Sunday, September 15, 2013

I have a confession to make...

I'm afraid of free motion quilting...  I want to learn how to do it, and I keep trying little practice pieces, but I'm not sure I'm getting the hang of it.  I really should take a class on it, but before trying that, I decided to read up on it, and watch Leah Day's videos, and practice.  It still scares me!

So... I decided the only way to get over my fear was to finally commit to FMQing a whole quilt.  I've been working on a slab baby quilt completely out of my scraps, and it seemed like the perfect project to finally take the plunge.   Yesterday, I did it.  I FMQed the whole thing.  I'm not ready for stippling yet, so I decided to try loops meandering all over the quilt.  And I have to say, I got better at it as I went along.  Once I figured out the right speed at which my machine and I would work well together, and how much space I could cover at one time, I felt pretty successful.  That's not to say I don't have a LOT of practicing to do still, but I don't feel too bad about my attempt.


It mostly looks like this:
 
and this:

 
or this:

 
with a little of this:
 
 
I might need to rip that one out and redo it!
 
Unfortunately, I noticed some of this on the back.  I know that has something to do with my tension, but I'm not sure how to fix it.  Raise the tension?  Lower it?  Any suggestions?
 
 
Thanks for being a witness to my first attempt at FMQing a whole quilt.  Honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself.  But, I'm still a little afraid of it...
 
Linking up this week with Needle and Thread Thursday and Really Random Thursday.  Thanks for the fun linky parties!

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5 comments:

  1. Catrin LewisSeptember 16, 2013 at 6:22 AM

    That looks a lot like my first attempt at fmq! I went for loops instead of stippling too. You're right, the only way to get over the fear is to jump straight in.

    Looking at the back I think that you probably need to raise your top tension, but I'm no expert x

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  2. kimSeptember 16, 2013 at 9:50 AM

    That looks great for a first effort!

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  3. Jessica HaddenSeptember 16, 2013 at 5:38 PM

    I can so identify, you are not alone!

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2013 at 1:27 AM

    Congratulations seems like you are definitely on the road to FMQ!. When you feed dogs are down you control the stitch size. I have had this happen to me and was advised that I was moving the fabric too fast. Thanks for sharing. have a great weekend. Marie (mlismore@optusnet.com.au)

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  5. Kelly @ My Quilt InfatuationSeptember 21, 2013 at 5:52 PM

    I think your first attempts on a whole quilt look great. There is just no substitute for the weight of a quilt, even if you've practiced on smaller pieces beforehand. I agree with Marie. On the back where you have "eyelashes" it's because you're moving too fast. If you slow down a little bit, that should fix itself.

    I'm so glad you shared at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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