Question from a new quilter

[OhioKaren]

I have been admiring some of the beautiful top stitching on the quilts in the background of the tutorials on this website. The swirls, leaves, etc. are so pretty. As a new quilter, I have not advanced beyond stitch in the ditch and making a big X across a block. Are there templates for the fancy stitching? Or books? Or a website that shows how to do this? I use a Pfaff Creative Sensation, and it has what it calls "built in quilting stitches," but are these just used to outline shapes in the quilt? I played with one of the stitches ( shaped like an S). on scrap fabric and batting. I found that the speed of the sewing made a big difference in how the stitch looked--faster speed made the curves much closer to each other. I don't know if I can keep consistent speed, so I'm hesitant to use these stitches for anything larger than a few inches.
I know I'm asking a lot of questions and bringing up quite a few issues here, but I really need some guidance. Please help. Thanks.

[Dollyquilts]

Try the classes on Craftsy: Learn It. Make It.. They have sales frequently and you can keep them and refresh yourself forever. Leah Day has some good ones on free motion quilting.

And welcome to the forum. You will get a lot of good advice here from folks more experienced than I.

Dolly

[Marta]

Have a look on Amazon for books and check out Youtube for free tutorials . I have just started trying free motion and every where I look it says " Pratice, Pratice, Pratice. ". My machine has no fancy stitches( not even zigzag) and no speed control. I have to laugh at myself trying to coordenate foot , hands and brain.

[pokeygirl]

Have a look on Amazon for books and check out Youtube for free tutorials . I have just started trying free motion and every where I look it says " Pratice, Pratice, Pratice. ". My machine has no fancy stitches( not even zigzag) and no speed control. I have to laugh at myself trying to coordenate foot , hands and brain.

You also need to hold your mouth right and even stick out your tongue once in awhile.

[Sandy Navas]

First of all, Karen - WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!! And don't ever feel as if you are asking too many questions. We love helping people - that's why this is such a fantastic place to visit with other quilters.

You will find many patterns and stencils that you can use to put designs on your quilts when you do free motion quilting - and it really isn't all that more difficult than doing a stitch in the ditch or doing your diagonal lines. All it takes is practice, practice, and a little more practice. Make up some sandwich batts with scrap fabric and practice. You can use some of your decorative stitches, but they aren't always necessary. There are plenty of websites out there that will guide you and you will eventually become quite adept at making different patterns. Patience is a virtue (and I'm not patient . . . ) I quite often just use the meander or serpentine stitch that is built into my sewing machine.

Relax and enjoy the ride.

[Sylvia H]

To answer you questions: yes, yes and yes! An excellent book for beginning quilting is Foolproof Machine Quilting: Learn to Use Your Walking Foot by Mary Mashuta. I purchased it at a LQS (local quilt store), but I am sure it could be bought online as well. Next, to start FMQ (free motion quilting) you can go here to Leah Day's blog where she demonstrates hundreds of different quilting patterns: The Free Motion Quilting Project: Quilt Along #1 - Let's Wiggle!

Most quilt stores also carry stencils, so you can trace the design only the fabric and then use it to guide you for more free motion quilting. Make sure you know how to properly remove the markings so you don't do anything that will make them permanent. Craftsy has many different classes on quilting that cover cutting, piecing, and quilting.

[JCY]

I didn't attempt FMQ until I had been quilting for 3 yrs. I took an all-day beginner's class at my LQS & another 4 hr. advanced class later. If possible, do an in-person class with an instructor. You also could watch the series of tuts on YT by Leah Day. Patsy Thompson also has beginning FMQ tuts posted on YT. I would recommend the following books:

- FREE-MOTION QUILTING MADE EASY (186 Designs from 8 Simple Shapes) - by Eva A. Larkin
- FREE-MOTION QUILTING - by Angela Walters
- GUIDE TO MACHINE QUILTING - by Diane Gaudynski

If folks are looking for designs, the book: 501 QUILTING MOTIFS - DESIGNS FOR HAND OR MACHINE QUILTING - from the Editors of Quiltmaker Magazine, printed by Martingale & Company, is quite comprehensive.

FMQ does not involve pre-programmed stitches on your machine. It requires a darning presser foot that allows the quilt sandwich to move under foot. You make the design as you move the quilt under the needle. Most people drop the feed dogs, although Leah Day says she doesn't. If the feed dogs don't drop, you have to set your stitch length to 0. Usually adjustments to the tension are required.

The quilts behind Jenny probably were all done on their longarm quilting machines, which no doubt have programmable computers that do it. You can view their quilting designs on their web site, even if you don't actually order LAQ.

Yes, everyone agrees, it takes practice, practice, practice. I was discouraged when I first started out, but it does get better with practice. JCY

[OhioKaren]

Thank you for the book titles and websites. My Pfaff machine has a built-in system that is used instead of a separate walking foot. I have been engaging that system for quilting. I hope to learn some of that pretty design quilting so I can use it on some placemats or on a table runner. I think it's time to make some "scrap sandwiches" and play. :-)
Karen

[jennyann]

I would sign up for classes on Craftsy.com, I have taken classes from Leah Day and they are great! She walks you through the whole process and shows you a lot of different ways to quilt.

[vchale]

I started quilting with taking a class at my local store. We just did the stitching you mentioned to finish our quilts. When I asked the teacher about doing free motion quilting she told me "that's a whole other class" and made it seem there was no way I could do that. Well, I did one more just straight stitching and then I started watching videos, mostly Leah Day, and started practicing. My first baby quilt I ripped out after about 1/4 of the way done and started over. That was a little over a year ago and while I'm nowhere near as proficient as I would like to be I can definitely say it's better. I wish I could remember who said it but she was talking about how many hours per day and for how many days she had practiced to get where she was. I don't have the patience for that. So for now I will be happy with my meander, loopy lines, swirls and other simple designs.