I found a FMQ hack today on The Sewing Channel. Free Motion Quilting Hack ~ Beginner Quilter Hack - YouTube I want to try this. I have made so many sandwiches to practice my stitches and then I end up with a stack that I either throw away or end up saving them but this way looks so much simpler. I am going to try it.

That vinyl practice idea is very clever, Fabric Galore! It's perfect for learning the route of new quilting design. The one thing it doesn't really include is the whole stitch length issue of coordinating your hand speed with the needle/foot pedal speed. For cheap practice that includes stitch length, I learned here on the forum the trick of using paper towels instead of a quilt sandwich. I find the the store brand version of the Bounty quality paper towels (rather than the cheapest and thinnest ones that are much more papery) handle a lot like cloth. I'll often draw out a design on the paper towels and then practice stitching it. (I use my drawing as a general guide line, not really trying to stay exactly on the lines.) I like being able to practice without having fabric and batting go to waste.

Talked me right into it! 🤣. Panel, border and thread on its way to me. Looking forward to the challenge!

Paper towels are a brilliant idea to work on consistent stitch length. I liked the vinyl idea as well, but I think it is of somewhat limited utility.

I am a new FMQer working on my standard throat DSM and taking Hollyanne Knight’s FMQ Academy. We start by doodling each motif (most do that on paper; I use my Notes app on my iPad). Then move to a scrap sandwich to test tension, then to a practice sandwich and finally to a lap size sampler quilt.

2 of the hardest things for me are maneuvering around the space I’m trying to fill and wrestling the bulk of the quilt. I don’t think that the vinyl with pen would help me with either. But everyone learns differently, so it make encourage a breakthrough for some.

I had watched this hack with the vinyl, and I thought it was a neat idea (for building muscle memory). But I agree with another comment - it can't mimic moving a larger quilt. I have been doodling up a storm, and have made progress there (with movements becoming easier and more fluid). This also helps with figuring out how to get out of odd spaces. I did wonder if doodling would transfer to the sewing machine (moving the pen when doodling versus the paper when quilting). I am pleased to say that for me, it does seem to transfer. I use Leah Day's squish, squish, flatten type of method when FMQing to manage the bulk. I also have an extra table set up behind my sewing machine table, and to the left of me. I definitely prefer a particular direction on some designs (feathers, moving up) - so I'm going to have to work on that (or I'll have to figure out how to do my designs so that I maneuver to my preferred starting place).

Such a pretty panel from Angela Walters! I'm on the fence about getting it, have been making other smaller purchases (that add up!). Maybe it can be my Christmas present. :-)

I ordered the panel and thread today. Can't wait!
Initially I was concerned as our grandson is due in early November but I see she will have the classes on her Youtube channel.
Yay!

I think feathers in particular have many people with a preferred direction, myself included. Both doodling and paper towel practice are a big help in learning to do them in other orientations, which comes in very handy when working with big quilts, where turning the quilt around isn't an option.

I remember seeing a video of a professional long arm quilter where she talked about how she disliked having to re-stitch the center spine (or alternatively tie-off and restart sewing in the desired spot), that she forced herself to learn to make feathers in either so that she could sew the spine and then make add the feathers going up one side and going down on the other side. There's lots of different ways to make feathers, and I like the look where the spine is made of two rows of stitches (about 1/4" apart, usually), and I also like that I can then sew the feathers on the same direction without any duplicate stitching lines. Here's a drawing of how I do it:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/attach...4923517-ff.jpg
I start at the red dot, and draw the tip plume (counter clockwise, inner loop). and then go down the left side of the spine. Then I make feathers going up the left side of the spine. (I drew them with cat-claw feathers, because it's easier to see what's going here, but you can do other styles, too. I also didn't quite connect any of the feathers to the spine, because that makes it easier to see what's going on, but when sewing (or drawing) for myself I connect them.) When I finish the left side, I echo around the tip plume and then sew the right side of the spine, and then add the right feathers going up the right side of the spine, finally ending at the blue dot.

Another way to get to do both sides the same way is to use echo-ing around the outside of the feathers - sew one side in your preferred direction, echo around the outside of all those feathers to get back to the starting point and then sew the other side in the preferred direction (and then echo around the second side to have it match other side). I love how the echo makes the feather stand out more.

It will be very interesting to see what strategies Angela will cover!

Hey, how is everyone doing with this challenge?

i unexpectedly had to travel to see my mother, so I managed to fall behind on the first day! But I’ve completed the center star and I’m loving it. This is the first time that I don’t hate my quilting as I’m doing it.

I was right that this was the right challenge at the right time for me. My quilting is adequate enough that I can actually do the tasks, but is limited enough that I’m learning and growing.

Would love to hear everyone else’s progress!

I haven't even started!
I suspect I may not until after the New Year. Too much going on.

Same here. Too much going on. Some things just need to be put on the back burner.