I have tried just about every gimmick out there for free motion quilting. And to tell you the truth, it is one of my huge passions!! I tossed everything and got a pair of leather palm garden gloves that fit fairly well. It will truly make a difference in how things go. Another little thing to do is polish the surface of your sewing machine and get it as smooth and shiny as possible. That way, fabric will not drag on it. Make sure to use something that will not stain your fabric. I use just a couple drops of furniture polish and then wipe it down well. Then relax and enjoy the process. Good luck!!

I bought a Supreme Slide recently (which is what I think you mean). I haven't tried it yet but Leah Day recommends it and I need all the help I can get, so I'll let you know. It cost £29.95 here in the UK so is bound to be cheaper elsewhere. Jan

I personaly don't do much quilting but have had friends talk about it. They suggest being relaxed, keeping your shoulders relaxed and down. Don't let them hunch up which means you are stressed. This interferes with the free moveent of your shoulders and arms. And they reccomend that you play to get the idea before actually working on a quilt. Good luck,

Gloves are the way to go. I bought cotton gloves with rubber dots on the inside palms and fingers. They look the same as gloves you purchase designated for quilting. I cut the finger-tips off of mine, because I had a hard time pulling my beginning threads to the top to tie off. I also use a method I learned from

Sorry I can't help I have 6quilts ready when I can find the courage to try it,

If you live near a harbor freight store pick up some of these gloves with the dots. Cheaper than a quilting shop. And look around while there. They have stuff you didn't even know you needed for your sewing room. If you don't live near one order online. Great prices

A supreme slider made all the difference for me. I like to use secretarial rubber fiingers instead of gloves. I also use an open-toe darning foot. Check out books by Diane Gaudynski her quilting tips are very helpful, and her work is amazing.

I think a lot depends on what kind of free motion quilting you are wanting to try to do. Are you doing "thread art" where you create a design in thread using free motion quilting? Or are you doing a "quilting design" where you need to stitch on a line with free motion? Or are you just filling up empty space with free motion quilting like free hand stippling?

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'd first suggest you look around youtube and see some videos about the kind you want to do. Your Big Foot will be helpful. You'll be able to see where you are going and it will flatten the bat as you stitch. I don't use a teflon surface because the surface I work on doesn't create much drag, but if you find that your quilt drags, there are such things out there. I just don't know where. A lot of people use gloves, but I don't. You can try them and see if they help you control the fabric.

I've never heard of a weighted hoop and don't know why you'd need one. The hoop will have to go under the foot of your sewing machine. You may have to remove the foot and your needle to get the hoop in there. Consider where you want to start stitching. I usually start in the middle and work my way across the quilt. That way I can easily push any wrinkles I have out to the edges and readjust the basting as I go along. You'll have to roll up the extra quilt to get it out of the way and under the arm of your machine too. If you haven't used a thin bat or haven't basted it well enough, you may encounter other problems along the way.

Keeping an even speed as you go will help your stitching look nice. It takes a little practice. If this quilt is special, it would be better to practice on a utility quilt first, or at least on a small quilt. It takes a while to develop your "rhythm." When first starting, the inclination is to go slow, but it is better to go at a faster speed.

Sometimes I think people get discouraged because they start off too big. Like they choose to make a king size quilt as their first quilt and get discouraged. You may want to consider just doing part of your maching quilting on part of the quilt, like on the borders. That way you will see what works for you and what changes you may need to make.

OK you won't believe this but i drop my feed dogs take off all the feet and the bar that holds them set my stitch length to as high as it goes (mine is 5)and way i go.
I find the high speed i use an old machine (singer) with a foot peddle works well .
I have done many ,many things rom king quilt to coasters ,give it a try it is the rhythm and speed to get going at the same time lol I love to do this hugs Carolyn

For me, no gloves...I have been free motion quilting for 30 years and when I learned, there there were no gloves...can't get use to them...If you polish the surface of the bed with something like Pledge..spray on a cloth and then polish the machine bed, it makes the cloth glide smoother. Also, I tend to grip the quilt rather than just try to move with an open hand. I have tried several feet, but I find that my regular quilting foot works just fine...and I have a big foot but don't like it as well...probably because I didn't learn with it...you know how it is sometimes...new tricks, old dogs...not so good! It's more about the rythem you get with the speed of the machine and the movement of the quilt...I find the slower I go, the harder it is to get that rythem...and the fewer times I stop, the better off I am...I always quilt with the needle down..that way when you do stop, you don't "slide" and make a big stitch. Practice does make perfect...a good practice is to draw straight lines down a batted sample piece and try to stitch exactly on the the lines...I usually run a regular sewing line with my walking foot with a tad bit larger stitch than you would normally sew with..and then I try to make my freehand stitches look just as the machine line made with the walking foot..than try some squiggly lines to get the feel of the movement. Once you get the feel of it...you can actually hear your "rythem" of the sound of the needle hitting the fabric...you will get use to the sound as well. This is what I have my students do before we embark on a project...even the experienced quilter can benifit from this exercise. You'll be fine...just give it a little practice and then go!

Lots of good answers here. I have a plexiglass thing (?) that goes around the machine arm and gives me a larger surface to work on. There is a utube video out there where someone used styrofoam to make one and covered it with clear plastic table cloth for a smooth surface. Bought one of the teflon super sliders, and I do like it. Tried various things, and found, for me, I like the simple jersey gloves with the dots-from the $ store-that let me just put my hands down and move the material around. I was afraid to do it for so long, and am pleasantly surprised each time to see how nicely I do! Found that for stippling, it works better from the top down because you can see where you are going. Fast stitching, smooth movement of fabric, and you can stop anytime and reposition your hands. I also do a lot of quilt-as-you-go block by block, which makes it easier yet. Good luck!

I have tried a few times and for the life of me I can't do it...keep breaking needles...don't know what I'm doing wrong. I would love to be able to free motion, all I can do is channel quilt (straight lines)

I don't quilt - so I will put this to the top for others to see.

If you try with a simple Stipple, read tips below and my tip is..... Speed with your Foot, and Slow movement with Hands!!