Thursday, March 14, 2013

FMQ on a project

This is a bit frustrating for me.  I am working on a project that I can't show you. I decided to quilt it with organic lines.  I chose to use a nice Aurifil thread. I did a little sample piece to set the tension and be sure I liked it.
I am not sure but perhaps I mentioned that I got a Janome 6600P machine.  Leah Day does amazing Free Motion Quilting.  She recommends Janome machines for FMQ.  Now I know why for sure.  This machine is not a "fancy" machine with a touch screen and auto threader. That is okay with me. It does have a thread cutter and a semi-automatic threader.  The thread cutter is huge in my book- I love to push a button to cut the thread. This machine is a workhorse - it is built on a metal chassis and is industrial quality.

So back to the quilting. I decided to do organic lines in sections..how do I explain that?  Well here is a picture.

It is a back and forth line. You will notice that they are not all even and were not intended to be.  I see a couple of "not exactly what I intended" spots. But I am still happy with it.  I sat down with a plan to start quilting and do maybe two sections.  The machine was playing so nice that I finished the quilting all in one go.  The stitches stayed much more even than I have ever had them before.  

I used this free motion foot that I ordered from an eBay seller. I don't know what brand the foot is but it works excellently with my machine.  This is a high shank machine so this foot won't work on a low shank machine.
You may see an "open" area in the top left of this picture.  On the front of this quilt there is a design element.  I can hardly wait to show it to you, but I did promise. Let me say that the quilting really makes the other elements pop!

11 comments:

Tangos Treasures said...

Looks great, can't wait to see the whole project!!

Barb said...

I too would love to see the whole project!!! Looks like you are getting the hang of this FMQ

Debbie said...

You got the greatest machine....and are so right about it being the workhorse for FMQ. Your stitching looks good...ignore those oops because they happen. In the grand scheme of the universe, they will never be noticed except by you.

SeeingStars said...

Looks good so far, Gene. Can't wait to see the whole project. What type of batting are you using?

Beth said...

We sell Janome at the shop. I am lucky to be able to play on the 'big machines' (6600 and up). I have a smaller model myself, but my plan is to save up for one.
Your FMQ looks great. Can't wait to see the rest.

Barbara said...

Looking lovely, Gene! Eager to see the rest...

Cindy said...

"COULD" the project be for the ME Blog Hop? (giggling)

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

Looking wonderful. I have a Janome MC1100 and it does great fmq. I mainly bought it for the embroidery feature but have hardly used it for that - go figure!

Jennifer Thomas said...

Gene, I can't wait to see the whole quilt. Your FMQ-ing looks pretty good. I recently got a machine with the automatic thread cutter, too. It is fun! Have a super day!

Jean(ie) said...

I can't wait to see the finished piece.

Your FMQ is coming along. Having the right machine (and rhythm) makes it easy. Yay for you!

Average Quilter said...

do you have the knee lift too. I can't live without that and the thread cutter - you get spoiled real fast.