noveltyjunkie

It sounds like you have strong views about how others should quilt! You can't change others, you know!

QuiltE

IYHO .....

IMHO .... I didn't see it that way at all. I saw a question being asked as to why many see FMQ as meandering. And someone noting that there is far more to FMQing than just meandering. In fact, I did not see any suggestion as to a strong view about how others should quilt, as you have mentioned. Instead I saw it as helping others to realize there are stencils out there that are meant for FMQing .... and the quilter not needing to use stencils intended for hand quilting, that just aren't conducive for FMQing.

Again, JIMHO!

sewbizgirl

Probably because they require so darned much marking. I hate to mark. I only FMQ what I can learn to do freehand.

sewbizgirl

I understand your feelings... calling styles "scribble" and "mattress pads" makes some of us feel put down. There's never anything to gain in holding our skills up to each others' to be compared.

RST

Continuous line quilting designs aren't all that thrilling to me. I used them when I did hand quilting because the goal was always to avoid having to put knots in, either beginning a line or ending one. I hated trying to replicate those rigid patterns on machine FMQ-- that makes it a chore and boring.

Improvisational FMQ --no markings, no rigid design-- that I love and enjoy most of any step in making a quilt. I think it makes for beautiful, unique textures, and done right, the quilting adds several more dimensions to the fabric choice and piecing elements. Even a heavily quilted quilt need not be stiff-- that's more a function of the batting choice and the fabric thickness. Plus, with use, even a quilt that's a bit stiff from a lot of FMQ work will soften up. However, it seems to be ok to make snippy comments about overquilting and stiff, heavily quilted works -- just never acceptable to disparage overly poofy and marginally stitched styles. Why is that? Surely the world of quilting is big enough to accommodate more than one style or way of thinking.

In the end, it's a preference thing, much like the divide between those who love their music highly orchestrated vs. those who love jazz improv. If you don't like one approach, fine, but why bring it up and go on about it? Obviously, others do enjoy it.

justflyingin

I feel like your observation is opposite--as the implication is that why have we "downgraded to only stippling" ...however, ...many of us haven't "graduated" to these types of designs...yet.

I do mostly meandering now because I'm just learning to do something else. I don't have a desire to mark up my quilts, so whatever I do needs to be simple enough to do them free hand. Until I can effectively learn to move around a quilt on my machine, fancy stitches won't look great.

1. I only started FMQ last summer. I'm learning more, but I do mostly bed sized quilts. When you look at the instructions on the internet, most show small pieces they are working with...not real quilts. Moving around a larger quilt, whether twin or larger is a whole 'nother skill set.

2. Simple meandering is faster than anything else for charity quilts. I am personally very pleased I am learning this skill as I was tying my charity quilts. I feel like I've gone "up a notch" on the quilts in order to be able to do this. Going fancy takes too long. Why should I spend that long on a charity quilt? I have only 1 life. Doing a nice meander, here in Poland is fantastic. People have never seen it done before. Most quilts that they buy in the store have a few straight stitches running down the length of the quilt, holding the three layers together.

But I don't actually think that most think that FMQ is simple meandering, but that meandering is the simplest of the FMQ skill set.

Old_Rosebud

[QUOTE=justflyingin;6376343]I feel like your observation is opposite--as the implication is that why have we "downgraded to only stippling" ...however, ...many of us haven't "graduated" to these types of designs...yet.

I do mostly meandering now because I'm just learning to do something else. I don't have a desire to mark up my quilts, so whatever I do needs to be simple enough to do them free hand. Until I can effectively learn to move around a quilt on my machine, fancy stitches won't look great. [QUOTE]

Completely agree with you justflyingin. I have to date completed 3 whole quilts myself. That's not a lot of practice and being a single mom with 2 'young-uns' at home, not a lot of extra $$ to spend on thread, practice quilting sandwiches, etc. I am making quilts for my family and they all think it's awesome. Especially my mom who can't even sew on a button.


I get lots of inspiration from the pictures section of this board. I have a regular DSM that I use for piecing and quilting so I love to see the close-up pictures of everyone else's FMQ. For me, a simple meander is the only quilting I can manage and even then I don't do a great job. I'll get there someday, but it looks like it will take me 50 more years.

maminstl

I'm still a new quilter, and never thought of FMQ as anything other than dropping the feed dogs and moving the fabric yourself, regardless of any specific pattern. I just think of stipple or meandering as a good place to learn to do those things.

Scraplady

Sometimes this is very true, but there are many quilts out there, especially vintage quilts, with large solid spaces that were intended specifically to show off the quilting stitches. I think the fabric and the piecing should determine the quilting. I would hate to spend hours of time and energy to quilt feathers or complicated designs in a busy print or in a block where the quilting would wind up overwhelming the design. The fabric, piecing, quilting, even the choice of batting can be equally important design choices.

For myself, I do a lot of what I would call "meandering plus." I do a medium-sized stipple with doodles thrown in at frequent intervals to add interest. Usually the doodles are taken from the quilt fabrics but are all free form: flowers, leaves, butterflies, snails, cars, balls and bats, etc., even words and phrases. I default to this type of quilting because I tend to make very busy scrappy quilts where a more complicated or sophisticated design would simply be lost.

But I also absolutely love that every quilter's style is so different. It's what makes it so fun and inspirng to see what others come up with. It keeps me interested and challenged to keep trying new things.

AlaskaAlice

I love this discussion! I agree with it all! That sounds crazy but..for years I got stuck in what I thought was not "good enough" or would offend someone.. after so many years of stuckness, I love all the different styles.. classical, improv. what ever you may do, or like is ok.. I saw a "not so perfect quilt at a show" It was great! and it won ribbons!! I looked again and said to myself.. it deserved a ribbon! it was beautiful! I am glad the judges saw past the imperfections to the beauty that stood out! That released me to do what I can do.. strive to improve and encourage someone else to be who they are. Now though it is hard to dance with my machine, I still work at it and I am thankful!
Someone said to me "We learn the most from those we do do not agree with..because then we learn to find out about our own likes and dislikes" I am enamored with what I have found out!
Thank you, Holice for starting this thread..