Then I wanted to machine quilt the quilt nicely like Tia did with my Bushfire Quilt top. I knew I needed to practice my free motion machine quilting, because I have only tried is once and the result was a ruined preemie quilt. So I practiced yesterday. On the left you see the reverse of my two first attempts:
On the right I had the threading right, but it seems like I need some more practice on the "free motion" part of the fun. For some reason my hands don't move the way they ought to. And yes, I replaced the walking foot with my fancy spring loaded free motion quilting foot. And dropped the feeders and adjusted the machine by the book. It's just me. Wish me luck!
A bit of practice and a couple of helpers make machine quilting a more pleasant task. I use my Machingers to maintain tension on the quilt and it makes a huge difference for the quilting as well as the strain on my hands and arms.
ReplyDeleteLook here %)
http://ksbquilts.blogspot.com/2008/03/supreme-slider-machingers.html
It takes practice, practice, practice. Once your get the "rhythm" it's easier. On my Pfaff I had to halfway lower the presser foot, if I did not then I got a tangled mess. On my Janome there is no halfway. You just lower it and go.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely wishing you luck. I just go for it and hope for the best!
ReplyDeleteOne tip that gets me in the free motion 'mode' is to take a pencil and draw out my loopy-loos, or whatever your design will be, over and over on paper to get the rhythm.
ReplyDeleteI also make mini practice quilts, just a top, middle and bottom, and then I free motion on that before I start a project. I just want to see if what is in my brain will translate onto my fabric.
Good Luck. Stick with it. It will come.
As a "silent" reader of your blog up to now, I am relieved to see that even quilter with a lot of practice sometimes have problems as the one you just described. I've started to make little excercise quilts in order to get more "safety" in quilting with my machine (the machine is new too). Wishing you good luck in what you're doing!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Barbara
Good luck Ulla- It's one of the things I am a little scared of in case I ruin something. I think this is why I applique a lot. :-) The stars are going to really stand out with the pale sashing. Looking good.
ReplyDeleteWow what an adventure! I'm just now brave enough to try this by hand. Hope all goes well for you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else - practice, practice, practice! Even when I haven't quilted for a while I need to practice a lot before I get started on my "real" quilt. If you have a pair of garden gloves or dishwashing gloves that have rubber fingers, they can be a big help. Also practice relaxing your shoulders - tension in your neck and shoulders can make it harder to free motion. Good luck, Ulla, I know your finished quilting will be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Greetings from Tokyo, Ulla ! My free-motion attempts look like these or worst! Yr latest post with a pic of yr latest free-motion sewing, looks great! Even my kids are practising & they love it & try to do their names too.
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