When All Else Fails...

Read The Instruction Manual

My Alphabet Quilt is coming along nicely, but not without some angst.

I decided that I will do some free motion quilting on this cot quilt but in my haste thought I knew it all and happily quilted away on my sewing machine without realising the boo boos I was creating.

For some reason I assumed that if I used the selection free motion floating on my sewing machine menu and the open toe stippling foot, then there would be no need to drop the feed dog.

Initially I had even assumed that I needed to use my walking foot.  Just WHAT was I thinking?

After many frustrating attempts, failures, and unpicking metres and metres of thread (wasted, I might now add), I decided to very CAREFULLY read my sewing machine handbook.

I realised I was making two mistakes:  

1.  I had not adjusted the tension. 

2.  I had not dropped the feed dog.

Once I realised I needed to make these adjustments I did some practice runs on large rectangles of sandwiches and made this hold-all from one sandwich I had FMQed. 

My Alphabet Quilt is now quilted, but far from perfect.

It's amazing isn't it, how we can fool ourselves into thinking that a panel of fabric will save time.

I bought this particular panel on special in 2012 and while I do adore it, once I started quilting I realised how time consuming it could be because if I let my perfectionism take over I would actually be hand quilting each letter of the alphabet.  It took a lot of obsessing before I convinced my self that there is just not enough time to do this.

As you can see, my finished FMQ is not the smoothest flowing finished product, so again, I have to allow myself the reasoning that for a beginner it's okay.

So here are a few hints for those just starting out on FMQ on their sewing machine.

SOME Very Basic Free Motion Quilting DOs & DON'Ts

DOs:

DO read your machine instruction manual very carefully and follow it to the tee.

DO pre-wind as many bobbins as you can before starting your project

DO clean and re-thread your machine before starting your FMQ project

DO change your machine needle to the appropriate size, my machine suggest a size 80/12

DO spend as much time as practical making some sandwiched rectangle to practice your FMQ

DO practise 

DO be adventurous  

DON'Ts:

DON'T clutter your sewing area

DON'T sew too slowly - once you've mastered FMQ a little, you'll find sewing faster will actually give you a better, more even result

DON'T be afraid to invent  new styles for FMQ

DON'T give UP practising FMQ

DON'T give up

I found this video helpful  (and this) to get me started.