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Years ago I took a lesson on free motion quilting way before I could do anything (even try anything) that resembled free motion quilting on a quilt. The lesson terrified me and I never did a drop of free motion quilting again for over a year. I then completed a very very small project (a small zippered pouch) that somehow gave me the confidence to do more quilting. It has been a long journey with many doubts and dips but over all there is only one thing that has helped me improve and that is the really boring word of 'practice'. I know I have said this over and over again.
And so to encourage someone to take the same leap as I did and push through those doubts I want to start a series of lessons and little giveaways in 2015 - that will be focused on giving you that extra little push to drop those feed dogs on your machine and get quilting.
My tips for beginning free motion quilting are:
(I'm assuming you have dropped/covered your feed dogs and lowered your stitch length - try lowering your stitch length to 0 - if you are using a Bernina BSR try a stitch length between 1.5-1.7)
Practice with a purpose. Practice on something you want to (have to) finish. Be it a new baby quilt, some placemats/coasters for a birthday present, a bag, a quilt for a charity or your church - your kids will be happy and unjudgmental with anything you make them - a quilt for their doll or teddy? Your projects do not have to be big at all - but make sure you see through each project (even if you hate it others will love it.) As you progress through each project you will see progress and improvement.
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| Start with smaller projects like placemats. |
Are you comfortable? If your chair is too low and your table too high (or any combination of uncomfort) you won't want to sit for too long. Is your foot sitting on the pedal comfortably? Free motion quilting takes time - you will want to be comfortable.
Are you sitting at a big table? It is important to keep your quilt elevated off the floor so you are not fighting with the drag of the quilt as well as trying to move the quilt around smoothly. I have some great portable tables that I found at Costco that I can hide in a closet or under a bed when not in use and then place them around my machine to ensure the quilt off the floor and not creating additional resistance. Having a big surface area around your machine for your quilt to sit on will really help you.
Music? Silence? I personally listen to talk radio when I work - it distracts me enough so my shoulders drop a little. I know some people like to listen to music to get into the quilty groove. Other people work better when it is quiet. What ever makes you zen? (Tip: Copious amounts of alcohol and chocolate do not help!)
What design to start with? Would you believe that the all over popular stippling is really hard to work out at the beginning. Start with swirls, pebbles or wavy echoing lines. Cut yourself a break and leave the stippling for later - there are much more fun designs out there to play with.
Using an all over meandering design? Start in the center (if using a domestic) - and work your way out. The center is always the most cumbersome and difficult. Working from the center out will prevent a whole host of problems that might defeat the confidence you are trying to build.
You are not a baby bird learning how to fly - keep your shoulders down (easier said than done) and keep your elbows in.
Practice:
- your hand eye co-ordination by repeating patterns over and over again
- try to think and focus on the pattern ahead - especially with meandering patterns - where are you going next?
- achieving smooth motion and movements
- consistent size and pattern shapes
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| Practice by repetition. |
Some practice ideas:
- doodle - I doodle (scribble) everywhere - repeating these patterns and motifs on paper will really really help your muscle memory. Found a pattern you want to try? trace it 10 times on paper first before trying it on your machine.
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| Doodle, doodle & doodle some more |
- tracing the pattern/shapes of a pretty fabric can make a gorgeous quilted project as well as letting you escape the big question 'what pattern am I going to quilt' it will also help you gain more control as you follow the pattern shapes
- quilt as you go is gaining in popularity and serves a solution to wrestling an entire quilt at one time
- play 'what shall I draw' - get someone to tell you what to draw with your machine/needle and thread. Not only it a fun(ny) game - but it will also help you to begin to see the endless possibilities of free motion quilting.
GIVEAWAY: Natalia Bonner's Beginner's Guide to Free-Motion Quilting
My favorite pattern in this book are the spiral circles on pages 44 & 45 - a great all over pattern that would look great on any quilt.
To win this book leave a comment and answer one of the following questions below before January 26th:
- if you are nervous of free motion quilting enter please leave a comment below saying what free quilting pattern you would like to learn and why?
- if you are a budding free motion quilter what pattern do you favor and why?
(Please note: Giveaway will only be shipped within the US.)
Great suggestions, Rachael! I am petrified to FMQ. I tried when I first purchased my Bernina and didn't feel I was ready. My biggest problem is overcoming the fear of the "big expanse" that needs to be filled and the fear of making a mistake and not being able to fix it! I will definitely give it a go again this year as I am tired of straight line quilting!
ReplyDeleteGreat point Nellie. Try to break down the quilt into blocks - as if you are piecing it. Quilt a block at a time and remember to step away when you have had enough. A light hand with 505 spray is great for basting and it means you can put the quilt to one side in between free motion quilting sessions. Don't feel like you have to quilt the whole quilt in one sitting.
