To those of you that can do free motion quilting I have a question. I know it depends on the person, but about how long did you have to practice before becoming confident enough to use this technique on a quilt?
Sharon
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To those of you that can do free motion quilting I have a question. I know it depends on the person, but about how long did you have to practice before becoming confident enough to use this technique on a quilt?
Sharon
I practice on a small sandwich once a week or so. I finally got the nerve to fmq a table topper after 6 months practice. Nowhere near perfect, but I'm pretty darned proud - mostly that I had the nerve to do it. I'm finishing up a quilt for my niece, which I will sitd, and maybe the next big quilt I will fmq.
I did a few practice squares and then quilted an entire quilt. By the time I got to the bottom of the quilt I was so comfortable and much better. Just don't start off on too small a scale - it gets exhausting! I was really proud of my work, but now, 2 years later, when I look at my meandering it's hysterical! It looks like screwed up kidney beans! It is pretty bad...but I have come so far since then and that quilt will always be special as the first. You'll get better and better with each project and you have to start somewhere. You might as well dive in on a whole quilt so you learn how to deal with it and what to expect. You'll get into a rhythm and soon find what works for you. Good luck and have fun - it is just the best!
I practice a little before each project...just to get my groove back! LOL, I keep a little quilt sandwich close by so I can do a few stitches. In the beginning it took a few projects to really get the hang of it. I thought those first projects were just beautiful...but now as I get better, I look at them and go "EH!"
I agree! I literally practiced about 15 minutes, then dove in. FMQ on a small piece (table topper etc) is nothing like FMQ on a full size quilt. So the only way to practice effectively is to dive in. Sure, my first quilts won't win any prizes, but my family and friends still think they're beautiful so who cares?Quote:
Originally Posted by a1angiem
By the way, there's a huge improvement between my first couple of quilts and my fourth. You can get better really fast if you just keep it up.
I agree. I practice on a scrap with the same fabrics/batting in my quilt, then dive in. One instructor I had for a FMQ class I took said that she leaves a tail on one corner after she has mitered her corners, rather than trim it off. She already has the same fabrics and once she practices on the corner and is in a rhythm, she can just move on to the quilt without having to stop her rhythm to take one out from under the machine and put the quilt in its place and get re-situated. Genius if you ask me.
Thanks all for your replies. I'm excited to try this but am taking one step at a time.
Hopefully everything will go well with yours! I've learned that thread type and needle size are important. What works on a practice sandwich won't necessarily work on a larger quilt. My 100% cotton thread was breaking, so I switched to an all purpose thread. I was getting thread bunching on the bottom, I switched to a larger needle. The regular machine quilting needle couldn't get over the thick seams where several blocks were joined. Just tried to do some more quilting yesterday, and thread keeps breaking. Guess I should have kept going the other day when I was having success! 80% done, I'll get there eventually.
When I first started I was so bad that I didn't even suck. Then I took some classes and finally made it to "suck" stage. Haven't progressed much past that but I am getting better with every project. My problem is that my trial pieces look pretty good and then when I work on a real quilt it goes downhill. Mostly I make smaller community service quilts to practice on. I bet the kids don't care if the meander isn't spot-on.
I took a workshop when I first got interested in FMQ. They stated it took at least 40 hours of practice to even start being proficient. Not being a patient person, I just couldn't stand the thought of practicing on sandwiches that long. I started a series of seasonal wallhangings to practice on. (Don't really have to worry about the back/am using thread that doesn't show much.) I discovered that practicing on a sandwich and on a real project is a LOT different. The real project makes you learn how to "see things in space" and how to work the design of the FMQ into the design of the quilt. I still suck at it, but it is better. I don't think I would have ever gotten this far just practicing on sandwiches. I have watched a lot of Leah Day, but for some reason I am still having problems "seeing" where I am going. I do use the superslider, gloves, Isacord thread, and a larger needle. I may actually make it a real quilt one day....
I always do a practice sandwich with each project. That being said, the practice sandwich is the same fabrics and batting and thread which I plan to use on my project. I do this to not only warm up my FMQ technique, but also to test the tensions, look of thread with fabric and get the feel of that fabric under my machine and hands.
I agree, a sample does not handle the same as a project, but I feel it is a great habit for checking last minute settings and adjustments.
This is a good rule to live by in fmqQuote:
Originally Posted by momtutor
I did half a dozen sandwiches then started doing tote bags. I still get nervous when doing a quilt, but it's not so bad now that I have Matilda.
I just dove in once I tested the thread and needle
I made one hilarious and horrible quilt for my mother's dog. The first 3/4 of it looks like the top of a Hostess cupcake at best, a child practicing scribble cursive at worst. I felt like I had jumped on a motorcycle full-speed and had no idea how to use the brakes! The eyelashing is so bad on the back that the quilt winks at you when you walk past.
By the time I got to the last 1/4, I had some sections that I was proud of. Nice loops and curves, flames and meandering.
I jumped right in on my next big quilt, and have done okay since. I should practice more, but I'm a real tightwad when it comes to "wasting" any materials on anything that isn't a full project.
I really think that getting your foot and your hands moving at the same speed are the first hurdle, and then doodling designs on paper (or a dry erase board) to create muscle memory for creating shapes is the next. And watching lots of Leah Day and other YouTube videos.
I jumped in head first - no practice at all on my very first quilt. Perfect? No. But, I learned a lot. I just finished one for a Christmas gift about 10 minutes ago that is far from perfect it it is DONE!!!
Of course, I'm not saying don't practice - it's the wiser thing to do, but don't stress over it either. I would recommend starting on a smaller quilt than I did - mine was 64 x 64.
Good Luck!
I practiced on small sandwiches too, but for my first actual quilt (which was a small wall-hanging quilt), I used nylon thread so that even if it was really bad, no one could actually see it unless they looked closely.