![]() ![]() Be careful when moving the fabric to ensure the needle is performing as expected. If you move the fabric quickly and the foot pedal doesn’t keep up with your movement, the needle could catch on the quilt and bend or even break. In addition to achieving a more accurate stitch length, stitching slowly also has another benefit: needle integrity. ![]() It’s advisable to use this function so you can learn how to regulate your speed as you move the fabric. Your machine may have a setting to slow down no matter how hard you press on the foot pedal. When starting a journey into free-motion quilting, speed is not your friend. And if your machine didn’t come with this foot, it’s likely an add-on purchase that will open up the possibilities for your creations. Check your machine manual to see what’s preferred for your brand. Some machines come with both an embroidery foot and a free-motion foot. It also is fairly open (or clear) so you have a great view of your work as you’re quilting. This foot rests above the fabric surface so you can move the fabric underneath without friction. Check with your machine manufacturer to see if this accessory exists for your machine brand.įor free-motion quilting, a spring-loaded machine foot is necessary. This is most likely a special addition to the presser foot, plugged into the machine in some way, to sense how fast or slow you’re moving the fabric. Some machine brands have “stitch regulators” that adjust the stitch length no matter how fast or slow you move the fabric, placing more stitches as you move faster and less as you move slower. Once this happens, the fabric is stationary unless YOU move it. Most all machines have a setting that allows you to “drop” the feed dogs, meaning to put them away and “hide” them. The feed dogs grip the underside of the fabric as it’s fed through the machine. What are feed dogs? These are the jagged little grippers peeking out through the machine throatplate underneath the presser foot. Once you get a feel for this you can have a lot of fun with free-motion work, including embroidery (or “thread painting”) as well as quilting. ![]() In order to achieve an equal stitch length across the entire quilt, you need to find the “happy medium” of both foot pedal control and fabric movement. If you move the fabric slowly but keep the foot pedal speed at a moderate level, the stitch length will be quite short. If you move the fabric quickly but don’t adjust the foot pedal speed, the stitch will be longer. The speed in which you move the fabric affects the stitch length as well. Yes, any direction: side to side, backwards, forwards! You are in control of the movement of the fabric, whether that is slow or fast, in any direction. WHAT IS FREE-MOTION QUILTING?Īnytime you hear or read the term “free-motion,” this means you are moving the fabric between the presser foot and feed dogs. Just the thought of lowering the feed dogs of the sewing machine can put people in a panic! Read on to discover some great resources for free-motion quilting and have confidence to create your first free-motion quilt. Free-motion quilting is an often intimidating subject for many quilters. ![]()
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