Machine Quilting for Beginners

The secret to learning how to free motion quilt is number one, just practice. It also helps to have the right tools. You wanna have some sort of gloves or something on your fingers, so that when you're working with your fabric, it holds the fabric well and the fabric isn't moving around on you. You need to have a good sewing machine. I love my Bernina.

The right thread. Have a good quality thread. And the right needle for the thread is also important. There's lots of good books out there that will show you or tell you what size needle goes with what size thread. And then, like I said, it's basically just practice.

It helps to use something that already has the pattern marked. So that you have something to follow for a while but don't get too upset if you can't hit that line every time. Remember that this is just practice and that this marks will disappear after you're done. And then no one will know whether you've hit them or not. Go slow at first try to make your stitches the same size if you can.

Get a rhythm going so that the speed of your machine and the speed that your hands moving work together. Always remember when you wanna move or when you wanna stop and move your hands, you wanna make sure that that needle is down in the fabric so that your quilt top doesn't move. My Bernina has a needle stop down position and it works great. But I just can't stress enough that practice is the key. They say to become a good free motion quilter, it takes three or four hours a day for probably weeks before you really become the machine quilter that you want to become.