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Top 6 Tips For Freehand Quilting Set your creative side free with freehand quilting! The best part is you can have a unique project that no one else has. However, this much freedom often goes with problems. Here are my top tips to help you get over the hardest part, getting used to freehand quilting. Relax And Clear Your Head The bigger the project, the more room you will need around you and your sewing machine. So clear the space around according to the size of the project and get used to it. If you have a large table, that will be the best scenario but if you do not, consider setting up extra tables around to support your project. Please note that this technique does not call for the specific type of machine so if you are wondering what to buy, feel free to choose one of the machines suggested by this article on Where To Buy The Best Basic Sewing Machine For Beginners And Home Use to cut cost. If you are wondering why we have to take this seriously, here is the reason. Bigger projects tend to be dragged down by gravity and when they do, they pull the part you are working on down with them too. This can result in puckering seams. I know many quilters like to stand up when they work but my personal preference is to have a chair to sit on. This way, my hands have support to move freely and guide the project and my feet can lay flat on the ground. The rule to choose a comfortable chair is to see if you are maintaining a 90-degree angle. Use A Pair Of Gloves Or Make Your Fingers Sticky There are gloves that are designed to help you hold on to the project better because when you freehand quilt, you need a high level of accuracy. If you have gloves like that, it is great. However, if you cannot find them, you can consider doing what I do. I make use of rug backing as a substitute for a pair of gloves and it works perfectly. With another layer of support, your fingers will have more freedom to guide the fabric. Another viable alternative is plastic fingertips that you can find in any store. If you find yourself clutching the projects, the needle may not land on the place you want it to. Make Use Of A Darning Foot A darning foot is useful whenever you need to see clearly where the needle is heading. This foot and a machine that allows you to lower the feed dog are a perfect combination when you do a task which requires you to have a lot of freedom to move around. The foot does not apply as much pressure on the project as a regular foot does, which combines with the absence of the feed dog to give you complete control over the fabric. Adjust The Speed In freehand quilting, you need your hands and feet to work in harmony to have the best project possible. Your hands are in charge of moving the project around while your feet will control the speed. If the machine sews too quickly, your hands may not be able to keep up and if it goes too slowly, you may end up having skipped stitches. This might sound like the job of your hands and feet but actually, the machine you are using plays an important part in how quickly you get used to the skills. The best sewing machine for beginners is what you need in this case. These machines can be found here: https://www.scoop.it/topic/best-sewing-machine-for-beginners-basic-sewing-machine-review for more information. This is not something that works for everyone so I am afraid you will need to figure out what works for you by yourself. To start, go slowly at first and train your hands and feet to work together. When you are familiar with a speed, increase it a little bit and keep quilting at that speed. You will need a lot of scrap fabric when you practice as I know none of you want to risk throwing a piece of expensive fabric away. Practice Makes Perfect This applies to all kind of skills, not just freehand quilting. No one is natural at this and it takes time to master this set of skills. If you have done machine embroidery before, this is a similar thing. Both require the dexterity of your hands and their cooperation with your feet. In case you have done none of these, it is always fun and rewarding to learn something new. You might have problems, big and small at first. The first project may not look like what you have in mind but time and effort will improve everything. Except A Fact That It Will Not Be Perfect Practice a lot to master your skills is the right thing to do but if you aim at perfection, I am afraid that is not going to happen. The best thing you can do to yourself is to give up on perfection. No matter how hard you try, some stitches will go out of place. Even though the machine does a large part of the work but you are the one that guides the project and human cannot be as precise as a machine. That is the beauty of handmade items. They are beautiful because they are not perfect. Whenever you think you make a mistake somewhere, do not stop, just keep going with the pattern unless the problem is too obvious. If what you make is small bubbles, they are not worth get nervous about, trust me. On a large piece of quilt, not many people will notice small mishaps anyway. Like I said before, the mistakes might be what makes the charm of the project. If you insist on fixing or hiding them, try adding more quilt. The more lines on the top of the project, the fewer chances people will notice mishaps here and there. When you do freehand quilting, you need an easy to use a sewing machine for beginners to make things less time to consume for you. This kind of machines can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21_gr1YZBGk. Check it out.
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