Set Up Your Sewing Machine for Free-Motion Quilting: A Quick Lesson
The first time I ever tried my hand at free-motion quilting I had no idea what I was doing. While channeling my inner Rosie the Riveter, I naively sat down to my machine with a stack of small quilt sandwiches and a belief that I could do this. Unfortunately, after struggling to set up my machine, many thread nests, some swearing, and zero free-motion quilting done I set my project aside. If someone had given me a lesson on how to set up your sewing machine for free-motion quilting, I may have done better.
Eric Drexler Shares His Top Tips
Obviously, Im a big believer in a can do attitude and the notion that I have the power to solve sewing problems as they arise, but sometimes it pays to take a step back and do a little research before plunging into something new. There are so many resources when it comes to free-motion quilting, everything from magazine articles and books to videos and courses. In my case, this simple tutorial by Eric Drexler would have done the trick. And the Free-Motion Quilting: Fillers, Feathers, and Beyond workshop with Catherine Redford (starting on January 16) would have certainly helped, too!
Set Up Your Sewing Machine for Free-Motion Quilting
1
Use a clean, well-tuned, zig-zag (or even a straight-stitch) sewing machine.
2
Lower or cover your feed dogs. If you do not have a way to drop the feed dogs or cover them, tape an index card over them.
3
Remove the presser foot and screw; place them in the attachment box. Attach the appropriate darning or quilting foot on the machine. A spring-loaded, free-motion foot is the preferred foot to use on most machines. (An open-toe, spring-loaded free-motion foot is even better.)
Optional: For better stitch quality, attach the straight stitch throat plate if you have one.
4
Insert a new 14/90 Topstitch or 14/90 Metallic Needle and center needle position.
5
Give your machine a love-pat (bringing your presser foot down) if it does not do this automatically for you. If your presser foot is not down, the tension is not engaged, and you will have a birds nest under your fabric.
6
The stitch length is now controlled entirely by a combination of how fast you run the machine and how fast you move the fabric. Some machines have a stitch regulator that actually keeps your free-motion stitches evenly spaced.
7
Select the slowest speed, or one notch faster. Steady machine speed and steady movement of the fabric are essential to successful, even quilting.
8
Select a straight stitch for quilting or thread sketching. You will not want the bobbin thread to ever show on the quilt top. To prevent this from happening the same type and color thread in the bobbin as in the needle. You may need to slightly lower your top tension. If you have never pieced or quilted before, this Beginner Quilt Sampler featured in this course is a wonderful way to learn.
Find Free-Motion Freedom
As you can see, knowing how to set up your sewing machine for free-motion quilting is crucial to success. And now, thanks to Eric Drexler, you’ve got all the tools you need to dive in and find success with free-motion! Do you have any tips or tricks we may have missed? Be sure to share with us on Instagram, Facebook, or in the comments section below.
Happy quilting!
Brenna
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I was always told to reduce the presser foot pressure to ‘0’ for free motion quilting, but I just tried it without reducing the pressure and it doesn’t seem to make any difference at all. So I don’t need to do that?
Hi Christine, great question! I asked our team and you can find their answers below:
“I’ve not heard that. A free motion foot hovers above the fabric, rather than pressing down, so there’s no need to adjust the pressure in my mind. I’ve heard of people reducing the stich length to 0, in lieu of lowering the feed dogs, but the pressure adjustment is new to me.” — Gigi Levsen, McCall’s Quilting Editor
“Presser foot pressure should not make any difference, but dropping the feed dogs and using a free-motion quilting foot is key. Trying a different stitch length setting may affect the free-motion stitching, depending on the machine. It’s always a good idea to practice on a similar quilt sandwich scrap before beginning one’s project.” — Valerie Uland, Love of Quilting Editor
“When I set my Pfaff machine up for free motion quilting, I do find that I have to still adjust the tension (which seems to default to 4.6). I just practice on a quilt “sandwich” until I can see the top and bottom stitching looks the same (usually about 3.4).” — Eileen Fowler, Associate Editor