blue10moon9

Try a small glass of wine to relax. And as someone else pointed out; pratice, practice, practice.

GGinMcKinney

Reading eleven pages of encouragement on FMQ makes we determined to try it again in 2011. I went to you tube and watched videos by Patsy Thompson. She has so many hints and the visuals are so helpful. I know it takes lots of practice. I wrote down the 3 Ps so I can refer to those. Persistance is a great reminder. Want a supportive encouraging group this is. I love that you all stay on topic also.

Justmetoo

You sound like you are more adventerous than I am. i have been making quilts, mostly tying off and on for yrs. Now I have a new machine and I have been itching to try machine quilting. I appreciate all the ans. ppl have given you, i find them encouraging! thanks for sharing your feelings, it has been helpful for me. by the way I am not real familiar with quilting terms, just eactly does FMQ mean? They say there are no dumb questions so no-one laugh. LOL

danade

Machingers gloves! Please! They will make all your quilting and sewing so much easier.

And loops on the back may mean bobbin or machine threaded incorrectly or bad upper or lower tension. Be careful changing your bobbin tension though as just teensy adjustments will make a big difference in how your stitches come out.

Hang in there! You'll get it. (You should have seen some of my earliest FMQ attempts!).

Dana

juniemoon

I have made a few baby and children's quilts but have not attempted to do any FMQ yet. Don't really know how to do it though I have bought a quilting foot.
Guess I will be in the same situation as you when I decide to quilt them.
Hang in there, I'm sure you'll get it by and by. :-)

katigirl

I tried that about a year ago and found it was easier to go slowly and remember it is your first time. Make sure to wear machiners or something like it cause that will make moving it around a lot easier. Still a novice myself but was really surprised and pleased with my first attempt and have done a little bit more since then. You guys are your own worse critics. You should enjoy the quilting more and not be so hard on yourself. Enjoy it don't make it something to dred. :)

Cherokeequilter

I bought some material with an animal pattern and used it to practice my FMQ. I could go around them and even follow the lines of the animals. Then I learned that buying a"supreme slider" made a whole world of difference as the fabric moved so much easier. Wow! The funny part is that my daughter-in-law came by the house and spotted that first quilt and took it home to hang on the wall for our new grandson. Funny, she thought that it was just great. See, others view things with more open eyes that we often do. I also found that using a wash away/air erase marker to mark a pattern helped me learn quicker. A friend who is very professional now suggested putting on some music with a rhythm and sewing to the beat - very even stitches every time. Hope that this helps. JC

Cherokeequilter

Thanks for the information on the Teflon material from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I live quite some distance from the nearest quilt or fabric shop so I am always looking for good ideas. I read an article on Superior Threads which addressed tension issues lately. One piece of good information mentioned thread breakage which was one of the hair tugging problems with my machine when I was first "Free Motion Quilting". It said to take notice of how the thread is feeding from the spool. Often, it just needs to be turned around so that the thread feeds from the opposite direction. Also some thread will feed better if the spool comes from the back on a free standing holder. Look at how the thread is wound on the spool. I use a top stitch or stretch needle as the eye is larger and slanted differently which works well with faster speeds. JC

lynn_z

It is 30 degrees in Portland tonight and I can tell you the local warming centers would love to have what you think is a disaster. We can be our own worst critics....give it away to someone who can really (and I mean really)use it and start anew! You'll improve in time.

Schnookie

I had the same problem as you did, even though I haven't read all of the answers here given I can tell you the ones I did read are very helpful...when I first started to FMQ someone suggested this site and it has been the best learning tool I have used...she confirms all that has been said here, and also shows you what to do! I watched all her videos and each has so much to offer, like having a teacher for free right there in you own home...Plus, Somehow just watching it will help just wait and see...along with the three P's. Good luck and keep us informed how you are doing with FMQ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39I5A...os=81riuZPj3q8