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Free Motion Quilting Speed Control

July 9, 2020

PK likes to quilt FAST! (Hope he doesn’t get a ticket!)

Today’s Topic: Free Motion Quilting Speed Control

Welcome to the Better Machine Quilt-a-long based on my book 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting.

Find all of the previous Lessons HERE.

Sign up for emails of the class HERE.

Good Morning, Quilters!

I am extremely inspired by all the doodling and quilting shared in the Quilting with LKQ Facebook page!

I LOVE your doodles and your quilts.  Most of all, I love reading the encouraging comments. May I suggest–when reviewing your own work, be as kind to yourself as you would be to another quilter!

One of the conversations I found very interesting is the topic of free motion quilting speed control.   Let’s discuss together…

Deirdre teaching a young Patrick how to drive–scary!!!
Free Motion Quilting-The Gas Pedal

Free motion quilting is like driving a car.  You must coordinate your speed with your steering. You must also learn to make tiny speed adjustments.  For example, when you are driving, you slow down before a turn, and speed up within the turn.  Likewise, when free motion quilting, you speed up slightly on long curvy lines, but slow down slightly when stitching pebbles. Overall you are trying to stitch at one consistent speed, but you will need to make small adjustments depending on where you are going.

via BERNINA.com
Setting a Speed Control

On many machines, you can adjust the maximum speed.  Some quilt instructors recommend setting that speed at 50% or some other number, and then “flooring” the gas pedal.  This allows you to forget about the foot speed and concentrate on hand speed only.

Hmmm….

I am not sure about this.  I certainly understand the theory.

However, I would rather see you struggle with the foot speed for awhile.  Most quilters in my workshops don’t struggle very long.  And if you have committed to doing this quilt-a-long, which indicates you are serious about learning free motion quilting, then I think it is best to learn to control your hand and foot speed together–just like you did in driver’s training.   This a more nuanced approach to free motion quilting and will serve you better over the long term.

Barefoot Quilting

The foot pedals on modern sewing machines are very precise-they allow stitch by stitch control. For best control-remove your shoe!  Your foot will give tactile clues and allow for more precise adjustments when you are shoeless.  (I can’t tell you how often I’m caught running around my house with one shoe on–or how many times my lost shoe is under my sewing machine!)

Listen!

Listening to the sound of your quilting helps too.  You should hear a steady whir of the motor–not revving and slowing.  Review the video of Flower Power.

Listen to the sound of the motor as I sew.  You will hear the steady sound–but also notice that as the flower petals get larger, I stitch just a bit faster.  This nuanced speed-which takes time and practice to learn, allows for smooth and consistent stitching.

YOUR Learning Style

There are several thousand people currently participating in our 25 week quilt-a-long.  This means there are probably several thousand learning styles. While I recommend one method (YOU control the foot pedal speed) if it really isn’t working for you right now, try the limited speed method.  Just remember–the speed limit method is a bit of a crutch and eventually (sooner rather than later) it is best to remove that crutch.

PK quilting with SIL Ryan waiting his turn!
Recommended Reading

Meet the Mighty BERNINA Foot Control by Sylvain Bergeron–Excellent article–so many things I never knew about the foot control.  Even if you don’t have a BERNINA, many of the features may apply to your foot control.  (Sylvain recommends using your left foot on the control–but I don’t think I can change after years of right foot quilting!)

Shoeless Joe Jackson Biography of an American baseball player with blistered feet.

What about YOU?

How is your quilt practice proceeding?

How many quilt sandwiches have YOU filled?

Do YOU drive fast or slow? Do YOU quilt fast or slow?

We’d LOVE to hear!

Your Barefoot Quilter,

Lori

PPS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of LoriKennedyQuilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ.  For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com.  Thanks!You might also enjoy my motif books:   Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 and More Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3

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Categories

25 Week Quilt-a-Long Machine Quilting Quilt

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Barefoot Quilting Family Listen Sewing Machine Foot Control

22 responses to “Free Motion Quilting Speed Control”

  1. Maureen B. in B.C. says:
    July 9, 2020 at 10:29 am

    You CAN teach yourself to sew with your other foot. Before my right hip surgery I couldn’t sew with my right foot for very long, so I forced myself to learn to use my left foot. Now I go back and forth between them, and when I’m quilting a design that needs a lot of pivoting it really works out well, because I can run the pedal with my left foot and operate the knee lifter with my right knee. This is your challenge to try!

    1. Mary J Honas says:
      July 10, 2020 at 8:30 am

      This is also a good way to head off back problems! Switching feet to stitch is an idea whose time is come.

  2. Bobbie Elder says:
    July 9, 2020 at 10:53 am

    I have been using a stitch regulator on my Bernini 770QE for the past 2 years since I bought it. My stitching was jerky and uneven. I am so glad you suggested Not to use the stitch regulator. My stitches are still uneven, but I feel like my rhythm is getting much smoother. Setting the speed lower is working well today. Thanks for this lesson!

  3. Elaine K. says:
    July 9, 2020 at 11:00 am

    Last year I also taught myself to use my left foot for the pedal, after foot issues for years, it has made my sewing hours more enjoyable. Just remember to switch your brain back to using the right foot when you get in to drive the car….(it only happened once)

  4. Julie says:
    July 9, 2020 at 11:46 am

    Thank you, Lori, for all your tips. I haven’t actually begun sewing along yet, but I have doodled & applied your suggestions to the quilts I’m currently finishing. I never doodled, drawing flowers & other motifs has been very enjoyable and I it helped when quilting. I always sew barefoot & once I started listening to the machine quilting improved. It’s taken a while to find what speed works best for me, your comparison to driving is spot on. Vary your speed depending on road conditions.

  5. Sally Broste says:
    July 9, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    I have a Brother machine and do not understand the reference to “back-kick”. Please explain.

