Free Motion Quilting- A Quick Tip

27 responses to “Free Motion Quilting- A Quick Tip”

1. Lori,
   What position are your hands in when you FMQ without gloves? Do you use your fingertips to guide or ” grab” the sandwich to guide? Would it be different for a large quilt? I do have the lavender fabric guide by Gypsy Quilter.
   Listen to you later!
   Thanks.

   1. My hands make a small triangle hoop-with my thumbs pointing toward each other–at least that’s the starting position. I find that most of my control comes from my left hand and the right hand just goes for the ride or adds just a small amount of fine tweaking.

2. For me, this depends on the size of the quilt and most importantly how much I have it fluffed and stuffed. Taking as much weight off that quilt sandwich really helps!

3. For me, this depends on the size of the quilt I’m working on. And most importantly how much I have it fluffed and stuffed. You really have to get as much weight off that quilt sandwich as possible in order for it to be moved easily.

   1. That’s a great point–different tools for different jobs!

4. Oops! Sorry for the double post! My iPad told me the message didn’t go through, or at least I thought that is what it said. Lol.

5. I like to use the small pieces of the nubby, rubbery shelf liner under my hands. No hassle with taking gloves on and off!

   1. What a good idea! I will try that. I hate the gloves but I cannot move the fabric without them.

   2. That’s an idea I have never tried. Thanks for sharing.

      1. I use the rubbery stuff all the time, it’s great. I also use a hoop and that is really good, just lay hoop over fabric and off you go..

6. I don’t get why you want us to do this, Lori. The grip is better and quilting is easier with gloves, especially now that I got the tip to cut off the thumb and first two fingers, a la Christina Cameli, and now I don’t have to take the gloves off to do anything else. Been there, done that, quilting with bare hands!

   1. I am just trying to point out that what works for some people isn’t the solution for everyone. Keep trying and keep experimenting to see what works BEST for you! If the gloves work for you and you like them…don’t change! But for some of us, the quilting is not easier with the gloves…it’s all about options.

      1. You’re right Lori and also what works for one quilt is not necessarily what works for another. You have to keep your thinking open for other ways that might work better on this particular quilt. It also makes a difference in what area of the quilt you are working on ( middle, edge etc.). At different times I might use gloves on both hands, a glove on just one hand, or no gloves at all. Your suggestion to try gloves or no gloves is dead on.

      2. Thank you!

7. I hate to use gloves, Lori! In any given group, I’m usually the only one who doesn’t use them, so it’s good to know that there are others like me.

   1. Sandy, You are not alone! I don’t use gloves and am quite happy with my work without them. 🙂

8. Lori, What a good idea to let people know there is always more than one way to do a job. The correct way is not the same for everyone. I have very dry hands and need the gloves to get a good grip. Love your informative posts.

9. I never used gloves but I am doing fine with free motion. Recently I learnt not putting palm of my hand on the quilt makes movement much easier since that removes friction between table and quilt. I tend to grab quilt with right hand and glide with left hand. And yes a silicone sheet makes a huge deference too( I’m using it as a substitute for a supreme slider).

   1. Thanks for all the great ideas!

10. I agree about there being tons of ways to quilt…I had just tried EVERYTHING over the years (just sewing on binding then), and nothing was comfortable. Never thought I’d like gloves at all. Then someone let me use their Machingers, what a light went on! THEN, I took a couple of Craftsy classes with Christina Cameli, and even though it took me awhile to cut off the 2 fingers and thumb like she does, I finally did it and ANOTHER light went on! Since then, I’ve heard from ladies who use yoga gloves from Walmart, NO fingers, and much cheaper still. But I’m very happy where I’m at.

11. Never used gloves, like to feel the fabric and feel I have more control with no gloves on. Never tried a silicon sheet either as the bed of my machine seems to let the fabric move freely, guess I am lucky in that as I know some folk really struggle with that. Love your Blog, sent links to both my daughters for them to use your great motifs and practice their FMQ

    1. Thank you!

12. Really enjoyed your talk with Pat Sloan. As far as gloves go, sometimes I use them and sometimes I don’t, it really depends on the size of the item I am quilting.

13. Thanks for the tip!

14. As I age, I’ve found that the strength in my hands has diminished. Using the gloves gives me more control and helps with strength, too. Sometimes, even when not quilting, the gloves helps me move the fabric.

15. I have tried with and without gloves. I definitely am sticking with gloves. They help me grip, and also they prevent some of the “split fingers” I get from working with textile.

16. I don’t like using the gloves either. I tried a foam product called Bat something or other and that has worked great, really grabs the fabric.