ktbb

my tip is to slow down - literally. Good quilting is a result of coordinating the speed of the machine with the speed you move the quilt. Slow machine speed with fast quilt movement leads to large stitches and other disasters that require un-sewing. It can also give you interesting designs on the back because of tension issues. Fast machine speed with slow quilt movement results in tiny stitches.

If you have a machine with adjustable stitching speed, drop the speed to the lowest possible and try free motion at that speed. Practice moving the quilt at different speeds while using the slower machine speed. At slower speeds your mind can keep up with the machine and you have more control over the design. With practice at slow speed, you learn to coordinate the movement of the fabric with the pace of the machine so you have more control over the design. If slowest setting is too slow, speed up a little...a little...and practice again.

I've found my "zen" speed and now I can set my machine at the speed which works for me and quickly get into a successful quilting mode.

Peckish

I never did master quilting on my DSM. I only have one quilt I did that I'm actually happy with, and it was a fairly small wallhanging.

After I got my longarm, I tried several different styles and found that pantos were the easiest and most successful for me. I haven't had it for very long, so I'm being patient with myself before I dig into custom FMQ.

I looked at everything I could get my hands on and quite honestly found videos to be much more instructional and helpful than books. There are so many free videos on YouTube.

You don't say if you're quilting on a longarm or DSM, but there are helpful videos for both methods.

mkc

The most helpful book for me was Christina Cameli's "First Step to Free Motion Quilting". Even more helpful was watching her Craftsy (now Bluprint) beginner class "Free Motion Quilting Essentials". I find her to be a very mellow, soothing teacher and for me that was really helpful to not tense up as much when learning.

Still Sew N

Hands down for me are books from Angela Walters. She gives a design and then actually uses little arrows to show you the next direction to go in. You could learn one simple design for an entire quilt, quilt the entire quilt with that design and it would look good. She is easy to follow on You Tube as well. I read someone else's comment and her recommendation was practice - that's very solid advice as well.