    1. Lori Kennedy Quilts says:
      July 9, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      On a BERNINA foot control you can lean on the back of the foot pedal to lift the needle or tie a knot. It is programmable!

      1. Terri says:
        July 9, 2020 at 1:24 pm

        Oooo! Cool!

      2. Sally Broste says:
        July 9, 2020 at 4:59 pm

        Thank you.

  6. Cindy Clark says:
    July 9, 2020 at 1:08 pm

    Great tips today, Lori! And thousands taking the class. Wow! I read the Bernina foot control article and did learn some useful things. One… put your whole foot on the foot control. Two, if you press on the heel, the needle goes down! Duh, how I never knew that, I’ll never know. And, per your suggestion, I’m trying barefoot! Just have to watch out for stray pins and needles on the floor!

  7. Suzanne Guthrie says:
    July 9, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    I am very much enjoying this, practicing both on my little “sandwiches” and larger charity quilts, doing better with more even speed control and better at changing directions.

  8. worldpresscom986 says:
    July 9, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    Speaking of needles on the floor, has anyone actually sewn something without dropping pins? At school sometimes I would stay late to finish something, and the nun who came in to sweep the room said, “Do you girls just throw pins on the floor on purpose?” She was just joking, but I can see what she’s talking about when I vacuum. I think of her every time I’m picking up those pins that just jump off my table.

    1. Marta says:
      July 12, 2020 at 9:53 am

      My friend gave me a tip about a magnet on the end of a telescoping handle. I bought one for $3 and it is worth so much more than that. I chase every pin that falls with it and never have to be concerned about where to step in bare feet..And I don’t have to lean over to pick them up! Saves my feet, saves hubby’s feet and saves my back!

      1. Cindy Clark says:
        July 12, 2020 at 12:11 pm

        Yes! I have one of those, too! Well worth the cost!

  9. Ellen says:
    July 9, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    The doodling helps a ton! My final doodle is often on my quilt with the crayola washable markers. I don’t try to follow it really, but it helps immensely with size and spacing. One thing I’m struggling with is I am going back and forth between a stand-up midarm (Simply Sixteen by HandiQuilter) and my domestic machine. On one, hand speed does control the speed of the needle, and the other one, it doesn’t. It is really hard to go between. Yet there are some things I would prefer to do on the domestic machine than figure out how to set up on the bigger one….

    1. Diana B Lassahn says:
      July 10, 2020 at 10:02 am

      Ellen, I too have a HQ 16. This is what I learned: raise the speed on the machine (faster for straighter quilting and slower for circles and cures) and move the machine itself slower. I also have posta-notes on the wall to remind me of best practices on the longarm as I do not use it as often as my domestic.
      Lori, I have always sewn barefoot. I started with a feather weight machine and used only my big toe on the presser foot. LOL

  10. Lisa McKinney says:
    July 9, 2020 at 5:41 pm

    Thanks so much for these quilting lessons and demonstrations. It has me motivated to keep working. I am also a bare footed or sock footed sewer depending on the season. I like the grippy bottom socks so my pedal doesn’t slip away. I fully agree it gives me a better feel on adjusting the speed and coordinating my movements I just have to make sure one of my dogs doesn’t lay a paw or snout on it since they like to lay by me while I quilt. Earlier today, I finished my second sandwich while practicing straight line motifs. I practiced “in the round” quilting all the way around with the same motif then repeating in opposite direction or adding new motifs, so I got to do it right to left, top to bottom, left to right, and bottom to top. It is definitely more challenging in some directions then others. The same was true when I was doodling the different designs last night and this morning before quilting. I am loving the group support and seeing everyone else’s work.

  11. Sherry Moore says:
    July 9, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    I am using a grace q zone frame with a Juki tl2010, it has a 9″ throat space which limits my stitching space to around 5 -6″ . The speed control really works best for me because the alternative is one set speed. I find doodling very difficult…mainly what to doodle. I don’t seem to be very artistic or have much imagination so I pretty much copy what you have in your books. Do you have any tips for those of us using a frame/machine combination?

  12. Pam Jeffries says:
    July 11, 2020 at 7:59 pm

    I know we are aiming for consistent stitches but are we trying to go slower for bigger stitches or smaller, tighter stitches?

  13. Lori Petering says:
    July 12, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    I have never worn shoes when sewing. When I bought my last machine, a male salesperson was helping me when I first sat down to test out a machine. A female salesperson came by and asked if I had taken my shoe off when I started sewing. He replied that the first thing I had done was kick off my shoe. I hadn’t even realized that I had done that. It is a natural thing for me to do to shed the shoes when sewing!

  14. Kathy MacDonald says:
    July 13, 2020 at 7:06 am

    I like selecting a comfortable maximum speed. I won’t zoom ahead if I accidentally step down hard on the pedal.😍

  15. BoxySweaterGal says:
    August 5, 2020 at 10:08 am

    My machine has two settings, normal and “snail” (slow). The slow setting is too slow for me, I seem to move my fabric faster and get big stitches. So, I’m going to have to practice foot control.

    Thanks for sharing the Bernina foot control post. A lot of food for thought. I’ve always sewn with shoes on and my heel on the floor in front of my foot control and the ball of my foot on it. The foot control always walks away from me even though I have a rug pad under it. I’m going to try shifting my foot up so I’ve got the heel on my pedal. May also start taking my shoe off and start using my left foot because I’m doing research on machines and a knee lift is on my short list of must haves.

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    Lori Kennedy

    Hi! I’m Lori Kennedy, machine quilter, & author from Minnesota. Check out my monthly newsletter & my articles. Machine quilting is my passion. From doodling to quilting, I’m here in my Minnesota studio to help you get quilting.

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