I'm the proud owner of a new darning foot for my Bernina, so I'm doing a sink or swim version of FMQ. I can't seem to get my stitches long enough??? Right now it feels sort of frantic. I'm trying to keep my speed up, but the sound of the machine is disconcerting even though I'm trying to guide evenly with my hands. Also, the "drawing" seems backwards to me. I'm not sure if it's because I'm actually drawing with my arms instead of my fingers... All in all, the experience so far is kind of like being in a carnival hall of mirrors-everything seems out of whack. (Actually, that sounds pretty normal for me, come to think of it...heehee)
Anyway, Leslie, I'm working on several baby quilts just for the practice on small things, and maybe I'll thank you later, but for now, since misery loves company, I thought I'd let you know you're not alone. ;)
Horribly fun??? LOL I *LOVE* that description! So very, very accurate! I'm relieved to hear that you are having "The Short Stitches Blues".... me, too. I don't quite get it, but when I *can* lengthen the stitches I seem to get wobblier. Oh well. I'm hoping that's a temporary condition. Right now I'm just happy I've lost my "Feed Dog Dependency" and can follow a pattern halfway decently. Deciding where to go next is a major one to get past, too. I read, and was amazed to find it's true, but quilting away from yourself seems to be easier- as in pulling the fabric towards yourself rather than pushing it away. And sideways is the next easiest- don't sew the length of the border, but feed it from right to left or left to right. Next I'm going to try having the sewing machine with the needle end facing me instead of my body parellel to the machine. There's all kinds of fun and goofy things to try.... if you can keep your courage all pumped up!
Hope you continue to work at FMing and that you can relax and enjoy it and feel a wonderful sense of "I DONE IT"!!! ;-)))
LOL, Chipper! I know just how you feel! I actually got so I really loved FMing, but my stitches are still terribly uneven. Oh, well, folks seem to love the quilts as much as if they were done by an expert, LOL. After a couple more, I think my stitches will be even enough to try McTavishing. I can hardly wait!
BTW, are you remembering to breathe? Every so often I realize I am holding my breath, and then I have to stop for a minute and take a couple of deep breaths.
Well done for taking the plunge, Chipper! Just a few points that might help (one or two of them anyway!!)
Does you machine have a speed variation capability? If so, try doing some FMQ on 'slow' 'medium' and 'fast' to see which speed you prefer. If you can't alter your speed, try to get used to the position of your foot at the speed you like best. I hated FMQ for years, because I thought it was the right thing to do to use the fast speed - and I couldn't do it. When I heard/read that you 'were allowed' to use a slower speed, all (well, apart from my mediocre skill!) was fine. I now use medium. The good thing about the machine taking control of the speed issue is that you can keep your foot right down and forget it.
If you get stuck and can't think/see where to go, take your foot off the control! I didn't think of that for ages, and made lots of ugly areas (usually corners, of course)!! It's like remembering to breathe >g< You can stop and think things out - use your needle down facility if you have it, then just resume when you're ready. Stop when you change your hand position - before you do the changing (wonder why I know to mention that!!)
Talking about stopping: do stop every now and then anyway, and let your shoulders get back to their correct anatomical position >gg< Mine usually end up somewhere up near my ears, even if I do try to relax (which I can't!)
Try quilting in the four different directions - away from you, towards you and to one side or the other. You will find which one is best for you. You may have to use various directions from time to time, but it would be good to find which is most in your comfort zone.
You will get used to the sound of the motor, once you get your favoured speed settled. Then you can use the sound to create the rhythm which your arms can follow. You will be working out of synch. for a while, but once you achieve the sound/movement harmony, you'll be away.
LOL! Horribly fun is right. You probably have a preferred speed for regular sewing -do a bit of it and get a feel for how fast the fabric moves under the needle at that speed. Then when it's up to you to move the fabric, that's how fast it needs to go. Assuming you are pressing the pedal to make the needle go at the same speed. Hope this makes sense.
My drawing improved somewhat when required to do it with the whole lower arm! My normal handwriting is tiny and cramped and very nearly illegible, but my machine writing could go right up on the blackboard. Wish my
3rd-grade teacher could see it :-) Roberta in D
"Chipper" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:462d1f0e$0$17214$ snipped-for-privacy@roadrunner.com...
What a good lot of advice and encouragement, ladies! (except Polly, she's just wicked) Onward and upward! I'll try to remember to breathe, get my eyebrows out of my hairline and my shoulders off my ears. (pant pant) I don't have speed control, but I'll try a slower speed to see how that goes. I was wondering if setting to a larger stitch would help.... Leslie, let us know how orienting yourself at another angle to your machine works if you get to it. That sounded interesting, but I'm wondering where I'd put my legs since my machine is in a cabinet. (Eh, a minor detail, I know... ;)
Stitch length isn't determined by your machine when doing free motion, Chipper. *You* are the stitch length regulator. ;) Once you've dropped your feeddogs, there is nothing that the machine can do to regulate stitch length, unless you have a machine with a regulator integrated onto it. If you want larger stitches, you will need to a) slow down your machine's speed (via foot pedal in your case), or b) move the fabric more quickly, or c) both.
Conversely, to make your stitches smaller, you will a)speed up your machine motor, or b) move the fabric sandwich more slowly, or c) both.
Gee. All I did was laugh. However, IMHO, naturally, if Chipper has a Bernina, perhaps the problem here is attempting 'speed'. I realize there are those who truly believe that MQing must be done rapidly or maybe even at a consistent speed. It simply is not so. My Berninas can exceed the speed limit or they are just as happy to go very s-l-o-w-l-y. If I'm doing a mindless loop-de-loop, the Bernina will make pretty stitches quickly just fine. If I'm getting serious - as in writing in cursive - sometimes I have to go one stitch at a time. Chipper will get comfortable with practice. I was just enjoying the journey. Polly
Nah! I've been enjoying that all along. It's one of my favorite things about this ng. ;)
Ah ha! I guess I missed the obvious implications of dropping the feed dogs... duh. Thanks for the explanation, Sandy! I'm slow, but I catch on eventually-sometimes. ;)
Hmmmm, mindless loop-de-loops...now you're speakin' my language, Polly! That sounds like something I could manage. In fact, I do that every morning before I have my coffee. :)
This thread is really timely. I just tried, well I t ried before and gave up so I should say successfully tried, my first bit of free motion this weekend. I did a small placemat with what I thought was going to be a all over meander but I think it really almost turned into stippling. I just couldn't seem to get the pattern bigger. But it was reasonably even stitches this time. My husbands comment was "when you do a big quilt it will be further apart right?" always a critic!!
I just got back from the Creative stitching show in Edmonton and one trick I learned at one of the demonstrations was to use a topstitch needle for MQ. The instructor said the top stitch needle has a groove in it that the thread "lays in" and so the thread is protected as it passes thru the material. She said you will get a lot less thread breakage and thread separation using this. Seems like a good theory. She was really good and inspired me to try again. I think the attention to a new needle, good quality thread and the MQ gloves really helped.
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