Misty's Mom

Welcome from Texas

maminstl

When I do straight line quilting, I roll up (or fold) the quilt from both sides and then work from the middle out. I throw the end that is not in the machine over my shoulder so that the entire quilt is supported, and then just keep feeding the machine. I call it quilt wrangling, and it takes a little time to get the hang of it.

IQ2

I move a small hamper and a chair next to my sewing table and spread the quilt over them to support the left side of the quilt to eliminate drag, and I bunch up the front of the quilt in my lap. Some folks have said they move their ironing board next to the sewing table and adjust the height to the height of the table for support. Others move a small table to the left of the sewing table. Anything that you can spread the left side of the quilt on will help.

You also need to remember that you should stop any time you feel you're losing control. Keep the needle down and readjust the spreading of the quilt until you feel comfortable and then start up again. At first I thought that once I started quilting a line I couldn't stop until it was finished. As you proceed, you'll work out a system that works for you and your sewing space.

And finally, get a pair of machingers quilting gloves (or the gardening gloves with the rubber dots on the fingertips). This helps you guide the quilt through the machine also.

Good luck...and keep going. Quilting is now one of my favorite parts of making a quilt and I use a small machine and a walking foot.

Craftnut

It is more difficult to quilt on a DSM with high loft batting. I would recommend Hobbs or Warm & Natural, they are thinner with the weight and loft of what most quilters use. Any pulling on your quilt will make the stitches uneven. Maminstl gives great advice on keeping the quilt supported. I had extra tables around my machine (two folding ones) that I would put up to quilt before I got a longarm. Good luck, welcome, and come back with questions anytime.

Dina

If you haven't tried an ironing board to your left to help support the quilt, give it a try. I know it saved me. Others have suggested it here, but, really, try it. And adjust the ironing board down to the same height as your sewing machine table. It just helps a lot! Good luck, you can conquer this.

Dina

Onebyone

When you get your feed going smoothly, get this book: [h=1]One Line at a Time: 24 Geometric Machine-Quilting Designs Made Easy[/h] It is all quilting using a walking foot.

winia

A scrap is one piece of fabric. A quilt is three -- backing, batting and top. Make your stitches longer. Turn your stitch length up to at least a three.

lovelyl

Can you adjust the pressure on you presser foot? Usually a thumb screw on the very top of the machine. Maybe there is too much pressure to allow your walking a foot to do its job.
Is it the correct walking foot for your machine? If your feed dogs are narrow and the walking foot is wide it will have problems pulling through. You shouldn't need to "help" it at all. That is a good way to break a needle. Ask me how I know...
Welcome to the board and let us know what you figure out.

lclang

Check the feed dogs, they have to be up when using the even feed foot. Also if it is an old machine it could be that the feed dogs are worn and don't pull it through as nicely as it should. If you are using a heavy/puffy batting that would make a difference. Check the size of your stitches, they shouldn't be so small that it takes forever to get it quilted. Can you adjust the pressure of your foot? If so it maybe should be looser. Bunch your quilt so that there is no pull on the quilt at all. That will help the machine to pull it through.I hope some of these suggestions will help.

quilterpurpledog

Welcome to the Quilting Board. It is the source of lots of information for almost anything. There have been lots of good advice already given but I would add one other idea. When making a sample sandwich to use to test before working on your quilt be sure to make it large enough to be sure it acts just like your quilt. I like to make mine out of good quality muslin on the front and back and the batting you plan to use in the quilt in the middle. Make it at least a foot square. Be sure you use the thread you plan to quilt with and be sure you have the proper size needle. When you try different settings be sure to use a sharpie pen and write on your test sample just what you have done. Keep these test samples for future use. When using a walking foot you should not have to 'help' it along. Doing so can damage the walking foot and your machine. I recommend a Craftsy class-several are offered that will be helpful. There are lots of YouTube demonstrations also.