ReplyDeleteThis book is just what I need - I am petrified of free motion quilting but need to overcome my fears and give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn how to make some flowers. I tried to fmq on a very small (mistake, I know) quilt sandwich, thinking I could just jump right in and get the hang of it (another mistake). I did find that I don't like my quilting foot. It's a plastic oval, and while I know how to bring my beginning threads to the top, I found it frustrating to thread those threads back through the oval so they would be under the foot and out of the way.
ReplyDeleteDESPERATELY need this book and guidance to FMQ! I'm TERRIBLE at drawing. IF I can't draw, how can I possibly assume my FM will look presentable on quilts? Have doodled on paper .... And NOT pretty. Feathers swirls is what I would like to master.
ReplyDeleteKathy - small is good - start small on a square marked the same size as a coaster or something. Flowers are actually fun and simple - there are various ways of making flowers. Angela Walters actually has a really easy flower - which looks great on pg. 67 of her book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters. I think I have mentioned this pattern before on my blog. It was actually one of the first patterns that helped me get over my fear of free motion quilting and made me start to feel proud of what I was producing.
ReplyDeleteLucy - I can not draw either - you should see my sketch book. I sometimes think that if people saw the pages on my sketch book they would never let me quilt for them. But it is the motion of various shapes you are trying to learn - I don't think you need to draw in order to be good at FMQ - it is all about practice. The best feather book I have found is Heirloom Feathers Freehand, Formal & Fanciful by Darlene Epp. Get the edition with the workbook and photocopy the workbook and just keep repeating the shapes over and over again (until you are yawning!!) it will happen I promise. Pay particular attention to the angle that the feather is join up with the stem - that is the key with feathers. I hope to do a post on feathers soon too.
ReplyDeleteI would really like to learn any new pattern. I only meander right now. I need to broaden my horizons!
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn anything, I only straight line. Feathers are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteMary - if you meander happily - you can do anything!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteRachel - straight lines are just as tough - don't say 'I only' ever! x
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list! I especially think the baby bird comment is super important. It's the thing I still struggle with.
ReplyDeleteI know it takes practice practice practice to get good at FMQ, but I have a hard time sitting down to just practice! The idea of just going for it on a quilt is tempting but scary. :) Great post! Thanks for the chance ~ fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI have never done a FMQ. I have truthfully only completed one entire quilt, but aspire to with more time and less littles requiring so much of my attention. I LOVE the circular patterns! Would love to win the book giveaway so I can learn more about this.
ReplyDeleteHi, this is my year to master free motion too. Right out of the gate on a long arm I was doing pebbling using variegated thread on white -- what a courageous idiot I am! It's not that it was hard it just looked all wrong. I had thought so much about the quilting itself that I neglected to sort out what would work with my PATTERN AND COLOR DESIGN!! So I guess for me the challenge is matching up the quilting designs with the darned quilt I am doing. I pretty much turned that quilt into the most recent outrageously expensive sampler of patterns I could think was f to try. Someday I will humbly post it for all to learn from!
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn how to be consistent with the design I choose to follow, not get bigger or smaller and not have a bunched up area.i have a quilt top and back waiting for me to tackle and another quilt top deigned in my head ready to start. Thanks for the give away! And happy new year.
ReplyDeleteCathy at trahans dot net
Would love to win this book. I need help with free motion quilting. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI a nervous newbie! I have attempted it on practice sandwiches several times...i seem to have a problem with my tension on the back side so I have sorta gotten frustrated and given up for a while! I think though I am ready to try again. I really like swirly type patterns.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn the spiral circles, as they are some of my very favorite. Interesting to read that I need not do strippling first. This is the technique that I keep working on as I thought I was suppose to master it first. Thank you for the tips. Your work is lovely...but your kids even more so ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to learn those spiral circles! I only really fmq loopies, which is my easier substitute for stippling. :)
ReplyDeletethe only thing i can do is large flowewrs and loops
ReplyDeleteDonna - throw stippling out of the window - it can wait - master something you want to do;-) Loop-de-loops or simple flowers are a great start and I found them to be easier. Stippling becomes easier with time. x
ReplyDeleteCate Boeth - I want to see that quilt! Variegated thread is very deceptive - and I find hard to use - but I bet you learnt so much!
ReplyDeletegreat tips Rachael, what a lovely idea for a series. love the baby bird tip, I always end up with a sore neck and back, and this is probably why.....
ReplyDeleteI would love to do the meandering quilting or the stippling. I am very interested in how to do FMQ, and need a lot of help!!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn ALL of the FMQ designs! But the one I think I would use the most at first would be the Echo quilting. Thanks for the chance to win the book!
ReplyDeleteI have tried to do free motion and need more help with it. The beginning book sounds great. I would love to learn any stitch. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn FMQ. Being left-handed is my disability. I don't doodle well either...LOL. Feathers are so lovely, but I would like to learn anything in FMQ. Thanks for the chance to win this book.
