1ST Time FMQ ...feel like crying
#1
I did some practicing on small quilted scraps to get the feel of free motion quilting. Now I am working on my first charity doing FMQ and it looks like a disaster! I could really use some help and tips. I just want to do swirls all over the little quilt and mine look like jagged circles. I lowered the tension to 3 and I dropped the feed dogs...Oh I don't know...I am just upset but I really want to do a nice job! Please help...tips anything...thanks
#4
It gets better the more you do it! Best tip I got was to hum a song to keep your rhythm helping to keep fabric moving at the same speed. I also turned my machine somewhat vertically to me giving me more room to move around. I'm no expert at it but am having lots of fun trying, besides it's the love that goes into a charity quilt, not the perfection!
#5
It is a BIG learning curve at first. You may be rushing the learning process by trying to FMQ an actual quilt already. I didn't try FMQ anything "real" for a couple of months. The cat got some nice quilted practice sandwiches to sleep on though.
Make up a whole stack of 12 or 15 inch square sandwiches to practice on. Spend a little time at it every chance you get, and your skill will improve dramatically over time. Save your practice pieces and you can see your progress.
I practice my quilting on a small sandwich first EVERY time I sit down to work on a real quilt. I'm not great at it yet, but things are looking much better!
If the FMQ isn't working out for this charity quilt, you may want to try doing some wavy lines or a wavy grid with a walking foot instead if that's an option for you.
Good luck, and keep practicing on small pieces until you're happy with your work, then try a small quilt again.
Make up a whole stack of 12 or 15 inch square sandwiches to practice on. Spend a little time at it every chance you get, and your skill will improve dramatically over time. Save your practice pieces and you can see your progress.
I practice my quilting on a small sandwich first EVERY time I sit down to work on a real quilt. I'm not great at it yet, but things are looking much better!
If the FMQ isn't working out for this charity quilt, you may want to try doing some wavy lines or a wavy grid with a walking foot instead if that's an option for you.
Good luck, and keep practicing on small pieces until you're happy with your work, then try a small quilt again.
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Jozefow, Poland
Posts: 4,474
To most people, the actual pattern of the fabric is most important, unless you've left a lot of white fabrics where the quilting is quite visible.
So don't sweat it. Just finish it up and call it good. :) Charity quilts would be ideal places to practice FMQ. Guess I should try it. But I think when I use thick batting that quilting by machine becomes very, very difficult.
So don't sweat it. Just finish it up and call it good. :) Charity quilts would be ideal places to practice FMQ. Guess I should try it. But I think when I use thick batting that quilting by machine becomes very, very difficult.
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,055
I feel your pain. I went through the same thing. One of the things that worked for me was to make the machine go really fast and my hands went fairly slowly.
I bought some really cheap muslin and made a gazillion pot holders, place mats, etc. to practise.
I also found that the batting made a difference. I find it easier to FMQ with a cotton batting rather than the polyester. The thinner the better.
I also visualize what I want to do before I actually do it.
Don't give up. Just keep practising on something that doesn't matter and you will get better. Don't worry so much about the design, get the feel for moving your fabric and the design quality will come later.
I bought some really cheap muslin and made a gazillion pot holders, place mats, etc. to practise.
I also found that the batting made a difference. I find it easier to FMQ with a cotton batting rather than the polyester. The thinner the better.
I also visualize what I want to do before I actually do it.
Don't give up. Just keep practising on something that doesn't matter and you will get better. Don't worry so much about the design, get the feel for moving your fabric and the design quality will come later.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,730
FMQ is a little like handwriting. Practice using a marker and whiteboard. Hold the marker loosely in your fist, not like a pencil. And the key is to just practice. I also got a pair of those gripper gloves and they do seem to help.
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