Renée Shedivy - Fabric Artist

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Tips for Beginning/Intermediate
Free Motion

A word about free motion: traditionally your machine has done the sewing for you. Now, you are going to be in control of where it goes and what it does. Your hand and your head need to learn to work together and at the same speed which is key. It wonít come automatically. You must practice. You are now drawing with your needle. Relax and try to let go. Youíll most likely feel a little out of control at first, but practice will make it seem like second nature.

Tip: Breathe!

Now for the Tips in no particular order:

Needle 80/12 Topstitchis my absolute favorite. Also excellent for metallics. Change your needle at least 3 times per twin size quilt. Blunt needles tear fabric and stitch unevenly.
Make sure the top and bobbin threads are the same weight when first learning.
Adjust the speed of your machine to 1/3 or 1/2 slower than your norm, if your machine has that adjustment (so you can floor it and still go slow). Also if it permits, select needle down position (so that you never lose your place when you stop or so that you donít make a huge stitch).
Lower your feed dogs or tape a business card over them. Pfaff machines - built in.
Set your machine for straight stitch; then set your length at "o" or as low as possible. Set your needle stop to the down position if you have that option.
A clear plastic darning or embroidery foot increases stitch visibi lity.
Take one stitch, pulling up your bobbin thread. Hold both threads to the back of your foot and slowly sew 4-6 stitches very close together - this will secure your thread without having to knot it. Cut the tails.
On a layered scrap, try to sew all your stitches EVENLY, meaning the same length. The faster you move your fabric, the longer your stitches will be. The slower you move, the shorter your stitches. Try sewing faster ‚ youíll have more control. Trust me.
Try sewing backward, forward, sideways, move in circles, triangles, wiggly lines and then write your name. If your needle breaks, youíre moving your fabric faster than youíre sewing causing pull on your needle.
Wear quilting gloves to ease the tension in your hands, arms and shoulders.
If youíre having trouble controlling your speed; take off your shoes.
Take a break every 30 minutes and loosen up your shoulders; stretch.
Rather than pleat or fold your large quilts, just crumple them under your arm; they will be easier to control than a rolled up log. Pleating works better than rolling but crumple is best.
Pin the quilt securely, about every 4-5" apart. Roll the backing over the top around all sides and pin. This keeps the batting from picking up stray threads, etc. Try using dime store hair clips to clip on your binding. Lots of people like this; I find I donít need them.
Clean your machine often. Preferably, every time you begin a new project.
Use a walking foot for stitching in the ditch. Stitch on the low side.
Always check your tension on a practice fabric.
Trace potential designs with fingertips. Practice your design with paper & pencil first.
Feathers - try echoing large feathers to make them stand out. Do feathers around a square -it doesn't always have to be a circle or heart. Echo the circle and square too. Run the feathers in opposite directions on the left side versus right side (for example on a heart).

Small exercise: Slowly lower your chin to your chest, then look at the sky, repeat 3 times "yes movement" slowly turn as far as you can to the left, then right, repeat 3 times "no movement" shrug your shoulders, up, down, repeat 3 times "maybe so movement". This is referred to as "yes, no, maybe so". Do it often while doing free motion sewing.

A few of my favorite more common threads & needles to use with them:

A word of caution about using cheap threads. They often times are very linty, shed a lot. This is what can cause your machine many problems especially if you are not religious about cleaning it with every new project. This excessive lint collects and jams itself into tiny recesses of the machine's operation. In the long run, it doesn't pay as you will be paying for repairs on your machine. So you may as well spend your money on a high quality, more expensive thread that you'll love sewing with, rather than repairing your machine. Good quality threads are less problematic to free motion with than cheap threads. There are so many threads out there now, you really need to experiment. And don't you want to use good thread on a project that you put your heart and soul into? Of course.

Here's what I've learned:

100% cotton: Superior Threads, King Tut, is a very high-quality thread. Almost no lint. The entire line of Superior Threads is excellent. The new Mono-Poly is a great clear or smoke thread that won't melt with ironing.

Oliver Twists - great line of varigated cotton thread with random color repeats.
Robison Anton 50wt 100% cotton is an excellent thread.
Mettler 50/3, YLI 40/3, YLI is glazed so it looks decorative. Mettler is stiffer & heavier.
Use 80/12 sharp or 90/14 embroidery.
Bobbin - Use 40 or 50 weight cotton or rayon.
YLI long staple cotton varigated machine quilting threads carry a nice variety of colors.
Varigated threads, cotton, rayon, poly are all beautiful in free motion sewing.

Rayon: Madeira - silkier, more decorative.

Use 75/11 - 90/14 embroidery needle.
Bobbin - Use 40 weight cotton or rayon.

Metallic: YLI, Sulky, Madeira. These are decorative with shine.

Use 90/14 metallica needles or my favorite 90/14 Topstitch Schmetz needle.
Common in stores is 80/12 but they're too small.
Bobbin - use 50 weight cotton.

Good Reference Books: oldies but basic goodies; check for new ones regularly:

	Machine Quilting Made Easy Maurine Noble 1994
	That Patchwork Place Machine Quilting with Decorative Threads Maurine Noble & Elizabeth Hendricks
	Fast & Fun Machine Quilting Rodaleís Successful Quilting Library 1997