. You are only quilting what's under the needle so there is a lot of rearranging. I tried rolling which was not easy, and then I learned to puddle which is better. I finally upgraded to a Brother PQ1500 which isn't all that expensive in the scheme of things. I recently did a queen sized which was not hard. I started in the middle and rotated the quilt clockwise and there kept getting less and less under the arm of the machine. Also on the dinky machine I always started in the middle and worked out and then it got easier as I progressed.

Schill93

Yes, that's the way I have been doing it. Since you have the Brother PQ 1500 machine, let me ask you a question if you don't mind. The price on those is very appealing right now on Amazon ($539) and I have been tempted, but what it doesn't have that the Juki has is speed control. I have a real pedal problem, as I have bad neropothy in my legs (due to chemo), which makes my feet numb (very little feeling), so I thought the speed control on the Juki would be helpful, especially in light of how fast these machines can go, compared to the one I'm used to using. When using a quilting foot in FMQ, how difficult do you find it to control the speed on the 1500?

For those who mentioned to me, it would probably be cheaper to send the tops out. I know your right (especially if I purchased a more expensive machine), but the thing is, I find I really enjoy the free motion quilting. I'm still lousy at it, but I'm getting better, and that makes me happy.

Lets face it. There is nothing practical about quilting these days . People don't do it to save money by using sacks or old clothes for their bedding. Quite the contrary. It is a very expensive hobby. There is something very appealing about quilts, and I enjoy making something I think is pretty.

And like the song, " a girls just gotta have some fun".









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Stitchnripper

I think that is a good price. There really isn’t a big learning curve. The manual is good. I don’t have trouble controlling the speed. There are hacks you can do with the foot pedal like taping something to it so you can only press it down so far. For me the fun part of quilting is the FMQ. For me personally I want to do my entire quilt from start to finish. Right now I don’t have any limitations except my own skill but I really do enjoy the FMQ. I watch a lot of videos and do practice. My work doesn’t duplicate a computerized long arm but that isn’t my goal.

Karamarie

I FMQ my own quilts- all sizes. I have a Janome 6600 that has a 9" harp space. It works for me. Doesn't seem to bother me not seeing in front. One thing that is very helpful is I can set the speed I want so I find a speed that works for me and set the machine at that and go to town. I FMG a baby quilt last night and it took me less than 30 minutes. I wanted a soft quilt and didn't do real close meanders. I enjoy it but it does take practice to find your rhythm that works for you. The hardest part is getting the big quilts sandwiched together but I just think how much I am saving and move ahead. I like to do my own quilts from to finish. It helps if you just take a piece of paper and pencil and play with meandering around. Each time you do a quilt it will get better. Practice, practice. It's not for everyone but give it a try, you might like it. I will post a pix of the baby quilt when I get it bound and labeled. Good luck!

Onebyone

I think investing in a great quilting table or table set up would be better then a new machine. I have the Arrow large table and I can quilt a queen size with hardly any drag at all. For king size I use a folding table on the side. I have it back to a wall so no dropping off the table. I bought a LA light stand for overhead lighting. No shadows at all on my sewing space.

RuthiesRetreat3

Have you checked out Bailey mid-arm machines? I only know to contact them on the web (I think their business is in Maine). Don't know if they have a table top model or if only the ones needing a frame are available. But they are a lot less money and the one I had worked great.

sewbizgirl

Have you considered the "Quilt As You Go" method for getting your bigger quilts quilted? You quilt each block or section, then join them. It makes the quilting much more enjoyable with a regular sewing machine.

QAYG With Wide Sashing-- How I Do It (wide sashing)

Quilt As You Go (QAYG) Tutorial (narrow sashing)

Schill93

No, I haven't tried that yet Sewbizgirl, but I have watched many videos on it and bought a book on it.
How do you find it time wise, compared to making a quilt the traditional way. I remember someone posting on here about it taking much longer. Is that true? Quilting individual blocks would certainly be a joy and I have thought about that. I always worried about the stability of the blocks at the joining points. That may be a baseless concern.

QuiltnNan

Bailey quilters are made in Leicester NY, about a half hour from me. Give Chuck Bailey a call at 585-382-3290. He's very knowledgeable and does not try to over-sell you.

sewbizgirl

Timewise, I think it works out about the same. However, once you have enjoyably quilted each block, then do the joinings, it seems amazing that you are done! Seems faster but it's probably not.

The blocks are just as stable. With the wide-join method, you insert a strip of batting in those wide sashings. To stabilize those, you need to make sure and quilt on the wide sashings once the blocks are all together. That isn't necessary with the narrow join method.