sewingpup

I am taking another stab at FMQ using my Bernina with the BSR and also a ruler foot for smaller quilts like table toppers and wall hangings. Been fun so far but I really am not much good at it. My longarm is what I use for larger quilts but as I age. I am thinking I just might want to sit for the smaller things.
Also, the advice some good free motion folks say is that practicing 10 minutes a day, every day, is better than trying to learn during infrequent hours long attempts. So that is what I am doing this time.

tropit

Oh yeah...years ago. I have an old slant needle machine, which is not really conducive with FMQ. Besides that, I just suck at it. I now quilt a woodsy, wood grain pattern on most of my quilts, which has become my "signature look." When ya got lemons...make lemonade.

Synnove

Yes, I agree that FMQ on a domestic machine works better on smaller quilts. My struggle is with moving around the heft of a larger quilt smoothly. Even if I roll up the edge that goes through the harp, FMQ on the larger quilts is like wrestling an anaconda!

cashs_mom

I bought the 2200 just for the extra feet. It was a same price as the 2010 so I figured I might use them and have. I have no desire for a long arm either. It takes up too much space for the 3 or 4 quilts that I quilt every year and I'm getting good on the Juki so I'll just stay with it.

b.zang

I bought a Janome Horizon for the larger throat space but it hasn't inspired me to keep working on my FMQ skills. I also recently took a FMQ workshop which did inspire me to FMQ the center block of a medallion quilt. However, just that much wore out my shoulders and I'm beginning to think it just isn't for me. I do really well with SID and find the lines to provide an interesting pattern on the back. Sometimes I do straight diagonal or even echo quilting but my very favourite is having my local longarm quilter do it for me.

Onebyone

Posture is very important when machine quilting. I never stoop, keep my back rod straight, don't move my neck forward and look down, just look down keeping neck straight. I sit high and have needle at elbow height. I can quilt a long time and not be hurting later.

Quiltah Mama

I just attended Jacquie's lecture at Quiltcon. What an amazing woman. Very inspiring.
I do FMQ on smaller items, or on a QAYG quilt
I'm hoping to change that up, I recently traded on my Janome 9450 and upgraded to a 9480 and added the ASR. In my new home, my DFIL used one of those large topped old metal school desk. DH has told me I can use it and I plan on adding a larger top to it by having a piece of birch plywood cut to the dimensions of my choice and placing it on the desk. In the end, it should make a great space to FMQ larger pieces. I'm signed up for classes this summer with Ranae Merrill. I'm taking two of her FMQ classes, and am very much looking forward to it.
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LI_diva

I don’t find it appreciably easier physically to walking-foot quilt on my domestic than FMQ. My machine has a large throat space, and I have a sewsteady table for it, but I still find myself wrestling with a large quilt.

I do prefer to straight line quilt at times though, for the mindlessness of it. I easily get overwhelmed from all the decisions that have to be made when FMQ’ing, and fatigue sets in quickly. Sometimes I just want to get the thing finished, and then straight lines are the way to go!

ptquilts

I tried machine quilting once or twice and it wasn't for me! I am happy to sit back in my comfy chair and do hand quilting.

ruthquilter

I only fmq one quilt. It was queen sized, hard to maneuver. I has several bird nests on the back, but I left them. Ended up using a walking foot to do the border. I’m done with fmq, sticking to hand quilting for the most part, or using a walking foot.