The Quilting Sweet Spot

January 31, 2023

Today’s Topic: The Quilting Sweet Spot

Good Morning, Quilters!

Quilting habits can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  This month–(where did January go?)– we are focusing on creating good quilting habits.

First, we discussed being prepared to quilt.  Then we considered the importance of maintaining a clear work space.

Today, let’s think about hand position and quilt control.  There is only a small area of the quilt where you can control the quilt well enough to stitch a well-formed designed.  I call it the Sweet Spot for Quilting.  Let’s begin by finding YOUR personal sweet spot

The Quilting Sweet Spot

Prepare to quilt by laying your fingers gently on the quilt with your thumbs approximately 2 inches apart.  Let your fingers rest naturally on the quilt.  The position of your fingers will be determined by your anatomy.  Some quilters find their fingers naturally turn in a little, while others find their fingers point straight ahead. The area  within your fingers is your quilting sweet spot.  

Your quilting sweet spot is the area where you have the best control of the quilt.  When you are quilting within the sweet spot, you will be able to create smooth quilting lines. When you move either above or below this space, you have much less control and you should stop to move your hand position.

Find YOUR Sweet Spot

I have a quick practice you can try right now–wherever you are.

Place your hands on whatever is in front of you, your table, a book, your sewing surface.  Position your thumbs one inch apart and let your fingers follow naturally.

Take a good look at this space.  It’s probably a heart or square shape.  This is YOUR Sweet Spot.  Now visualize your sewing machine needle in the middle of this space.  Move your hands, in tandem, up and down and in circles while maintaining the shape of Your Sweet Spot.

Now, extend you arms as far as they can go, and then draw your elbows back, tucking them  close to your body.  I think you will  notice that at the far edges of your arm position, you don’t have very good fine motor control of your hands? In other words, when you are in your sweet spot, you control the quilt well, When you are beyond your sweet spot, you have less dexterity and less control of the quilt.

Be Mindful While Quilting

Stay in YOUR Sweet Spot!

The next time you have 15 minutes to quilt, be mindful of Your Sweet Spot.

Keep the needle within this shape for best results.

Check out this video on BERNINA We All Sew blog,  It’s a good example of maintaining the sweet spot while I quilt the Lucky Dog.

The Lucky Dog BERNINA WeAllSew

Remember, small habits make good quilters.

YOU can do this!

Please Share!

What is your biggest quilting challenge?

Is there a quilting topic you’d like me to cover?

Do YOU have a lucky motif or a favorite pattern?

We’d LOVE to hear!

Your Mindful Quilter,

Lori

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts 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!

Check out my books on Etsy:  LoriKennedyShop

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33 comments

  • Norma

    It’s so good to get emails from you again. Your blog started me on my FMQ journey years ago.

  • debmantlogmailcom

    Thank you kindly ! I keep repeating find your “Sweet spot” “Sweet spot”.

  • Well Lori,
    All I can say is thank you! Many years ago when you first started your blog, when “Lori Kennedy”
    was not known well known I started becoming brave enough to start free motion quilting. You gave me that courage and the beautiful patterns which I use all the time. Over the years I’ve made hundreds of quilts and wall hangings that I have enjoyed quilting so much. My youngest granddaughter has a queen sized quilt that has about 100 of your patterns in the blocks. She loved looking for the different objects in the blocks. (My favorite is the “chicken”). I have tried long arming but I still go back to free motion because I love the control I have over the quilt. THANK YOU!!

  • Bernadette Moran

    I am so glad to hear from you! I have spent more time looking for the next spot to quilt,it has been a treat to read your ideas again

  • Paula

    I found this by accident. It’s good to know except I don’t have a quilting machine or even a frame I hand quilt, no money for a quilter. My favorite patterns are rail fence,and half log cabin. Happy quilting

  • Susan Crawford

    Thanks Lori for your sage advice. Glad you are back!!

  • Hi Lori from Minnesoooota,

    How do you keep the sweet spot when sewing a large (lap size) quilt given the weight of the quilt, albeit rolled up (ie not hanging off table)?

    Sue from Wiscahhhhnsin

    • A

      The sweet spot does not change based on the size of the quilt. In fact, it becomes more important as the quilt gets larger, because you really only control one small area at a time. Quilt the sweet spot, adjust your quilt so it is stable and quilt the next sweet spot. One small area at a time is quilted. Does this answer your question? If not–let’s keep this convo going!

