FMQAL - delayed....

My machine is still at the shop!!!  ARGGHHH. I have figured that it was probably Sunni's fault - I gave her the idea of voodoo doll pin cushions (joke) and I think she must have made a sewing machine shaped one and embroidered "Laura" on it. So it is all Sunni's fault that I can't give you the week's FMQAL blocks. She probably did it just so she can catch up. Anyway, I thought I'd give you some snippets from an email exchange I had during the week.

I received an email from Jenelle at Echinops and Aster (such a pretty blog!) asking an interesting question about FMQ. Jenelle said "I have been following along with your free-motion quilt-along fun and I am starting to get the nerve to join in... I have a Bernette 60--not the best admittedly for quilting but also not too bad--and I was wondering if you had any words of wisdom on starting FMQ with this type of machine (or any words or warning!). ...I am basically trying to decide if it is worth beginning to learn on this machine (and purchasing any needed accessories for it) or if maybe I might prefer waiting for when I can purchase a more suitable machine so that I am not turned off FMQ simply because of hardware."

Firstly - wisdom, moi? You're asking the wrong person! I felt quite flattered, to be honest.

But for what it's worth, here are my thoughts. 

I actually started free motion quilting on a crappy low budget Elna with a non-spring darning foot, which looks like this.

Not having a spring means that it jumps up and down with every stitch, which is really distracting and jerky. Like many men (excepting Giles, and Alex of Aurifil of course, who are the only men likely to be reading this blog). I'd not recommend this type of foot to anyone, not if you can get a spring loaded one to fit your machine.

Despite this, I filled in all the background bits of this quilt with really tiny stippling and invisible thread.

Because it was invisible thread, you can't really see the mistakes and I got a lot of practice in. And practice makes perfect.

I think there is something to be said for starting with thread that doesn't contrast much. I've only recently been brave enough to use contrasting thread. Did you know Aurifil does invisible thread? And I'm getting to test it - Wheee!!!

Ok, I'll show you the back of my Stained Roses quilt. Lazy Laura didn't cut her threads. Shame shame shame...

 I also learnt an important thing about choosing your backing fabric. Your bottom thread needs to not contrast highly with the FRONT of the quilt (in case your bottom thread shows through a little). So I had to go with cream bottom thread. Which means that a cream back would have been so much better.

But all the better to show you my early FMQing with, my dear Little Red Riding Hoods...

Ok, it's not toooooo bad. This will give you an idea of the scale.

And you can't notice any of those uneven jerky stitches from the front!!! Go the invisible thread!!! Lotsa practice, little disheartenment!

I told Jenelle that if she gave FMQing a go on her old machine with gloves and a springloaded foot, she'd be doing better than me. If you have an extension table, even better. But the main reason I'd start on whatever you have rather than waiting till you upgrade is this:

If something is going to go wrong with a machine, chances are it will go wrong on FMQing. If there are any tension issues, fmqing is where you'll find them. Shops often won't show you FMQing in their demo as it is the achilles heel of many machines.

I've sourced and tested a couple of second hand machines for friends in the last year. Another piece of Laura wisdom is that a GOOD secondhand machine beats a cheap new one. I found Erin a one year Brother ($600 new) for $300 secondhand. I took my springloaded darning foot and tested it. Perfect. Better than my $1900 Singer. The lady selling it for her mother didn't even know how to plug it in. She thought I was magic.

So when you are machine shopping, if you can confidently lower the feed dogs, attach the darning foot and check out the tension and feel how it functions (should be better than your old machine otherwise, why bother?!), you are much better placed to make an educated decision. It always helps if the seller - whether a reputable dealer or a second hand seller - gets the vibe that you have some idea what you are doing.  :)

So don't wait! Start now, with whatever you have and however you can. Happy FMQing!