ReplyDeleteJanet
I would love to learn anything. I have tried FMQ but it always looks so sloppy so I gave up. I would love to learn how to do feathers. They always look so neat on quilts. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love the look for FMQ but haven't tried it on anything major. I enjoy card-making & have done some simple designs on cards; I have a needle felting machine & have done simple FMQ looks on that; and I LOVE zentangling which to me is a perfect match w/ a love for FMQ. So, summary is, I love the look, & would love to win to make placemats, & similar size projects!!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a favorite design, but do like the ones with curves and loops in them. They seem to add movement to quilts. 24Tangent@gmail
ReplyDeleteI just started FMQing and I'm doing pebbles which are kind of ok. I love your point about practice doodling for a long time and I would love to do the pretty spirals you have pictured.
ReplyDeleteWow, I doodle all the time never thought it would now in a book written by you. I am not the best but practice makes almost perfect for me. Would love to see this book
ReplyDeleteI lack confidence! when I do have to fmquilt, I do a meander.
ReplyDeleteFree motion quilting terrifies me because I like things to be evenly spaced. I like when lines fill out from shapes though. I would love to peek in this book to gain basic confidence, then mail it to my mom who is home bound and disabled in Alaska!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn how to quilt feathers.
ReplyDeletelag110 at mchsi dot com
I would love how to FMQ. I've tried a few times but didn't do a good job, and it has only been stipples. Those are even hard for me. I dream of one day being able to FMQ feathers, but I feel that is a long way off. This would be a wonderful book to win,so thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI am just beginning to try FMQ and feel intimidated trying to fill large spaces. The more I practice, the better I get, but I don't work at it on a regular basis, I fear.
ReplyDeleteI am neither a beginner nor an expert. My favorite FMQ is just meandering and pebbles. I would like to get better at using other designs.
ReplyDeleteHELLO,yes, I'm a Newbie>have just done some simple stippling and now am favoring a vine with heart shaped leaves randomly about every 2"> worked neat on borders! Thanks for this giveaway>looks like a really neat book!
ReplyDeletemsstitcher1214@gmail.com
Yep...definitely a Chicken Gizzard here..afraid to do anything bigger than scrap sized tires..then make into potholders for just me! Giggle... Would like to do the meandering...squiggle type things to start...figure will hide boo-boo's better?
ReplyDeleteShemjo - start with smaller projects - nothing worse than feeling intimidated before you have started. x
ReplyDeleteJanet P. I bet you are being too hard on yourself!! I mentioned this previously but the best book I have found is Heirloom Feathers Freehand, Formal & Fanciful by Darlene Epp. It isn't super cheap - but get the edition with the workbook and photocopy the workbook and just keep repeating the shapes over and over again (until you are yawning!!) it will happen I promise. Pay particular attention to the angle that the feather is join up with the stem - that is the key with feathers. I hope to do a post on feathers soon too.
ReplyDeleteanotherid4me - zentangle is PERFECT practice - next time you sit down at a machine just doodle as you would on paper - things will start happening I promise.
ReplyDeleteI am just ready to try something new. I would like to try making a quilt in sea/ocean colors and then quilt it with a wave pattern.
ReplyDeleteI actually did my first free motion quilt in all-over stippling, and it now seems a little easier than many other patterns. I have only finished one other quilt, on which I tried out a lot of different designs in dark thread on dark fabric before trying orange thread on dark fabric over the rest of it. I really like how it turned out, and I think it was better after all the low-stress practicing. I did fire with the orange thread, by the way.
ReplyDeleteI'm very nervous of learning free motion quilting. It's something I've always wanted to learn but it's also something that scares me. I'd love to learn the circles, it will add so much motion to a quilt. I love everything you posted about it, it helps me so much and makes me believe I can do it without screwing up anything. Thank you! Good luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteI've just decided to push myself to do my own quilting. What a great book to help me along.
ReplyDeleteI am a beginner FMQer and would love to master the swirly circles pictured in this post. I really like your idea of keeping your shoulders down and elbows in! I get all tensed up and those shoulders go up and elbows out...I'll bet I'm quite funny to watch!
ReplyDeleteI only do straight line quilting, I am nervous about all free motion and would like to learn anything. I get nervous because I truly can't even draw with a pencil.
ReplyDeletedawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com
The only thing I have been brave enough to try is squigglies lol. I just want to learn other techniques nothing specific just everything lol I am trying to expand my knowledge!!!!!! sonjasmith76@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn swirls! Newgirl42889 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn the swirly kind of designs! This is such a fabulous opportunity! I just made my first tshirt quilt for hubby and it came out great. Ready to make more!