  • Clare Beth Rutila

    My biggest challenge to FMQ is time … I’m 69 years old and only have several decades left!!!
    My ‘lucky’ motif is sort of like a squared off meander fill, with right angles instead of curves. I live in a world of boys and long ago this felt more guy-like than loops and swirls. It is so relaxing to me that in times of stress I can go in – quilt a baby sized philanthropy quilt – and come out zen. This is also what I use to warm up, test thread, tension, etc. as I know how I can make it look on my machine.
    Best advice I ever received is for the machine table to be down level in the sewing table – much easier on the shoulders and one can get lost in the work yet never stumble off the ‘edge of the earth.’
    So nice to have you back … always with a new tip, old reminder or good slap up side the head!

  • Linda

    For fabrics you can’t go wrong with Riley Blake or Tula Pink!!

  • Am going to paste Stay in your sweet spit to the front of my Tiara!
    My biggest challenge is managing the entire (large) quilt on the table and 2 extension tables I have for the Tiara. Am going to try rolling them up over 2 cardboard tubes next. But am searching for a good solution.

    • I find it interesting and refreshing that you don’t wear gloves. I quilt on a sit-down Bernina Q20. I’m not good at all but comfortable with my progress. I have Bernina (Martelli’s with a slot cut out), foam hand ‘paddles’, some kind of acrylic hand control gadget, gloves….I’m a sucker for something to make me free-motion better. MY BARE HANDS….who wudda thunk! My difficulties are…traveling with a design. I guess my ‘fall back on’ motifs are swirls, hearts and stars ( but I get confused on the sequence to come out moving easily on). Tomorrow I will quilt bare-handed in my sweet spot and finish the border on my Angela Walters Feathers FMQ that I started last year. I think your fabulous, Lori, and do have all your books! Thank you❤️

  • Kathie

    My challenge is maintaining a consistent motif when I pick up a quilt for the next sewing session. We all enjoy the simplicity of your quilting motifs. I have all of your books and look at them whenever I’m stumped to decide on a design for a new quilting project. Help us figure out how we can imagine motifs for our own quilting. If my fabrics don’t inspire a motif, I usually resort to swirls and feathers. Mine aren’t show quality, but I love dressing up a quilt with feathers.

  • Donna

    Honoring the sweet spot is definitely a good habit that I have become lax about. Not only does it provide better control, but it also keeps you from hurting your shoulders when trying to move the quilt with extended arms. (ask me how I know…)

    What are your biggest quilting challenges?
    Definitely my biggest quilting challenges are picking a design and thread color.

    Is there a quilting topic you’d like me to cover?
    See my biggest quilting challenges, please.

    Do YOU have a lucky motif or a favorite pattern?
    My go to design is a loopy meander where the loops are a small circle inside a bigger circle.

  • Martha Cook

    My biggest problem is coming up with a quilting design after the quilt is finished. Also the correct ergonomic posture. I find myself hitching up my shoulders as I am quilting. I have seen a few videos on that but bad habits are hard to break.

  • Rhonda Renee Goss

    I find stitch regulation most difficult.

  • Meg Harmon

    What you say is so true. As long as I don’t allow yourself reaching out as far as can reach instead if stopping and get back in right position. Thanks Lori. So glad you are back!

  • susan hilsenbeck

    For me, driving outside of the ‘sweet spot’ feels like driving past your headlights on a foggy night — so tempting to push the envelope and go a little farther but dangerous, especially on curves…

  • I love reading your posts. I really missed them when you were not posting. Thank you.

  • You are so right about the sweet spot. I find that I am breaking needles by trying to quilt over a four fabric join. I try to line up my seams in the right directions. I end up frustrated and take out the walking foot and do straight quilting. I have followed you on pintrest and admire your patterns. Is there anything you can’t do? I admire your patterns.

  • CarolE

    I have followed you for a long time and I am glad you are back! A few years ago, I purchased a Bernina Q24 and I was wondering if you might do some blogging on this subject?

  • Awesome lesson. Thank you!!

  • Thanks for the “sweet spot” instruction, it explains one of my fmq problems, I will be practicing different from now on. Question – do you ever wear sewing gloves when you quilt? My hands are dry and I find it gives me better control. What do you think?

  • Bobbie

    Thank you! Great lesson!

  • Marg Lennox

    I love your motifs. Is there one place to buy or download all the wonderful motifs you have done so far. I enjoy your blog so much. Glad you are back.

    • Bette

      Get Lori’s books! Worth every penny

    • Meg Harmon

      Lori has books out there and videos and blog posts regarding these. Look on her website.

  • Mary Jo Jones

    I am so glad you are back! I will focus on my Sweet Spot! Thank you❤️

  • Helen Reimers

    So glad you are back. Have learned a lot.

  • s5821140gmailcom

    Hi lori, thought you would like to hear how absolutely happy it makes me to open my mail and see something from you!!!! thank you

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