spartan quilter

Recently I saw a video on FMQ, and the gal used Jumbo wonder clips, to help hold her quilt together, to move through the machine harp. I have found them online and wonder if anyone has had experience with them. Any words of advice or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any and all.

Onebyone

I guess to hold the edges together but I don't see how the clips would hold the middle. I use Elmer's washable glue to hold the layers together.

Tartan

Do you mean to hold the quilt bunched up so it fits through the harp? If you quilt by moving the whole quilt through the harp then it would probably help. I don't FMQ that way. I make sure all my quilt is supported on my table but I puddle the area I am working on rather than move the whole quilt.

ManiacQuilter2

I quilt like Tartan does with plenty of table support for the body of the quilt. Since the 80s. the weight of the quilt has plagued quilters. I have seen photos posted here using some sort of spenders supporting the quilt.

dunster

I tried something similar, which was bicycle clips, but I found that puddling the quilt was better for me than rolling it.

Marsh

What do you mean by puddling the quilt. I'm still trying to get up the nerve to do FMQ.

Tartan

I am sure there are many different ways to "puddle" but I have all my quilt up on the table. I bring the about 12 inch section I will be working on over to my needle area. I make sure that the 12 inches I will be quilting is kind of gathered at the edges of my machine surround so I can freely move that about 12 inches with no resistance from the rest of the quilt under my needle. When that puddle is quilted, I reposition for the next section.

tootsie00

This is a good video for beginning FMQ and puddling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc2Y14B-vwk

Practice, practice, practice. I'm just starting to FMQ myself. One good piece of advice is to start in the center, and work your way out to the edges. This will help with avoiding any puckering in the backing fabric.

tootsie00

Could you post the video link you looked at? I'm new to FMQing, and only saw the clips used on bindings.

nanna-up-north

Yes, this is how I FMQ as well. But, I did notice that in the video I can see that she is using one of those super sliders. It's the pink sheet of slippery mat that fits over the bed of the machine so moving the fabric is easier. Oh my goodness..... it really works. I bought one at a LQS with a discount coupon and I am amazed at how much easier it is to guide the quilt around and get good stitches. I'm thinking I might rob Fort Knox to buy the bigger one.... it's that much help for FMQ.

ps: I'm not really going to rob Fort Knox.... nobody can rob Fort Knox. I'll just have to save my pennies for awhile.