lovelyl

I was a disaster in my first FMQ class. The instructor said not to worry, I would be doing feathers before the 3 hour class ended. NOT! She didn't know how to help me when I was having trouble and I got so discouraged that I left the class early and didn't try again for 2 years! Then I signed up for Leah Day's online "Building Blocks Quilt Along" and am now doing my own quilts and loving FMQing! Her class had you piece 3-4 blocks every month, then, through free videos, demonstrated how to FMQ each block with a different pattern. She is an excellent teacher! At the end of the year, we connected all our pieced blocks into a lap quilt. The cost was simply the price of the book, which included all the patterns and instructions. The videos are free. Check out her web site, http://Leahday.com

katydidkg

FMQ is practice, practice, practice. I started out on a layered yard of muslin, batting, muslin. Muslin so I could see my stitches well. After I got the feel for it, I advanced to table toppers or table runners. I watched videos online and I took a fmq class at a local quilt shop. Classes are very rewarding. You'll get it, so what if your first attempts are perfect. You'll build confidence over time and soon you'll wonder why you ever doubted yourself.

Karamarie

I took a couple of Craftsy FMQ classes and dived in and like many have said - practice, practice, practice. Once you "get it", you'll love it and can say I did it all myself - such a satisfying, rewarding feeling. Good luck.

citruscountyquilter

Quilt on something with a busy print so it won't show so much. You'll see all your imperfections on plain fabric.

Manalto

You don't want to use a rare vintage Scalamandre fabric with silk batting for your first FMQ project. Instead, practicing on a few layers of old clothing will significantly reduce the pressure to get it perfect, and allow you develop your skills.

KyStitcher

Fear is a killer of creativity and joy! Yea, I still have fear when working on a customers quilt but I just jump in and somehow it all comes out just fine, even if I do still get sweaty palms! Hoping to get some extra time to just work on a quilt of my own so I can really relax and turn my wee brain loose and see what happens! I can do pretty decent feathers already but I want to start branching out with what ever I can think of at the time. Quilting on a long arm machine is so much easier than I ever imagined! Really like it, just need more hands on practice time. So don't be intimidated into giving up, you'll be glad. Happy FMQ'ing!

willferg

You are braver than me, I haven't ventured past stitch in the ditch and tying!

ClairVoyantQuilter

I picked up a load of children's charity quilts from my guild that needed quilting . . .and then experimented with a variety of all over techniques. I took a few Craftsy courses from my favorite quilters and followed the course, step by step . . .and when a talented teacher came to my city and taught FMQ classes, I ok them. Finally, I waded in and quilted a top I'd been putting off until I was "good enough". I learned from all that, that the only way to improve really IS "Lractice, Practice, Practice.

sewbeeit42

There are so many good ideas here. I wanted to make some simple placemats but always thought I would be upset if they got stains, but knowing that they started as practice FM quilting pieces would make me less concerned.

Kris P

I started by cutting old cotton curtains I'd made for my daughter into chunks about the size of fat quarters, and spray basting them with some batting scraps. I highly recommend spray basting, so you're not worried about shifting and also not worried about hitting a pin, or stopping mid swirl to remove pins.
Start out with loops and then move to wiggle lines, maybe try adding in a flower by adding petals after you make a loop. Next try a little meander,(thinking of puzzle pieces) Plan to spend about 30- 60 minutes at it all at once so you can get the feel for it. Be sure to check your tension on the backside. I always have to adjust my tension to get rid of the eye lashing on the back. When you've filled your samples, you can switch to another color of thread and start all over.
Doodling is really helpful, too. Get out the scratch paper and just practice on that. Fill entire pages with loop de loops and meanders. Then do some loops and vines or flowers and vines. You're building muscle memory, as well and helping your mind to "see" the design before you quilt it. It's amazing how I can 'see' the flower before I quilt it. It's like following invisible lines. Once you get the hang of it, start on a lap or baby quilt. Just go for it. Every project is just a snapshot of what you're capable of at the time... I feel much better with doing practice fmq on a throw quilt which will be rumpled when in use or folded up when not in use, than a bedquilt which is spread out for inspection. Besides, bed quilts are a chore to shove though the 9 inch hole in my sewing machine.
Good luck, and stick to it!