MollieSue

Thanks Shaverg!! I'll have to try to get one this week! I've got to quilt the Warm Wishes I did awhile back for my grandson this week. :-)

carrieg

The walking foot has feed dogs on it. That way the fabric is gripped on both the top and bottom. I don't think you use the walking foot when free motion quilting - instead you use your hands to move the quilt.

This is from someone who has NOT done a lot of SID or FMQ! LOL

Congratulations on your new adventure!

Barbm

I had a Singer Touch N Sew from the 70s as my first machine. I bought a "Bigfoot" from Keepsake Quilting. It was my first quilt related purchase. I then realized I needed a walking foot. Bought one. Loved the difference it made in my quilting! However, the feed dogs did not go down on the machine.

So, I "retired" it to my DD who needed something for mending. And I bought a Juki 98Q. It came with the walking foot and darning foot (yippee skippee) and the feed dogs go down. But THE BEST thing- the little scissors that cut the thread for you. I am in heaven.

My quilting is so much better. Someday I will make room for the frame I bought last year and out the Juki on it. Right now I use the 8 foot table for cutting, etc. Actually, I don't think I have enough room for the frame in the room.

Pam S

Diana, with enough practice you CAN learn to quilt beautifully on your regular sewing machine. For example, a friend of mine quilts on her regular Bernina and does beautiful work. I think she's been quilting about 10 or 11 years. She put together a queen sized quilt from blocks done by her guild members and quilted it all on her regular machine. It turned out so nice that they urged her to enter in the AQS show in Paducah this year. She did, it was accepted to the show in the bed quilts: group catagory and it won 1st prize in that catagory! If you'd like to see it, here is the link: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows...lt_winners.php

CindyBee

Diana, I recently purchased the Quiltmaker stencil dvd's. Actually just 2 of them, but I love them. The program lets you resize the motif to fit your block or border size. You just print the design on your printer. I think each dvd has about a hundred motifs. I like to free motion stipple too (no special long arm - just my Babylock). Anyway, I trace the motif onto a piece of tulle with a permanent marker. Then I pin the tulle to my blocks or border and mark. I use the purple water soluble pen when I can, but on darker fabrics I just use a sharpened piece of soap. Practice your free motion on cheapie fabric sandwiches and soon you will be off and running!

Shemjo

With all this information, I have gotten the courage to try something besides straight line quilting on my machine.
A friend just got a friction reducing "sheet" that she attached to her machine and said it helped a lot to help move the quilt sandwich around. Relieved a lot of her neck tension. I see that is it on sale this week on jhittlesewing.com :lol: :lol:

MollieSue

Thank you Carol, BarbM, Pam, CindyBee, and Shemjo!!! You all are such a blessing! :-) :-)
Pam, is your friend's quilt the Feather Study one? It's awesome!!
Shemjo, I'm glad your game to give it a try too!!!
I've got to finish the Warm Wishes quilt for my grandson, which I read you all do just a diagonal on, so I'm going to try that with it. And I just started a sawtooth star 'Dora' quilt for my granddaughter, which I want to try the fmq on!
Aiden's birthday was the 2nd, and Sienna's is the 25, so they're having a combined party on the 16th, so I have to have both finished by then!
I'm going to make sure I get pictures of them both with their quilts! :D

JoanneS

I find that the stitch-in-ditch foot REALLY helps when you do SID. It's a foot with a flange that goes DOWN in the middle of the foot and acts as a guide. You can use it for all sorts of things - like guiding 2 pieces of batting to stitch them together, ditto with 2 folded pieces of fabric to sew together with fancey stitches or pieces of trim or lace for heirloom. There was a whole thread about using this foot a couple of weeks ago.

Pfaff's even feed system is the same as a walking foot. You can dis-engage it when you don't want to use it. Also, Pfaff has a mid-point for lowering your foot to make free motion REALLY easy - low enough so it sews, but doesn't grab the fabric.

JoanneS

Thanks for the site - I'm an AQS member, and they have quilting books for an amazing sale price, and with the membership # you save even more. I order 6 books which only cost me $49.13, including shipping! Now I'm going to go back and look at the winning quilts!

lynnbee

Another thing I have found helpful is Nitrile Gardening gloves to wear while quilting. You can buy them on Amazon for about five dollars. They really help in moving the fabric around.

Do remember to put your feed dogs down (or cover them) when you try free motion quilting. When I was learning I made a practice piece with plain muslin top and back with batting between. It's just a matter of practicing and getting your rhythm.

You can also Google "how to free motion quilt" and you'll be able to pull up some videos and helpful how tos! Just be brave and dive in on some practice pieces!

Lynnbee