Karen, I had a Gammill dropped in my basement last August. (Will be paying for years ) I didn't get much time to practice the first few months. I retired in January and thought good, I can practice more now. I ended up babysitting two of my DGC. That is over for the summer, so now I am really pushing myself to get with the quilting. I have some good quilt tops waiting, but I am using old cheater cloth quilt tops to practice on. The grandkids always like to curl up with a quilt to watch tv so they can use them. Anyway, my point is we just need to keep at it and practice!!! I get fustrated too, so, a longarm isn't necessarily the answer, practice is. Good luck and happy quilting.

loise98 wrote:
Of course, my first quilt was a king size that I quilted probably around 2000. I was never smart enough to start small! That was a basket weave pattern that I pieced before understanding 1/4" seams and that you aren't supposed to just ease everything in like you can do with clothes. So my top ended up being a couple of inches wider on one end than the other. But at the right time I saw an episode of "Simply Quilts" talking about how to fix problems with quilting and was able to make this quilt square! This was before I learned about free motion SID, but this pattern works with doing all of that with the walking foot. Then I quilted free hand flowers in all of the squares and put leafy vines in the 3 borders. I still have and love this quilt.

I don't know how many quilts I've quilted on the domestic machine, but it's a good number (and I have MANY more tops waiting to be quilted). Just do your quilting a stitch at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed and remember to breathe and you'll do great!

Nancy...thank you for your suggestions. It just sounds so hard. But I am sure with some practice, and then more practice, the skills will get better. There are a lot of people who can do it and I want to be one of them. So, I'll try my next big quilt myself. (I'll always have my best friend, the seam ripper, if things won't go quite right.)

rehak, Thanks for taking the time for the suggestions. I need suggestions and encouragement. Not that I want to take more of your time but how long have you been doing free motion quilting on your domestic machine, or perhaps how many quilts have you done. Did you start small? etc. etc. Thanks again. Lois B

I'm one of those weird people who has an HQ16, but still does most of my quilting on my domestic. Since I work full time and love to piece, it's been hard for me to find time to work on quilting the less-important quilts that I want to use for learning on the long arm. So I'm still quilting my gift quilts and important quilts on the domestic and mostly leave the long arm for the future (although I'm inspired again to try to learn after my classes at MQS). When quilting on a domestic, it's important to find the way that works best for you to manipulate all of that fabric and batting. I start in the middle and do my stability stitching first, working that stitching out to the edges of the quilt. This allows me to remove the pins as soon as possible so I can get rid of that weight and also the hassle of the pins catching on things. I do leave in a few pins to mark places that need to be quilted so I don't forget anything. Once the stability quilting is finished, I work on the outer border enough to put on the binding. This again reduces the weight of the quilt by taking away the extra batting and backing and reduces the hassle of the foot sometimes getting caught on the edge of the quilt top when moving things around. With all of this done, I can more easily work on any detail quilting.

There are a couple of important things to figure out when quilting a large quilt on a domestic machine. The first is how you are going to work with the bulk while quilting in the middle. For me, rolling the quilt doesn't work. It is too hard for me to manipulate that way. I find that pooling the quilt around the needle is easier for me. And you have to realize that when working on the middle of the quilt, you will be working on very small areas of the quilt and will have to move your hands more often because you will keep running into the bulk of the quilt. Get good at stopping with the needle down and moving your hands! The other big thing is to learn to do SID with your free motion foot moving in all directions. I do the SID around the borders with the walking foot, but otherwise it's all done with the darning foot so I can move things around and keep the bulk out from under the machine. And, of course, your table is very important. You need to support all parts of the quilt so that the weight of the quilt doesn't pull on the area where you are quilting.

I'd take a day off for that class. How to get all of that through? I think that's why I am more of a Piecer than a Quilter!

Continuing the "how hard it is to get good at machine quilting" topic...I wish some one will teach a machine quilting class on a domestic machine, and have you bring in a full size quilt. I've taken my share of classes where you practice on 12" squares. There is a world of difference between quilting a 12" square and a quilt that is 72'' square. It's hard to know what to do with all that quilt...I want some one to say, "try this", or, "this way is better". Any quilting teachers out there reading this? Any of you live near me?

See I keep reading things from people who have pushed thru it that you really do have to do the grunt work and it does not take
long to develop the basic skills. I have tried it a few times but health prevented me from pushing thru and have stopped when it's
still been a frustrating experience. So now my health is better and I have been able to sit longer at the machine, I'm hoping
"everyone" is right and I can at least tolerate what I can produce eventually and continue to make it into a skill. Fingers crossed.
I know enough from reading on this site that many people feel their machine quilting skills are a frustration to them.

Patti

I am so glad I am not the only one struggling with Machine quilting on a domestic machine. I keep blaming my simple sewing machine but I am sure it is partly me too. I tend to avoid it as I am not good at it so my tops don't get quilted. I have to master it or hand quilt. Or maybe I will just start doing Quilt as you go projects. Don't like them as well though. Could someone just drop a Gammill in my basement please?

Lois, I'm so there with you on feeling your skills to make a beautiful top is there but you lack the ability to quilt it by machine to your liking. I have been trying to quilt
a raffle quilt this past 2 weeks so I can get on with making the quilts I want to make with the exchanges. I'm so lacking in my machine quilting skills. This was supposed to be
the year to press thru that and so far I'd gotten distracted and have done nothing but piecing and appliquing. So back to my first resolve.

Margo, Now I am inspired. I am making room on my design wall to get started with my HST's. Can't wait to see how you quilt yours. I am so much better at sewing tops than quilting them. I love the hand quilting process but that never keeps up with the imagination for or construction of new tops. Besides arthritis is setting in and I need to use these fingers for many years to come for other things so I need to be kind to them. I am trying to get better at machine quilting. My skill for that is all out of balance with construction skills but I am trying. Your interview in MQR was encouraging, but I must stick to using a domestic machine for the time being and maybe forever. Buying a longarm is like buying a car. Thanks for all your help - videos, quick responses to blogs, and posting picts of your work. It is so encouraging and so, so helpful. Lois Bruno

Love it!

Patti

Margo,
I just love your design. I have a few HST's left to press. Your designs are beautiful!!
Elizabeth

Margo, Your HST quilt is wonderful. I love how you used the dark HST and made a beautiful ribbon that floates across the quilt. It gives the symbolism of wrapping this wonderful gift we have received of friendship and binding it together. The pinwheels are like the stars in the sky we all look at each night, and wish upon them to hope some day we will meet. I just love it!!!!