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn anything about it! sarah@forrussia.org
ReplyDeleteI am not scared of free motion quilting I am just unsure of where to begin and what to do. Thanks for this opportunity to try. I can't wait to start.
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn one that is very simple for starting off. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI am nervous about FMQ because I am such a perfectionist. It is something I want to do and have tried but tense up and hate the results.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity to win this book.
I'm a brand new quilter. I quilted my new dog's stocking: one side very badly and the other side not so badly. I would love this book! It would be so helpful.
ReplyDeleteI could stand to learn everything! My skills are so limited. Yes it makes me nervous.
ReplyDeleteI'd try circles, as they are the spiral of life; never ending.
ReplyDeleteI've not tried FMQ at all, tracing on paper 10 times first should get me ready. Your book is just fantastic, it leaves me less scared to try FMQ. Thank you for sharing.
bluestarof2(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would be happy just to learn how to do some of the continuous 8's that Denyse Schmidt uses a lot. I've always been too afraid to try because I didn't know where to start.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the free motion suggestions! I'm still struggling with getting consistently even stitches. And I would love to learn feathers.
ReplyDeleteI like the pattern "stacked squares" in your sketch book. I find I don't keep designs consistent in size as I FMQ.
ReplyDeletequiltonia - I find keeping patterns a consistent size hard too. I have found using a grid stencil and just making tiny dots with a water soluble pen helps me keep check on the sizes staying the same. The dots are easy to erase with a heavy spritz of water.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have tried FMQ but it doesn't come out the way the doodle looks like. I get so nervous that I just freeze up. I would love to win this book I think I could learn not to get so nervous.
ReplyDeleteI am new to free motion quilting and would love to master feathers.
ReplyDeleteEvenly spaced spirals are what I'd like to master.
ReplyDeleteI like trying different designs. I've found several websites that offer good tutorials. I've discovered that mistakes are rarely seen by someone other than yourself!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn the swirls, to make it look like wind.
ReplyDeleteI'm scared to even start! I've never tried FMQ!
ReplyDeleteallisonpogany@gmail.com
Funny enough I've only practiced to give my friend the confidence to do her first FMQ quilt...but so far my favorite would be loop de loops :)
ReplyDeleteI'm scared to try, but am planning to push myself this year to practice! I think that's why I'm so afraid- don't want to "ruin" a good project and so I need to get some scraps together and jump in! Love the tip on sketching the design several times first! Thanks- Sarah: crjandsbj(at)netzero(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI had a longarm in lay a way a long time. It was used and didn't have any bells or whistles. I've been quilting a very long time. I want to stay home and take care of my sick husband and start a little cottage business to finish quilts for quilters. I'm still afraid to do any kind of straight line work. Any ideas? My loop de loops are decent but my meander leaves a lot to be desired. I bought myself a large dry erase board to practice and it seems to help.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what free motion pattern it is, I just want to be able to do it and with the new machine I got for Christmas I look forward to that happening this year! This book would be amazing!
ReplyDeleteAt first fmq was kind of scary but with practice o was able to do it. I love swirls and clamshells because it's quick and a nice filler.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning. I'm getting pretty comfortable with stippling. I'd love to do decent feathers.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to learn how to feather, as well as square stippling.
ReplyDeleteI would love to just learn how to do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm new to this so all your tips are wonderful for me!! I like the doodle suggestion. Iwould love to learn feathers but I'm far from that. I think my hardest thing is to keep consistent. I would love to make bubbles.
ReplyDeleteI want to learn feathers because they are so pretty! Just nervous I don't want to make a mess!
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog and I'm so excited! The only thing I have done is "stitch-in-the-ditch." Not too tough, but not too pretty either! I've been admiring stippling, so I was trying to find info on that, when I came upon your blog. So, for now I will aim for bubbles or swirls, and wait on the stippling! Thanks for the great tips. You are indeed a fine teacher!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your valuable insights on quilting!!! I would love to learn how to have consistent length of my stitches!!! Also I would love to learn how to quilt feathers...!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting to venture into free motion quilting. I'm intimidated, but have taken a class at a local quilt shop, and i'm working on a very old unfinished quilt to practice. i'm looking into a new machine to give me more room to maneuver my quilts (a Juki). The pattern i would most like to learn is feathers, I think they look so fluid and graceful. my biggest issue so far has been figuring out the tension so i don't leave big eyelashes on the backside when i'm working on curves!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Emily
I think that the scary part is imagining that I will mess up a project.
ReplyDeleteI would love to win this book. Natalia is so very talented and I'm always looking for tips and new designs to continue to learn/improve my free-motion quilting skills.
ReplyDeleteQuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com
I like the look of spirials and bubbles but mine come out looking very sickly. Still in need of more practise and ideas!
ReplyDeletemumbird3(at)gmail(dot)com