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| Origami Page Corner |
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MARCH 2008
How to....
DO FREE MOTION QUILTING ON A STANDARD SEWING MACHINE
You will need:
Your sewing machine
A freestyle sewing machine foot
top and bottom cotton fabric
cotton batting
good quality thread
If you have admired those intricate quilting designs done by machine, you will love this, and it is not that hard to do. If I can do it, so can you.
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| freestyle foot |
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| Let's get started.
You will need a freemotion foot made for this type of quilting. Check with your machine manufacturer for the right one for your machine. There are also generic feet available which will probably fit your machine. I had one of those for my old sewing machine and it worked just fine.
Important note on thread: I find it best to use the same thread for the needle and bobbin threads. When I have tried other combinations, I don't get a balanced thread tension in the quilting.
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| Lower your Feed Dogs |
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Lower your feed dogs. My machine has a knob that I switch with a little picture of dogs up, dogs down. You can also see on your threadplate that your feed dogs are not engaged when you put them down. This is so the fabric can be moved freely in all directions.
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| Attach your freestyle foot |
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| The free motion feet I have used have a lever that sits on top of the needle clamp screw. This lifts the foot up and down as you move the fabric.
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| Quilt Sandwich |
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Always, always do a practice piece before you quilt your project. Thread tensions, type of thread, batting, fabric, everything can make a difference in how the piece looks. So don't take a chance of messing up your project, test first.
Bring your bottom thread up to the top so it doesn't get tangled on the back in the quilting process.
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| Bring Bottom Thread to Top |
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| Hold both thread to start quilting |
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| Clip off Threads |
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| To start quilting, hold both threads out of the way and take a few stitches in one spot to lock the thread in the fabric. Once you have taken a few stitches, clip the threads to keep them from catching in your quilting or getting in your way.
Freestyle quilting is not that hard once you get the hang of it. Practice, practice, practice, until you are comfortable before you do it on a piece you want to keep. The idea is that your needle must move faster than your hands moving the fabric around. If you move the fabric too fast, the needle may break. But don't be afraid, you can do it.
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Place your hands on either side of the area you will be stitching. Some people use gloves to get a better grip on the fabric. The way you move your hands in tandem, up, down, right, left, circular, etc. is the way the stitching will go. It is easier to start with a small project like a placemat size than a full size quilt because the weight of the extra fabric can make it harder to move around smoothly.
Tip: Rub your throat plate and machine surface with wax paper to make moving your quilt sandwich easier.
The idea is to move smoothly and not in jerky movements. How you move your hands is how the stitching will look. It comes with practice and is a LOT of fun and very edifying once you get it.
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| Hand Placement |
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Move the fabric slowly while you keep the needle moving at a steady but faster speed. After a while you will find a speed that is comfortable and steady for you. I would think that a machine with a stitch speed regulator would be good for this. I don't have one of those so I experiment until I get it right.
Just like with the rest of life, it is better to look where you are going than where you have been. This will keep your focus on how you want the stitching to look. Sometimes I move forward with my stitching, but it is just as easy to go backward.
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| Move Fabric Smoothly for Best Results |
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| Check the Back of your Work |
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| Experiment and Have Fun! |
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Experiment with your quilting. You will find your own style. Some traditionalists think you should never cross over your stitching to do true stippling quilting. I say quilt the way you like it. You can follow a design on the fabric, as I did in the leaves at the top of this article. You can do an allover pattern such as circles, zigzags, or random lasso stitching. The sky is the limit. Enjoy!
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